"Ben Hallert" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks everyone for your replies so far! After some thought, I've
turned this blue-sky sequence towards the Tomahawk. I've got a big
frame, and I don't expect that will change as I lose weight, so the
extra width of the cabin appeals to me, as does the enhanced
visibility. I'm not as wild about the uncontrolled flat spins (We'll
never forget you, Goose!) but there are enough that haven't fallen out
of the sky that I think I can manage that.

If anyone could take a look at the basic figures I'm coming up with and
tell me if any of them are in fantasyland or not, I'd appreciate it.

Cost to purchase: $20,000 (roughly, figure an inspection in there too)
Fuel cost to operate: ~$10 an hour
Insurance: ~$1,000 a year, but I have no basis for that figure other
then some poorly remembered usenet posts.
Tie-down: ~$50 a month? Total guess, based off taking the average
tie-down cost in Wisconsin ($35) then adjusting it for longitude.
TBO: $8,000 - I couldn't actually find anyone saying how much they
spent having their O-235-L2C overhauled. I looked, I really did, but
the closest I got was a post where someone replaced theirs with the
engine out of their Subaru, so I guessed.

I found a specific plane listed with 1,400 hours left before TBO, so
I'll figure 1,400 in this excercise for math's sake. I'll also assume
100 hours of flying in a year, though I hope it would be more. I know
100 is a magic figure in a lot of discussions around renting vs.
owning.

I know I'm missing something, but I can't figure out what. Here's what
I get for an hourly cost using: (hourly fuel) + ((rebuild cost)/(TBO -
SMOH)) + ((yearly tie down) / 100 hours) + (insurance / 100 hours)

(10) + (8000/1400=5.71) + (600 / 100=6) + (1000 / 100=10) sums out to
$31.71 an hour. Figure another $10 an hour to cover things like
keeping a 'holy crap, the propeller hit a bird' or 'I just GOTTA put a
glass cockpit in' fund full, parking fees, etc, and it comes out just
over $40 an hour.

Am I missing anything big that can't be fit into the extra $10 an hour
I tacked on at the end? Or could I really be owning for that type of
cost?

Thanks!

Check your fuel cost again. There is no auto fuel STC for the Tomahawk. I'd
figure the high side of $20/hr for fuel.

Also, getting an 0-235 majored costs just as much as an 0-320 or 0-360.
Figure $12-$15k, depending on whether what auxilaries you replace at major.

Also, add a dollar an hour for oil changes and another dollar or two for
tires and brakes. Depending on the AD status of the aircraft, you may be
subject to 100 hour inspections of the tail section. Figure $75 per
inspection...

KB