Isn't that why I bought th durn plane?

Aztec Driver

Aztec Driver

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
982
Location
Elizabethtown, PA
Display Name
Display name:
Bryon
It is perfect weather.
The airplane is in perfect condition.
The partner is not using it.
There is no TFR in the way.

And yet, there I was, driving down to BWI to pick up the granddaughter.
All because it costs over $300 to fly down and pick her up, and a paltry $35, including parking, to drive down.

Of course, the time saved would have been almost 10 minutes!

Just couldn't save enough time to justify the added expense for the "money handler."
It takes 45 minutes to drive to the airplane, 30 or so minutes to get there plus time to zip over to the terminal. It takes 90 minutes to drive down. It just doesn't save me enough time to help me out.

Nuts. Rats.:sad:
 
Who cares if it makes sense. Flying is more fun. Plenty of people fly for fun and not just utility.
 
The more hours you fly, the lower per hour cost of that panel upgrade.
 
I know what you mean. When I go to New York City, it's both more expensive and more hassle to fly. So, I end up driving.

Flying doesn't always make sense. So, you either do it anyway, or drive. :)
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Yeah, but in this economy, the dollars DO get in the way.
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I have been flying GA off and on since the 1970s and I have always heard things like what the op stated. GA's cost has always been higher than driving, I think that from a cash perspective it never looks better. One has to factor in fun and desire in order to justify the expense.
 
Sometimes I feel like the luckiest man in the world. The other day as I was contemplating the costs of ownership and flying I brought up Excel and calculated all the costs. When I showed it to my wife, she said "who cares, flying makes life fun".

And I didn't even add in the cost of her current IFR training.
 
JOhnH said:
Sometimes I feel like the luckiest man in the world. The other day as I was contemplating the costs of ownership and flying I brought up Excel and calculated all the costs. When I showed it to my wife, she said "who cares, flying makes life fun".

And I didn't even add in the cost of her current IFR training.
Click to expand...

See that Is how you have to do it. Mine justifies the expense by saying that we do not have to spend 4 hours in a car, in Chicago traffic, to see relatives. Of course she wants to be safe, so all that other flying I do is justified by keeping proficient. But I still recall when avgas hit $1 a gallon and all the pilot/ owners predicted the death of GA. Didn't happen did it?
 
Also, it's a treat for the granddaughter if she's old enough to "get it". But, yeah, 350 vs 35 is pretty much a no brainer
 
Well it is 283 air miles from Vale S49 to Lenhardts 7S9, It is 400 miles to our condo in West Linn from Vale on I84. It takes 2 hours to fly and 7 hours to drive. I own the airplane and so I am always trying to talk the wife into flying vs driving. I have been successful lately. 24 gal of avgas. no meal on the way. plus I get to use my new GPS from the Purple Board.

Picture: My new 696 gift as I am coming over the Cascade mountain range just south of Mount Hood.

:goofy:
 

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JOhnH said:
Sometimes I feel like the luckiest man in the world. The other day as I was contemplating the costs of ownership and flying I brought up Excel and calculated all the costs. When I showed it to my wife, she said "who cares, flying makes life fun".

And I didn't even add in the cost of her current IFR training.
Click to expand...
My wife usually says that, but not when the difference in time is not helping.

It would help if my airplane weren't so far away.
 
jesse said:
Who cares if it makes sense. Flying is more fun. Plenty of people fly for fun and not just utility.
Click to expand...

Greg Bockelman said:
Yeah, but in this economy, the dollars DO get in the way.
Click to expand...

JOhnH said:
Sometimes I feel like the luckiest man in the world. The other day as I was contemplating the costs of ownership and flying I brought up Excel and calculated all the costs. When I showed it to my wife, she said "who cares, flying makes life fun".

And I didn't even add in the cost of her current IFR training.
Click to expand...


Every comment above is right on target. I remember someone on this board or the old AOPA yellow making the following observation that makes a lot of sense to me.

He said for most of us flying is a hobby or a passion not so much a way to get from A to B and it doesn't have to make sense. He said think of folks who love boating as a hobby. They don't start justifying the dollars to take their boat from point A to point B fuel, insurance marina fees etc. If they fish off their boat they don't justify the cost becuase that flounder they caught saved them$8.00 at the grocery store or $15.00 at the sea food restaurant. They just buy or use the boat because they enjoy it.

As Greg said economics are a factor so then you use the plane for something "more" fun like a trip to the beach or mountains rather than the utility run.
 
The drive to Boeing Field is 20 minutes, The Drive to Auburn Field is 20 minutes, the flight from Boeing to Auburn is about 10 minutes. I drive to Boeing so I can fly to Auburn for Sat AM coffee. makes perfect sense to me! Dave
 
Apples, oranges, and pomegranates. I can get rid of my cars and walk for free, too.

I like the fishing analogy.

I fly and will soon own a plane because I want to fly--period. I'll sacrifice other things long before I give up flying. I waited too dam long to get this far and let the nickels and dimes get in the way. :wink2:
 
Bryon,

Do you really need an Aztec? The cost may be getting in the way of actually flying.
 
Anthony said:
Bryon,

Do you really need an Aztec? The cost may be getting in the way of actually flying.
Click to expand...

First off, EVERYONE needs an Aztec. ;)

But Bryon owns a Twinkie. So his name really should be updated.
 
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