"Tom Hyslip" writes:

I think a partnership would be the best way for me to start, but I
haven't been able to find any in my area, so I decided to look at
buying one myself.

I ended up making the same choice -- I initially talked to someone
interested in a partnership, but I was in more of a hurry than him.

I think that the best kind of partnership would have been getting
involved with a couple of people who were already experienced with
owning. It is unbelievable how much there is to learn -- probably
many, many times what we learn in groundschool. I've had some
friendly AME's over the past year who have encouraged me to do some of
the work on the plane myself (including an owner-assisted annual), but
it's still been a cheap curve.

The Piper Cherokee Warrior you purchased sounds very useful. Right
now I am looking for something to build time in, have fun, and work
on my instrument rating. But, down the road something simliar to
the Warrior is what I would like, with the good payload and speed,
for a decent price.

It might be for sale in a few years as my kids get bigger and I need
more load. Best of luck with the search. Since you live in a
well-populated area, it might be a good idea to go around to local
FBO's (say, within a two-hour drive) and get checked out on as many
different types of rental planes as you can -- Cessnas, Pipers,
Beechcraft, Katana's, etc. You never know what you'll fall in love
with.


All the best,


David