The two happiest days of a pilot...

Chrisgoesflying

Chrisgoesflying

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Chrisgoesflying
I keep hearing this phrase that the two happiest days of a pilot are the day he buys the plane and the day he sells the plane. I vehemently disagree with that statement. I sold my Cherokee today and I was anything but happy seeing it fly away. It was a great plane for us and while becoming more impractical by the minute (we really need something more x-country capable), I would have loved to keep it for local flights but my bank account kept screaming at me saying two planes aren't an option right now. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be a happy day when the next plane arrives but for now, I'm plane-less and not happy about it at all.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
I keep hearing this phrase that the two happiest days of a pilot are the day he buys the plane and the day he sells the plane. I vehemently disagree with that statement. I sold my Cherokee today and I was anything but happy seeing it fly away.
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I think that phrase originated with boats and somebody (probably a non-pilot jealous of aircraft owners) thought to extend that to planes.
 
Obviously you didn't sell it right.

Buy it back and try again. Keep doing this until you figure out what you're doing wrong.

I'd hate for people to have to discard a perfectly good saying because you can't sell an aircraft correctly!

-------

On a more serious note, I'm happy that you're now closer to purchasing your next aircraft.
May your time w/ it be as great as your time w/ your Cherokee obviously was.
 
I hated watching our first plane fly off without me in the left seat, it wasn't a happy day. My bride and I still miss that plane even though we have our Commander in the hangar, ready to fly. Our Commander has been a great travel machine but there is something about your first. ;)
 
I’m in the same boat, no pun intended. I just bought a wonderful Mooney M20f, but my bank account too says my Cessna 140 has to go… I put a handshake agreement together on it this week, I don’t look forward to seeing it fly off… Hoping buyer wants me to deliver it so we get one last mission together…

if I was close to retirement and would have more time idda kept em both as they both are great birds for different missions…
 
I was happy to sell the 182RG. Then again, I had just finished the first flight of the Velocity.

Watching the Velocity fly away was heartbreaking.
 
I have always had a new plane, before selling my old one. The day may come one day, but I am not psychologically ready to wake up knowing that I don't have a plane. Before that time comes, maybe my retirement plan of dying on top of a cute blonde from a case of lead poisoning.... to the back will kick in ;-)
 
Country Flier said:
Its just your wallet that is smiling now....
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Not for long. My next plane is arriving tomorrow.

I’ve sold 5 planes now. The first one I didn’t care about. The second one I liked but didn’t care about selling. The third one was my Ercoupe and that one sucked selling. After that, the Cessna 150 I didn’t care about. But now the Cherokee really sucked to sell.
 
Rockymountain said:
I have always had a new plane, before selling my old one. The day may come one day, but I am not psychologically ready to wake up knowing that I don't have a plane. Before that time comes, maybe my retirement plan of dying on top of a cute blonde from a case of lead poisoning.... to the back will kick in ;-)
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That acute lead poisoning is far more dangerous than the chronic version we're all exposed to.

Chrisgoesflying said:
Not for long. My next plane is arriving tomorrow.

I’ve sold 5 planes now. The first one I didn’t care about. The second one I liked but didn’t care about selling. The third one was my Ercoupe and that one sucked selling. After that, the Cessna 150 I didn’t care about. But now the Cherokee really sucked to sell.
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So you pulled the trigger on the comanche? Excited to see it. I suspect your first trip at 150+ knots will ease the pain of the cherokee going away.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Not for long. My next plane is arriving tomorrow.

I’ve sold 5 planes now. The first one I didn’t care about. The second one I liked but didn’t care about selling. The third one was my Ercoupe and that one sucked selling. After that, the Cessna 150 I didn’t care about. But now the Cherokee really sucked to sell.
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Sounds like you have a fondness for Fred Weick wings.
 
Jim K said:
So you pulled the trigger on the comanche? Excited to see it. I suspect your first trip at 150+ knots will ease the pain of the cherokee going away.
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Yes sir. Just waiting for the pre-purchase inspection to pass and if it does, the Comanche will arrive tomorrow morning.
 
The phrase was taken from the boat people,and it is true for boats. Owning an airplane is completely different ,having owned several airplanes ,I do miss the ones I have owned . Since purchase of my first airplane I havnt been without an airplane . Some day I will get out of aviation and I know I will miss it.
 
I am still not happy about selling my little Grumman. I was happy when I sold my 1959 Rawson though. Maybe it is just a boat thing.
 
GMascelli said:
. Our Commander has been a great travel machine but there is something about your first. ;)
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Yup. I sometimes wish I still had my Auster (sold it 36 years ago) and my inboard boat that I converted from an outboard, also sold around 35 years ago. Something about the stuff we had when we were young.

And then one day I realized that it was my youth I wanted back, and mistakenly thought my old toys would bring it.

Nope.
 
Dan Thomas said:
And then one day I realized that it was my youth I wanted back, and mistakenly thought my old toys would bring it.
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Funny to see so many trying to do that ... :D
 
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Dan Thomas said:
And then one day I realized that it was my youth I wanted back, and mistakenly thought my old toys would bring it.

Nope.
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What a silly idea. Every old guy knows it's only young ladies that bring back youth (and empty bank accounts and wreck marriages along the way).
 
Dan Thomas said:
And then one day I realized that it was my youth I wanted back, and mistakenly thought my old toys would bring it.

Nope.
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I still drive like I am 16...

Funny thing is as a teenager/young adult I was on a first name basis with all the traffic cops in town, yet I never got a ticket for my....let's say, energetic driving style.

And good thing Gallup Police does not enforce traffic laws...
 
asicer said:
I think that phrase originated with boats and somebody (probably a non-pilot jealous of aircraft owners) thought to extend that to planes.
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This morning I handed the keys over to the new owner of my 41 foot sailboat, it was a sad day for us. We had owned it for over 25 years and sailed it from Florida to the eastern Caribbean, Venezuela, Bonaire, Curacao and then Houston. That took 5 years and then we lived on it for another 4 years. It now needs a complete refit and a storm had wiped out most of the rigging and I did not want to repair all that. Plus, I want a smaller boat.
 
I’m contemplating selling current plane for a plane thats a better fit formy mission profile. Love my plane keep trying to come up with creative ideas and reasons to keep it.
 
Half Fast said:
What a silly idea. Every old guy knows it's only young ladies that bring back youth (and empty bank accounts and wreck marriages along the way).
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You are only as old as the woman you feel
 
My airplane is kinda like my pickup. I can't sell it for what it would take to replace it. So, I gotta keep it.
 
Whoever said the day you sold your airplane is the happiest is so full of an unmentionable substance (on this site) that his eyes are brown. I didn't have to witness my beloved Mooney leave, but it was a gut punch when I saw it gone.
 
I remember an episode of the Mythbusters when they needed a Corvette to put a pig carcass in, I forget the myth they were testing, but the guy they bought the Corvette was the original owner and he treasured his Corvette, boy he wasn’t happy to find out they were going to trash it.
 
steingar said:
Whoever said the day you sold your airplane is the happiest is so full of an unmentionable substance (on this site) that his eyes are brown. I didn't have to witness my beloved Mooney leave, but it was a gut punch when I saw it gone.
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The hardest part is watching it fly away. Then it really sinks in that its not yours anymore. Before that, you can almost lie to yourself that it isnt gone.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
I remember an episode of the Mythbusters when they needed a Corvette to put a pig carcass in, I forget the myth they were testing, but the guy they bought the Corvette was the original owner and he treasured his Corvette, boy he wasn’t happy to find out they were going to trash it.
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I think I remember that it was to see if they could sell a vehicle that someone had died and rotted away in.

Yeah, I remember the seller was disappointed, but he finally said your car now, do what you want with it. And trash it they did, but eventually sold it.
 
When I sold my Ercoupe, I wanted to see it being flown and being taken care of. I took great care of that plane and it was my first "real" (I had two ultralights prior to it) certified aircraft. I sold it with current annual to a guy who wanted to finish up his license in it. When the sale closed, I ferried the plane with him together to his home airport to show him the ropes. He flew the plane maybe 2-3 times and since then (almost two years now I think), it's been sitting with no annual and not being flown. It's his plane so I obviously don't care that much, but had I known that, I would have sold it to the other guy who offered $1,000 less but who probably (no way to know obviously) would have flown it because he already had his license and wanted it to time build.
 
charheep said:
The hardest part is watching it fly away. Then it really sinks in that its not yours anymore. Before that, you can almost lie to yourself that it isnt gone.
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Perhaps I'm the exception here but I've sold a few planes and after they are gone they are not missed and seldom come to mind.

My current plane may be the the one I miss as it really is a great fit for me and what I want in a sport plane. I don't anticipate it leaving anytime soon, but only the Good Lord knows the future ...
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
….When the sale closed, I ferried the plane with him together to his home airport to show him the ropes. He flew the plane maybe 2-3 times and since then (almost two years now I think), it's been sitting with no annual and not being flown.
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The guy that bought our plane in May 2018 brought his CFI with him and they flew it from our home base ocean city MD to Camarillo CA, coast to coast. The guy has yet to get his PPL and I haven’t seen the plane fly in ages.

It’s a shame because we flew that plane everywhere and often and now I’m
afraid she just sits in the hangar.
 
True for boats and RVs. No way for planes.
 
I will fly mine again just waiting on the annual. :D
 
My Archer still flies but doesn't seem to leave Kentucky much. I used to take that plane all over. But it's still flying.
 
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