Owner's poll

If you own your own aircraft, could you discuss:

1. The make and model.

2. Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on
it).

3. The cost to buy it.

4. The way you financed the purchase.

5. Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance.

6. Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a pilot, as opposed to just the costs
related to a specific aircraft).

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own and fly an
aircraft. I get the impression that it requires either being quite
wealthy or making severe sacrifices and never flying anything better
than a junky tin can.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 03:31:42 +0200, Mxsmanic wrote:

If you own your own aircraft, could you discuss:

1. The make and model.

1982 Bowers Fly Baby.

2. Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on
it).

Bought used. I was the fourth owner. The airframe had 100 hours total time
when I bought it. The engine was 25 hours since rebuild.

3. The cost to buy it.

$10,000.

4. The way you financed the purchase.

Sold my half-interest in another aircraft. Bought THAT by taking out a
signature loan at my credit union.

5. Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance.

That would be telling. :-)

Operation: About $12/flight hour, depending on fuel prices.

Maintenance: $250 for the annual inspection. Other maintenance costs
vary...this year I bought a set of tires and tubes (~$300). Most years it's
less. I do my own work.

Insurance: $450/year (just renewed it)

The kicker in this is the hangar costs. I got along quite well for years
sharing a $200/month open hangar with another aircraft owner (e.g., I paid
$100/mo). I currently rent a very fancy hangar designed for a large
twin-engined airplane. I could share it...but I don't. I pay about $380/mo.
The money for the hangar comes from writing about airplanes.

6. Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a pilot, as opposed to just the costs
related to a specific aircraft).

Average ~$100/year (I take a biannual flight review every two years). No
medical costs (operating as a Sport Pilot). Licensing (state registration of
the airplane) runs $50/year.

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own and fly an
aircraft. I get the impression that it requires either being quite
wealthy or making severe sacrifices and never flying anything better
than a junky tin can.

Being wealthy never *hurts* (not that I'd know :-), but I know a lot of ordinary
Joes that own planes.

If folks forgive the self-plug, this book might help:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...635126?ie=UTF8

Ron Wanttaja

"Ron Wanttaja" wrote in message

The money for the hangar comes from writing about airplanes.

.....(I take a biannual flight review every two years).

Interesting. You get paid to write about airplanes and aviation, yet you
still don't know the difference between biannual and biennial. What a
country!!

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:51:42 -0400, "John Gaquin"
wrote:


"Ron Wanttaja" wrote in message

The money for the hangar comes from writing about airplanes.

.....(I take a biannual flight review every two years).

Interesting. You get paid to write about airplanes and aviation, yet you
still don't know the difference between biannual and biennial. What a
country!!

I let the even-higher-paid editors worry about that! :-)

Ron Wanttaja

"John Gaquin" wrote in message
. ..

"Ron Wanttaja" wrote in message

The money for the hangar comes from writing about airplanes.

.....(I take a biannual flight review every two years).

Interesting. You get paid to write about airplanes and aviation, yet you
still don't know the difference between biannual and biennial. What a
country!!


At least he doesn't take his biannual every three years.

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message


At least he doesn't take his biannual every three years.

Could be in trouble if he ever has a position requiring a Class I medical.

Mxsmanic wrote:

If you own your own aircraft, could you discuss:

1. The make and model.

2. Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on
it).

3. The cost to buy it.

4. The way you financed the purchase.

5. Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance.

6. Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a pilot, as opposed to just the costs
related to a specific aircraft).

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own and fly an
aircraft. I get the impression that it requires either being quite
wealthy or making severe sacrifices and never flying anything better
than a junky tin can.


If you have a life, could you discuss:
1) The make and model of your so-called life.
2) Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on it).
3) The cost to buy it.
4) The way you financed your so called life.
5) Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance of your hypothesized life.
6) Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a human, as opposed to just the costs
related to a hypothetical lifeform).

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own a life. I get
the impression that it requires either being quite intelligent or making
severe sacrifices and never living better than a junky tin can.

Go fly. For real. Or better yet, don't. You haven't the social skills to
share space with others.

Rip

I belong to a club..

I paid $2000 for a share (refundable if I sell my share)

$85/mo for maintenance, insurance, hanger, etc.

I have access to 4 planes

2 Archers w/ Garmin GNS 430s - $72/hr tach wet
1 Arrow - $93/hr tach wet
1 Comanche 260 w/ Garmin 430 - $113/hr tach wet.

A non-profit club is the most reasonable way to own an aircraft.

--Dan



Mxsmanic wrote:
If you own your own aircraft, could you discuss:

1. The make and model.

2. Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on
it).

3. The cost to buy it.

4. The way you financed the purchase.

5. Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance.

6. Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a pilot, as opposed to just the costs
related to a specific aircraft).

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own and fly an
aircraft. I get the impression that it requires either being quite
wealthy or making severe sacrifices and never flying anything better
than a junky tin can.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
If you own your own aircraft, could you discuss:

1. The make and model.

1946 Ercoupe 415-C

2. Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on
it).

Bought it used in 2002. The plane was first sold to a someone in Oklahoma
City on March 5, 1946. From there, it went to Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and
Iowa (when I bought it). I took it from Iowa to Texas, back to Iowa and now
in Minnesota. I got the FAA CD-ROM a couple weeks ago and looked through its
entire history. IMHO, worth ordering for your plane

3. The cost to buy it.

I paid $9,000

4. The way you financed the purchase.

Cash

5. Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance.

Varied from $200 to $1,000 for annual inspections and maintenance per year.
Also approximately $800 for insurance per year. Hangar rent ranged from $400
to $1,000/year depending on where it was hangared. So the fixed annual fees
ranged from $1,400 to $2,800 per year.

6. Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a pilot, as opposed to just the costs
related to a specific aircraft).

Biennial flight review and medical is about $150 every 2 years. A medical
($100 of it) isn't required to fly as Sport Pilot*.

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own and fly an
aircraft. I get the impression that it requires either being quite
wealthy or making severe sacrifices and never flying anything better
than a junky tin can.

This year, the total annual/maintenance, hangar and insurance (fixed costs)
came to around $2,500. I only flew about 25 hours during the year (between
annual/maintenance) so it was $100/hour to fly, not counting the fuel and
oil costs per hour (approx. $25/hour). If I had flown 100 hours during the
year, it would have been ~$50/hour (total) to fly.

This is the reason why my aircraft sale is pending. Paid $9,000 for it 4
years ago, flew it over 100 hours and selling (pending) it for $16,000. I'm
getting most (all?) of the money that I have put into it for maintenance and
annuals, etc., so overall, it WAS cheap to fly!

*I can fly my Ercoupe under Sport Pilot rules; no medical required but have
renewed my medical anyways because I like to be able to (or have the option
to) fly at night or to fly something bigger like a C-150.

-Greg B.

Is the Ercoupe so small that a 150 is seen as a bigger plane? I'm not a big
guy but the 150's I have flown were very cosy 2-up.


"Greg B" wrote in message
...
"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
If you own your own aircraft, could you discuss:

1. The make and model.

1946 Ercoupe 415-C

2. Whether you bought it new or used (if used, a bit of history on
it).

Bought it used in 2002. The plane was first sold to a someone in Oklahoma
City on March 5, 1946. From there, it went to Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska
and Iowa (when I bought it). I took it from Iowa to Texas, back to Iowa
and now in Minnesota. I got the FAA CD-ROM a couple weeks ago and looked
through its entire history. IMHO, worth ordering for your plane

3. The cost to buy it.

I paid $9,000

4. The way you financed the purchase.

Cash

5. Your approximate yearly costs for operation, maintenance, and
insurance.

Varied from $200 to $1,000 for annual inspections and maintenance per
year. Also approximately $800 for insurance per year. Hangar rent ranged
from $400 to $1,000/year depending on where it was hangared. So the fixed
annual fees ranged from $1,400 to $2,800 per year.

6. Your approximate yearly investment in training, licensing, medical
exams, etc. (to keep current as a pilot, as opposed to just the costs
related to a specific aircraft).

Biennial flight review and medical is about $150 every 2 years. A medical
($100 of it) isn't required to fly as Sport Pilot*.

I'm just curious about how much it actually costs to own and fly an
aircraft. I get the impression that it requires either being quite
wealthy or making severe sacrifices and never flying anything better
than a junky tin can.

This year, the total annual/maintenance, hangar and insurance (fixed
costs) came to around $2,500. I only flew about 25 hours during the year
(between annual/maintenance) so it was $100/hour to fly, not counting the
fuel and oil costs per hour (approx. $25/hour). If I had flown 100 hours
during the year, it would have been ~$50/hour (total) to fly.

This is the reason why my aircraft sale is pending. Paid $9,000 for it 4
years ago, flew it over 100 hours and selling (pending) it for $16,000.
I'm getting most (all?) of the money that I have put into it for
maintenance and annuals, etc., so overall, it WAS cheap to fly!

*I can fly my Ercoupe under Sport Pilot rules; no medical required but
have renewed my medical anyways because I like to be able to (or have the
option to) fly at night or to fly something bigger like a C-150.

-Greg B.