What kept me from buying at first was the idea that if I didn't fly at least
100+ hours a year, owning didn't make sense. I never flew 100+ hours a year
as a renter because paying the hourly rates discouraged me from using the
plane for anything other than local flights. Once I OWNED the plane, the
100+ hours per year came naturally because it became a hobby and a social
thing, flying with the guys out to breakfast every weekend and taking long
flights occasionally to visit relatives, go to Osh etc.
If you love to fly you practically owe it to yourself to own a plane. You
just need a plane and a plan that fits your budget, whether it's a simple
one shared with someone else or a complex one exclusively yours.
--
Best Regards,
Mike

http://photoshow.comcast.net/mikenoel

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

"M" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 21, 6:20 am, "Lou" wrote:
I (like everyone else) am considering purchasing a plane. I've looked
up the cost of ownership in this group and came up with some good
information. However, I'm looking for a spreadsheet that I can plug
the numbers into.

Forget the spreadsheet. The single most important thing you should do
as an owner is to fly a lot. 150+ hr a year. 200+ hr is even
better. Do that for a few years, and if your funds is getting low,
sell the plane and you can say to youself that you had owned a plane
once, flew to many interesting places, and it didn't cost you more
than renting, and you were able to make trips that a renter won't be
able to do. Mortgage your house if you have to, but you *must* keep
flying a lot of hours a year as long as you own it. It's worth it.

The worst thing you can do as a owner is to let the maintenance cost
eat up all your gas money, and you ended up keeping a hangar queen for
the next owner, one with a rusty engine no less. There's nothing
sadder than that.