In article ,
TTA Cherokee Driver wrote:
So I've been thinking of buying a plane for the sole purpose of
improving my availability & flexibility.

I think of ownership and my IFR rating as both giving me flexibility in
scheduling. Here's an example:

Last week we decided on Monday night that we'd like to go to Canada for
a 3 day weekend. Renting an airplane for 3 days on such short notice
would have probably been impossible. Heck, it was short notice just to
get up-to-date Canadian charts!

On the other hand, while we arrived in beautiful weather, a storm front
moved through on Saturday (while we were in a museum and left multiple
layers of scattered to overcast clouds all along the route of my return
flight. I was able to file, get on top without even penetrating a cloud
and descend through the overcast at home. Could I have gotten home VFR?
Yes, based on what I observed enroute. It sure wasn't clear from the
weather briefing. I probably would have gone underneath, and that would
have meant a low overwater leg.

As a VFR pilot I would have spent most of my last day (or the next day,
having stayed another night) obsessing over the return flight -- probably
at the airport, so I'd be ready to take advantage of a window of
opportunity. At least as a VFR-only owner there wouldn't be a club or
FBO pestering you to return the plane.

Since this is a philosophical discussion, assume if I buy on my own I
will have to buy a VFR airplane to get a decent one that's affordable.

I think this part of your question is a false dilemma. "IFR capable"
is not a yes/no attribute. It's a continuum from aircraft with no
electrical system or gyro instruments to transport jets with redundant
FMS computers. In any airplane you're likely to buy, a VOR w/glideslope
can be installed for a few thousand dollars and the pitot/static check
can be done for a few hundred. Peanuts compared to the annual cost of
ownership.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/