Richard Kaplan wrote:

If you do an honest assessment of the cost to own an airplane, virtually no
airplane owner can operate his airplane cheaper than he coudl rent the same
airplane. This is particularly true for a C172-class airplane which is
unlikely to be used on a very regular basis for practical transporation
except in some very specific regions of the country which almost always have
VFR weather, i.e. the Southwest.

That's a bit excessive. I agree that a C172/Cherokee class airplane isn't
the fastest way to get somewhere against a headwind, and it's definitely not
a coast-to-coast plane, but it's a perfectly reasonable IFR platform. I fly
my Warrior quite a bit in IMC in central Canada and the U.S. northeast.

In the winter, late fall, and early spring, I have to cancel flights
sometimes because of the risk of icing in IMC, but that would be true in any
plane without full known-ice certification (i.e. most singles and many
twins). I've added a Stormscope for peace-of-mind in summer IMC.

Reasons to buy an airplane include not having to deal with restrictions on
keeping a rental airplane for a week or so trip, having access to an
airplane not available for rental, having control over maintenance, having
control over modifications/avionics, and simply pride of ownership. These
are all fine reasons to buy an airplane -- do not think that it will be
cheaper than owning, however.

I agree with your point, but in fact, the cost of owning hasn't been too far
off for me -- I paid a bit more per hour in my first year (who doesn't?),
but my second year is shaping up to be much less expensive, even with used
Stormscope installation, so I'll probably be slightly ahead (that includes
amortization for the engine, etc.).

Still, I agree that it's not cheaper in absolute terms: I doubt I'd be
flying 120 hours/year as a renter, so I'd probably be spending much less.

If you do buy an airplane, consider that the cost of a surprise engine
overhaul can easily be 25% of the value of the airplane. Imagine one day
getting a call from your mechanic with the bad news that you need to do an
unexpected early engine overhaul. If you would not be able to handle that
financially, then either do not buy the airplane or else seek a partner to
buy the airplane with you.

I agree entirely, and it doesn't even have to be an overhaul -- as Richard
knows, there are lots of other little things in even the simplest plane that
can break and cost you anywhere from $500 to $5000 and beyond.


All the best,


David