Should I buy a plane... or Not?

If you were in my shoes, would you buy a plane?

  • Total voters
    60
Hi Terry

Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
@Tobias Göller a few of the original owners (club members - they didn't own the plane outright) fight the hangar pretty hard.

The MX guru argues it would cause more corrosion than sitting outside in the Midwest because a cement floor is conducive to moisture?

I don't agree but admit I've never looked into it. At $650+/month per hangar that's an extra $60/member - I think they're balking at the price and they're view you can repaint the planes every 10-years for less than the price differential.

But the planes already sat a healthy part of November and I saw the pictures of birds nests and stuff on their Slack feed when I joined.

A few of the newer members and a couple of older members want hangars but doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. I knew that when I joined. That's my biggest disappointment by a wide margin.
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Interesting argument. So they do leave their cars ourside as well? From what I can tell (we have both, hangared and non-hangared aircrafts) the aircaft that are out on the field do have much more issues than the ones being under a roof.

The corrosiveness of the hangar-floor... it's true, if you retract the wheels and let it sit there. Nevertheless the misture outside is way, way, way worse. And don't forget mice and other rodents. They do exist in hangars, too. But the big rodent nests are always pulled out of aircraft parked outside.

- Electronics don't like mositure
- Metal doesn't like moisture
- Paint doesn't like constantly being baked in the sun (neither do rubber or other aircraft parts)
- Paint doesn't like Bird****, too. And if your aircraft is outside... birds somehow love to **** on aircrafts.
- Oil doesn't mix with well with water... and you will have way more moisture in your engine when parked outside.

And... most aircrafts aren't 100% watertight. So in heavy rain water will get into the airframe.

And I bet your primary sources for MX aren't smashed in windows or problems with the altimeter....

(650/mo... that sounds expensive - especially for USA... I am in a shared hangar... and pay ~300 per month. But I need to put it on a lift.... so...)

I would never ever let my aircraft sit ouside over an extended period of time.

Tobias
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
The MX guru argues it would cause more corrosion than sitting outside in the Midwest because a cement floor is conducive to moisture?
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Oh brother. Maybe you should clue him in regarding epoxy floor paint.

Does he really prefer to work on the plane sitting on the ramp? Great place to do an annual, isn't it? All the inspection panels removed, cowling off, seats out, tools and parts sitting out, and rain moving in.....
 
Hi,

Half Fast said:
Oh brother. Maybe you should clue him in regarding epoxy floor paint.

Does he really prefer to work on the plane sitting on the ramp? Great place to do an annual, isn't it? All the inspection panels removed, cowling off, seats out, tools and parts sitting out, and rain moving in.....
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that.... and the aircraft is not lying on the floor... I don't think corrosiveness is higher than outisde even in a concrete bunker....

Tobias
 
Hi, there.

I am late to the party, but a couple of points from my perspective:

1. When I first bought a plane, I had one idea of what my mission was going to be, but the reality turned out quite different. I found that as my flying experience and aircraft capability increased, my mission changed and expanded;
2. My wife was not a fan of flying in small planes and she did not fly in my first airplane for over two years. Fast forward a few years (ok, more like 10 years) and we were using the plane on a regular basis for all family travel. Now, it is a huge part of our family experience;
3. When I didn’t have places I needed to use the plane to get to, I found several charitable organizations like Angel Flight, Veterans Airlift Command and Pilots and Paws, for whom to fly and that was a great experience. I had several friends that like to fly as co-pilots and it was a wonderful way to use an airplane and to stay current and proficient; and
4. Owning a plane is a job and it seems like there is always something to do related to the plane, but somehow it all works out and been an education in itself.

This is not really a plug for buying a plane or not buying a plane, but it has been a wonderful thing for me and for my family.

Good luck!

Abram Finkelstein
N685AS
 
@Checkout_my_Six that's NOT a six! I misunderstood your name the whole time. Going to have to search for pics of your keester now . . . And that's a hell of a boring holes in the sky ride. Sweet.

@Abram do you own your own business? It'll be a few years before I could shift from this club to ownership to meaningful family transportation. As I get closer to that point, however, the needs will shrink as kids leave. Hmmm. I'd love to hear about your life progression there. I make probably top 10-5% in US, but with 3 kids hopefully headed to College (15, 13 & 8) and having not come from wealth, seems a bit out of reach.

I never thought I could earn this much money but I also didn't realize how much truly wealthy people likely earn / have saved.
 

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@Abram do you own your own business? It'll be a few years before I could shift from this club to ownership to meaningful family transportation. As I get closer to that point, however, the needs will shrink as kids leave. Hmmm. I'd love to hear about your life progression there. I make probably top 10-5% in US, but with 3 kids hopefully headed to College (15, 13 & 8) and having not come from wealth, seems a bit out of reach.

I never thought I could earn this much money but I also didn't realize how much truly wealthy people likely earn / have saved.[/QUOTE]

I do own my own business, which has been a great catalyst for airplane ownership because I was able to expense some portion of the ownership, which allowed me to get a bit more airplane than I would otherwise have gotten. It also provided me with a built in mission, as I use it extensively to visit clients, vendor-partners and for Association business.

In my occasional moments of clarity, I feel exactly the same as you. I look back at where I started and feel extremely fortunate to be able to fly the airplanes I fly and to experience the education, experience, freedom and beauty that the airplane has provided me. Every single time I have purchased an airplane, I have felt as if I stretching too far, but I always took the attitude that if it doesn’t work out, I can sell the airplane and will only lose the money spent to operated it and the decrease in value. Somehow, it has all worked out ok and if I didn’t take those chances, I never would have experienced the amazing things that the airplanes have given me!

Abram Finkelstein
N685AS
 
RandyM said it perfectly.

You like airplanes
You can afford it
You have the time

Get a plane and enjoy life. You've done all the right things financially and now is the time to enjoy yourself. You don't want to be 10 years older wondering if you've done the right thing.

I'm about your age, retired and having a blast owning my Bonanza. I've also made lots of new friends in the aviation community. I see you're flying out of TOA and LGB. I used to fly out of those airports all the time. I'm based at FUL now. Send me a PM if you want to talk about the details of ownership.
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but it kinda sounds like you are an over-achiever adrenaline junkie (meant to be a compliment, not putting you down). Aviation is exciting and fascinating as long as you can keep achieving higher goals. Go ahead and get the CFI, then CFII, multi, and keep climbing the ladder all the way to ATP. It doesn't matter if you will ever teach anybody or get an aviation job, but the accomplishments might keep aviation interesting for you and give you a mission. When you get bored with that, then go for all the other ratings, including rotorcraft. I personally would rather be doing it in my own airplane if I could afford it, but will also have to rent the more advanced planes when needed. Aviation is great for setting goals because the requirements are so specific.
 
Let’s see, you flew 350 hours in 3 years. WHAT did you do to do that? Maybe continue with that.

How about charitable flights? Angel Flight for transporting people. Pilots n’ Paws to transport animals in need.

Or, as some have said, maybe the wrong kind of airplane. A friend did a. Career of mapping flying. When he retired, he got a J-3 Cub.

How about warbird and do the air show circuit?

LOTS of things to do with an airplane.
 
Hi,

Pinecone said:
Let’s see, you flew 350 hours in 3 years. WHAT did you do to do that? Maybe continue with that.

How about charitable flights? Angel Flight for transporting people. Pilots n’ Paws to transport animals in need.

Or, as some have said, maybe the wrong kind of airplane. A friend did a. Career of mapping flying. When he retired, he got a J-3 Cub.

How about warbird and do the air show circuit?

LOTS of things to do with an airplane.
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I myself have been in that situation whether or not to buy an aircraft. I do about 160h per year. I bought a 1974 Piper Cherokee Warrior - which fits my travel needs quite well - and should leave me enough money to still fly some other stuff (like the Supercub, Maule, C172 etc.) that our club rents out.

The good thing about your own aircraft: You can do whatever you want, how long you want and when you want.

The bad thing: You will spend a lot of time and money to be able to do the mentioned above.

For me, flying is connected with travel. Since I had access to a private aircraft that was quite well available I only used airlines in winter or when the distance was too long to do it with my own aircraft in a reasonable amount of time (remember: If you have time to spare - go by air).

Tobias
 
JEB said:
RandyM said it perfectly.

You like airplanes
You can afford it
You have the time

Get a plane and enjoy life. You've done all the right things financially and now is the time to enjoy yourself. You don't want to be 10 years older wondering if you've done the right thing.

I'm about your age, retired and having a blast owning my Bonanza. I've also made lots of new friends in the aviation community. I see you're flying out of TOA and LGB. I used to fly out of those airports all the time. I'm based at FUL now. Send me a PM if you want to talk about the details of ownership.
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Right. Buy a Bo and stop worrying about it.
 
Got accepted at a local fly club yesterday, and will meet with other aviators soon (monthly event).

Sadly, in my home airport KTOA, a plane crashed and two pilots were fatally injured, around 11 am today. Was there for my flight, which was canceled due to the airport closure. Won't want to fly anyways even if it reminded open. Took a few pictures. Not sure if it is ok to post those pictures here. The first time came so close to a crash site. R.I.P.
 
JEB said:
RandyM said it perfectly.

You like airplanes
You can afford it
You have the time

Get a plane and enjoy life. You've done all the right things financially and now is the time to enjoy yourself. You don't want to be 10 years older wondering if you've done the right thing.

I'm about your age, retired and having a blast owning my Bonanza. I've also made lots of new friends in the aviation community. I see you're flying out of TOA and LGB. I used to fly out of those airports all the time. I'm based at FUL now. Send me a PM if you want to talk about the details of ownership.
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Thanks for your kind offer of sharing more details about ownership. Will take it and really appreciated it!
 
I'm a 300 hour, CPL w/IFR and I too struggle with my continuing aviation mission. Since I can remember, all I ever wanted to do is become a pilot. Now in my late 40s, having accomplished that mission and own a 20% share in the airplane, I find that I only fly a couple times a year, now that I'm not in a "learning" phase. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed increasing my knowledge of aviation through advanced certificates/ratings more than I enjoyed the act of flying itself. While I REALLY like getting places more quickly in the plane, there are so many other variable that affect the flight that we are all aware of. Weather considerations, transportation when you arrive, etc. It is all VERY expensive. And if it's a day trip to the coast, you ain't having that glass of wine at lunch. For me, I'm likely to soon sell my share of the airplane and reinvest that money in something more sensible like a racecar. :)
 
Chapel K. said:
Thanks for your kind offer of sharing more details about ownership. Will take it and really appreciated it!
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I just sent you a private message with my phone number. Looking forward to meeting you.
 
Dave Arata said:
I'm a 300 hour, CPL w/IFR and I too struggle with my continuing aviation mission. Since I can remember, all I ever wanted to do is become a pilot. Now in my late 40s, having accomplished that mission and own a 20% share in the airplane, I find that I only fly a couple times a year, now that I'm not in a "learning" phase. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed increasing my knowledge of aviation through advanced certificates/ratings more than I enjoyed the act of flying itself. While I REALLY like getting places more quickly in the plane, there are so many other variable that affect the flight that we are all aware of. Weather considerations, transportation when you arrive, etc. It is all VERY expensive. And if it's a day trip to the coast, you ain't having that glass of wine at lunch. For me, I'm likely to soon sell my share of the airplane and reinvest that money in something more sensible like a racecar. :)
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Flew for a number of years. Including military. Got out of flying and raced a 28 foot sailboat. Got back into flying.

Got out of flying. Got into race cars (SCCA SRF, so reasonable costs, at least reasonable for a race car).

Recently bought a plane.

It is a toss up in price between the three. :D

My sail boat was a one design, so NO sail costs. Sails were designed overbuilt so lasted MANY years.

Race car was spec class, so lower prices. But overall cost (with trackside support) was about $2K per race weekend. So actually more expensive per year than airplane.
 
I clicked 'yes' before even reading your post as this is obviously the correct answer. :cool:
After reading your post, I am however wondering whether a Cirrus is the right choice.
What about a taildragger to offer tailwheel endorsements and to check out local grass strips?
 
I wanted to give everyone who replied to my post an update on my progress. I posted this topic about five or six months ago and received lots of valuable advice from this forum. Long story short, I took the advice and joined a local fly club at the end of November. Since then, I've attended their dinner, lunch, and happy hour events, and it has been a fantastic experience to interact with like-minded (and maybe a little crazy) people!

One of my frustrations was that I had been flying with CFIs who had several hundred more hours (in pattern work) than myself, rather than flying to different places. I'm happy to say that I'm going to fly-in with some club members next month and am actively searching for an airplane to own. I just wanted to thank everyone on this thread for your support and for sharing your valuable advice.
 
There are those who dream of going on adventures with their airplanes. I do. An adventure is not a mission. If you can't think of a mission, and the concept of taking off on an adventure is not appealing, maybe a purchase isn't right for you.
 
Don’t stretch, maintenance will surprise you. Get one, it’s really awesome having your own airplane, do get a hangar if you can.
 
I voted yes to buying, but maybe renting and being part of a club is a better fit for you? Glad to hear you joined a club, great way to learn about aviation and make new friends.

I have flown a 172 I fell into from a friend for over a 1000 hrs since 2018. I own it now and rent a T hangar. I met some very experienced pilots at the hangars and we call it our happy place. We hang out there. 90% of the time when I take off I have no flight plan. Just fly, huge stress reliever. Low and slow and grass strips is what I am into now. Can't get enough.
The 172 is cheap to fly and easy to maintain. The plane came with a AP/IA and he allows me to do all the maintenance. I almost live at the hangar and my wife is fine with that. She'll fly with me if I take her someplace mostly I don't go anywhere, just fly.
 
I flew with 4 different CFI who were young working there way up to the airlines. They were OK and very much up on the regulations but short on experience.
Then I got paired with a pilot who was 70 and that was an eye opener in a good way to finish my PPL. He had many years of experience to share with me. I still think abut him when I fly.

Then I flew with a retired ComAir pilot for my instrument rating and he was great also verses the younger guys.

Now my best bud next to my hangar is a 25K hr captain for SW and a check airmen. He is a great guy. Does my IPC and BFR. It is like flying with a CFII for free because he will never take any money from me. I learn so much from him even hanging out on the ground. I am so lucky to have met him. Would have never known him if I was still renting.
 
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1. Get a plane
2. Fly Pilots and Paws missions
3. Fly Angel Flight missions
4. Go get that $300 hamburger
5. Get an experienced pilot or instructor to convince your wife to go on a smooth day or night flight (clear skies), and hopefully she will change her mind. If not, see 1 to 4 above and have fun.
 
You've made your decision, but here's my story if it will help someone else. I bought an airplane, an old C182. The maintenance has not been horrible except when I had to replace the engine, but then again, I had the airplane checked very carefully before I bought it. I also set aside money every flying hour to cover the eventual engine replacement, so even that wasn't a stretch. I've flown across the country both directions a few times, and to Alaska and back. Yes, much of the time I had a "mission" (I used the plane to visit alumni for fund-raising when I was a dean), but I've done the same kinds of flights even after I retired as dean. I've done a few charity flights, but the longest flights I've taken have been to get-togethers of the Cessna Pilots Society, which are a blast and held in different parts of the country. I also have family 850 miles away, so I use the plane to visit them when I can. You will find uses you didn't dream of if you have your own airplane. For example, my husband was set on getting a shih tzu puppy and they are hard to come by. He finally located an ethical breeder who lives about 3 hours away (by plane) or all day away (driving). It was SO nice to be able to hop in the plane to pick up the puppy. Owning means I have the convenience of being able to fly when I want (wx permitting), where I want, and for as long as I want. That's huge, to me. One thing about being a CFI--if you use your own airplane, the insurance is quite a bit more expensive and do you really want to solo a student in your baby?
 
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