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AuntPeggy

AuntPeggy

Final Approach
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Namaste
Last month we received a letter from Million Air at Westchester (HPN) saying they were increasing tie-down rent by $60 per month. What with Hubby looking for a job the last 4 months, this was the last straw for our good old C-172. After looking into tie-downs at Poughkeepsie (POU), Danbury (DXR), Sky Acres (44N) we finally decided on Bridgeport (BDR). So, now instead of a 15 mile round-trip to the airport, we have a 100 mile round-trip drive.

So long HPN. We turned in ID badge, picked up the tie-down ropes and the chocks, tossed them into the hold, and flew off from our home port to the new home this morning. The air was very choppy and so strong that I held a 60* crab nearly all the way down on final. Romeo is now parked behind our friend's Piper. $10 for a new photo and now I have a new badge. Hello BDR.

We expect the weather to be just a little better at BDR and there are other friends who park there. Hubby will be able to complete his Commercial rating at BDR. It's sad to leave HPN and if finances get better we may be back.
 
AuntPeggy said:
we finally decided on Bridgeport (BDR).
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Aunt Peggy, I did my initial training at BDR. The airport has far less traffic than HPN and you will enjoy the ease of leaving and departing... the tower crew is (er, was...) great. What FBO are you tied down at?

-Skip
 
100mi RT Oh man that is horrible! I am so lucky to have only a 2 mile drive to wings.
 
AuntPeggy said:
Last month we received a letter from Million Air at Westchester (HPN) saying they were increasing tie-down rent by $60 per month. What with Hubby looking for a job the last 4 months, this was the last straw for our good old C-172. After looking into tie-downs at Poughkeepsie (POU), Danbury (DXR), Sky Acres (44N) we finally decided on Bridgeport (BDR). So, now instead of a 15 mile round-trip to the airport, we have a 100 mile round-trip drive.

So long HPN. We turned in ID badge, picked up the tie-down ropes and the chocks, tossed them into the hold, and flew off from our home port to the new home this morning. The air was very choppy and so strong that I held a 60* crab nearly all the way down on final. Romeo is now parked behind our friend's Piper. $10 for a new photo and now I have a new badge. Hello BDR.

We expect the weather to be just a little better at BDR and there are other friends who park there. Hubby will be able to complete his Commercial rating at BDR. It's sad to leave HPN and if finances get better we may be back.
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I'll be sure to not ever complain of my 30mile round trip
 
Peggy, I'm sorry about your new long commute to the airport, but hopefully BDR treats you better than HPN did.
 
Hate to put logic toward this, but the IRS reimbursement rate is $0.55 per mile now. Using that as a cost of operating the vehicle (including maintenance, etc.) may not be accurate, but it's an approximation. a 100 mile round trip, then, will cost about $55, not even counting the extra time you're going to be spending in the car instead of in the air. Since I hope you go flying more than once a month, I hope you had reasons beyond purely economic! I also hope that you're happy at your new home!
 
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While I agree $60 hurts, the extra 40-60 minute drive, Auto fuel expense and sitting in Fairfield County traffic delays might not pan out for net savings. You know best, but I hope you don't fly "less" due to the "pain" factor in trying to get to the plane.
 
Grant I was wondering the cost of that as well. That $60 jump is a killer though. Peggy Gil is at HPN where does he tie down?
 
AuntPeggy said:
Last month we received a letter from Million Air at Westchester (HPN) saying they were increasing tie-down rent by $60 per month. What with Hubby looking for a job the last 4 months, this was the last straw for our good old C-172. After looking into tie-downs at Poughkeepsie (POU), Danbury (DXR), Sky Acres (44N) we finally decided on Bridgeport (BDR). So, now instead of a 15 mile round-trip to the airport, we have a 100 mile round-trip drive.

So long HPN. We turned in ID badge, picked up the tie-down ropes and the chocks, tossed them into the hold, and flew off from our home port to the new home this morning. The air was very choppy and so strong that I held a 60* crab nearly all the way down on final. Romeo is now parked behind our friend's Piper. $10 for a new photo and now I have a new badge. Hello BDR.

We expect the weather to be just a little better at BDR and there are other friends who park there. Hubby will be able to complete his Commercial rating at BDR. It's sad to leave HPN and if finances get better we may be back.
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$8.50 more per drive. Go there once per week and you're spending $34 more on car gas then you were before.

I'm not sure I'd waste 4 hours of my life per month in a car to save $26 per month. Not only that, there is an operating cost to the car itself.

Look at it per year...$312 per year to spend 48 hours driving. I know I could put those 48 hours towards making money that would easily equate to more than $312. (That is $6.50 per hour).

I'm probably missing something. Is that airport dramatically cheaper? Like $100 / month cheaper or something?
 
jesse said:
$8.50 more per drive. Go there once per week and you're spending $34 more on car gas then you were before.

I'm not sure I'd waste 4 hours of my life per month in a car to save $26 per month. Not only that, there is an operating cost to the car itself.

Look at it per year...$312 per year to spend 48 hours driving. I know I could put those 48 hours towards making money that would easily equate to more than $312. (That is $6.50 per hour).

I'm probably missing something. Is that airport dramatically cheaper? Like $100 / month cheaper or something?
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Not to mention the traffic out there at rush hour. Especially the day before a long weekend in summer when nice weather is predicted. Doesn't matter if you take the Merritt or I-95. The Merrit is prettier, I suppose.
 
I'm not sure why everyone is making comments of Peggy in a critical manner. HPN I know is expensive, and really not an airport I like to use if I can avoid it (fortunately, I can generally avoid it). I'm sure she and hubby thought about it and looked through the options before just making the switch. I can think of a few things that might cause me to make a similar switch with my Aztec at my airport to another one that's about 45 miles away.
 
The OP said the rent went up $60/month, but didn't indicate how much lower KBDR rents are.
 
The difference in price between the two airports after figuring in the price increase that both instituted this month is $200 per month. We recently bought a POS car that is supposed to get 40 mpg, but on its first fillup it seems to be closer to 35 mpg. We figure that at $4 per gallon, we can make the trip nearly every other day and break even. Since we don't do that much now, we do better than break even if we only count fuel.

I work in Stamford, which is halfway to Bridgeport, so if Hubby takes me to work, he can continue out to the airport for lessons and then pick me up at the end of work. Or, I can go to the airport after work and fly.

Traffic on I-95 can be horrible, but I manage.
 
There you go, it is a lot more than just $60. At least Peggy and her hubby aren't giving up on GA. I'm afraid we are going to lose a lot of good people in the next couple of years.
 
That's part of the problem with GA near large cities, unfortunately. More people plus higher costs of everything plus higher land values means that hangars become almost impossible and tie downs become expensive.

In the more middle of nowhere areas (like here) it's still more affordable, but I know if I ended up having to move to a more populated area, that would likely change. For example, a standard T-hangar here is $200/month. My friends at Farmingdale (Long Island) pay about that much for outdoor storage.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
That's part of the problem with GA near large cities, unfortunately. More people plus higher costs of everything plus higher land values means that hangars become almost impossible and tie downs become expensive.

In the more middle of nowhere areas (like here) it's still more affordable, but I know if I ended up having to move to a more populated area, that would likely change. For example, a standard T-hangar here is $200/month. My friends at Farmingdale (Long Island) pay about that much for outdoor storage.
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I pay $240/mo for my hangar. That would normally be for a hangar that is open between the bays. But at one time a previous owner closed it into a single bay hangar at his cost. I paved the floor fully so I have a pretty nice place. If I wanted a newer hangar at our airfield the cost is closer to $400/mo. But the airport close to my house is really expensive. Hangars are mostly privately owned at a cost of about $40,000 each and then placed on rented land which costs $230/mo. So I am a cheapskate and drive a few extra miles.
 
AdamZ said:
100mi RT Oh man that is horrible! I am so lucky to have only a 2 mile drive to wings.
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Try doing that in Chicago traffic. I did for nearly 10 years through my primary training and after. That's why it took me years to get the PPL

Nothing like heading out and finding bad weather when you get to the airport. It was those days where I wandered around afterwords that I learned a bit about the area where I moved.

You'll do fine, Peggy. Maybe you should look into really moving, depending on the work commute? :D
 
Ted no one is being critical of Peggy. Just examining the finances over concern for her thats all. Obviously she has thought out her choice well and since the actual cost is $200 AND she works in Stamford it is a totally different story. Since she works in Stamford it makes much more sense.
 
AdamZ said:
Ted no one is being critical of Peggy. Just examining the finances over concern for her thats all. Obviously she has thought out her choice well and since the actual cost is $200 AND she works in Stamford it is a totally different story. Since she works in Stamford it makes much more sense.
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Yes Adam. In no way was I trying to be critical, and I'm sorry if I came off that way.
 
100 mile drive is not uncommon. My drive is about 60 miles RT (where I live to HEF), maybe a bit more. Works out at about 45 minutes each way, a bit more or less depending on whether it's rush hour.

Not like I can be a whole lot closer in the DC metro. Time-wise, W32 and the other MD-3 airports are about the same as HEF.
 
Thanks guys. I know all of you want the best for me. I appreciate all the comments.
 
Well Peg, the other year i sort of had the same problen. My Hangar rent went from$285 a month to $495 and i did somewhat the same thing. After i figured out that my flying droped off i moved back to CXY but only into a tie-down. If prices come back down i will go into a hangar again. All i can say is we do what we have to and i know you will work it out as well.
Dave G.
 
In Georgia, I drove fifty miles to downtown Atlanta every morning for over a year. It was that or pay 50% over what I was in rent and later, twice the price of a similar home I owned.
 
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