Typical O.C.D:

Went in to over-improve our already cherry E55 with some new fuel bladders and digital fuel senders at Honeycutt aviation in Nor Cal…. All was going well until some internal structural damage was discovered after removing the old fuel cells.

Long story short:

To do things right (which is the only way to go in aviation), our airplane will be down for a very LONG time.

Unfortunately, the Baron is the perfect airplane for our mission.

So, for those of you interested in selling your airplane for whatever reason, please consider keeping it on your balance sheet and possibly leasing it to us for a year or so. Especially those personally owned birds because this could be a good opportunity to depreciate things while realizing a positive cash-flow… Making a lease extremely tax-efficient.

Dry California WX
Hangared
Over 12 years of Baron ownership
100-150 hrs per year
O.C.D and mechanically inclined operator

Thanks y’all

Sorry to hear about the corrosion that's no fun.

I'd change the thread title though, It sounds like you're trying to find someone to lease your baron, not the other way around

I am sorry about your loss of use of your E55. As a E55 owner for 45 yrs. I sure would like to know a little more about the structural damage that was found. Was it do to an accident or hard landing or was it do to corrosion?

Zero corrosion on this airplane. The damage is to the box structure supporting one of the bladders. Was not visible until bladders were removed. Combed the logs and found a cryptic one-liner in 1975: “Repaired damage to right wing leading edge.” Originally thought the issue was from a shoddy repair that someone tried to bury. Brought out a specialist and turns out the damage was from a hard landing (wing twist from the engine nacelle being forced down and this box not returning to shape).

Only reason it was caught was because Honeycutt noticed a slight crinkle in the lower fuel cell box skin. They asked permission to drill our rivets and inspect further… after peeling back the onion we noticed the damage to the structure in a few places.

The consensus is that this damage does not affect safety but we can’t just slap things back in and move on down the road. Unfortunately, repairs and/or inspections will be extensive and that takes time.

Thanks for the feedback Wes! Sorry you are dealing with this. You are doing the right thing and I hope the repair is

I clicked on this thread hoping to lease your baron, lol. Our conquest is going to be down for several months for some repairs and I'm hoping to find a traveling airplane for the time being.

Good luck!

Hi there
I’m currently living in Utah and have a Baron I love, it’s super clean but I’m not using it much. I have had a hard decision making process I’m struggling with regarding selling it or not. I may be a potential prospect for you. Thanks

Rick

Hi Rick,

The good news is that I found another Baron to “dry lease” at my home base! It is also owned by another Rick and it is a beautiful 2016 G58.

The bad news is that we are now getting used to both the comfort and economics of such a “top shelf” airplane that I don’t think we are going to be able to get momma back into our 55 when it is repaired… So, this lease is probably going to get very expensive;)

FWIW, the leasing arrangement we have seems to be working out well for everyone. It sounds like the same situation you are in where the airplane does not get flown very much but it also not time for the owner to sell. Plus, the fact that we share a home airport makes it a very nice arrangement. It is not for everyone, but If you can find someone at your home base that is like-minded you should explore leasing hours.

I pay for 10 hours at the beginning of each month and if I go under, then no refund. If I go over, I pay the additional amount on top of the next month “base.” It makes the arrangement financially predictable for the owner and creates the proper incentives for me. We put it back in the hangar with 130 gallons of fuel after each flight and I invite the owner to my missions on the calendar (Google) so conflicts have not been an issue.

I started off by talking to the good mechanics on our field that I know only touch the clean airplanes and one thing led to another.

Good info. Thanks!

Would you be interested in leasing a 58tc , new ram engine 520wb , new props and all new accessories , all garmin panel with garmin autopilot,

I can be reached at 806-679-4433