George Hamilton wrote:
I bought a J4 when I had three hours instruction. I soloed in it and
flew many hours as a student. You will not beat the system any way
you choose to fly. Private aviation is an extravagence. Business
aviation another story. If you can write it off in the business

Define "extravagence" (please take this in the gentle manner it's offered,
the word is "extravagance", but brownie points for using the noun version
properly rather than "extravagant")

I live out in the Rocky Mountains. If I want a day of skiing, lift
tickets are $40-85 per day (yes, I could get a season pass but those
are to specific areas or groups of areas). Transportation, call it
100 miles each way (Vail is 100 sm from my front door) or at 25 mpg
in my car, 8 gallons or $16. Don't forget lunch. Let's be pragmatic.
If I'm spending over $100/day, another $5-10 for lunch isn't going
to be the deciding issue. I moved to Colorado to ski and used to
get in 50-60 days. No more - I took up flying when I quit skiing.
If I were skiing that much the $300-400 season ticket would be
the first thing to buy. But cheap season tickets didn't exist
when I was skiing like that, so it wasn't difficult to spend
$4000 (now it wouldbe $5K-6K) just on lift tickets in a season.

Wait! Forgot the gear (warm clothes, boots, skis or board). Not
that many people out here buy new gear every year. I've still got
my skis and bindings from 10 yrs ago (the "rock skis") and stuff
from 5 years ago. Guess it's time for new stuff. That'll probably
set me back about $450-750 (boots, skis & bindings).

Hm...my fixed costs per year for the cherokee are

Hangar $3000
Insurance $1000
Maint $1000
total 5000

Awfully similar to skiing....

And I get to fly to Sante Fe or Taos for lunch in nice weather and
be home in time for dinner. Or Devil's Tower AND Mt Rushmore in
one day with friends from the flatlands east of the Mississippi.
Or fly to Phoenix in less than 6 hours instead of the 2 days of
driving.

And I can carry nail clippers if I choose!

Extravagance is in the mind of the beholder. I have friends who are
diehard wind surfers -- any time of the year (wetsuits in the winter!).
Sitting on the wall in their garage are 3 boards and sails for each
of them!

Some people would consider stamp collecting, model railroading, or
gardening as extravagances. It's up to each person to decide on the
hobby of choice.