Richard Kaplan wrote:
"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
news:PRwsc.109351$536.19458583@attbi_s03...


Mainly because virtually no renter would fly as many hours as an owner.


Owners typically think they will fly 150-200 hours per year but very rarely
do owners fly more than 50-100 hours per year.

That's a fair point. I planned on 120 hours/year myself -- my logbook tells
me that I flew 144 hours in the first year I owned my Warrior and have flow
64 hours in the first six months for my second year (though much of that was
winter--the hours will get higher in the nice weather). My plan is to keep
aiming for 120 and to take on a partner if my annual hours drop below 100 a
couple of years in a row. I cannot imagine going back to renting. I might
also look for a partnership if I need a bigger or faster plane some day.

I agree that we see lots of planes just sitting on the field in the same
spot, week after week, month after month. This is completely unscientific,
of course, but it feels like there is an inverse correlation between the
ownership cost of a plane and the amount you fly. The Bonanzas and Barons
seem just to sit around most of the time, the 182s fly a bit more often, the
Cherokees and 172s fly a lot, and probably the most-flown privately-owned
plane on our field is a little 152.


All the best,


David