What is the status on cheaper aircraft for the Sports pilot?

"Dude" wrote in message
...
I don't know where you came up with any of that but it makes
absolutely
no
sense.

I agree.
If you do your homework, and buy a well maintained plane, there is no
reason


There is plenty of reason. Some folks get lucky, and never have a 5k, 10k
or 20k annual. You can scream all you want about doing diligence, but
these
things happen. Many owners I know have this kind of recurrence on a
regular
basis. They will tell you that their annuals cost under 2k, they just
don't
average in the one in three years when its double or triple that, or
worse.

There is nothing about LSA that will change any of that. My annual costs
for the 6 years I have owned my plane have not exceeded $200.

The parts can be really expensive and or hard to find. If you actually
could so accurately screen used aircraft, I suggest you become a broker.
Certainly, you could take over the business with the 3 year warranty you
would be able to offer.

No guarantee this will change. If an LSA builder goes belly up where you
gonna get parts?

How many times can we say this and still a certain portion of the
audience
will never listen. If you can't afford the acquisition costs you
probably
can't afford the ownership costs either.

There is nothing magical about Light-Sport aircraft that will make them
dramatically cheaper to own and operate than existing comparable GA
aircraft
like a C-150, cub, champ, etc.

No, its not magical, its simple. The parts are not the same. Where
Cessna
uses stainless, the sport guys can use aluminum. A new 150 built today
would
cost over 100k. This is a reflection of the labor, parts, R&D, etc. The
cost to maintian the planes is usually a reflection of the cost to
manufacture them.

Other than exhaust where is their stainless in a 150? There will be no
significant difference between parts/materials in a LSA and existing two
place aircraft. Take a look at the "new" T-craft if you want an example.

They will be newer so you will presumably
need fewer parts and they will be cheaper, but labor won't be any
cheaper.
My neighborhood auto mechanic charges pretty much the same as my A&P and
he
didn't have to get any special training either.

Their will likely be less labor, as the planes are simpler and with fewer
parts. Also, what kind of logs will sport planes have? My A+P charges me
for every minute he takes to ensure his repairs and entries are legal.

And that's bad? What do you think resale will be on LSA that do not
receive the level of maintenance current certified aircraft receive? Resale
is a significant factor when considering cost of ownership.


Insurance, and storage costs
will be the same, while fuel may be somewhat cheaper since you'll get to
use
Mogas, but that's not such a huge difference at 4-5 gallons per hour.


Insurance will be less. If the plane costs less new, then the insurance
is
bound to be cheaper. Folding wings can reduce storage, with or without
bringing it home with you.

Insurance rates for expermentals say you are off base. Insurance companies
have a proven affinity to avoid new and not professionally maintained.
Purchase price is only one factor that determines insurance costs and it is
not always a major factor.

Now if you get your Repairman and Inspector's certificates and do your
own
labor, you will definitely save some real money. This is a lot more
attainable now since the requirements are much lower than for an A&P/IA,
but
running a shop won't be any cheaper so professionals will still charge
pretty much the same.

But supposedly, more owners will do more of their own work.


But in the end I think the main significant difference is the
elimination
of
certification cost.

No small thing.

AFAIK LSA still need to be certified unless homebuilt? No?

Look at the boating world- that is completely
unregulated and yet in the end mechanics, marinas, insurance costs etc.
are
all in the same ballpark as planes. People have money to spend, they're
just
not chosing to spend it on airplanes. Part of that is the difficulty of
earning a pilot's license and part of it is that you can do a lot more
recreationally with a $300k boat than a $300k plane. Personally I'll
take
both


Sport pilot will greatly reduce the hassles of getting the license. Boats
will remain more popular. Even if we doubled the pilot population, they
wouldn't notice any loss.

My certified airplane costs less to keep in the air than it did to keep the
boat in the water.