AirCrafters - Frequently Asked Questions

   Custom Aircraft Construction and Repair
    140 Aviation Way
    Watsonville, CA 95076
    Phone 831.722.9141  Fax 831.722.9142  Email

AirCrafters Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List

Below is a list of frequently asked questions we have received from customers. Click on any to learn more, or scroll down to browse all.

Are experimental aircraft your primary focus?
How can you charge so much? Other builders charge half what you do.
Is there a rental fee for tools, shop space, equipment, etc.?
Do you specialize in any particular aircraft?
Do you sell kits?
Do you sell parts and supplies?
Do you do maintenance on aircraft that are already flying?
Can I license my plane if someone else built it?
Can I work on my plane in your shop?
How do you handle liability?
How does the FAA view the fact that you build kitplanes?
What kinds of other services do you provide?
Who does your test flying?
Do you use a DAR for issuance of airworthiness certificates?
Which kits do you have experience in?
Do you do pre-purchase inspections?

Are experimental aircraft your primary focus?

Yes. We chose to specialize on experimental aircraft because we believe they represent state of the art technology and the best value. Being free of many of the layers of government bureaucracy that have stifled General Aviation allows us to operate more efficiently, and the fast growing experimental segment should fuel our expansion for many years.
How can you charge so much? Other builders charge half what you do.

We hire qualified, experienced people -- the kind you'd want working on your plane -- and we pay them well. We've been in business long enough to know if we don't charge enough, our quality, and your product, will eventually suffer. Even so, our shop stays full of satisfied customers.
Is there a rental fee for tools, shop space, equipment, etc.?

No. If you are a customer at AirCrafters we provide you with all the resources in our shop, including miscellaneous hardware and consumable supplies. You don't need to tally up every bolt or special tool. Just build the plane!
Do you specialize in any particular aircraft?

At any given time you may see our shop full of Glasairs, or Lancairs, or RVs. In general we're usually working on some of each.
Do you sell kits?

As a service to our customers we occasionally broker an uncompleted kit. We do not retail new kits at this time.
Do you sell parts and supplies?

Yes, as a service to speed a project along. We are not competitive with mail order supply houses, but we do sell hardware and materials to walk-in customers, and we bill our customers for special order items that we purchase wholesale.
Do you do maintenance on aircraft that are already flying?

Yes! Unlike many shops who turn experimentals away, we perform regular service, inspections, modifications, upgrades, and repairs.
Can I license my plane if someone else built it?

Before receiving an Airworthiness Certificate, every kitplane builder is required to certify that he or she built "the major portion" of the plane "for his or her own education and recreation". At AirCrafters, we have carefully and correctly interpreted this rule to mean that the builder must be primarily involved in the process, but has no obligation to spend more than 50% of the time required. This leaves us in a good position to help minimize the amount of time a builder must spend working on the project. Our builders will always be able to certify to the FAA, correctly and without doubt, that they built the plane.
Can I work on my plane in your shop?

Of course! You can work side by side with our experienced technicians on any part of the project. We find that the customers who spend the most time in our shop tend to be the most satisfied. If you'd like to minimize the time you spend, we will manage the 51% rule for you to make sure you're in full compliance.
How do you handle liability?

Before we started this business, we realized that many of the kits available today produce safe, sound, well designed and well engineered airplanes. The best protection we can have against liability is make sure that they are built like the kit manufacturer intended. We don't cut corners and we don't use substandard parts and materials. From a legal standpoint, we are incorporated as a "Limited Liability Company" (LLC) which theoretically protects its principals and employees from liabilities arising from the business.
We require all our customers to carry insurance on their projects, and we carry a standard property insurance policy.
How does the FAA view the fact that you build kitplanes?

The FAA visits our shop on a regular basis to issue Airworthiness Certificates and just say "Hi". They tell us regularly that they appreciate the fact that we are providing a service to the experimental community, improving safety, and educating builders. Please call Inspector Lee Mountz at the San Jose FSDO for more information: 408-291-7681 X102.
What kinds of other services do you provide?

We provide all services related to the construction, operation, and ownership of amateur built experimental aircraft. We work with insurance jobs, pre-purchase inspections, condition inspections, and aircraft moving, besides regular maintenance and construction services.
Who does your test flying?

In some cases, we recommend a professional test pilot. We have worked with Dave Morss, Paul Mounter, Rich Perkins, and Tim Johnson. In other cases, we prepare the aircraft and the builder to test their own aircraft. Each case is unique and each is approached with safety first.
Do you use a DAR for issuance of airworthiness certificates?

We use both DARs and FAA Safety Inspectors from the San Jose FSDO. Timing is usually the determining factor, but we have always received excellent service from the FSDO, usually receiving inspection within a week of our initial request.
Which kits do you have experience in?

Vans RV 6/8, Lancair 4P/4PTurbine/235/320/360, Glasair I/II/III, GlaStar, Europa, Kitfox, even BD-5s!
Do you do pre-purchase inspections?

Yes! We will tell you if that experimental you've got your eye on is a good value or not. We have a unique, two-step approach:
- First, one of our experienced technicians will spend about a day looking over the aircraft and getting a sense of the construction quality, completeness, and maintenance history. If the plane is a good value we will recommend for you to buy it.
- If you proceed with the purchase, we next ask that the plane be made available to us for a complete condition inspection (annual). This inspection will take three to four more days and will determine in very good detail the condition of the airplane. It includes service items like an oil change and airframe lube, so your new plane is ready for a year of trouble-free flying.
This way we price our first inspection so you could potentially have us look at a few planes before you buy. Then by performing a more thorough inspection, we protect ourselves from having recommended a poor or unsafe product, and we protect you from flying one!