Upgrading to a better aircraft a bad thing?

You are probably not seeing quoted messages.


exncsurfer said:
Did you add something here? I think I missed it.


< .5 * poverty rate = 40-50K

poverty rate = 2 * 40-50K
poverty rate = 80 - 100K

no?
Click to expand...
exncsurfer said:
Did you add something here? I think I missed it.


< .5 * poverty rate = 40-50K

poverty rate = 2 * 40-50K
poverty rate = 80 - 100K

no?
Click to expand...
 
exncsurfer said:
So the poverty rate is 100K now in some states? Glad I don't live there!
Click to expand...

Unit74 said:
Noting he makes less than half of the poverty rate in some states, I also don't think he has any business buying an airplane.
Click to expand...

https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-fundi...ral-income-limits/docs/income-limits-2020.pdf

Yea, I can confirm having lived, and escaped from the Peoples Reformed Demockratic Repulik of Kalifornia, 100k is below state levels for poverty. I just saw where the OP is in Georgia, and the Census puts a single young man around $13k as the official poverty threshold. You can live on 40-50k as the OP already posted in Georgia. But there is still no way in hell he can afford to feed, maintain, pay insurance, tie down and give the man his annual property tax on that plane on a $50k income and live in anything other than a cardboard box, shaking a cup for change on the corner in his free time. When you factor the rest of a months expenses, there is no possible way he could afford to park, let alone feed an Airplane, even if it’s a 150.

I’d say go work for the airport for free rides or credit of file, but having flown in there a few times it’s dead.
 
Unit74 said:
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-fundi...ral-income-limits/docs/income-limits-2020.pdf

Yea, I can confirm having lived, and escaped from the Peoples Reformed Demockratic Repulik of Kalifornia, 100k is below state levels for poverty. I just saw where the OP is in Georgia, and the Census puts a single young man around $13k as the official poverty threshold. You can live on 40-50k as the OP already posted in Georgia. But there is still no way in hell he can afford to feed, maintain, pay insurance, tie down and give the man his annual property tax on that plane on a $50k income and live in anything other than a cardboard box, shaking a cup for change on the corner in his free time. When you factor the rest of a months expenses, there is no possible way he could afford to park, let alone feed an Airplane, even if it’s a 150.

I’d say go work for the airport for free rides or credit of file, but having flown in there a few times it’s dead.
Click to expand...
Okay, well according to your pdf, the highest county poverty level(extrememly low as defined by the document) is 47K. So he isn't making half of that. At any rate, I don't think its fair to use California in any rational discussion about cost of living.
 
DMD3. said:
I’ve considered buying something like a C150 or Tomahawk, fly it for 2 or 3 years and get a taste of what aircraft ownership is like.
Click to expand...
A 150 will be one unexpected item away from breaking your budget. It doesn't have to be a $30k item, an unexpected $4000 bill is going to break you. You'll need to find a mech who will work with you to keep the plane flying. You might also look for a like minded person who would be interested in co-owning and splitting the cost.
 
Like a top OH? Good Lord, what could go wrong for $4,000 in a C-150?
martym said:
A 150 will be one unexpected item away from breaking your budget. It doesn't have to be a $30k item, an unexpected $4000 bill is going to break you. You'll need to find a mech who will work with you to keep the plane flying. You might also look for a like minded person who would be interested in co-owning and splitting the cost.
Click to expand...
 
Buy simple and fly, remember the less shtuff in the panel the less there is to fix… a phone or tablet or eyeballs on water towers will get ya there.

live simple elsewhere… till relatively recently I wasn’t making great money. Drive an inexpensive car, drive it till the tires fall off, fix it yourself when it breaks off parts from online. When the dryer breaks YouTube how to fix it… shop at the close date store and buy store brand ketchup…that’s how I did it.

It can be done if you go cautious and smartly…
 
EdFred said:
So over half the people in California are living in poverty considering that the median income is below 100k?

Ooooooook.

Edit: looked at the PDf and it does not agree with your statement. Nice try though.
Click to expand...

exncsurfer said:
Okay, well according to your pdf, the highest county poverty level(extrememly low as defined by the document) is 47K. So he isn't making half of that. At any rate, I don't think its fair to use California in any rational discussion about cost of living.
Click to expand...

On 100k, most people/families in CA will be in poverty. You’d have to live in places like the high desert to make those dollars stretch farther. But reality is that most people in Ca are living in urban settings. The costs associated with basic life needs under my scenario is shocking to those not under that umbrella. In post 27, sentence 5 I said in some states, and you both jumped on that ham bone and applied it to your own states where a dollar does not have the same value as my ambiguous example.

Both of you are so focused on what’s after the decimal point to realize your arguments are moot. $50k- life expenses = no plane ownership, the obvious original point I was making regardless of how trivial your attempt to pick apart the semantics of the argument. But I suppose that’s what the interwebz is always good for; trying to being smarter than the next guy.
 
what a thread drift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The original poster did not ask us for financial advice . he wants a plane and asked us a simple question. if you have something to add about his question then great. Lets not pretend to be his father and remind him of all the reasons owning a plane is a bad decision. we all know that already ! LOL
 
Btw....when I purchase my C-150 in 1980's I made $30K/yr.....It's doable. Tight, but doable. first love 2a.JPG
 
It’s totally doable at $50k if OP lives in a low cost area without high ticket obligations (kids, loan payments, etc). I did it a few years back and many people I know did as well. Depending on the price of Avgas, he will have to ration his flying hours but heck I still do that now otherwise I’d be flying more than being on the ground and it’s really hard to make money in my line of business while flying an airplane lol.
 
EdFred said:
Location, location, location. And I'm not even in the cheapest hangars in the area.

I bet houses cost more and taxes are higher than where I am as well.
Click to expand...

Not really. Real estate is reasonable here compared to most places. The problem is that most places with paved runways aren’t very GA friendly here. They want commercial airliners and Ritzy private jets. Most FBOs are afraid that the little Cessnas and Pipers in their hangars scare away the trust fund babies. One FBO has like two jets in the hangar but space for at least another 5 single engine aircraft. They ask for $1,000 per month. Nobody goes for it so they rather keep the hangar half empty instead of reducing their price.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Not really. Real estate is reasonable here compared to most places. The problem is that most places with paved runways aren’t very GA friendly here. They want commercial airliners and Ritzy private jets. Most FBOs are afraid that the little Cessnas and Pipers in their hangars scare away the trust fund babies. One FBO has like two jets in the hangar but space for at least another 5 single engine aircraft. They ask for $1,000 per month. Nobody goes for it so they rather keep the hangar half empty instead of reducing their price.
Click to expand...

Well it does help that where I am, in a 30nm radius there's about 12 paved fields with hangars and another handful of grass strips as well. I think out of all of those only 3 have jets based at them - one being the C.
 
I’m north of the border and last month was the first time I took a trip south of the border with my own plane. Every single airport I landed at in the States (7 during that trip) was more GA friendly than any of the Canadian airports I’ve landed in (over 20) since I got my ticket.
 
This is more cringe than those "learn to code, poors" conversations on reddit.

Buy a 150 if it brings you joy. Tie it down if you want, it's your property and it's just a THING and you don't owe anyone any particular level of care for it. Turn it into a planter box if you want.

We all make certain sacrifices to fly these planes. If that means a cheaper car, house, eating out less, whatever -- we all solve our own calculus our way. Budgeting for a maintenance or other surprise is prudent IF you need the plane to be airworthy year-round. If you get the 4K surprise, well, guess what? You call your insurance broker, tell them the plane won't be flying, and please switch to GNIM (ground, not in motion) coverage and now your insurance is like 1/5 of what it was. You pay the $100 or so dollars per month until you can fix the problem.

Here hangars are 6k/yr, so the math is different than if you live in the weeds and pay 1/3 of that. The sun is not going to do 6k/yr in damage to a C150. I don't even think it will do 2K worth honestly, but it might be close in, say, Phoenix. Cover the plane and I think you'll get it down into the hundreds per year, which is a rounding error in plane ownership.

When you're tired of it, you can sell the thing. Until then, have fun.

$0.02

- A Californian who shouldn't be brought in to opine about anything, apparently. :dunno:
 
EdFred said:
Nope. Just calling out BS when I see it. I said nothing about where I live in regards to poverty levels whatsoever. After reading your statement I looked up the expensive places such as CA, CT, MA, and absolutely none of them align with what you crapped out your pie hole. Even in San Fran and Marin Counties 100k is NOT poverty. Hyperbole isn't the way to "win" an argument. But when you're a small dude I guess you gotta talk big.

FWIW, I owned a Cherokee 180 on a less than 50k salary as a single dude, but that is not in CA, MA, or CT. It CAN be done.
Click to expand...

reported as a personal attack
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
Btw....when I purchase my C-150 in 1980's I made $30K/yr.....It's doable. Tight, but doable. View attachment 105821
Click to expand...

I'm not making any judgement on how doable it is, but $30K in 1980 is over $100K in 2022. And that does not take into account aircraft industry inflation which is considerably higher than your normal inflation.
 
genna said:
I'm not making any judgement on how doable it is, but $30K in 1980 is over $100K in 2022. And that does not take into account aircraft industry inflation which is considerably higher than your normal inflation.
Click to expand...
Negative....I was a produce clerk in a grocery store. lol :D
 
EdFred said:
Facts aren't attacks. I mean you are like 5'6" aren't you? I know you're well under 6'.

With your attitude, and chip on your shoulder, I'm not surprised you whined.
Click to expand...

Continuing your personal attack, reported.
 
Posts deleted because it was not germane to the main discussion.
 
schmookeeg said:
I agree with both the content and tone of his remarks. Report me too for collusion.
Click to expand...

We can converse without making personal attacks and disagree about all of it. I have no problem with that. Making it personal is an act of desperation when comments bare no meaningful weight. It’s also a ToS violation.
 
To the OP: If your budget is limited, consider an experimental. Maintenance can be much less expensive, especially if you have a reasonable amount of mechanical ability. If you buy a wing folding aircraft like a Kolb or Kitfox, with an enclosed trailer you can keep it at home and bring it to the airport when you want to fly, saving on hangar rent. Or what I did when I had my Kolb, keep it in the trailer on a cheaper outdoor tiedown site for 1/4 the cost of a hangar, bringing it home if needed for maintenance.
 
I own 2 and one twelfth planes, my Cessna 140 was the most expensive at $21,500, three years ago. I’ve put some cash in her since but 90% was elective. I’ve flown that thing all accross this great country including into Idaho backcountry twice.


this is a doable dream.
 
Last edited:
Checkout_my_Six said:
Negative....I was a produce clerk in a grocery store. lol :D
Click to expand...

I don’t know what you were doing, but it paid pretty well. Even 1989’s 30K is about 70K today. Back then the minimum wage was around $7K/ year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top