High Cost of Sportplanes

Richard,

I think a lot of people would buy a new airplane for $50,000.

There are 600,000 pilots but only 200,000 aircraft owners. That's a market
of 400,000 right there waiting for the sensibly priced airplane.

The points about a new Cessna being more airplane than a 1960s Cessna is
true. The new certification requirements are tougher and the cost of
avioinics has skyrocketed.

But when we talk about sportplanes neither of those factors apply.

It is completely possible and feasible to produce a decent two-seat, $50,000
sportplane and make a profit. And I think that will happen in due time -- no
thanks the stupid magazines telling us a what a great deal these $100,000
plastic toys are.

Regards,

Gordon.


"Richard Riley" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 08:16:27 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

:The cost of a new 150 in 1966 was $7000. In 1977 it was $14,000. Both
:those numbers seem to me to be considerably less than an average skilled
:worker's annual salary at the time.
:
:So why can't we have a $35,000 airplane today? No damn reason in the
:world that I've yet seen explained. When production stopped in the
:1980's, the high cost of liability insurance was the given reason. Then
:we had the big reform, and Cessna fired up the stoves again. When the
rice of the new birds was announced, I felt completely betrayed. And
:disgusted.

Consumer price indexes -

Jan 1965 31.2
Jan 1975 52.1
Jan 1985 105.5
Jan 1995 150.3
Jan 2005 190.7

So just by general inflation, that $7000 1966 Cessna should be
$40-50,000 today. There are scale issues - Cessna is building a LOT
fewer airplanes today. They are better airplanes today - a new 172
with an O-360 and a standard panel is way more airplane than the VFR
O-200 150.

Another data point. The 1965 Corvette started at $4106. The 2005
Corvette starts at $43,445.

On the other hand, some things have increased a lot more - and a lot
less - than the CPI. CPI is an average. In constant dollars food,
clothing and electronics are much cheaper than they were. But my
folks bought their house for $25k in 1966, it's $500,000 now. A 20:1
increase would make that $7000 150 $140k, which is probably in the
ballpark for what Cessna would sell it for.

Sure, I'd like to see airplanes cost about half of what they do now.
But the beauty of the free market is that they cost as little as they
can. If you can build a 150ish airplane for $30k, you're free to do
so.

I don't think it can be done. And even if it could, I'm not sure many
people would buy them.

Earlier, Gordon Arnaut wrote:

It is completely possible and feasible to
produce a decent two-seat, $50,000 sportplane
and make a profit.

Great. Then you will have no trouble getting financing for such a
venture. Go to it.

On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 15:26:44 -0400, "Gordon Arnaut"
wrote:

I think a lot of people would buy a new airplane for $50,000.

It is completely possible and feasible to produce a decent two-seat, $50,000
sportplane and make a profit. And I think that will happen in due time -- no
thanks the stupid magazines telling us a what a great deal these $100,000
plastic toys are.

Take the Sonex, for example ... buy the kit, hardware, and a "basic"
instrumentation package for (I'll do some guessing here) $19,000, add
the Jab for $11,000, and you have about $30,000 in material.

An experienced builder can probalby build it and paint it for under
$20,000, so your $50,000 wouldn't seem out of range.

There have been questions asked of Sonex as to whether they were going
to do this; they say no, but there is a veiled hint that there may be
discussions with someone somewhere who is considering it.