Interested newbie, looking for economical options with great availability & flexibility

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Tiger1016

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Tiger1016
Hello all, first post here. I am in the beginning phases of exploring becoming a pilot for commuting purposes, and I had some general questions about the optionality and feasibility of what I am wanting to accomplish.

The gist of the questions here is trying to figure out the most economical, flexible, and reliable option for making 45 min long flights back and forth every other weekend and for holidays. The options that I have become casually aware of so far are 1) buying something like a Cessna 172, 2) joining a local flight club, 3) using a larger fractional ownership platform, 4) using aircraft leasing programs, 5) are there good programs dirextly with FBOs, 6) is it common to co-own an aircraft with one or two other people in a partnership like capacity, 7) sale/lease back.

The whole reason I am looking into this now is I am going through a divorce and will be living and working in a different city than where my 3 young kids will be living. I have dreamed about flying for a long time anyway. I'll now have the time to do the training, and I have the financial means to do this now.

95% of my flying would be ~45 minute trips between Dallas TX (probably Addison Airport) and Houston/Katy (probably Houston Executive Airport) for seeing my kids every other weekend. This is a luxury, not a necessity. I am just cutting 3 hours out of the 4 hour driving commute. If the kids were not living an hour away from the two commercial airports in Houston, the decision process would be quite different.

I am estimating that I'll be doing between 20 to 40 of these round trips a year (kind if depends on how often weather will leave me having to use ground transportation). I do need to have some flexiblity on days and times to work around unpredictable work stuff and stuff with the kids.

I want to minimize the cost here as much as possible because I still have to maintain living situations in two cities with 2-3 cars total. But I also don't want to sacrifice optionality and availability while working around my schedule. I would not mind avoiding the administrative stuff involved with ownership though.

So this all boils down to if there is some magical solution where I could have reliable access to relatively nicer aircraft that are more capable in anything other than ideal flying conditions for an approachable difference in cost compared to owning something like a Cessna 172 for these kinds of needs. And I can be open minded and patient to make it happen if there are some legitimate ways to accomplish this.

I am just so early in the process, quite uneducated on the options, and I am unsure where to start and how to narrow things down so I can start diving deeper into my research. Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Texas between Dallas and Houston will give you a very diverse weather mix. You'll want your Instrument Rating to be able to make the trip predictably, and even then, lines of thunderstorms or other weather phenomenon will make your trips occasionally no-go.

With your demand on scheduling a plane, single ownership appears to be the best choice from my experience.

Any other choice has you using a shared asset that others would like to use as well. You're on a schedule to return it, and encouraged to not keep it on the ground for long. Weekends are "hot times" for 4-seat aircraft, and you taking the plane more than half the weekends out of any year would likely have shared owners quite cross with you.

Others will come along and pick up on what I missed.
 
Hi, Zach, and welcome!

Having a plane (or having access to one) for a mission like this requires a lot of flexibility due to the weather. It's not just "extreme weather" that will keep you grounded... until you're instrument rated, just "clouds that are too low" will require you to cancel flights. So you don't just need a plane, you also need an instrument-capable one and additional training (instrument rating!) in order to really execute this mission regularly the way you envision it. And even then, there will be cancellations. You have to be prepared to be "stranded".

Flying clubs are often the most affordable way to train and to fly. However, if the club has any number of members >2 and a small number of aircraft (like 1), I don't think they'd appreciate your scheduling the plane every other weekend. Weekends are everyone else's prime time too! Unless you find a very special group of people. Renting an airplane -- which is usually underrated by all the owners around here on this board -- presents a similar problem; most rentals charge by the hour, and although some *will* let you rent a plane overnight (and charge a daily minimum), not all will, so you'll have to do some research.

Do you *want* to fly? Are you the type of person who looks up at airplanes with a sense of wonder and desire? Is this a dream, with an excuse to now pursue it? Or is this purely a matter of practicality? If the second, then you're likely to find that GA aviation is really not nearly as practical (or cost effective) as it looks.

If the former, take a discovery flight with a local CFI, and regale him or her with questions.
 
Welcome Zach!

Two questions to begin:

You stated, "I am going through a divorce" and "I have the financial means to do this now." Not sure how that works! Help me understand! OK I'm kidding ... :D

Secondly if I understand your proposed flight it will be at least twice as long as your estimates ... even in a fairly fast aircraft.

Owning is much more reliable as to the availability of the airplane for use but renting can be a great option where you don't have to worry with all the little things that make ownership so much fun!

I'd suggest that you go take a flight or two and maybe even a lesson or two (if you haven't already) and find out how you adapt to being a pilot and explore some of the challenges that come with it. If you don't have to be anywhere at any certain time VFR only is a good option. If you need more ability to get from place to place at times when the weather may be a factor then you'll need an IFR rating. If you want to be sure you can get there when you want/need to ... Delta is ready when you are. :)
 
Wow this is the best round of responses I have ever received on any forum so quickly!

It sounds like private ownership is going to be the only option for this need. I naturally assumed that would be the case, but this is a completely new world for me, so I figured I would ask.
 
I had to come back to the keyboard and add this:

Your use case for the plane, is a noble one, but has a flaw, and that is the possible pressure to perform.

This flaw has killed many pilots.

Pardon me a moment while I actively jump to conclusions and set up the scene.

You've already promised Timmy and Tommy to be there for them at their early-afternoon baseball game, and don't want to look like a horse's butt in front of the ex-wife.

Flight Service paints you a sketchy but do-able picture between A and B, and you take off.

While enroute the weather deteriorates.

Based on the pressures, you carry on because you "have to" be there.

I won't paint the rest of the picture. You see where I'm going.
 
kath said:
Hi, Zach, and welcome!

Do you *want* to fly? Are you the type of person who looks up at airplanes with a sense of wonder and desire? Is this a dream, with an excuse to now pursue it? Or is this purely a matter of practicality? If the second, then you're likely to find that GA aviation is really not nearly as practical (or cost effective) as it looks.

If the former, take a discovery flight with a local CFI, and regale him or her with questions.
Click to expand...

Good way to put it. This is definitely a dream with the "best" excuse i could ever have to now do (pause and sigh for the crappy situation that is creating this excuse).

I have been in the cockpit of some helicopters landing out on an offshore oil rig and flown in quite a few really nice private jets as well as some low rate prop planes all for work stuff. So I already very confident in this will be a fun hobby with practical benefits.
 
just wanted to drop in and highlight the irony of the OP saying he's finally in both a time and financial position to pursue a new hobby as he's going through a divorce, is not at all lost on me. :D
 
Zach Gerland said:
I am in the beginning phases of exploring becoming a pilot for commuting purposes
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If you're not at least a PPL you're on crack with this idea. You're looking at ~20k in training/rental to get PPL and IFR, then you'll need ~$50k for a minimally capable plane.

Your dispatch schedule can't work in any "normal" club situation. You may find a co-owner situation if you're an awesome unicorn hunter.

But if your bank account is as big as your heart seems to be you have a chance.
 
Daleandee said:
Welcome Zach!

Two questions to begin:

You stated, "I am going through a divorce" and "I have the financial means to do this now." Not sure how that works! Help me understand! OK I'm kidding ... :D

Secondly if I understand your proposed flight it will be at least twice as long as your estimates ... even in a fairly fast aircraft.

Owning is much more reliable as to the availability of the airplane for use but renting can be a great option where you don't have to worry with all the little things that make ownership so much fun!

I'd suggest that you go take a flight or two and maybe even a lesson or two (if you haven't already) and find out how you adapt to being a pilot and explore some of the challenges that come with it. If you don't have to be anywhere at any certain time VFR only is a good option. If you need more ability to get from place to place at times when the weather may be a factor then you'll need an IFR rating. If you want to be sure you can get there when you want/need to ... Delta is ready when you are. :)
Click to expand...

Haha well the good thing (for me) is in TX at least inheritance is treated as separate property even when mixed with community property. Also, there is a sulrisingly low cap on child support. So I should have a lot of juice left once it is over, hopefully.

My estimated flight time was based on some stuff that I was seeing online plus what my brother's experience was flying around in his friends Cessna 172 a few times. But I could very well be wrong and would take anyone else's guesses here over mine.

And weather is the biggest wildcard here. I think that is the biggest thing that could foil the feasibility of my plan. That and not having the best idea of what a suitably equipped aircraft on the instrumentation front to be able to eventually manage less than perfect conditions safely.
 
Ravioli said:
If you're not at least a PPL you're on crack with this idea. You're looking at ~20k in training/rental to get PPL and IFR, then you'll need ~$50k for a minimally capable plane.

Your dispatch schedule can't work in any "normal" club situation. You may find a co-owner situation if you're an awesome unicorn hunter.

But if your bank account is as big as your heart seems to be you have a chance.
Click to expand...

The good thing is the funding situation generally matches what would be needed here. The idea was to put some of the money into this as a way to see the kids more instead of spending it purely on myself (nicer houses, cars, etc.). But I would still get the thrill out of this and it would be all of me at the end of the day.
 
hindsight2020 said:
just wanted to drop in and highlight the irony of the OP saying he's finally in both a time and financial position to pursue a new hobby as he's going through a divorce, is not at all lost on me. :D
Click to expand...

Unique circumstances on the financial front for sure. But the time part is real. My day job is basically 9 to 5 most of the time. But my family job, which was a 24/7 gig is now just every other weekend. So I am now looking at what was previously an incomprehensible amount of free time. It is either taking on a new hobby like flying 'to keep me grounded' or spending a lot more time picking the guitar and drums back up and chasing girls. I'll have the time to do all of the above, and in theory flying my own plan for commuting could allow for more time to enjoy the rest of it all.
 
Rgbeard said:
I had to come back to the keyboard and add this:

Your use case for the plane, is a noble one, but has a flaw, and that is the possible pressure to perform.

This flaw has killed many pilots.

Pardon me a moment while I actively jump to conclusions and set up the scene.

You've already promised Timmy and Tommy to be there for them at their early-afternoon baseball game, and don't want to look like a horse's butt in front of the ex-wife.

Flight Service paints you a sketchy but do-able picture between A and B, and you take off.

While enroute the weather deteriorates.

Based on the pressures, you carry on because you "have to" be there.

I won't paint the rest of the picture. You see where I'm going.
Click to expand...

I do see this point and it is easily the single biggest flaw in my plan. I can work remotely quite easily a lot of the time and driving is a very reliable back up plan at all times. I would have to exercise self control and not risk it, but the temptation would always be there. It is just not clear enough yet how often weather related issues would get in the way. If it did more than cause a 3 to 4 hour delay >25% of the time that I wanted or needed to fly, then it is probably not a justifiable enough option for me. If it is less than that, then it is a very interesting option.
 
Really excellent advice posted by all above.
One thing to add, I didn't see anyone else mention: Addison to Houston Exec is 195nm, so your 172 at a rough average of 100 knots, will be more like a 2 hour flight time trip. Add time getting to the airport, pre-flighting, time once at destination, you're looking at close to 3 hours door-to-door. Once you move up in experience, etc., you could get into a retractable, Bonanza, etc, that might do 160-170, making the trip in say 1:30 or less. That gets more expensive, $100K-150K buy-in, and more cost to operate. Nevertheless, it's doable, with all the caveats mentioned by previous posters. I'd vote, give it a try by getting started with lessons, and see how it goes.
 
I live outside Houston (I fly out of KTME) It's about a 2 hour flight in a Piper Archer. Depending on winds it can be an hour and a half or 2.5 hours... And I'm Houston, the weather can come from any direction, so there doesn't seem to be a try prevailing wind direction other than "variable"

There are plenty of VFR days, and the weather is fairly predictive in it's unpredictability. Good thing is, there are a LOT of airports along the way if something pops up on you.

I did my private pilot training a year ago when work slowed down, and have been able to fly just about all the time since, except for this awfully wet spring we had this year.

You will need IFR rating if you're going to be reliable. A lot of times fog/clouds roll in from the coast and the day is shot. Plus the heat beings a lot of popup thunderstorms all summer long.

I'd recommend to buy a plane for what you're asking. Clubs won't let you take it every weekend; that's the most popular time to fly for recreational flights. Plus, if you're really using it that often, you'll save money. ~50 hours per year is the tipping point between owning and renting from the math I've done.

Oh, and if you hangar at Northwest Regional, it's like the wild wild west on the radio there. I had fun flying in there, but there's no public access restrictions so watch out for minivans crossing the runway when you're on final. Especially if you're in a low wing aircraft and can't see directly below you!
 
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Great advice above.

If you have the time and money and want to learn to fly, take that first step. You might like it enough to buy a plane during training.

Also, look up the medical and background check requirements before you get too far ahead.
 
Without knowing what sides of DFW and HOU the OP is looking at, F46 (Rockwall) to CXO (Conroe) is 163nm. To make it a <1hr flight, he would need something faster than 172 speeds.
 
Jim Carpenter said:
One thing to add, I didn't see anyone else mention: Addison to Houston Exec is 195nm, so your 172 at a rough average of 100 knots, will be more like a 2 hour flight time trip.
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"Secondly if I understand your proposed flight it will be at least twice as long as your estimates ... even in a fairly fast aircraft." Post # 4 above -

I did elude to it but glad you put a few numbers on it to clear it up. I took a quick look at it in SkyVector ...
 
If your main goal to fly is this [seemimgly] time saving trip you will be let down rather frequently until you master several things already listed.

If you true interest is flying (regardless of the kids or divorce details)...start your lessons now :)

I woyld take the estimated cruise time and add no less than 30min on each side. Better to just add 90min total. For slow planes that starts to be north of half the drive time.

I suspect your completed / attempted ratio will never really exceed 60%.

Sucks to give you downer news.

But, if yiu just want to be a pilot then these family trips will be like gifts when it all works out. Crawl. Walk. Run.
 
I hope you have a excellent attorney. I would get the divorce completed and see where you are financially. The number one rule for inheritance is don't commingle those funds even in Texas. Here is Texas law.
“If you’re married, any property you received during your marriage is considered community property and is therefore jointly owned by you and your spouse. However, inheritances and gifts acquired during your marriage do not automatically become community property. Commingling an inheritance or gift in a joint bank account with your spouse can void personal property rights, though, and turn the assets into into community property.”
If you are where you hope to be financially than I would look at a Vans RV. A decent RV6 can be purchased for 80k and give you a 175 to 190 MPH cruise.
 
Daleandee said:
"Secondly if I understand your proposed flight it will be at least twice as long as your estimates ... even in a fairly fast aircraft." Post # 4 above -

I did elude to it but glad you put a few numbers on it to clear it up. I took a quick look at it in SkyVector ...
Click to expand...

Ooops. missed that!
 
So, your focus in the beginning should be to learn to fly well, not your mission. Start lessons and see if it's for you. If your goal is to do it as cheaply as possible I think you might get frustrated quickly, or worse get subpar instruction. A 45 minute flight in a 172 is not that far, if I read your post correctly. It will probably take as long as it would to drive if you factor everything in.

Just some thoughts..... flying is not like driving, it is much less forgiving of mistakes and shortfalls. Remember that.
 
I lived south of Houston and had an office near Grand Prairie that I’d fly to at least once a month for years. I started with a 1956 172, one of the slower versions of a 172, and my trips from KLBX south of Houston, to Grand Prairie KGPM, averaged 2 1/2 hours. My fastest trip was about 90 minutes, and my longest was close to 4 hours. Both happened on the same day because, the very strong tailwind going to Dallas didn’t lay down as forecast in the afternoon, and became a very strong headwind on the way home. My airspeed was the same both directions.

I bought the 172 to get my PPL. I assumed I’d fly at least 100 hours that first year and that I’d be able to resell it at the end of the year for at least close to what I paid for it. I still think that was a good plan. I ended up not following the plan but I think it was a good plan.

,I averaged 8 gallons an hour of fuel, paid $900 for that first year’s insurance, and didn’t require any maintenance other than oil changes that I did myself. I believe I saved at least $8000 vs. renting a plane to fly for my PPL.

A big reason the numbers worked was that the plane itself was relatively cheap so my fixed costs were pretty low. I also got a hangar for $180/month which helped the condition of the plane and helped keep the cost low.

I ended up keeping that plane for 9 years. Since it used a Venturi for vacuum it was VFR only, but I only had to postpone two trips due to weather in the 9 years of one to two trips per month. Worst case I knew I could always drive instead of fly. It would take longer but it meant that I could still keep any planned schedule if necessary. I think the same would be true for you.

After 9 years I finally upgraded to a Cardinal RG. It is nearly 50% faster than my 172 was but my average trip time only decreased from 2 1/2 hours to around 2 hours. The trip just isn’t long enough for the increased speed to make much difference.

The 177RG is well equipped for IFR, so after getting the proper training, I flew in IMC on the trips from time to time. The ‘normal’ IFR weather on that trip has ceilings around 2000’ AGL, and tops are frequently less than 8000’ MSL, so the biggest difference in flying IFR instead of VFR is that I had a smooth ride on top instead of a hot, bumpy, ride down low. The trips were doable either way, just more comfortable on top of the IMC layer.

I had a few trips where I had to postpone my departure until later in the day due to connective activity. I also a
stopped enroute to allow a front to move off on two flights when the storms didn’t move as forecast. I think having at least AddsB weather on-board is a necessity so you can route well around convective activity. Just remember the on-board nexrad is for avoidance, not penetration.

There are nasty thunderstorms but as long as you’re willing to stay away from them, even if that means not flying or landing enroute, they can be safely dealt with.

Always know that weather in East Texas may mean having a nice flight one direction but then needing to rent a car to get to the other end of the trip because something unexpected happened. That then means needing to go back to get the plane later. If you’re not willing to have absolute rules concerning the weather you can safely fly in things can go very badly very quickly. It shouldn’t be an issue often but you only need to give in to get-home-itis one time to end up dead.

One aspect you’ll need to consider is where to keep the plane near where you live. Hangars can be hard to come by and can be pretty expensive in the metro areas, especially at Addison. A lot of very happy pilots keep their planes tied down in East Texas but the weather can be hard on a plane even without issues like hail, strong winds, etc. I wouldn’t want to leave my plane outside long term.

I think having my own plane was / is the only option for me given the desire to fly when I want to fly. I wouldn’t be a good partner, and I don’t think I’d fly enough to stay proficient if I rented instead of owning.

Given what you’ve said I think you’re a good candidate for ownership and I think you’re mission is a good fit for something like a 172. Just think through the added costs of ownership like maintenance, insurance, and storage, while you’re making up your budget. Those costs can easily come close to or exceed the payment for the plane itself.

Gary
 
I know more about divorce law than I do about aviation (student pilot here). One red flag jumps out immediately to me that others have already pointed out: If you begin studying the materials that student pilots do these days, you're going to hear a lot about the fatal, pilot-killing phenomenon known as get-thereitis.

If you are best friends with your ex and have a great co-parenting relationship with her, congratulations. But if the custody arrangement involves any court orders, schedules, and deadlines, it seems like you are setting yourself up for a perfect-storm scenario where one day you are going to feel pressured to get that plane in the air because of one personal circumstance or another related to your new, post-divorce lifestyle. A lot of child-custody orders issued by courts are precision-crafted, down to the minute, requiring you to pick up the kids, drop off the kids, etc. at specific times and dates. This will likely be your reality even if you DO have a relatively good relationship with your ex.

One commenter suggested that you're smoking crack with this idea. I think I'm in that camp. In addition to setting yourself up for a potentially fatal failure some day, your time calculations for commuting between Dallas and Houston seem way off when you consider all the pre-flight and post-flight complexities involved. The experienced pilots here know way more about this than I do, but this seems like a second serious flaw in your plan.
 
Just a couple of things here... as an aero-plane owner with an IR, I will say:

Unless you live AT your hangar, factor in an hour for commute TO hangar, preflight, pulling aero-plane out of hangar, shutting hangar, starting aero-plane, runup, getting clearance, taxiing, getting released for departure..... then on the other end... putting aero-plane away, etc... So it's not just the flight time you have to factor in is my point...

And I think @Rgbeard 's point is a VERY VERY important one - flying single pilot IFR in hard IMC is one thing... doing it with your family is another. Just because you have to get your kids back to see mom due to some (possibly) court-mandated visitation schedule is not a reason to launch into zero/zero or to shoot an ILS to 200' minimums when you are barely current (and not proficient).... I'm gonna be straight - that is the stuff that gets people killed. I just got my IR pretty recently and have eased into flying hard IFR solo... but it has taken time. And I didn't feel pressure. I am at a point where I will take my wife and kid into IMC, but I always have lots of outs... little to no pressure to either launch or lots of alternates for landing.

Just think hard about your 'mission' here.

(Also, looks like @Sudburian just posted a lot of what I typed here at almost the same time. So at lease there are a couple of pilots who are telling you this may be a bad idea....)

Might be wise to rethink how you are going about this. Don't NOT become a pilot... Flying is too much fun and hey, you are getting divorce so just think of all the opportunities being a pilot will avail you (this is sort of a joke). Just don't do it for the wrong reasons is all.
 
In my case, becoming a pilot before my divorce was not an option, because her uncle had been a pilot, and he had slammed into Mount Tamalpais one night. After the divorce, a couple of my coworkers were pilots and encouraged me, and among other things I felt that the accomplishment of becoming a pilot would help restore my self-esteem. (It worked.)
 
I wouldn't recommend anyone purchase an aircraft ab initio. Sure, it can be done and others have done it successfully, but right now you don't know what you don't know. It sounds like you're interested in flying so start by getting your PPL first. You live in a large metro area so there must be a lot of flight training options. No need to purchase an aircraft. Good Luck!
 
Ravioli said:
If you're not at least a PPL you're on crack with this idea. You're looking at ~20k in training/rental to get PPL and IFR, then you'll need ~$50k for a minimally capable plane.

Your dispatch schedule can't work in any "normal" club situation. You may find a co-owner situation if you're an awesome unicorn hunter.

But if your bank account is as big as your heart seems to be you have a chance.
Click to expand...

I disagree 100%

An E/AB with a WAAS gps and ILS is very doable for $30k-ish An A&P to do the work and condition inspection. LODA and a CFI to learn to fly.

I disagree about needing IFR. If OP has the brains to drive vs fly when weather is bad.
 
OP - I’ve “been there, done that”. After my divorce got a PhD and a pilots license. My separation was WV to JAX, so much greater than yours and much more weather to worry about. So before I bought a house, I bought a 172. Had maybe 200 hrs PIC when I did that. Used the plane A LOT to be with or get the kids. Flew when I could, drove when I had too. Spent nights along the way when weather was not as-predicted. Eventually got my IR, but made plenty of safe trips before that, and more after. The plane allowed me to get a wild hair on occasion and just go see them for a day or 2. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good - do it. Hell even a 150 would allow the “wild hairs”. Your kids will appreciate the effort and the surprises, and you’ll definitely feel a tiny bit better about the distance.
 
I'm glad that the subject of driving has come up. In general aviation, it's always vital to have a plan B.
 
Tough crowd here...

First: By all means learn to fly, as it's the coolest thing you can do with your pants on... but don't do it with the expectation of it being a reliable means of transportation.

The first thing you should do is take an introductory flight lesson, sometimes called a "discovery flight". You might love it, you might hate it. If transportation was your only motivation, I'd say forget it, but you did say you've dreamed about flying for a long time.

Some perspective from the lunatic fringe: I travel from CT to our upstate NY cabin, about 90 miles by air, almost every weekend during 5 months of the year. Driving, it's 1:50 with no traffic, but up to 3.5 hours with traffic on a Friday night after work. Flying, in my thoroughly impractical open cockpit Hatz biplane with 80mph cruise speed, it's 15 minutes to the airport at the CT end, say 10 minutes for preflight (it's a simple airplane) and pulling it out of the hangar, 10 minutes to tiedown at the destination and a 30 minute drive from there to the cabin... say 2:15. But it's fun to look down at the Friday night traffic I'm sailing over, though.

Obviously a faster airplane and a longer trip would improve the comparison, but... I only do it if the weather is certain; in other words I always plan to drive, and take the plane if on Friday afternoon it looks certain that I can not only get there, but get home on Sunday night to go to work on Monday morning. It works out to less than once a month that I make the trip by air, though sometimes I need to drive for other reasons. Texas weather is probably better for flying than New England, but your longer trip makes it more iffy. An instrument rating (also requiring an appropriately equipped aircraft) improves it, certainly, but not until you have a couple of years experience.
 
The OP mentioned that option 3 would be a large fractional and that would be something to look at. But I would look at Plane Sense with the PC-12 and not NetJets, XOJet, or any pure jet fractional as the PC-12 is better suited for his mission. While doing the fractonal I would recommend that he get his PPL and an IR so if he wanted to fly himself he could do that after getting the experience. The advantage of the fractional is not being concerned with aircraft availability or get-there-itis.
 
GaryV said:
I lived south of Houston and had an office near Grand Prairie that I’d fly to at least once a month for years. I started with a 1956 172, one of the slower versions of a 172, and my trips from KLBX south of Houston, to Grand Prairie KGPM, averaged 2 1/2 hours. My fastest trip was about 90 minutes, and my longest was close to 4 hours. Both happened on the same day because, the very strong tailwind going to Dallas didn’t lay down as forecast in the afternoon, and became a very strong headwind on the way home. My airspeed was the same both directions.

I bought the 172 to get my PPL. I assumed I’d fly at least 100 hours that first year and that I’d be able to resell it at the end of the year for at least close to what I paid for it. I still think that was a good plan. I ended up not following the plan but I think it was a good plan.

,I averaged 8 gallons an hour of fuel, paid $900 for that first year’s insurance, and didn’t require any maintenance other than oil changes that I did myself. I believe I saved at least $8000 vs. renting a plane to fly for my PPL.

A big reason the numbers worked was that the plane itself was relatively cheap so my fixed costs were pretty low. I also got a hangar for $180/month which helped the condition of the plane and helped keep the cost low.

I ended up keeping that plane for 9 years. Since it used a Venturi for vacuum it was VFR only, but I only had to postpone two trips due to weather in the 9 years of one to two trips per month. Worst case I knew I could always drive instead of fly. It would take longer but it meant that I could still keep any planned schedule if necessary. I think the same would be true for you.

After 9 years I finally upgraded to a Cardinal RG. It is nearly 50% faster than my 172 was but my average trip time only decreased from 2 1/2 hours to around 2 hours. The trip just isn’t long enough for the increased speed to make much difference.

The 177RG is well equipped for IFR, so after getting the proper training, I flew in IMC on the trips from time to time. The ‘normal’ IFR weather on that trip has ceilings around 2000’ AGL, and tops are frequently less than 8000’ MSL, so the biggest difference in flying IFR instead of VFR is that I had a smooth ride on top instead of a hot, bumpy, ride down low. The trips were doable either way, just more comfortable on top of the IMC layer.

I had a few trips where I had to postpone my departure until later in the day due to connective activity. I also a
stopped enroute to allow a front to move off on two flights when the storms didn’t move as forecast. I think having at least AddsB weather on-board is a necessity so you can route well around convective activity. Just remember the on-board nexrad is for avoidance, not penetration.

There are nasty thunderstorms but as long as you’re willing to stay away from them, even if that means not flying or landing enroute, they can be safely dealt with.

Always know that weather in East Texas may mean having a nice flight one direction but then needing to rent a car to get to the other end of the trip because something unexpected happened. That then means needing to go back to get the plane later. If you’re not willing to have absolute rules concerning the weather you can safely fly in things can go very badly very quickly. It shouldn’t be an issue often but you only need to give in to get-home-itis one time to end up dead.

One aspect you’ll need to consider is where to keep the plane near where you live. Hangars can be hard to come by and can be pretty expensive in the metro areas, especially at Addison. A lot of very happy pilots keep their planes tied down in East Texas but the weather can be hard on a plane even without issues like hail, strong winds, etc. I wouldn’t want to leave my plane outside long term.

I think having my own plane was / is the only option for me given the desire to fly when I want to fly. I wouldn’t be a good partner, and I don’t think I’d fly enough to stay proficient if I rented instead of owning.

Given what you’ve said I think you’re a good candidate for ownership and I think you’re mission is a good fit for something like a 172. Just think through the added costs of ownership like maintenance, insurance, and storage, while you’re making up your budget. Those costs can easily come close to or exceed the payment for the plane itself.

Gary
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LBX will always be Brazoria County to me :D Or as the AWOS used to say, "BrAzoria County".
 
For me, and probably for quite a few people with “affordable” airplanes, I usually figure block-to-block times of about half the time by car if the distance is a couple hundred miles, with times improving in favor of the airplane as distances get farther. That is with good roads (interstates) between the two places.
 
somorris said:
For me, and probably for quite a few people with “affordable” airplanes, I usually figure block-to-block times of about half the time by car if the distance is a couple hundred miles, with times improving in favor of the airplane as distances get farther. That is with good roads (interstates) between the two places.
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I started doing the central NJ to KEWB trip on and off...even with interstates (in my case I95 if I want to go on a single highway) I end up having to deal with northern NJ traffic, NYC (Bronx) traffic, lower CT traffic until I get to New Haven then Providence...ick...anyone who is in the area knows what a goat rodeo that can be. Yeah, I can get on 287 and the Merritt and bypass a lot of the stupidity...but it's still a 4.5-5.5 hour drive at a best case.

39N BREZY V39 CMK V3 HFD V167 PVD KEWB depending on the winds is 1:35-1:50. Takes me longer than that to drive down to the NJ shore from my PA home right on the Delaware. It's doable, but, especially in the PHL/NYC/BOS corridor, easier and safer to be IR because of the weather. You can always drive. One thing you learn as a pilot is that you always have to have a plan B (and C, and maybe D...) and not be fixated on the eventual what you hope happens.

I say go for it. I decided to go for my PVT back in the 80s after my divorce. Best move I ever made (and it did more to help me regain self-confidence than anything else I did at that time).
 
One issues I did not see mentioned is ground transportation. When you get to your destination you will need ground transportation. Renting a car is not always available at airports and based on availability. If you figure on the exact picking you up and driving you around may be short term as that is her time to not worry about the children.

As stated in many of the posts get your PPL because you enjoy flying and drive to visit the children even if it is a multiple hour drive. You will not be weather dependent, more reliable showing up on time, independent to get around and no layover on the return trip due to weather.
 
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