Ben Hallert wrote:
: rent (Cessna only). I like the low wing planes, and I really want to
: buy my own for my upcoming IFR training.

: Piper Tomahawk w/ IFR stack. I've seen nice looking, low time aircraft
: listed in places for the 20-25 range. Here's what I get:

: 1. Full ownership, no financing.
: 2. IFR capable in the indicated pricerange.
: 3. Enough usable space to carry me and an instructor (I'm 250, leaving
: about 160 to for a fully fueled plane).
: 4. Low wing
: 5. Low cost of ownership.

I would just like to add that this sounds like a fairly reasonable plan,
especially since you've got a little more to burn than the 20-25 you initially stated.
I think it's worth saying that there's a completely different set of rules that apply
to a plane purchased for obtaining and IFR rating, vs. one that's used for IFR travel.
The former can be effectively done with a ratted out Cessna 150 or a PA-38 with an
AI/DG and one VOR/ILS. In many ways it's better to train it something like that
because it's slower so you can learn easier, and minimal equipment really makes you
work hard and become proficient on minimal equipment. About 80% of the airwork of the
rating is minimizing brainpower keeping the shiny side up while you juggle and add
other tasks.... all perfectly doable in a minimally-equipped trainer. If you're just
finishing your PPSEL, you'll want to do lots of VFR flying as well, so it'll get lots
of use just learning the ropes there.

The latter probably shouldn't be comfortably done without a little more
equipment redundancy, high-level of maintainance, and a bigger engine up front.
You're most likely talking a few hundred hours before you'll be ready for that,
anyway. By that time, a Cherokee is a minimal "step-up," and you may be looking more
for an Arrow-class plane to go places.

Anyway, I wouldn't get too involved in getting a cherry IFR Traumahawk for
training. You don't need that much until you really want to *use* it... then you'll
want to have some more options if things go down the crapper. My opinion, of
course... but consider that just the database updates for an IFR-certified GPS are
nominally $600-$1200/year (depending on the model). That's about as much as the
*insurance* on my bird.... for training you don't *need* that.

-Cory
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* Cory Papenfuss *
* Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
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