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#11
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A good engineer will do an annual inspection on a typical 172 in about
16 hrs. Multiply by your local hourly rate and you have it. Now, if he finds problems, thats extra. Our last, (1974 M) included 3 cowl mounts, and we replaced a throttle cable that was "sticky" (our choice) and a yoke universal, (our choice) that "passed" but we could feel some "play" in it.... The inspection, according to 3 engineers here that we know well and respect, should take 14 - 18 hrs.. YMMV! Dave On 10 Feb 2005 10:14:02 -0800, "redman" wrote: I am currently taking flying lessons to get my private license. I've been thinking about buying a 172 sometime after I get my license. Looking for some input on a ballpark amount of the annual upkeep. How much does an annual cost? How much does the 100 hr. inspection cost? I realize that if something is broken it needs to be fixed, but right now just wanting to find out how much I will be looking for to spending if nothing is broken. |
#12
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Thank for the info. It really helps alot to kinda get an idea what I'm
looking at. Jon Kraus wrote: I second the opinion on the Mooney... :-) But, our Mooney is costing us arount $500.00 a month in unanticipated maintenance... Funny, the previous owner failed to tell us that he was skimping on some of the squawks!! Anyway our first anual is in April and I full expect it to be in the 4-5000 range. That way if it comes in less it will seem like I'm money ahead!! Airplanes.... ya just gotta love 'em... Jon Kraus PP-ASEL-IA Mooney 201 4443H Colin W Kingsbury wrote: "redman" wrote in message ups.com... How much does an annual cost? If you're in a high-cost area and you don't do an owner-assist, you're probably looking at 2-3k in a normal year with 4-5k very possible. Two small items cost us $2200 on our 1979 172N annual last year (paperwork problems on a Precise Flight standby vacuum and some rash on trailing edge of the elevator) at a Cadillac shop (Keyson Airways, ASH). Year before was about 4k too, bunch of little crap that just kept adding up. I realize that if something is broken it needs to be fixed, but right now just wanting to find out how much I will be looking for to spending if nothing is broken. If you buy a typical 60s or 70s vintage Skyhawk, things will always be in the process of breaking. Don't like that? Buy new. This year we had two ignition leads (read: a wire) go bad and replacing the harness cost $700. Oil changes will cost anywhere from $50-$300 depending on how you do them and whether you do it or pay a mechanic. My feeling with a Skyhawk is that you should be prepared to spend $5000 at the drop of a hat if necessary every couple years. If you buy carefully you probably won't need it, but if that number scares you, get a partner or stick to renting. People ask me how expensive flying is, I tell them "more expensive than skiing, but cheaper than polo." You'll spend money on nothing but fuel and oil for 10 months and then one day something will crack that Cessna charges $500 for and takes the mechanic six hours to get to. Them's the breaks. Anyhow, if you do buy, a Skyhawk is about the best plane you can buy, stupid-simple in the best sense of the phrase. If I had it to do over again I'd look for one with the Penn Yan 180HP conversion for just a little more speed and climb, but the one I have is still my favorite because she's *mine*. When the bank account looks a little better I'll probably look to step up to a 182 or maybe a Mooney so I can go places but you'll never go wrong with a 172. -cwk. |
#13
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#14
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Robbie,
There was a pretty sad corrosion story posted at the CardinalFlyers forum, after something like 10 years of owning and lots of money spent on improvements (GPS, autopilot, paint etc), the owner decided to get the interior redone at a new shop. The shop discovered corrosion in the spar, wings etc. and claimed that these parts were unairworthy and needed to be replaced. The estimated bill was something like $12-$15 and kept adding up. The owner was pretty frustrated and had thought about giving up his plane and flying all together. The advice given was to ship the dismantled plane on a flatbed to another shop for a second opinion. Just hope that everything turns out OK for him. Hai Longworth |
#15
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wrote in message ... Colin W Kingsbury wrote: : How much does an annual cost? That's the largest "it depends" there really is. Best case scenario if *NOTHING* is broken/worn is a few hundred if you get your hands dirty and the mechanic watches and does paperwork. Since things are always broken/worn, it's more. Many time *a lot* more. It's a gamble. I don't think of it as "how much does an annual cost," but rather, "what needs to be fixed now." You either need to pay now or later, and the latter generall costs more since things going bad can break other things. The big trick is to make sure you don't buy a plane that someone else decided to "fix later." Right, and that's why I said my "you should be prepared to drop 5k on a moment's notice" line. So long as you don't have corrosion (which a good pre-buy will find) or some relatively exotic and rare problem, there just sin't much on your average Skyhawk that can bit you that much worse. The engine could unexpectedly go TU, but you can get an overhaul loan if that's the case. You won't need to drop 15K+ in cash. : Anyhow, if you do buy, a Skyhawk is about the best plane you can buy, : stupid-simple in the best sense of the phrase. If I had it to do over again At the risk of starting a flamewar, not to knock anyone's personal choices (I learned in a 172), but a PA-28-140 is an undervalued plane by comparison. A 172 is Agreed. I learned in Cherokees and switched to a 172 only because it was the first good deal to come along. Both are IMHO great choices. I actually marginally prefer a low-wing for traffic visibility but only just so. Historically, Cherokee/Skyhawk/Skylane-class planes have seen their value remain relatively stable so, even if a 172 costs $10k more to buy, you have typically gotten it back when you sold it. Of course, the money does come out of your pocket now, so that is a factor. Also, I am beginning to wonder whether the availability of sub-100k factory-built light-sport planes are going to cause a bloodbath in this end of the market in the next 5-10 years. Most skyhawks and the smaller cherokees are pretty much used as 2-seat day VFR planes anyway, so switching to an LSA is pretty much all gain (no medical). -cwk. |
#16
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Colin W Kingsbury wrote:
: out of your pocket now, so that is a factor. Also, I am beginning to wonder : whether the availability of sub-100k factory-built light-sport planes are : going to cause a bloodbath in this end of the market in the next 5-10 years. : Most skyhawks and the smaller cherokees are pretty much used as 2-seat day : VFR planes anyway, so switching to an LSA is pretty much all gain (no : medical). I would speculate that perhaps on the low end (Cessna 15{0,2}, Traumahawk, Yankee's) the LSA might take a bite. Although many a plane like a 172 or a PA-28 are pretty much used as 2-seater VFR, they've got a fair bit more potential than that. The limitations on LSA (HP, speed, gross weight) limit them a fair bit. I, for one, would much rather fly something with a few hundred pounds more capacity to go than one that's at gross with two people and half tanks. -Cory ************************************************** *********************** * Cory Papenfuss * * Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student * * Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University * ************************************************** *********************** |
#17
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wrote in message ... Colin W Kingsbury wrote: : out of your pocket now, so that is a factor. Also, I am beginning to wonder : whether the availability of sub-100k factory-built light-sport planes are : going to cause a bloodbath in this end of the market in the next 5-10 years. : Most skyhawks and the smaller cherokees are pretty much used as 2-seat day : VFR planes anyway, so switching to an LSA is pretty much all gain (no : medical). I would speculate that perhaps on the low end (Cessna 15{0,2}, Traumahawk, Yankee's) the LSA might take a bite. Although many a plane like a 172 or a PA-28 are pretty much used as 2-seater VFR, they've got a fair bit more potential than that. The limitations on LSA (HP, speed, gross weight) limit them a fair bit. 130mph? I would love to see my Skyhawk do that in level flight. HP-weight ratio is often *better* in LSAs than 150/160HP GA 4-seaters leading to much better climb rates, for instance. Gross weight is definitely a limit, but a Zodiac with 600# useful load isn't bad so long as you're not carrying two 250-pounders. And don't forget that fuel costs alone will be cut at least in half as you're burning 4gph of mogas instead of 8 of 100LL. I, for one, would much rather fly something with a few hundred pounds more capacity to go than one that's at gross with two people and half tanks. Once you get to something like a 182 you are talking about a fairly different critter and I don't suspect LSA will have too much direct effect. But when you can buy a factory-built Zodiac with the new-plane smell for $75k or so I suspect you will see at least a 50% drop in prices of low-end 4-seat GA singles. Look at what fuel and insurance costs have done to light twins- compare what 150k will buy you in a 182 versus a C-310 that carries as much or more and does so 50kts faster. It will be interesting to see what happens, and long term it can only be good for GA as a whole. -cwk. |
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