DesertJets From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 7673 posts, RR: 18 Posted (9 years 11 months 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 1079 times:
One of these days I hope to have the time and the money to get my PPL and likely an instrument rating.
Now what I would like to know, is the cost of ownership and operation of a single engine aircraft feasible for most people. Moreover can one own and operate an aircraft that is reasonably capable of longer cross-country flights and also be a suitable IFR platform. In my mind this excludes planes like the C150/152, Cherokee 140/150, Skyhawks, and the like. What this would include would be something like a M20J, C-182, Piper Dakota, Socata TB-20, BE33 and so on.
What is a realistic estimate to own and operate one of these birds? And how much would you need to fly a year to really justify the cost of ownership?
Stop drop and roll will not save you in hell. --- seen on a church marque in rural Virginia
Jhooper From United States of America, joined Dec 2001, 6195 posts, RR: 13 Reply 1, posted (9 years 11 months 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1036 times:
Rather than to try to answer this question myself, I'll refer you to this good article:
Is aircraft ownership feasible for most people? Sorry, the answer is no. Most people in the world barely live on a subsistence income (meaning they can barely put food on the table), so I guess it depends on what you mean by "most people". Is is possible for you to own an aircraft? Well, maybe. Read this and similar articles and decide for yourself. A good used skyhawk is a good choice for the first time buyer, IMO. It has reasonable operating costs and isn't a terribly bad IFR platform, either. When you're ready to step to high performance, prepare to dish out some $$$.
Last year 1,944 New Yorkers saw something and said something.
Saintsman From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2002, 2065 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (9 years 11 months 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 1026 times:
Well a lot of people do own their own aircraft so the answer is yes. But what you need to ask your self is will owning your own aircraft give you value for money. Why tie up a huge sum (unless you really can afford it) on something that you might only use one day a month. How often do you intend to fly?
Another thing to consider is the type of aircraft you can afford to buy. Would it be better renting an aircraft of a much higher spec, something that will improve your skill or maybe give you a dual rating.
And finally its not just buying an aircraft, its also maintaining and operating it. Not cheap by any means.
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