DA20 Considerations for a Flight School

Any DA20 related topics

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Joey
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DA20 Considerations for a Flight School

Post by Joey »

I'm considering a DA20-C1 leaseback for a local flight school? Any pros or cons from the group on the DA20 for that purpose?
Joey Ritchie
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BrianB
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Re: DA20 Considerations for a Flight School

Post by BrianB »

I have had one on leaseback to a flight school in Leesburg for almost 3 years. I have also had a couple Cessnas there too.

I think the key is to make sure you save for maintenance and overhaul. You can get surprised by some expensive maintenance and you will need the money. Students will scrape tread off the tires and wear out the rudder adjustment cables and of course the big expense will be the engine overhaul.

Make sure you are well insured. Make sure you know what happens if the school rents the plane to a pilot who does not have a current BFR or medical. I saw one case where this happened, the plane was damaged and the insurance company wouldn't cover it so the owner ended up having to sue the renter for damage. This is very rare - but I saw it happen. I have not had a lien on the plane, that can make a big difference.

Overall the leaseback has been a good deal. I have been lucky and broken about even and I can fly my plane pretty cheaply thanks to the renters.

And by the way you can find my DA20 on controller.com. I don't know how they feel about advertising here so that's all I'll say here, for now.
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