"Matt" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone. I have about 100 hours in 150's and 172's. I am thinking
about getting an instrument rating and buying my own plane within the next
few years. Should I go for the instrument rating first? [...]
Or, should I just buy the plane and fly it to get the instrument rating?

You can get an instrument rating in a matter of months, not "a few years",
and it will cost a fraction what an airplane would. So, why not get the
instrument rating AND buy a plane?

If you insist on making it an either/or proposition, that's a question that
really, only you can answer. If you want to own an airplane, buy an
airplane. If you are finding that weather issues are hindering your flying,
get an instrument rating. If both are true, then you have to decide which
is the higher priority, or has the most economic benefit.

As far as insurance costs go, the savings on a 172 isn't going to be
anywhere near enough to actually pay for the instrument training itself. So
the training doesn't make sense as a cost-cutting measure; it only makes
sense for the usual reasons, such as enhancement of certain piloting skills
and increased utility for the pilot certificate.

Buying an airplane and using it for the instrument training's not a bad way
to go. But you'll still need to fly a lot of hours in order to come out
ahead of renting, cost-wise. On the flip side, assuming you do both in the
near term, you'll have the distraction of airplane ownership to deal with
while you ought to be focusing on learning what you need to know for the
instrument rating.

As a new airplane owner, you'll be distracted by things like chasing down
all the little maintenance things that you couldn't predict, scheduling
annual inspections and oil changes, and of course finding a suitable home
for your plane to park. None of these things is terribly complicated on its
own, but they will all be new, and they do tend to pile up.

Both an airplane and an instrument rating are especially useful and sensible
when you are doing a lot of flying, and not terribly sensible if you are
not. So even there, it's hard to say one is better than the other. Though,
that said, the instrument rating won't be a complete waste of money if it
turns out you aren't flying very much. An airplane will just continue to
eat holes in your wallet, even when you're not flying it. So I guess from a
risk-benefit point of view, the instrument rating comes out ahead.

In the end, both are highly rewarding ways to expand your horizons as a
pilot. But I still don't see why you have to pick just one or the other.

Pete