cheapest form of avaition

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evapilotaz

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Drone airspace abuser
What in your opinion is the cheapest form of aviation? I love all forms of flying but hate the increasing cost year by year. Thinking about an changing my flying hobby.

Hang Gliding
Paraglider Non powered
Paraglider Powered PPG
Powered Parachute PPC
Hot air balloon
Glider Fix Wing non powered
Ultralight Single Seat
Sky diving
Wing Suit
 
Chair flying... :)

I am aware that this is a smart alec and useless post. Apologies to the OP).
 
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In all seriousness, I think gliders are generally pretty cheap if you live in an area that you can make use of them. Pay for the tow and glide all day.
 
A non powered glider club is about as cheap as it gets.
 
For hang gliding, depends a bit on where you live. If you are near a foot-launch site, then it can be pretty cheap. $3 - 5K for basic equipment (Glider, Harness, Parachute, instruments and helmet). Gas to drive to flying site and potentially a club membership to the site. Those are usually $100 - 250/year. Add USHPA membership @ a bit over $100 for liability insurance.

If you are in the flats, same costs except add $25 - 35 per tow to 2,000 agl.
 
I can tell you that it is not hot air ballooning, at least not on a per hour basis. As I described in my balloon thread, your real cost of use for a balloon is certainly above $100/hour, and $200/hour for a 77k cu ft envelope is probably more accurate when you're factoring in insurance, annual, propane, and the reduced value of the envelope with use. But depending on what you want, you could end up spending $10k or less for a used small setup, spend under $1k/year on insurance, ~$500 on annual, fly it for 10 hours in a year (a common number for ballooners) at roughly $50/hour for propane, and come out with around $2k in operating expenses for the year.

Ultralights of some sort I think will be the cheapest. A glider maybe, but unless you're @tonycondon and getting 8 hours of flying on a single tow, your cost per hour will probably still be close to an ultralight... powered parachute/paraglider strikes me as probably the cheapest way to be in the sky.
 
Probably not as cheap as hang gliding but I scratch built my Sonex for 15k. Yearly costs are $45 per month for a tie-down space and $450 a year for liability insurance. Flying costs are only gas which is 4 to 5 gallons per hour and can even be run mo-gas from the local gas station if needed. The annual condition inspection can be done by me since I built the plane and parts are extremely cheap for the VW motor ($150 total for 4 new pistons and cylinders). No, it won't be as fast as an RV, carry as much as a Cessna, or have all the gadgets like a cirrus but it gets me in the air for very little cost.
 
Getting from point A to point B reliably, the answer is probably a single seat Part 103 ultralight.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
But depending on what you want, you could end up spending $10k or less for a used small setup, spend under $1k/year on insurance, ~$500 on annual, fly it for 10 hours in a year (a common number for ballooners) at roughly $50/hour for propane, and come out with around $2k in operating expenses for the year.
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Do Balloonists carry hull insurance, or is that sum for liability?

It's strange to me that a balloon would have annual insurance costs on par with a C172
 
We have also PPC and PPG flying not to far from me. There is a PPG school 50 minutes from me. I have seen both fly and they all look interesting. The conditions have to be right for that type of flying. Low winds mostly.
 
schmookeeg said:
Do Balloonists carry hull insurance, or is that sum for liability?

It's strange to me that a balloon would have annual insurance costs on par with a C172
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Like with aircraft hull coverage is optional. We chose to get hull coverage because it only cost something like $50 extra.
 
schmookeeg said:
Do Balloonists carry hull insurance, or is that sum for liability?

It's strange to me that a balloon would have annual insurance costs on par with a C172
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Hit some power lines and the subrogation could easily hit seven figures.
 
Powered paragliding is about as cheap as it gets. You don't require a tow, and can take off and land from more places. They don't cost much to buy, don't use a lot of fuel and can be packed up and transported easily. The biggest disadvantage is that you are always flying solo (unless you buy another one and get certified to fly tandem).
 
Glider club local to me is $500/yr and $20/tow. Hard to be airborne for much less than that. You can get that down to zero if you fly the tow plane and/or instruct.

I'm somewhat tempted to get an ultralight to scout crops and play with...a couple gallons of mogas per hour is pretty attractive.

With both of those im afraid I would get bored of them, though. I got pretty bored exploring my local area in my student pilot days. Cross country is my favourite part of flying. A powered parachute rig that would fit into the airplane for low level sightseeing at a destination.... now that sounds like fun.
 
Depends on what are the specific aspects of leaving the ground that appeal to you. As you've seen, it varies wildly. Some people care only about the transportation aspect, others like the cathartic and relative exclusive aspect of being above the rest of the grounded overpopulated masses. Others like the sightseeing vantage point, others like the challenge and sensory experience of maneuvering in 3D flight, et al. Depending on what aspects of "flying" you're most attracted to, that will better inform a decision so as to not end up getting discouraged with the opportunity costs of long term participation.
 
My type of flying is just local Site seeing with no real destination in mind. I hate flight planning for cross country. If I'm going anywhere I let the airline pilots worry about flight planning and enroute weather ect. Someone mentioned drones. I fly drones and RC Fix wing airplanes currently
 
YooperMooney said:
Hit some power lines and the subrogation could easily hit seven figures.
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Sorry to belabor the questions in this thread, but it's fascinating to me. Do balloons hit power lines more than Skyhawks? :D

Maybe it's a function of just fewer balloons in the insurance pool?

I'm just having trouble picturing a balloon (a few hundred lbs flying at wind speed) for tens of hours/yr being the same risk as a Cessna (a few thousand lbs flying at wind speed + 100kts) for hundreds of hours/hr. :D
 
Probably more crop damage from balloons than from airplanes.
 
Don't think you could go much cheaper than powered parachute or un-powered glider, but an ultralight is probably the minimum I'd actually consider owning. You can buy them for about the same cost as some power parachute rigs, store them at home and tow to the airport or take off from home/nearby field if sufficient space is available.
 
I will sell you a paraglider cheap and flying is always free but you need to be in shape to climb the hill or mountain. Not common in the world's most obese country.parglide.jpg I
 

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My wife would kill me for yet another risky hobby, but I think flying ultralights would be amazing. How does one even get started in that world? I gotta imagine there are some pretty low-cost ways to fly ultralights.
 
How about focusing on net cost rather than straight cost? Volunteer flying makes it tax deductible -- that can take a whack out of the cost. How about getting paid to fly - ferrying, cfi, drop zone, etc.
 
I think I will enjoy flying a trike but I have no idea if that can haul my fat arse or not
 
I think a legitimate answer is the way I started plane ownership, but not necessarily exactly what I bought. My Cessna 140 is a hoot to fly, economical to buy, economical to maintain, economical to fly at about 5 GPH and simple to keep running. There are other similar planes that could substitute well such as a Luscombe, Taylorcraft and others. Tailwheeling adds a challenge and satisfaction to the mix as well.
 
A used ultralight like an old Quicksilver often cheaper than a powered paraglider, but you have to hangar it if it doesn't have easy folding wings.

Paragliding, or at least PPG, is a social thing... you typically get together with a bunch of other ppgers and fly your machines together, then hang out at the field, fly some more. Most flying is within a mile or two of launch. The next time you all get together at a different field.

In order of cost for new equipment, it's PG, HG, PPG, ultralight.

PPG is a blast, you can float around at 1000' or do slalom around treetops.
 
Jim K said:
Glider club local to me is $500/yr and $20/tow. Hard to be airborne for much less than that. You can get that down to zero if you fly the tow plane and/or instruct.
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There's an option. Many glider clubs need towpilots and some will waive fees. Depending on the club, you may need to be a member in order to get onto their insurance, some clubs may require a commercial and some may not (you can tow with a PP). The downside, you'll be on call most weekends and sometimes during the week. You'll be towing gliders, which is fun for a while, but after the 11ty billionth time you climb out with someone yanking on your airframe from behind on a hot summer afternoon, it will get old. Do what you can to stay fresh, or you can get burned out on it quickly. That old story about having 100 hrs, "You can have 100 hours, or you can have 1 hour 100 times", comes into play. You'll pretty much get that 1 hour over and over. I towed for several seasons and had a pretty good time of it.
 
Thank you for the comments. I'm really considering a two place powered parachute. I can take my wife up with me and she is willing to go. The down side is nearest training place is 3 hours away. I believe transitioning training should only take a couple of weekends to solo and get checked out by a DPE. I really need to do a PPG intro flight. Also I need to do an intro flight in a glider. At the Glider club you are also helping with launching activities. The powered paragliding PPG looks fun. Once I get trained and If I'm foot launching I can literally fly anywhere in class G Airspace. I think my wife wouldn't support me doing hang gliding. Too risky in her opinion.
 
evapilotaz said:
Thank you for the comments. I'm really considering a two place powered parachute. I can take my wife up with me and she is willing to go. The down side is nearest training place is 3 hours away. I believe transitioning training should only take a couple of weekends to solo and get checked out by a DPE. I really need to do a PPG intro flight. Also I need to do an intro flight in a glider. At the Glider club you are also helping with launching activities. The powered paragliding PPG looks fun. Once I get trained and If I'm foot launching I can literally fly anywhere in class G Airspace. I think my wife wouldn't support me doing hang gliding. Too risky in her opinion.
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The fatality rate for hang glider, and for that matter paraglider pilots isn't particularly different than it is for light general aviation pilots. That is, it's somewhat safer than motorcycling but considerably less safe than driving an automobile.
 
Cheapest form of powered aviation is foot launch Paramotors....or powered paraglider. I fly a Scout and Ozone wing.

No license required under FAR Part 103 which is a whopping 2 pages that govern us vs the Bible that is Part 91 (from which 103 is exempt except as noted in 103). Once you own the gear they burn a whopping gallon an hour, no hanger fees, Mx is virtually zero cost, and you can slap them on the back of any vehicle for transport with a hitch tray or bike carrier.

Once you buy the gear, your operating costs are negligible (except for all the trips you will then be taking and PPG fly ins you will be gong to!).

$2,000-$3,000 for training
$5,000-$9,000 for motor
$2,500-$4,000 for wing

Less if you can find used but you do not want old gear. The equipment has rapidly evolved over the past few years.

Now the down side is that they are VERY dependent on good weather and in most parts of the country can only be flown a few hours after sunrise and few hours before sunset which limits flying window. Mid day thermals can be bumpy if not unsafe to fly in.

I have had a LOT of different toys over the years and It is by far one of the cheapest forums of any motorized sports let alone aviation. I fly my 182 for transportation, I fly my paramotor for fun. They are like a jet ski in the air...you can just cruse and enjoy or rip around with insane acro once you build skills. PPG is legal in both G and E airspace.

Here is quick edit from a Mt Shasta trip we did a while back with 9 pilots.


Random pic for reference:

182200-11311688.jpg
 
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