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Autopilot Repairs: Parts Obsolescence

Don’t throw good money after bad on major repairs to aging autopilots—or pay full price for a used airplane with one that hasn’t been upgraded.

Larry Anglisano
Verified

Edited By:

Omar Filipovic

The BendixKing KAP140 shown here on Mid-Continent Instrument and Avionics’ repair bench was a Cessna and Piper standard in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

It’s a familiar story. A buyer drains the budget on a used go-places IFR airplane only to spend thousands on autopilot repairs—or tens of thousands on replacement—within the first year or less of ownership.

While the surprise might have been avoided with a more thorough prepurchase inspection and inflight shakedown, it’s best to factor in the potential costs of keeping an old autopilot running (or replacing it) before you actually agree to buying the airplane in the first place.

Larry Anglisano

Editor in Chief Larry Anglisano has been a staple at Aviation Consumer since 1995. An active land, sea and glider pilot, Larry has over 30 years’ experience as an avionics repairman and flight test pilot. He’s the editorial director overseeing sister publications Aviation Safety magazine, IFR magazine and is a regular contributor to KITPLANES magazine with his Avionics Bootcamp column.