On 26-Feb-2004, "RD" wrote:

Just wondering if anyone has some experience on the above subject. I'm
looking at building up some time (500 hours or more) within the next
couple of years. My two options are to buy an older 172/Arrow etc or just
to keep
renting which is very expensive.

If I can find a decent airplane, in the end, I assume purchasing one to
use for a couple years will be cheaper. Am I wrong about this? Any
pitfalls I
should be aware of?

A second question is regarding purchasing a newer 172. I know the initial
cost is more, but given the age is it probable to save money via
maintenance compared to an older airplane? What about resale on a newer
172 (year
2001) versus resale on an older 172/Arrow?

Any input is really appreciated.


Certainly, if you fly 250 hours/year you can cost-justify owning. However,
if you are only going to keep this plane a couple of years then you probably
want to consider an older model that will not suffer from much, if any,
depreciation.

The real issue, though, is whether you are really going to be doing that
much flying. 250 hours per year equates to nearly 5 hours per week, every
week. Very few individual owners come close to this unless they use their
airplanes extensively for business purposes. However, if you are intent
upon building hours to qualify for further ratings or some pilot job, then I
think you would want a plane that is inexpensive to fly. Sounds like speed
is not all that important, so I'd be looking at a 172 of a fixed gear, small
engine Cherokee. A Beech Musketeer might also fill the bill, and at an
attractive purchase price.
--
-Elliott Drucker