Everyone knows that buying a used airplane involves a level of risk, and despite the requirements for record keeping and mandatory annual inspections any number of significant gremlins can hide within the airframe. The risk increases substantially with an aging composite structure.
Face it, while aluminum aircraft still dominate the fleet, composite construction represents a rapidly growing portion of the for-sale options. With the first London, Ontario-produced Diamond DA20s leaving the line in 1995 and the first Cirrus SR20 flying out of Duluth in 1999—hundreds, if not thousands, of used examples are options for buyers looking for the sleek appearance and other desirable characteristics embedded in these composite designs.