Poll: What do you do to fly

What do you do to obtain an airplane or heli to fly

  • Rent From FBO

    Votes: 57 26.9%

  • Owner Financed Aircraft

    Votes: 15 7.1%

  • Owner Aircraft Non Financed

    Votes: 84 39.6%

  • Club Member

    Votes: 38 17.9%

  • Partnership

    Votes: 16 7.5%

  • Other Please explain

    Votes: 17 8.0%
  • Total voters
    212
SPAJC said:
Found it sitting in a pasture having been neglected for 10+ years.
Click to expand...

Flew somewhere today where the visitor parking is half full of former flying machines rotting on the ramp, cobwebs, flat tires, rot, and bird sh** all over them. Sad. Wish more could be rescued.

BTW, I am in a partnership (co-ownership).
 
Bought my own (financed). Never did rent or join a club... Always seemed like a big pain in the butt... Also didn't like certain aspects of partnerships. The nice part is that I fly when I want to and for however long I want to without worrying about some scheduling issue.

Your personal mileage may vary....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Irish_Armada said:
Flew somewhere today where the visitor parking is half full of former flying machines rotting on the ramp, cobwebs, flat tires, rot, and bird sh** all over them. Sad. Wish more could be rescued.



BTW, I am in a partnership (co-ownership).
Click to expand...


Its depressing....I hate seeing airplanes just sitting and rotting away on the ramp. Theres a few on the ramp here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Own my Cessna 172 and Hughes 300 outright. Now if I could find the time to finish the Heli add on I could use it.
 
I applaud you all being able to purchase your airplane cash outright. By doing that frees up money to spend on flying the airplane instead of paying on a Note.
 
evapilotaz said:
I applaud you all being able to purchase your airplane cash outright. By doing that frees up money to spend on flying the airplane instead of paying on a Note.
Click to expand...

Yeah, reality is for a non business airplane, if you can't afford to buy it cash, you really aren't in a very good position for ownership, you are relying on luck to keep you flying, and will be more prone to making poor maintenance decisions.

The ***** about aircraft ownership is not the buy in, the ***** is the continuous costs, and I do mean continuous. Even if you are not flying the plane, you continue to accrue costs. There are also the "Surprise" moments that can take $10,000 or more to get you flying again. If you have the plane financed, you have limited your ability to leverage the value to come up with the cash. HOWEVER, this is mitigated some by the ability to go back to the lender to extend your line of credit for an engine overhaul because it does have a residual increase in value. They also know that if they don't, they will almost assuredly have a default on their hands in 90 days.

The exception to the 'Don't borrow for a pleasure plane' is of course if you are in a financial position to borrow money at a lower rate than your personal reserves are making you. But I don't get the vibe that you are in that position.;)
 
If and when I'm ever a sole owner of an airplane either financed or not I would always put money in a maintenance reserve for every flight hour. I'm not the best at taken care of cars with scheduled maintenance. For that reason I may not be the best at sole ownership. I think I would be happier in a partnership where someone else takes care of maintenance Items.
 
evapilotaz said:
If and when I'm ever a sole owner of an airplane either financed or not I would always put money in a maintenance reserve for every flight hour. I'm not the best at taken care of cars with scheduled maintenance. For that reason I may not be the best at sole ownership. I think I would be happier in a partnership where someone else takes care of maintenance Items.
Click to expand...

There have been people in the history of this board that needed that fund before they got the plane home from purchase. Partnerships are the best for the plane too. Lots of maintenance costs can be directly attributed to lack of use.
 
Yea, listen to Henning on this one. As a new owner, I'm still at the "jaw drop" stage. I grew up poor, but did ok along the way. Watching myself write a big check for a "toy" is still something I'm getting used to..

ouch! is all I gotta say. $2AMU for an annual. Written like $2.00, but more like $2,000.00. SOB!
 
I won mine... After about 20 years of hard work. Does that count?
 
Sole ownership on my arrow. I looked at a partnership but I don't share well, so sole ownership for me. I paid cash in 2011. Prices were pretty depressed then so i was able to take my archer budget and get an arrow.
 
evapilotaz said:
I thought there would be more partnerships.
Click to expand...

No, our culture does not share well. Best way to do a partnership is get the plane you want, then sell shares. 182s and a nice S-35 Bonanza would probably be easiest to fins people looking to buy in. Getting the people together then buying a plane doesn't work well from what I've observed, too hard to get everyone to make a decision together.
 
I voted other because I don't own a plane right now but get to fly a bunch of my friend's airplanes. I have the keys to a N3N, Super Cub, RV7, RV12, C182, C140, Kitfox, Glasstar and an Alon Aircoupe. Don
 
I do a lot of maintenance on all of these airplanes so I do pay to fly. Just put in all my paperwork so I can do the A&P written and practical tests. Should have it by the end of the year. Don
 
4 way partnership in a Cherokee 235 here. I love it - get to learn about ownership from folks who have been doing it a lot longer than me and get a plane to fly whenever I want it and I only have to pay 1/4 of the cost to do so. I've been in this partnership for 2 years now - the first year I was flying at least once or twice a week working on my PPL and have yet to have a conflict.

I liked the idea of owning in some form/fashion for a few reasons:

1) I know the plane and the systems. Kind of an insurance policy for me. Everything is second nature now. You rent several different FBO planes and the buttons/switches are in different places, different avionics, small squawks you may not know about that need to be dealt with when you fly, etc...
2) I got my license so I could take trips. Weather is an issue. I don't want the hassle of trying to book time on a rental or fight with 20 other club folks to book the time and then need to move the trip up or back several days and then end up with a conflict.
3) I know what's been done to the plane - intimately. We do owner assist annuals, change our own oil, pull the plugs at oil change and clean anything that's fouled, fix all squawks immediately and keep high standards when it comes to maintenance. I'm not saying that clubs or FBO/schools don't do that either - but I like knowing what's been done and that if there's anything wonky I'm going to get a call/email from a Partner letting us all know from the last flight.
 
I rent the same plane most of the time cause I have gotten to know the plane well and I'm comfortable with it. Kind of think of it as my own even though Someone gets to fly it. Oh some day Ownership.
 
bought my own.. didnt want to finance... hate paying more than I have to... Was supposed to have a partner, but the F*** backed out on me... but I have the benefit of doing what I want and when I want... and that is pretty hard to beat.. but as everything in life... it comes at a premium..
 
I show up for work, find the gate, jump in the cockpit and go. ;)
 
Slipkid65 said:
I show up for work, find the gate, jump in the cockpit and go. ;)
Click to expand...
Tarheelpilot said:
Yeah....I just goto work as well. Not sure I was supposed to respond to this poll.
Click to expand...

In the same boat. It is a full time job just staying current to go to work. Today alone I had to do a written test over the airplane.

I usually don't fly much GA anymore unless I can do it at low cost or I am taking a girl to dinner. Given that, I rent from a local flight school/FBO. In the last 2 years I have flown 15 hours in a non-turbine airplane. Just don't fly enough to justify owning or a club. I go with a Piper Arrow because it is usually only flown by commercial students so it is pretty well available anytime I want it. Plus I like more levers and knobs. Kinda nice to just pay a flat fee and throw them the keys when I am done.
 
I know of a airline Pilot that hasn't flown GA for several years. Don't you guys miss the low and slow stuff? Cruising at 35K all the time seems boring.
 
evapilotaz said:
I know of a airline Pilot that hasn't flown GA for several years. Don't you guys miss the low and slow stuff? Cruising at 35K all the time seems boring.
Click to expand...

I really haven't missed it much, to be honest.

I have not flown a GA airplane by myself in about 25 years. In those years, I've spent a few hours in other people's airplanes, mostly my friend's T-34. It is definitely fun, but, not fun enough for me to commit the investment of time and money that it would take as a hobby. I have considered it from time to time.

It sounds weird saying this, as I am a certified airplane nut, and always have been as long as I can remember. I have been flying RC airplanes for 35 years, so I guess that scratches that itch on a smaller scale, literally.


If I could swing a Corsair, Bearcat, P-51 etc., without the inevitable divorce, that would be a different story!



That said, I am considering getting a light airplane for commuting to work.......
 
Last edited:
evapilotaz said:
I have been active rc for many years. There are days I fly PIC full Scale and RC on the same day. I cannot get enough of aviation.
Click to expand...

I've done that too! I used to be allowed to fly my RC airplanes on the stub of one of the closed runways at HTO when it wasn't busy. I always kept a Stik of some kind in my car for the purpose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top