Just like with metal airplanes there are a lot of things that can damage a composite one. Maybe it took an impact during ground handling, or a wildlife strike on the runway, or perhaps it’s dreaded hail damage, which requires lots of little (well, maybe big) repairs to the fuselage and control surfaces. Hey, stuff happens, and spotting these repairs—and how they were handled—is what you’re looking for when you’re shopping.
During our research we talked with Paul New at Tennessee Aircraft Services in Jackson, Tennessee, who specializes in major structural repairs to both metal and composite aircraft. New was handling the composite repair of a hail-damaged Cessna (Columbia) 300 in a way every buyer (and owner) would want, partly because Textron is involved in the process. The repair process for this Columbia—particularly the paperwork chase—is a poster child of how it should be done, in our view. The factory guidance is a Repair Definition.