Mark Hansen wrote:
I'm thinking about getting into an airplane partnership (or co-ownership)
and have a few questions.
Hehe...I knew it would happen eventually. Welcome to the club...well,
um...almost. It's only a matter of time now.

When people say that you can't really save money with ownership over
renting, does that include partnerships as well? I would think that
with a 4-way partnership, the operating costs would be reduced to
a level such that it would be cheaper than renting.
For me (and just looking at the per-hour costs plus my monthly fixed
costs) it's cheaper than renting. Currently, two of us fly a ton and
one doesn't fly much. If I fly 10 hours a month (and I've been doing
way more), I figure it costs me 1/2 of the going rental rate for an Arrow.

One plane I'm looking at shows a monthly cost of around $50 with
an hourly rate of about $58/wet. This seems pretty good
....um...ya, that does seem pretty cheap for a Mooney...but I'm not up to
speed on their cost figures nor familiar with the particular plane.

Before buying into an existing partnership would you still suggest
a full pre-purchase inspection? I would think at a minimum I would
want someone to go over the logs and make sure the partners are not
looking for a way to defray some of the costs of some looming expenditure.
If it was me, I'd buy a couple hours worth of an A&Ps time and go
through the logs. If the opinion was that it's a well maintained plane
and I felt comfortable with the partners, I'd skip the pre-buy. If it
would make me sleep better at night having the pre-buy done, I'd do it.

Oh, and one more thing Mark. Be ready to walk away if anything goes
South or just starts not to feel right.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

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