Man up or not?

[Sinistar]

I skimmed over the entire thread and still don't quite understand your being locked into a MEL? Is it only because there is something nearby and available? Is it because it is such a low initial purchase value?

In your initial post you mentioned something like it being a 90min flight or 6hr drive. Either that is for a very slow plane or you have a lot of traffic issues?

I lived in PNW for 3 years. It rained and rained and rained. My very first thought is that I would want a hangar. But maybe someone here who lives out your way can comment on how bad it is for a plane to sit outside in all the rain vs out in the sun. I would find a hangar first - it is often the more complex part of a purchase.

You mentioned a 25min drive to airport. I've always had that and never bothered me at all. GIves you time to switch off work mode. I'm old fashioned and always make myself call the briefer during the drive.

Keep in mind years later, its very common to have trips without the whole family. By early high school the wife is staying back with little Britany for her Irish Dance fair or Billy's baseball tournaments. So ironically about the time you really wish you had a 6 seater or a true 4 seater you probably won't fill it up that much.

I also laugh at how many Memorial Weekend, July 4th breaks and Labor Day breaks we planned on flying 1h20min vs about 4hrs drive. I think our success rate is like 25%. That including the wife having IR. For us, at our destination the FBO won't hangar the plane and with frequent thunderstorms its hard to find a "perfect" 3 or 4 day trip. On the other hand there are many times I have made the same flight and back on the same day to visit them which I would never do in car.

It sounds like you need option 2-3:

Start a listing looking for just one other partner. Its possible they will have a hangar. The co-ownernship will be from day one so you won't be as attached to the plane. Maybe the other partner will be a A&P or CFI.

But...YOLO. Kill of the paralysis by analysis and buy a: 6/260, 6/300, 206 or maybe a 182 or PA-28. It will probably be enough in the end.

 

[MIFlyer]

Do you need insurance? Can you self-insure, or are you getting a loan for the plane?

The issue is all the airports near me are municipal and require coverage of some kind. I'd be fine self insuring the "in motion" part, but they won't even write me a liability only as it sits.

I'm pursuing a few ideas... one may be that the airport never asks to see the policy for the first year until I'm insurable... LOL

 

[MIFlyer]

I skimmed over the entire thread and still don't quite understand your being locked into a MEL? Is it only because there is something nearby and available? Is it because it is such a low initial purchase value?

In your initial post you mentioned something like it being a 90min flight or 6hr drive. Either that is for a very slow plane or you have a lot of traffic issues?

I lived in PNW for 3 years. It rained and rained and rained. My very first thought is that I would want a hangar. But maybe someone here who lives out your way can comment on how bad it is for a plane to sit outside in all the rain vs out in the sun. I would find a hangar first - it is often the more complex part of a purchase.

You mentioned a 25min drive to airport. I've always had that and never bothered me at all. GIves you time to switch off work mode. I'm old fashioned and always make myself call the briefer during the drive.

Keep in mind years later, its very common to have trips without the whole family. By early high school the wife is staying back with little Britany for her Irish Dance fair or Billy's baseball tournaments. So ironically about the time you really wish you had a 6 seater or a true 4 seater you probably won't fill it up that much.

I also laugh at how many Memorial Weekend, July 4th breaks and Labor Day breaks we planned on flying 1h20min vs about 4hrs drive. I think our success rate is like 25%. That including the wife having IR. For us, at our destination the FBO won't hangar the plane and with frequent thunderstorms its hard to find a "perfect" 3 or 4 day trip. On the other hand there are many times I have made the same flight and back on the same day to visit them which I would never do in car.

It sounds like you need option 2-3:

Start a listing looking for just one other partner. Its possible they will have a hangar. The co-ownernship will be from day one so you won't be as attached to the plane. Maybe the other partner will be a A&P or CFI.

But...YOLO. Kill of the paralysis by analysis and buy a: 6/260, 6/300, 206 or maybe a 182 or PA-28. It will probably be enough in the end.

PS< I do have a specific airframe in mind, which is why I can be fairly sure about my costs and financial risks.

Thanks for the input. Yes, Seattle to Bend, OR or the Oregon coast is a solid 5-7 hours, unless their is traffic and there is always traffic, like add 2-3 hours to those times if you're trying to hit the road at 2pm to get to your vacation by bedtime. KRNT-KRDM is a great example trip.

Mostly we have low ceilings and not much convective on west side, so I would add IR, I just want to get it with my own plane.

I'm not committed to MEL, but I've spent a lot of time on the numbers and the cost of a decent 6 seat single pays for a lot of years of increased MX and fuel. A Cherokee 6 would be a great plane for my mission and 140 kts is fast enough for the distances I fly, but that's 140K airplane in today's market. that extra 70k goes a LONG way for differntial annual costs.

I share your laugh about true dispatch percentages. I truly appreciate the input.