I had a cherokee 180 before I sold it for the turbo arrow, the actual costs
were not that much, now the costs of all the "must have" stuff like IFR
certified GPS, AM/FM stereo, speed mods and so on can eat you alive. And yes,
once you get a plane, you will find you must have something. you will see

outside of the basics, tiedown, annual, 50 hour oil changes, insurance, there
was not much more. these are pretty simple planes that can take a beating.

and if you do not want any costs, lease it back to a flight school, chances
are it will rent enough that it covers all your costs.

The Weiss Family wrote:

Thanks to all for your input.
I'm pretty anxious to get my own plane.
In fact, if my wife wasn't keeping me grounded (pun intended), I probably
would have bought one already.
Even though we could "probably" afford one on our own, she's making sure I
check out every detail.
Don't tell her, but she's probably right for doing so ;-)

Based on what you have informed me, I can show her some estimated monthly
numbers, and see what happens...

Thanks again,

Adam

"The Weiss Family" wrote in message
...
I know this has been asked a million times, but I have to ask just one
more
time.
I would love to know your real-world costs of ownership for your fixed
gear
single.
A 172, cherk 180, etc.
I'm trying to figure out how much renting I have to do before it becomes
plausible to own.
Any advice as to insurance, fixed and variable costs, etc.
Thanks

Adam