AIRFRAME GRADING INSTRUCTIONS
On A Scale From One To Ten
General - Exterior - Interior - Damage History
GENERAL
#10 Rating: Structural exterior surfaces are absolutely flawless. External surfaces (aluminum, epoxy, wood and fabric) are wrinkle, crease and blemish free. All rivet, stitch or glue lines are straight and even. Rivets are pulled evenly. There are no abnormalities and the aircraft is in flawless, brand new condition with no damage history.
#9 Rating: Exterior surfaces are almost flawless and would meet the #10 criteria except for 1 or 2 minor exceptions. Example - some rivet’s may be pulled unevenly or some minor nicks, around the belly of the aircraft from prop slinging pebbles. The aircraft has had no skin or structural repairs and no damage history. Aircraft total time for year make and model would be considered low time.
#8 Rating: Within 20 feet the aircraft would meet the #9 criteria. On close inspection there may be minor deformations on the underside of aircraft surfaces and minor abrasion on leading edge surfaces. Around cowling fasteners, inspection plates and door entry latch etc., there may be evidence of minor wear and/or abnormalities. Aircraft has no history of corrosion and if damage history exist the damage would have been minor in nature and the repaired damage is undetectable. The only evidence of previous damage is a log entry and FAA Form 337. The aircraft may have moderate total time in service for year, make and model.
#7 Rating: Airframe shows very well with a few areas of minor dents or deformations. Airframe is corrosion free, however it may have had minor surface corrosion which has been cleaned and corrosion treated and painted. Cowling fasteners may show wear, along with inspection panels, door and cargo door entry areas. Any repairs to airframe were accomplished in a manner that are undetectable and the only physical evidence of repairs are log entries and FAA Form 337’s. Any damage history would not have involved major structural components of the airframe (wing spar etc.). Any hail damage would have been repaired in a manner which is undetectable and to manufacturers recommended procedures.
#6 Rating: Previous airframe damage has been repaired to manufacturers specifications. Involved areas are now damage free and do not raise suspicion upon inspection that the area has previously been damaged. Corrosion history is not extensive and affected surfaces have been repaired and treated. Leading edge surfaces and high use areas such as cowling fasteners, aircraft entry, inspection panels etc. show evidence of wear. Minor cracks in aluminum have been stop-drilled and repaired, and the repairs appear to have been successful. Any deformations are of a nature which are not a major distraction to the appearance of the aircraft. The aircraft may have moderate to relatively high total time, but with a history of regular maintenance documented by logs.
#5 Rating: One out of three aircraft fall into this category. The airframe is structurally sound. Leading edges may show evidence of abrasion wear. Surfaces under the wings, fuselage and gear may show some evidence of nicks and abnormalities from prop slung pebbles etc.. Minor surface corrosion may be evident on external surfaces which can easily be repaired by stripping, chemically treating and repainting the affected areas. The flat surfaces may show minor hail damage which would not be noticeable within 20 feet of the aircraft. Aircraft may have sustained damage, but has been repaired in a manner which is consistent with factory recommendations and procedures. Airframe may have one or two small cracks which need to be stop-drilled. Overall there may be some minor hangar rash type of discrepancies on the airframe which do not need to be repaired and do not affect the safety or flight performance of the aircraft. The overall appearance of the airframe is good.
#4 Rating: Airframe possesses the above discrepancies but to a larger extent. Generally, the airframe is sound, but the overall appearance is poor.
#3 Rating: Airframe is in poor condition and would require maintenance before the aircraft could pass an Annual Inspection. The aircraft has deteriorated to a point that continued service would be unwise.
#2 Rating: Aircraft requires very extensive repairs to become airworthy and the extent of repairs is such that the cost may exceed the value of the aircraft.
#1 Rating: Aircraft’s only value is salvage.
EXTERIOR PAINT GRADING INSTRUCTIONS
#10 Rating: Exterior paint is flawless. External painted surfaces have a deep, rich, wet look. There is no pooling, sagging, running, orange peeling, thin areas or over-spray on any painted surfaces. Striping and numerals are well defined with crisp lines and no irregularities. The paint is of high quality. If a re-paint, all surfaces have been stripped and prepared properly and consistent with the paint manufacturers recommended application procedures. The age of the paint is two years old, or less.
#9 Rating: Exterior painted surfaces are almost flawless. In almost every aspect the painted surfaces would meet the
#10 rating criteria except for minor exceptions. The paint may be over two years old but less than five if the aircraft is tied down outside or ten years if old if the aircraft is stored under cover. There may be a very small amount of dust particles in paint. There may be a very few chips in paint under the fuselage from props slinging pebbles. Paint looks like new and the above discrepancies are only discernible upon very close inspection.
#8 Rating: Paint has a wet look with a few chipped areas under wings, fuselage and empennage. Leading edges may show slight abrasion wear but overall the paint is very good condition and shows very well within twenty feet.
#7 Rating: Paint has a good shine with some abrasion wear on leading surfaces but still retaining good coverage. Repainted surfaces or touched up areas are not noticeable. The paint may be new with a limited amount of orange peel, pooling, sags or over-spray. However, painted surfaces are well protected and the aircraft has good eye appear.
#6 Rating: Paint is beginning to oxidize with evident abrasion wear on leading edges. Paint needs of a good cleaning and waxing to give it a semi-gloss appearance. If recently painted, there may be pooling, sagging, running or orange peeling and/or significant amount of foreign particles in paint. Accent trim may be of poor quality, but paint overall would be adhering well to surfaces. Overall appearance within thirty feet is fair to good.
#5 Rating: Paint is oxidizing with numerous areas of chipping on lower surfaces of aircraft. Leading edges show significant signs of abrasion wear, but are protected by paint. Surface corrosion may be apparent on the airframe and will affect paint because the painted surface must be stripped in order to treat the corrosion. Overall appearance is fair within 30 feet.
#4 Rating: Consistent with the characteristics of #5 rating except approaching the point the aircraft needs repainting. Overall appearance is poor to fair and cleaning/waxing will not significantly improve the appearance or protection of the aircraft surfaces.
#3 Rating: Paint is poor quality, oxidized and shows excessive wear on leading edges and control surfaces. Many chips and scratches are apparent and overall the aircraft needs painting. However, the paint is protecting the aircraft surfaces, but looks poor
#2 Rating: Aircraft needs painting. No good points.
#1 Rating: Aircraft needs painting, and additional preparation of the aircraft surfaces is required before painting. Generally consistent with aircraft having extensive corrosion on surfaces.
INTERIOR GRADING INSTRUCTIONS
#10 Rating: Interior condition is flawless. All material, fabric, plastic, carpet, headliner, wood cabinetry etc. are spotless, with no matting, scratches or signs of wear. Seams are straight, tight, and in general the interior looks, feels and smells new.
#9 Rating: Interior is almost flawless and it would meet the #10 rating criteria except for minor exceptions. Carpet at the entry area and in the cockpit may show slight signs of matting as perhaps the pilots, and/or the copilots seats.
#8 Rating: Interior is very clean with no tears, loose stitching, stains, fading or excessive wear on fabric, carpets, plastic, wood cabinetry, or headliner.
#7 Rating: Interior is clean with no tears, major stains or fading or excessive wear on fabric, plastic, wood cabinetry, or headliner. Carpet at entry and cockpit areas may show signs of wear but are not ragged. Stitching is tight, although seams may not be straight. Interior may need cleaning, but once cleaned would show well.
#6 Rating: Although the interior has stains, which may not clean up, in general the fabric is in good serviceable condition. The carpets would show wear at entry and cockpit areas and matting of materials on seats with wear noticeable on arm rest and lower seat cushions. There may be stains on headliner and/or signs of material fading. However, the fabric is generally bright with no tears although there may be areas which have had upholstery repairs. A good cleaning may be in order and after cleaning, the interior would look satisfactory.
#5 Rating: Entry areas, cockpit and other high use areas show significant signs of wear and/or stains. Seat cushions, headliner and side panels may have stains, loose stitching, fading, and in general have a well used appearance. Any needed repairs are minor in nature, and the interior may need a good cleaning, but after cleaning the interior would still have a well used appearance.
#4 Rating: Generally the interior has the same characteristics of a #5 rating except for definite need of repairs. The fabric areas exposed to sunlight are well faded and beginning to dry rot. The only way to improve the appearance of the interior would be to install a new one. The existing interior is still serviceable.
#3 Rating: Interior has all the conditions of a #4 rating except that the extent of repairs is excessive. The interior as is, is in poor condition and is not serviceable.
#2 Rating: Interior is not serviceable and the extent of repairs to make it serviceable are not cost effective. The interior needs to be replaced.
#1 Rating: Generally all of the characteristics of #2 with the exception of required repairs to interior structures such as seat frames, chair rails, cabinetry etc..
DAMAGE HISTORY CLASSIFICATION
EXTENSIVE MAJOR DAMAGE HISTORY: Major structural components have been extensively damaged but repaired in accordance with manufacturers recommended procedures.
MAJOR DAMAGE HISTORY: Major structural component damage but replaced with new/used serviceable components and repaired in accordance with manufacturers recommend procedures, (i.e. wing spar, fire-wall & engine mounts etc.).
MODERATE DAMAGE HISTORY: Extensive damage to components not effecting major structural components.
MINOR DAMAGE HISTORY: Ostensibly minor damage or heavy wear to leading edges of wing, wing-tip, cowling etc. which have been repaired in a manner consistent with manufacturer’s recommended procedures. No major structural components were involved.
SUPERFICIAL DAMAGE HISTORY: Slight dings generally association with hangar rash etc. which have been repaired via replacing damaged areas with new/used serviceable components (Wing-tip caps, wheel pants, plastic etc.).