Author Lavenue: maintenance woes with previous Cessna 182 (shown here) motivated him to buy a new, “trouble-free” T206.

Aviation Consumer contributor Lionel Lavenue owns a 1999 Cessna T206H which was affected by Lycoming’s massive crankshaft recall. It began for most owners in August 2002. In March of 2003, his engine was finally delivered. What follows is a diary of his experience.

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My story begins in January 2002. My mechanic had just grounded my 1969 Cessna 182 for 14 weeks and I was furious. The fuel pump on the aftermarket turbo had died and he couldn’t find anyone to fix it. My wife and I decided then and there that we’d buy a new Cessna T206H. Surely, a new T206 would never have those sorts of problems, we thought.…