Weekend Feild Annuals

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

Well, before I read your comment I thought that operating independently would make me a better AME. I want to deal with the buisness as well as just fix the airplane. I want to be a great AME and provide the best service I can. The buck stops with me.

All excellent reasons to start your own business. Not reasons that you should be allowed to operate on your own account at the same time as having a day job.

You're saying I can be dismissed for competing with my employer?

Yes, on the spot.

I totally agree with you as far as "at the same time" goes. I'm at the shop I work for the shop, my side buisness doesnt exsist until my time is my own. I'll need to do some serious research, you might have ruined my day, but I appreciate the wakeup call.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

Are you going to incorporate or register a proprietorship? Incorporation provides more ability to deduct expenses and may provide some legal protection but is much more expensive to maintain. From a strictly financial point of view incorporating only makes sense once you are bringing in $50k+. If you are buying a bunch of expensive equipment it may force your hand. Speak to a tax accountant before making any decisions and find out how much filing the taxes is going to cost you each year.

Insurance, you'll want to speak to a highly experienced aviation broker. They are getting very rare.

Travel, pilots will definitely take advantage of your willingness to travel. Figure out what your time is worth, what your vehicle is worth, and charge appropriately. Don't go broke like an Uber driver.

Owner supplied parts are a huge liability. You have no control over them and this will raise a big red flag with TC. You'll definitely want to bring a good assortment of hardware as well as commonly required parts, especially if you're traveling somewhere to get a job done. Image you have charged $500 to travel to a site and cannot finish the job because you don't have brake pads or a crush washer for the oil screen or something. You'll need to have a very good idea of what the consumables are.

Make sure you have business cards ready. People will ask you for one all the time. I don't know anything about social media accounts but you will want to join all the local flying clubs, RAA, EAA, whatever is around. You need to find the aircraft owners, they aren't going to come to you.

You will also need a relationship with an avionics shop who can do the transponders, altimeters, & transponders.

I think you will find that AMEs working on piston GA aircraft are getting rare. Very rare. The one young guy we have around here is $100 / hour, has a very take it or leave it attitude, and is completely swamped with work. The last time I needed him it took 3 days to get him for two hours fixing an AOG plane and we considered ourselves very lucky to get him that quickly. Normally it's minimum a couple weeks to get anything done.

Starting out you will try to think things through ahead of time but there are going to be some mistakes as you get going, be prepared to apologize and take a loss and work your tail off for free to fix the mistake. It will pay big dividends in the end. Don't take on cheap pain in the ass customers. There are many owners out there who will pay whatever you want and will expect excellent work from you. There are many more owners that begrudge every penny spent on their aircraft and will constantly be whining about the price of everything. Don't let the whiners pay you any less than the easygoing pleasant customers, just charge them max price until they go away.

Consider getting some Rotax training. All the AMEs I meet are either very competent and experienced ones who don't know anything about Rotax engines or complete hacks who have never heard of AC 43.13-1B who are Rotax experts. Find the 10% of Rotax owners who are desperate to throw money at you in order to get their aircraft properly maintained.

I wouldn't do anything like this without speaking to my supervisor first. It may be difficult or uncomfortable but looking back you will find it wasn't that hard and you will be very glad you were transparent about your weekend work activities. Tell them your plans, find out what they think, and have a discussion about what is ok and what isn't. For example if something comes up that you just cannot do yourself and you need help or one of those fancy tools, how are you going to deal with that? Does your customer now become your employer's customer? Can you get a tool rental agreement?

I'm thinking of operating as a sole proprietor to start out, if things progress well I would prefer to incorporate. I have a meeting with a local tax and buisness guy to discuss the option. I appreciate the well thought out response. Some of this I have been working on already and some others I'll seriously look into. I think there is a great market for Rotax work too and it's something I plan to explore. I only see a couple Rotax a year, right now. Great engines as far as I'm concerned. Right now my employer is very supportive, I dont think something like a tool rental agreement would be an issue.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

Cool!

With a service like that, I wouldn't expect you to operate at a cheaper rate. If you do want to operate less expensive, give the money back as extra customer service: fixing mistakes, only charging for travel if you are there for a whole day (eg don't show up at 5 pm, be unable to finish the job in 2 hours, come back the next day and charge for travel again).

From an owner's point of view, I would expect you to use some of the parts I provide. Not to nickle and dime you, but because I might have some spare parts lined up already. Or because they are hard to source. If you notice broken parts (like brake pads you mentioned), and you carry them and I don't have them, I'd be very happy to pay the extra premium to get the plane going today while you are here.

Can I ask why you want to do this? If it is because you want to develop your own business, then by all means go ahead. If you just want to work on airplanes, you might be able to make a deal with your boss and work for him as well during the weekend for more money etc. Might turn out to be more profitable for you.

Either way, talk to your boss, no matter what you end up doing.

but is much more expensive to maintain. From a strictly financial point of view incorporating only makes sense once you are bringing in $50k+.

Why is that? Incorporating only costs a couple of hundred dollars.
After that, you need to keep track of your expensens anyway, whether you do it yourself or use an account, incorporating or not

I'm more the guy who would work as long as I reasonably could. Snooze in my truck a few hours and then finish up in the morning. Maybe grab some breakfast and take a flight if you are offering. At this point I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy, maintain your airplane, and keep your buisness. I'm the guy you can call at 2am on a friday and I'll jump to help you out. I have a lot of reasons for wanting to do this but one is I want your business more than the next guy does.

[photofly]

I totally agree with you as far as "at the same time" goes. I'm at the shop I work for the shop, my side buisness doesnt exsist until my time is my own. I'll need to do some serious research, you might have ruined my day, but I appreciate the wakeup call.

Something employees tend to overlook is that they're still employees, even when not at work. To the extent that your activities - political, social, or business - outside of your hours of employment have a negative effect on your employer, you are still responsible for them, and can still be disciplined or dismissed for them.

I have been trying to find some relevant reading materials on this: here is something:
https://www.bcbusiness.ca/conflict-of-i ... ed-to-know

[Bede]

Why don't you just quit your job and do this full time? Seems you have the drive to make it work on a full time basis?

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

I totally agree with you as far as "at the same time" goes. I'm at the shop I work for the shop, my side buisness doesnt exsist until my time is my own. I'll need to do some serious research, you might have ruined my day, but I appreciate the wakeup call.

Something employees tend to overlook is that they're still employees, even when not at work. To the extent that your activities - political, social, or business - outside of your hours of employment have a negative effect on your employer, you are still responsible for them, and can still be disciplined or dismissed for them.

I have been trying to find some relevant reading materials on this: here is something:
https://www.bcbusiness.ca/conflict-of-i ... ed-to-know

Thanks for the link, it's really hard to find information about this. It lead me down a rabbit hole concerning conflict of interest as an employee. So far as I understand the first step to dismissal for conflict of interest is an employer can demand the employee stop engaging in the conflicting act. The employee must then comply or resign, otherwise the employer is justified in dismissal. I wish this was easier to research. I think the risks here are realistically minimal but it's good to consider the possibility.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

Why don't you just quit your job and do this full time? Seems you have the drive to make it work on a full time basis?

Responsibilities my friend. People depend on me and I can't take that much risk. I do really like my job, its a great shop with great people and a wealth of experience. I just need to do more, I think the work is out there for someone motivated to go find it.

[PilotDAR]

The only way I can think of to be sure that there's no concern about a potential conflict of interest, is to have an open, and complete discussion with your day employer. If the employer has no concerns, you probably have no concerns. I'd make sure there's a written record of that discussion... I can imagine an employer being okay with your taking small amounts of outside work, if there is no competition whatever with the work they do - but if you want to be employed there, you owe them your loyalty first.

As for annual inspections at the tiedown, I think it's a poor idea, and I think that the type of owner who wants that work done this way is not the type of client I'm attracted to. Sure, the odd time, it's necessary to do some maintenance/repair to make the plane flyable, to get it to the maintenance shop, and maybe a flight permit is needed too. But to plan to do annual inspections this way is less than ideal. Yes, TC allows it for private airplanes, (though not commercial), but the fact that it's allowed does not make it ideal.

You are potentially opening a can of worms taking someone's plane apart in the field. They think they're going to get a $1000 annual inspection, and go flying on Tuesday. You think a cylinder needs to come off for repair. You've got the cowls off, plugs out, and some baffles removed. You not want to remove a cylinder. You forgot your cylinder base wrench, so you can't do it that day, you're going to have to come back. Then once you have the cylinder off, it's going to sit with a rag in the case, and cowls on for two weeks, and then you're going to wait for a nice day to stand in the dried mud, to put the cylinder back on? And the owner will be happy to wait and pay, while you curse at having no "floor"?

It's like the race to the bottom. Aircraft maintenance should be done at an aircraft maintenance facility whenever possible, just as surgery should be done at a hospital whenever possible. And many small airports (who actually own the tiedown space) have policies against field maintenance on their property. The owner should be taking responsibility for getting the plane to the maintenance shop, rather than calling you to go to a field to perform a planned inspection. In my opinion, it's a poor business plan to cater to clients who are doing the least to enable you to do the quality work that you would like to be proud to do, and they think they're going to get for a deal. Make it easy on yourself to do good work, by doing it at a good facility, with the appropriate resources.

[digits_]

As for annual inspections at the tiedown, I think it's a poor idea, and I think that the type of owner who wants that work done this way is not the type of client I'm attracted to.

It's a great service if you want to pick up clients. A tie down might be a bit of a stretch, but plenty of folk with a variety of hangar levels that would appreciate someone driving out to the plane to do the annual.

Sure, the odd time, it's necessary to do some maintenance/repair to make the plane flyable, to get it to the maintenance shop, and maybe a flight permit is needed too. But to plan to do annual inspections this way is less than ideal. Yes, TC allows it for private airplanes, (though not commercial), but the fact that it's allowed does not make it ideal.

I've worked for a company where the AMO had no problem doing annuals out at the lake, or drive out to the company's hangar. Not saying that wasn't illegal, but nobody seemed concerned about it, and TC never cared -and they were around a lot..-.

You are potentially opening a can of worms taking someone's plane apart in the field. They think they're going to get a $1000 annual inspection, and go flying on Tuesday. You think a cylinder needs to come off for repair. You've got the cowls off, plugs out, and some baffles removed. You not want to remove a cylinder. You forgot your cylinder base wrench, so you can't do it that day, you're going to have to come back. Then once you have the cylinder off, it's going to sit with a rag in the case, and cowls on for two weeks, and then you're going to wait for a nice day to stand in the dried mud, to put the cylinder back on? And the owner will be happy to wait and pay, while you curse at having no "floor"?

It's like the race to the bottom. Aircraft maintenance should be done at an aircraft maintenance facility whenever possible, just as surgery should be done at a hospital whenever possible. And many small airports (who actually own the tiedown space) have policies against field maintenance on their property. The owner should be taking responsibility for getting the plane to the maintenance shop, rather than calling you to go to a field to perform a planned inspection. In my opinion, it's a poor business plan to cater to clients who are doing the least to enable you to do the quality work that you would like to be proud to do, and they think they're going to get for a deal. Make it easy on yourself to do good work, by doing it at a good facility, with the appropriate resources.

There's always ways around that. If the surgeon in the hospital forgot to prepare his scalpel, he'd have trouble. Forgetting or losing tools can happen in a hangar as well. If your truck *is* your toolbox, that problem gets mitigated. It's when an AME does both (in hangar and out of truck ops with the same tools), that forgetting tools becomes a major issue.

Don't look at it as a race to the bottom, consider it a race to the customer service top. I'd like a service like that. I'd be willing to pay the same, or more, than the same service in an AMO hangar.

If you look at it from a different perspective: if your engine blows up at a distant airport, and it is possible to install a new engine there (which has been done plenty of times), then it should generally be possible to do an annual off airport as well.

Cursing about having no floor, or being swamped with bugs or other uncomfortable situations are things an AME can decide whether or not to deal with. I think it is a bit unfair to imply it's mainly cheap owners who would wish to use this service. It's mainly about convenience, not necessarily money. Another advantage is that the AME is usually 100% committed to your plane while he is at the airport. No surprise visitors dropping planes off, no big customer cutting the line.

There are quite a bit of savings for the AME as well. No expensive hangar to pay for. You can burn a lot of fuel for travel for the price of a hangar, and clients will find it acceptable to pay for mileage. Depending on the radius you work in, the savings could be significant. Especially for a weekend only operation.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

The only way I can think of to be sure that there's no concern about a potential conflict of interest, is to have an open, and complete discussion with your day employer. If the employer has no concerns, you probably have no concerns. I'd make sure there's a written record of that discussion... I can imagine an employer being okay with your taking small amounts of outside work, if there is no competition whatever with the work they do - but if you want to be employed there, you owe them your loyalty first.

As for annual inspections at the tiedown, I think it's a poor idea, and I think that the type of owner who wants that work done this way is not the type of client I'm attracted to. Sure, the odd time, it's necessary to do some maintenance/repair to make the plane flyable, to get it to the maintenance shop, and maybe a flight permit is needed too. But to plan to do annual inspections this way is less than ideal. Yes, TC allows it for private airplanes, (though not commercial), but the fact that it's allowed does not make it ideal.

You are potentially opening a can of worms taking someone's plane apart in the field. They think they're going to get a $1000 annual inspection, and go flying on Tuesday. You think a cylinder needs to come off for repair. You've got the cowls off, plugs out, and some baffles removed. You not want to remove a cylinder. You forgot your cylinder base wrench, so you can't do it that day, you're going to have to come back. Then once you have the cylinder off, it's going to sit with a rag in the case, and cowls on for two weeks, and then you're going to wait for a nice day to stand in the dried mud, to put the cylinder back on? And the owner will be happy to wait and pay, while you curse at having no "floor"?

It's like the race to the bottom. Aircraft maintenance should be done at an aircraft maintenance facility whenever possible, just as surgery should be done at a hospital whenever possible. And many small airports (who actually own the tiedown space) have policies against field maintenance on their property. The owner should be taking responsibility for getting the plane to the maintenance shop, rather than calling you to go to a field to perform a planned inspection. In my opinion, it's a poor business plan to cater to clients who are doing the least to enable you to do the quality work that you would like to be proud to do, and they think they're going to get for a deal. Make it easy on yourself to do good work, by doing it at a good facility, with the appropriate resources.

I get what your saying but I think these things can be managed. Fundamentally I think it comes down to who wants the work more, who is willing to go further to get the job done, and who has the skills. As to working at a tie down I think you are being slightly paranoid, most of us do it. Lots of AMO's are happy to offer mobile service and personally I have no issue whatsoever doing so. I wouldnt accept an apprentice to do mobile work, but a seasoned professional can make that decision for themselves.

Your example is fine but I hope it's not serious, would you operate this way? Ignoring the obviously incorrect practices you're describing, wouldnt you go to any lengths to fix your mistake? Here is theoretically how I would do it. Beg and borrow base wrenches or go home and get them. Return on my own expense as soon as humanly possible. I'll pull the jug at 2 am on a Tuesday to fix my mistake. Then I will hand deliver it to the engine shop the next morning. Wait the two weeks with the engine properly sealed with real cylinder base covers, lines capped and the aircraft properly closed up. Return as soon as possible and mount the jug in an engine tent or nosed into a hanger if weather doesnt co-operate. Will the owner be angry? Sure, he might be but it is what it is. I did everything I could possibly do, I cant make everyone happy all the time.

You can call it the race to the bottom, I dont agree but you are free to think so. Dont forget that the race to the bottom didnt start with AME's. It started with shop owners who would rather pay 1 AME (less than he deserves) and 10 apprentices (less than they deserve) to pump through inspections as fast and profitable as possible, do you think that AME actually does the inspection? You say aircraft maintenance should be done at a maintenance facility, I say aircraft maintenance should be done by licensed professionals. If you bring work to me, you are guaranteed to get a proffessional AME with nearly 10 years experience. You are guaranteed that every inch of your aircraft has been looked at by someone who knows what he is looking at.
I'll even go so far as to say my feild inspection will be better than your shop inspection. You have a timetable, you have the next job waiting, you are in a rush, and your downtime is expensive. None of that is true for me, I can take the time it needs and charge what is fair.

[PilotDAR]

As long as you've thought it through, and have a plan for the known and predictable, the unpredictable will have to be handled as it comes along. It's rare that everything is perfect for aircraft maintenance, we do the best we can. I just like to start things toward being easy and comfortable. I find great benefit in the simple difference of working on my concrete pad in front of the hangar, rather than working over the grass. Unfortunately, when I chose a three bladed prop, to replace the two bladed one on one of my planes, I knew it would no longer fit in my hangar, and it doesn't, so for the maintenance and annual inspections I do on it, it's at the hangar door, but at least all the other tools and resources are right there.

If the market is there for on site annual inspections, and you can make a buck at it, while respecting your other commitments, That's up to you. I'm just a little wary of that way of doing things, when there is a choice.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

As for annual inspections at the tiedown, I think it's a poor idea, and I think that the type of owner who wants that work done this way is not the type of client I'm attracted to.

It's a great service if you want to pick up clients. A tie down might be a bit of a stretch, but plenty of folk with a variety of hangar levels that would appreciate someone driving out to the plane to do the annual.

Sure, the odd time, it's necessary to do some maintenance/repair to make the plane flyable, to get it to the maintenance shop, and maybe a flight permit is needed too. But to plan to do annual inspections this way is less than ideal. Yes, TC allows it for private airplanes, (though not commercial), but the fact that it's allowed does not make it ideal.

I've worked for a company where the AMO had no problem doing annuals out at the lake, or drive out to the company's hangar. Not saying that wasn't illegal, but nobody seemed concerned about it, and TC never cared -and they were around a lot..-.

You are potentially opening a can of worms taking someone's plane apart in the field. They think they're going to get a $1000 annual inspection, and go flying on Tuesday. You think a cylinder needs to come off for repair. You've got the cowls off, plugs out, and some baffles removed. You not want to remove a cylinder. You forgot your cylinder base wrench, so you can't do it that day, you're going to have to come back. Then once you have the cylinder off, it's going to sit with a rag in the case, and cowls on for two weeks, and then you're going to wait for a nice day to stand in the dried mud, to put the cylinder back on? And the owner will be happy to wait and pay, while you curse at having no "floor"?

It's like the race to the bottom. Aircraft maintenance should be done at an aircraft maintenance facility whenever possible, just as surgery should be done at a hospital whenever possible. And many small airports (who actually own the tiedown space) have policies against field maintenance on their property. The owner should be taking responsibility for getting the plane to the maintenance shop, rather than calling you to go to a field to perform a planned inspection. In my opinion, it's a poor business plan to cater to clients who are doing the least to enable you to do the quality work that you would like to be proud to do, and they think they're going to get for a deal. Make it easy on yourself to do good work, by doing it at a good facility, with the appropriate resources.

There's always ways around that. If the surgeon in the hospital forgot to prepare his scalpel, he'd have trouble. Forgetting or losing tools can happen in a hangar as well. If your truck *is* your toolbox, that problem gets mitigated. It's when an AME does both (in hangar and out of truck ops with the same tools), that forgetting tools becomes a major issue.

Don't look at it as a race to the bottom, consider it a race to the customer service top. I'd like a service like that. I'd be willing to pay the same, or more, than the same service in an AMO hangar.

If you look at it from a different perspective: if your engine blows up at a distant airport, and it is possible to install a new engine there (which has been done plenty of times), then it should generally be possible to do an annual off airport as well.

Cursing about having no floor, or being swamped with bugs or other uncomfortable situations are things an AME can decide whether or not to deal with. I think it is a bit unfair to imply it's mainly cheap owners who would wish to use this service. It's mainly about convenience, not necessarily money. Another advantage is that the AME is usually 100% committed to your plane while he is at the airport. No surprise visitors dropping planes off, no big customer cutting the line.

There are quite a bit of savings for the AME as well. No expensive hangar to pay for. You can burn a lot of fuel for travel for the price of a hangar, and clients will find it acceptable to pay for mileage. Depending on the radius you work in, the savings could be significant. Especially for a weekend only operation.

I do not plan on breaking any rules doing this. Every AMO I have worked for has performed mobile maintenance. One great AME I worked many years ago, that's all we did. I have witnessed a TC audit in a shop trailer, I really think the complications of working in the field can be managed. I realize I won't be walking into major airports to do GA inspections, but for every airport that does not allow field maintenance there is another one that couldn't be bothered to care. I think the surgeon metaphor is excellent, complicated surgery should be done in a hospital, 100% no question. The doc will however snip your fella's in his office, there are surgeries that happen outside hospitals everyday and they are perfectly safe and legal.

[torquey401]

I'm more the guy who would work as long as I reasonably could. Snooze in my truck a few hours and then finish up in the morning. Maybe grab some breakfast and take a flight if you are offering. At this point I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy, maintain your airplane, and keep your buisness. I'm the guy you can call at 2am on a friday and I'll jump to help you out. I have a lot of reasons for wanting to do this but one is I want your business more than the next guy does.

Sounds like a race to the bottom to me. I see burn out in a year, maybe two. Been there, done it, moved on. Good luck.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

As long as you've thought it through, and have a plan for the known and predictable, the unpredictable will have to be handled as it comes along. It's rare that everything is perfect for aircraft maintenance, we do the best we can. I just like to start things toward being easy and comfortable. I find great benefit in the simple difference of working on my concrete pad in front of the hangar, rather than working over the grass. Unfortunately, when I chose a three bladed prop, to replace the two bladed one on one of my planes, I knew it would no longer fit in my hangar, and it doesn't, so for the maintenance and annual inspections I do on it, it's at the hangar door, but at least all the other tools and resources are right there.

If the market is there for on site annual inspections, and you can make a buck at it, while respecting your other commitments, That's up to you. I'm just a little wary of that way of doing things, when there is a choice.

I gotta agree that a comfortable familiar working environment can certain mitigate risks and ease maintenance. It's something I'm seriously considering when designing a mobile work system. Everything organized and in its place, easy to recognize when something is missing or has been disturbed. Inventory tracking, record keeping, manuals, I hope to create the same comfort you feel in your hangar for myself. It's been a long process, lots of trial and error and I'm still not sure I'm satisfied with it, but if it helps set me up for success even 1% it's time well spent. I don't want to come across as a lazy pencil whip out to make a quick buck, I'm a serious professional doing a serious job and I take it very seriously.

I do appreciate the criticism, sincerely. You make excellent points and the things you mention are things I need to be prepared for. There will be people who are wary of my independent services and that's perfectly fine.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

As long as you've thought it through, and have a plan for the known and predictable, the unpredictable will have to be handled as it comes along. It's rare that everything is perfect for aircraft maintenance, we do the best we can. I just like to start things toward being easy and comfortable. I find great benefit in the simple difference of working on my concrete pad in front of the hangar, rather than working over the grass. Unfortunately, when I chose a three bladed prop, to replace the two bladed one on one of my planes, I knew it would no longer fit in my hangar, and it doesn't, so for the maintenance and annual inspections I do on it, it's at the hangar door, but at least all the other tools and resources are right there.

If the market is there for on site annual inspections, and you can make a buck at it, while respecting your other commitments, That's up to you. I'm just a little wary of that way of doing things, when there is a choice.

I gotta agree that a comfortable familiar working environment can certain mitigate risks and ease maintenance. It's something I'm seriously considering when designing a mobile work system. Everything organized and in its place, easy to recognize when something is missing or has been disturbed. Inventory tracking, record keeping, manuals, I hope to create the same comfort you feel in your hangar for myself. It's been a long process, lots of trial and error and I'm still not sure I'm satisfied with it, but if it helps set me up for success even 1% it's time well spent. I don't want to come across as a lazy pencil whip out to make a quick buck, I'm a serious professional doing a serious job and I take it very seriously.

I do appreciate the criticism, sincerely. You make excellent points and the things you mention are things I need to be prepared for. There will be people who are wary of my independent services and that's perfectly fine.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

I'm more the guy who would work as long as I reasonably could. Snooze in my truck a few hours and then finish up in the morning. Maybe grab some breakfast and take a flight if you are offering. At this point I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy, maintain your airplane, and keep your buisness. I'm the guy you can call at 2am on a friday and I'll jump to help you out. I have a lot of reasons for wanting to do this but one is I want your business more than the next guy does.

Sounds like a race to the bottom to me. I see burn out in a year, maybe two. Been there, done it, moved on. Good luck.

Race to the bottom is not hard work and sacrifice.

How long did you manage doing it for? Did you come out ahead at the end of the whole thing? Why did you move on? If you have done it I'd very much appreciate any advice you have or things you wish you had done differently. Feel free to PM if you prefer.

Honestly, some extra income for the next two years might really change my life. I hope I can manage longer than that, I'm almost certain I can, but no one knows the future. Thanks for the luck.

[groncher]

Kudos to the OP for taking the initiative to give this a try.

Just another 2 cents to add regarding your current employer.
It's already been discussed to have the discussion with them, regarding the possibility of taking work away from them.

Something else to consider. Remember, when you are working consistent weekends, sleeping in your truck, getting up at 2 am on a Tuesday etc. to get work done for your own customers, that the quality of work for your employer could possibly suffer due to fatigue, and other human factors.

[SmartWrenchMonkey]

Kudos to the OP for taking the initiative to give this a try.

Just another 2 cents to add regarding your current employer.
It's already been discussed to have the discussion with them, regarding the possibility of taking work away from them.

Something else to consider. Remember, when you are working consistent weekends, sleeping in your truck, getting up at 2 am on a Tuesday etc. to get work done for your own customers, that the quality of work for your employer could possibly suffer due to fatigue, and other human factors.

You make an excellent point, there is going to be a balance I will have to find as I go. Luckily I have a fantastic employer when it comes to this kind of stuff.

I do appreciate the positivity here. I really don't expect things to take off overnight, I'm expecting a fairly slow progression. Still, it's nice to think about that kind of situation. If I'm totally exhausted from that much side work, I have to imagine I'd also be raking in a decent amount of business.

I'm prepared for this to not work out, I can take the risk there. I'm prepared for it to take a while to recoup my investment. I'm prepared to grind and make sacrifices. I feel like I'm prepared for a lot. However I'm not prepared for this to take off overnight. I'm not preparing for that because I think the odds are one in a million, then you guys come in here with your "what are you going to do when you have so many customers that you don't have time to sleep anymore" and I love it. You guys are optimists.

[RedAndWhiteBaron]

You guys are optimists.

Your opinion is unique.

The only advice I can give is to be very careful to not consort with any client who may have ever possibly been, in any way, a client of your current employer - or ever will be. As photofly said, it's an instantly fireable offense.

Well that's the negative advice I guess. Here's my positive advice: get an ambulance. Seriously, a used ambulance is a great mobile home for tools, has all kinds of nooks and crannies and drawers, easy access in and out with giant doors, and multiple batteries and electrical systems, just to start. Plus sirens if you make the right deal - and sirens are very cool.

They're generally very used, but I doubt an AME of your lineage would find that a problem.

[photofly]

With a bit of imagination, you could get a quick-assemble tent that goes over the plane, or at least the engine compartment, and which connects to your ambulance. I’m thinking crime scene protection, here (perhaps that’s not an inapt metaphor?) and presto-hey, instant hangar.