David Megginson wrote:
"Dr. Anthony J. Lomenzo" writes:


So folks say, hey, forget the pipedream of winning a new bird and
tax free yet and figure they'll go the old familiar road of locating
a used..ehhh...make that pre-owned...172 or, hey, the venerable
150/152 and build-up so to speak UNTIL they check out the prices!
Whew!


It's not cheap, and it's definitely not the same as buying a mountain
bike or an ATV, but ownership is doable for a typical middle class
person who's motivated enough. For example, a good 1960's Cherokee
140 will run maybe USD 35,000. It will cost somewhere around USD
7,000-10,000/year to own and operate the plane, depending on how much
it flies and where it's kept, though there can be a lot of volatility
in any given year due to maintenance surprises.

A lot of people who want to fly can afford that kind of flying by
themselves. For people who cannot, a partnership drastically reduces
the overhead -- split that 140 three ways, and an awful lot of
not-even-close-to-rich people can afford to fly. Partnerships are
also better for the plane, since a plane that flies more tends to last
longer and have fewer problems than a plane that sits around.




That's of course a valid point, David, and perhaps that indeed explains
the trend towards such partnerships or, indeed, flying clubs and
fractional ownerships. So too, I tend to think of the single ownership
thing [I mean going out and buying a plane today and not having had one
on hand for some years or even inheriting one] and I find this to be
more and more of a fruitless effort as costs to escalate. What PPL would
place a value on their life versus cost of a TCAS yet when one spots the
tags for those items...whew! No wonder there are more 'portable' Garmins
being sold then CP mounted big ticket mates so to speak.

Then too, it's not even so much the moan of "ohhhhh those prohibitive
FBO labor costs" [although I am the FIRST to defend the axiom that
competent work doesn't come cheap!] but likewise the av parts themselves
be that a simple spark plug or avionics which [and I'll no doubt catch
some flak for this] 'because' they are aviation bound suddenly carry
price tags often triple or more the cost! Sort of like the $270 hammer
syndrome and $400 coffee pot or, when I was in the military some moons
ago, paint it OD, define it as 'mil spec', 'quadruple' the price ...
and sell it to Uncle Sam!


I agree...while owning is nice, it's also expensive. VERY
expensive. Tell you what...I'm going to make a prediction...[are you
listening old amigo, Jim Fisher?]--you'll see the day that
eventually the level of SIMULATOR flying and I'm talking MOTION type
albeit if only limited to simple four axis down/up, left/right but
limited if only to create a system that can be affordable linked to
high level flight simulation that can be constructed and flown
within the home basement!


I respectfully disagree on this point -- pilots don't mind practicing
on sims, but the point of flying is to be up in the air and/or to go
places.




Absolutely agree, David, but alas, that is not always economically
doable if only 'due' to such escalating and spiraling costs. That's the
proverbial rub! Sure, there is the axiom that says 'when there is a
will, there is a way' but that depends on the goal..and the costs involved.

But then, in fairness and as you duly point out, perhaps the wave of the
future will be more and more partnership deals if only because folks
find themselves in the same boat as individual 'new' plane ownership or
pre-owned but in need of big bucks updating becomes so pricey [and the
rather hefty associated costs of course] that one staggers under the
weight of the numbers!

Regards,

Doc Tony

All the best,


David