Will Kumley
Line Up and Wait
After having my Private certificate for just over a year and flying a lot less than I would have liked. Partly due to Covid, partly due to what I'm learning are the typical struggles of renting planes from a flight school. I saw what looked like a beautiful PA-28-140 for sale nearby with what appears to be a good price.
I show the ad to my wife who has been joking about getting our own plane for a while and she says it looks nice and we should look at it in person. Wait, what? Did I just hear that correctly? Thinking I'm getting ready to call her bluff I reach out to the seller and ask if we can come by this weekend to take a look at it and he agrees. The wife confirms we are going to look at the plane and starts asking questions like, will this work for what you want to do? Is it IFR capable (She knows if we buy a plane I'll use it to get my IFR cert), how soon before we need to worry about rebuilding the engine, etc... Much more interest than I ever expected she would show- especially on a Cherokee 140.
Turns out, someone else looked at the plane before we had a chance to drive to the airport and they put an offer on the plane. If the deal falls through I'll re-engage with the seller but I was shocked the discussion went as far as it did. I think its safe to say the jokes of getting a plane have slightly shifted and hope this means our own plane is in the near future for us. Problem is finding a plane we like, can afford, and won't regret 6 months after purchase.
I trained primarily in a Cherokee 140 and think its a great plane, but when the joke of getting a plane started she seemed pretty set on something larger. As in a Cessna 182 at a minimum, she had dreams our grown-ish kids would want to join us on all flights but has already seen that if it involves getting to the airport before 1100 they aren't huge fans of it so I think she is onboard with the idea of a smaller plane. She does seem to prefer the high wing, ease of access, and double doors on Cessna's but also understands they have a higher price.
Not really trying to turn this into yet another thread of what plane to get but my short list would include any of the PA-28 models, Cessna 172, 180,182 and a Grumman Traveler or Tiger. Maybe a Socata TB10. The real question is for anyone that purchased a smaller 4 seat plane (I understand a 4 seater won't carry 4 adults) have you regretted the purchase shortly later wishing you had gone with something more sizable with more useful load?
I show the ad to my wife who has been joking about getting our own plane for a while and she says it looks nice and we should look at it in person. Wait, what? Did I just hear that correctly? Thinking I'm getting ready to call her bluff I reach out to the seller and ask if we can come by this weekend to take a look at it and he agrees. The wife confirms we are going to look at the plane and starts asking questions like, will this work for what you want to do? Is it IFR capable (She knows if we buy a plane I'll use it to get my IFR cert), how soon before we need to worry about rebuilding the engine, etc... Much more interest than I ever expected she would show- especially on a Cherokee 140.
Turns out, someone else looked at the plane before we had a chance to drive to the airport and they put an offer on the plane. If the deal falls through I'll re-engage with the seller but I was shocked the discussion went as far as it did. I think its safe to say the jokes of getting a plane have slightly shifted and hope this means our own plane is in the near future for us. Problem is finding a plane we like, can afford, and won't regret 6 months after purchase.
I trained primarily in a Cherokee 140 and think its a great plane, but when the joke of getting a plane started she seemed pretty set on something larger. As in a Cessna 182 at a minimum, she had dreams our grown-ish kids would want to join us on all flights but has already seen that if it involves getting to the airport before 1100 they aren't huge fans of it so I think she is onboard with the idea of a smaller plane. She does seem to prefer the high wing, ease of access, and double doors on Cessna's but also understands they have a higher price.
Not really trying to turn this into yet another thread of what plane to get but my short list would include any of the PA-28 models, Cessna 172, 180,182 and a Grumman Traveler or Tiger. Maybe a Socata TB10. The real question is for anyone that purchased a smaller 4 seat plane (I understand a 4 seater won't carry 4 adults) have you regretted the purchase shortly later wishing you had gone with something more sizable with more useful load?
