Posted on 02/14/2018 8:37:40 AM PST by Celerity
Greetings and Salutations to everyone on this fine Valentine's day and I hope this stupid little Vanity I spit out finds it's way to your eyeballs.
I'm moving my family across the country, but I'm not sure where yet. Luckily, this thread isn't about that.
What it is about is my simmering desire to take to the air. When I move across the country, I really want to se my next goal to be a private airplane owner. But I know nothing on the topic. I mean I read a lot on it, but I'm itching to talk to someone who actually owns and flies an airplane.
I would like to know what kind of freedom it allows, or if it's an illusion type of freedom. I want to know if you guys take your planes everywhere you want, when you want or if it's just better / cheaper / more feasible to sometimes just get on a commercial flight, hit the open road or do something else to get a thousand miles away on a moment's notice.
I would understand that owning a plane would make travel more expensive than commercial airlines, but do the pros still outweigh cons ? From packing what you want, when you want to avoiding security at airports or even in sleeping in your plane overnight on the tarmac - Is it really a great lifestyle that's worth it ?
I'm seeing some decent examples on the market for the cost of a Tesla. When we're talking about 200k and less pricetags I have to seriously think about this. How great is it (If it is at all) to take your family states away at a moment's notice for the weekend ?
“I live in Indiana and find your comment most amusing!”
I like Indiana and I like the barren wasteland parts down south most of all.
That’s where I’m talking. Like Santa Clause. WTF who lives there ?!
If it floats, flies, or fornicates...you’re better off renting than buying.
Absolutely true. I wish I would have remembered that in my first response. Renting a plane for a weekend and letting someone else deal with the maintenance overhead and certification is a way more economical deal that airplane ownership.
I can’t answer your questions, but before you spend any money of flying lessons or on a plane, look to see if there are any opportunities to go up in a small plane first and take some very basic free or very low flying lessons first.
I can’t find any links, but several years ago a local airport near me that was offering to take prospective students up in a small plane and give them a basic introductory course for free. I was very interested in signing up but never did.
From what I understand, if you’ve flown on a commercial jet liner, you have to understand that is a completely different experience than flying in a small plane.
My nephew has a good friend who owns a small plane, but FWIU, he’s quite wealthy, a CFO of a very large company and it’s still expensive for him. He typically doesn’t fly long distances or to destinations very often, mostly just taking friends and family up for a couple of hours, a local “joy ride” and sightseeing flights. His plane is kept at a very small local airport near Gettysburg PA, but from what I understand, the hanger fees are quite expensive as is the aviation fuel.
As to some that have compared it to owning a boat.
My now ex-husband and his best friend went in together to buy a very slightly used 42-foot boat that they learned about from a broker while attending the Baltimore Boat Show, an upgrade from my husband’s friend’s 21 footer that his friend could trailer and kept at a friend’s house’s driveway when not in use (and my husband didn’t consult me beforehand, but that’s another story).
Never mind that neither of them had any real boating experience for a boat that large, nor did they have any idea how much it cost to dock it at a marina or put it up during the winter or how much marine fuel cost or the cost of the engine maintenance or other maintenance.…
It was a lovely boat, and it comfortably slept 8 adults and had a head with a shower and a galley with a stove and microwave and half sized refrigerator. My husband and his friend imagined cruising all up and down the Chesapeake Bay and even going to Ocean City, and many long weekend trips to places like Saint Michael’s, sleeping and eating on the boat.
And what did we do on it?
We took a couple of cruises on the creek adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay where it was docked and once to the Baltimore inner harbor, which was very scary since neither of them had no idea about boating in such a congested area and among the big oil tankers and commercial freight ships or how to read the buoys – which fortunately since my dad had a boat when I was young, I did.
But most of the time we sat on it while it was docked, while my husband and his friend drank beer at the marina because we couldn’t afford the fuel.
Not to mention that my husband’s best friend’s wife got sea sick even while at the dock and constantly complained about everything – you are going too slow, you are going too fast, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, it’s too calm, it’s too rough, I’m hungry, I’m not hungry – at one point I thought that if I threw her a$$ overboard, that it would be justifiable homicide or at least covered by some sort of rule of the sea – LOL!
They sold the boat the next year, and at a loss. : (
Look at all the RVs parked in you neighborhood. How long do they stay covered in place? Everyone bought those seeing themselves making excursions with the family every weekend too.
If you want something warm and vibrating under you butt someone else already recommended a motorcycle. 100% of the adventure 5% of the cost.
To be reasonably dependable, you need an "instrument rating." This allows you to fly when the weather is less than pristine, but not thunderstorm awful. You need 200 flight hours to get the instrument rating and 100 of it has to be with an instructor. (I forget whether you also have to pass a test, or you could just be signed off by your instructor.) For me, flying was most useful to go back and forth between destinations between 75 and 350 miles apart. Less than 75, driving is faster; more than 350 and you have to stop and commercial flying is faster unless you fly more sophisticated airplanes than I flew (which was mostly single engine, fixed landing gear, four seaters, that had a maximum useful load beyond full fuel of about 500 pounds).
After you get your instrument rating, you have to maintain it. You need six instrument hours and six instrument approaches during the previous six months or you have to get signed off by an instructor which makes you good for another six months. I only once got the six instrument hours, which is time spent when you can see neither the ground nor the sky. Most of the time you just climb above the clouds and you just get a few minutes of qualifying instrument time. (You also have to maintain your private license, but this is trivial.)
ML/NJ
Private planes are fun and its great to just drive right up to your plane and throw your gear in and take off. But its an expensive hobby like horses. Lots of maintenance and hanger/parking fees and licenses. Getting an instrument license is a beotch. Trust me you will get tired of flying VFR real quick.
You won’t be sleeping in your $200,000 plane. There will barely be room to cram into the seats.
Best thing is take some flying lessons, Get your license and rent planes to fly around getting miles for awhile. Then see how you feel about it.
A bit more .02cents fyiw:
Someone suggested renting for awhile. I’m not of that opinion. The reason renting is cheaper is because you’ll either drop flying, or, just postpone your first purchase. Before renting, you might consider joining a small club - 2, 3, 4 members, for example. Not 15. By owning, you’ll get to bond with YOUR a/c, know its quirks. As a personal thing, and not community property, as in other areas, your plane will be cleaner and better maintained. As a short duration, a club situation could give you time to consider various aircraft - what you might prefer. I suppose renting as well. Generally, many pilots purchase something akin to what they learned in - high wing vs low wing, etc.
Consider getting VFR license, and consider that license as a “license to continue to learn to fly”. An instrument rating, IMHO, should await a year or so before commencing. Gives you some time to perfect your technique, your landings - that takes some time. An IFR is mainly a lesson in organization, its mechanics is trivial. If you are ahead of the plane, you will take to IFR. If you are behind the plane, you will not - it will be difficult. Putting on a few hundred hours post VFR prior to IFR gives you time to make sure you are ahead of the plane. If you are flying a “complex” aircraft (retract, over 200 hp, constant speed prop), that takes more to get comfortable over, and to be “ahead” of it.
I have a contrary opinion to an earlier poster about a multi-engine. Steer clear. I have a fast single, sufficient for my flying. A multi is NOT for a pilot that is flying under, say, 200 hours per year (i’m doing about 80-100 these days). Plus, a multi requires lots of instruction *every* year to maintain safety. If you do the wrong things upon an engine loss, you will burn a hole in the ground. Fly for a BUNCH of years prior to considerng a multi - be VERY proficient with a single. BTW, multi engines can be quite inexpensive - to purchase - but a walletfull (or empty) to run. Two engines, perhaps turbos in the mix, mean BIG operating costs and BIGGER annual inspection costs.
Yea, there not much around Santa Claus. I live about an hour or so north. We have plenty of corn and bean fields and some patchy woods in places.
My husband took flying lesson at Van Nuys airport years ago. He always rented planes and did get his solo. He went up once in a rented plane and shortly thereafter lost his radio contact. He turned around (he had been intending to do a jaunt to Santa Barbara and back) and kept saying into his radio ‘I have lost my radio. I cannot hear you but hope you can hear me. I am coming back and will be landing at 3:00PM. Please be aware of my plans’. When he safely landed, he reported the malfunction of the radio and was told ‘oh, we don’t worry about any malfunctions unless two people have reported the same thing. He stopped going there for lessons and never did get his license.
I am thinking mid life crisis... ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.