"KayInPA" wrote in message
...

suggestion and fly different kinds of aircraft. First on the list is
the FBO's Piper Arrow.

If the FBO has a reasonably maintained Arrow for rent, why buy?
Retractables usually get much less use at most FBOs than trainers, and
certainly the FBO will realize that the potential customer to rent an Arrow
is someone to take the airplane on trips. The odds are very high you can
negotiate reasoanble terms for weekend or week-long trips in the airplane.

Jay, that's the lure indeed. Thanks so much for your post!

If you are going to buy the airplane as a partnership, then you will not
necessarily be able to use it "on a momen't notice" to go to Florida.
Besides, on a practical basis you need a good deal of flexibility in your
schedule to fly that kind of trip in a piston single even if you are an
experienced IFR pilot in an extremely well-equipped high performance single.

I really think you should just rent for a while and figure out what types of
trips truly fit into your schedule and lifestyle and thus what type of
airplane you really need. If you buy and airplane to meet your needs as a
private student or as an instrument student, the odds are high that your
needs will change and make the airplane a very expensive short-term asset.


--
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com