Piloting a Cessna & owning

Hi people I need some help.

Airplanes are not my forte. Automobiles I know a lot about but I know
about as much about airplanes as I do about trains and so my knowledge
is very limited.

I do know that a Cessna can be had for the price of a BMW which is not
bad, not bad at all. Some even have turbochargers on them and you
have your choice of fixed gear or those water floats to land in water.

I had a dream that I had condos in Maine and West Virginia but owned
land in Alaska. I had my very own cessna which made it possible for
me to gain access to all of these places and I was very happy.

What are the true costs of owning your own airplane? How risky is the
flight from Maine or West Virginia to Alaska? How about from LA,CA to
Maine?

Don't Turbochargers shorten the life span of the Engine? Is it noisy
inside the cockpit of a cessna?

Approx how long is the flight training to get your license to fly one
of these?

On 19 Dec 2003 23:15:53 -0800, (Eastward
Bound) wrote in Message-Id:
:


What are the true costs of owning your own airplane?

It depends on the location where it is based. Figure ~$70.00/ hour
given ~200 hours of use per year.

How risky is the flight from Maine or West Virginia to Alaska?

Probably about as risky as automobile travel along that route.

How about from LA,CA to Maine?

Considerably less risk than Alaska depending on the season of the
year.

Don't Turbochargers shorten the life span of the Engine?

Not appreciably, but they provide their own additional potential
points of failure.

Is it noisy inside the cockpit of a cessna?

Yes. It's so noisy, that hearing protection is standard equipment.
Headsets with electronic active noise reduction circuitry provide a
very comfortably quiet environment.

Approx how long is the flight training to get your license to fly one
of these?

An average student will obtain his/her airman's certificate in 50 to
60 hours at a rough cost of ~$130.00/hour. The Sallie Mae loan
program can be used to fund your instruction:
http://learntofly.com/faq.chtml#13

It's difficult to estimate how much piloting experience will be
required before a newly certificated private pilot will be competent
to travel between Main and Alaska, but I would expect ~100 hours
minimum.

Purchase a copy of an aviation magazine at a newsstand to get more
information: http://www.flyingmag.com/
http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/
http://www.privatepilotmag.com/
http://www.aopa.org/pilot/


If it looks like something you desire and you feel you possess the
potential for accomplishing it, take a $50 demo flight. You'll be
hooked. :-)

Here's the first step:
http://www.beapilot.com/indexfl.html
http://www.beapilot.com/hotlist/index.html
http://learntofly.com/
http://learntofly.com/faq.chtml
http://www.aopa.org/learntofly/

Aircraft information:
http://www.newpiper.com/faqs/index.asp
http://www.raytheonaircraft.com/beec...onanza_a36.htm
http://www.commanderair.com/index.html

"Larry Dighera" wrote:

How risky is the flight from Maine or West Virginia to Alaska?

Probably about as risky as automobile travel along that route.

Larrreeee! You're kidding, right?
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 07:54:04 -0600, "Dan Luke"
wrote in Message-Id:
:

"Larry Dighera" wrote:

How risky is the flight from Maine or West Virginia to Alaska?

Probably about as risky as automobile travel along that route.

Larrreeee! You're kidding, right?

Have you driven the Alcan Highway?

"Larry Dighera" wrote:
Have you driven the Alcan Highway?

No. It must have a prodigious accident rate.

"Eastward Bound" wrote:
What are the true costs of owning your own airplane?

For a decent Cessna 172 that costs what a BMW costs (say, $50,000),
figure $60-$80/hr based on 100 hrs/yr.

How risky is the flight from Maine or West Virginia to Alaska? How
about from
LA,CA to Maine?

The fatal accident rate for personal flying is at least seven times
higher than the rate for driving. Your personal skill and judgement have
some influence on your individual risk.

Don't Turbochargers shorten the life span of the Engine?

It seems so. Careful operation and maintenance are more critical with a
turbo'd engine.

Is it noisy inside the cockpit of a cessna?

About a hundred db in mine. Noise-canceling headsets take care of that.

Approx how long is the flight training to get your license to fly one
of these?

Takes about 4-8 months and 50-70 flight hours for most people.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

"Eastward Bound" wrote in message
om...
|
| What are the true costs of owning your own airplane? How risky is the
| flight from Maine or West Virginia to Alaska? How about from LA,CA to
| Maine?
|

We will assume an airplane such as the Cessna 182 Skylane as an example.
There are both variable and fixed costs. Variable costs are those that can
be directly related to an hour of flight, such as fuel, oil, some kinds of
inspections, maintenance, and a reserve for overhauls of engine and
propeller. These variable costs for the Skylane are usually between $35 and
$45 an hour, depending on such things as how you fly, how old your airplane
is, etc. The turbocharger increases your variable costs significantly and
reduces the payload of your airplane.

Fixed costs are items such as insurance, parking, and annual inspections.
You can figure on between $2,000 and $3,000 a year for insurance, between
$45 and $500 a month for parking depending on whether you hangar or leave it
outside, and about $2,000 a year for inspections. Acquisition costs are
limited to your loan costs. The terms of aircraft loans are similar to those
for buying a house, but you may need a larger down payment. Older aircraft
don't depreciate much and may even increase in value over time. New
airplanes typically lose about 10% in value per year for the first three to
five years.

Add in the costs of recurrent training, aircraft publications, charts,
flying clothing, miscellaneous fees, etc., and you can count on another
couple thousand dollars per year. Aviation is the Barbie doll of hobbies.
You always need more accessories.

The risk of flying a small aircraft is directly proportional to the time
spent in the air. Overall, flying a small plane is about as risky as riding
a motorcycle. The difference between a small plane and a motorcycle is that
motorcycle riders are largely dependent on the driving skills of others
while around 90% of all airplane accidents are caused by the pilot. As a
pilot, you choose your own level of risk. Flying at night and in bad weather
increases that risk. Flying over mountains or long distances over water
increase the risk as well. Flying low, low level maneuvering such as buzzing
your friend's house, flying when you are sick or tired, flying because you
have to get there even when you know you should not fly, etc. all increase
your risk.

| Don't Turbochargers shorten the life span of the Engine?

It depends a little on the turbocharger and how you fly.

Is it noisy
| inside the cockpit of a cessna?
|

Yes, very noisy. Wear a good headset and it will not bother you.

| Approx how long is the flight training to get your license to fly one
| of these?

You can figure it will take you between 40 and 60 hours of training and this
usually takes people anywhere between six months to a year.

C J Campbell ) wrote:

The risk of flying a small aircraft is directly proportional
to the time spent in the air.

Huh. I figured the risk would be inversely proportional to the time spent
in the air.

The less time in the air, the less proficient a pilot is and therefore the
greater the risk.

--
Peter












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Peter R. wrote
C J Campbell ) wrote:
The risk of flying a small aircraft is directly proportional
to the time spent in the air.

Huh. I figured the risk would be inversely proportional to the time spent
in the air.

The less time in the air, the less proficient a pilot is and therefore the
greater the risk.

Insurance companies seem to agree with you on this. There isn't a
single aviation insurer out there that will give you a premium break
for flying fewer hours, but most will give you a break for flying more
hours.

Michael

Michael wrote:

Insurance companies seem to agree with you on this. There isn't a
single aviation insurer out there that will give you a premium break
for flying fewer hours, but most will give you a break for flying more
hours.

For what type of insurance?

I've a private cert (with instrument rating). I plan to upgrade to
commercial in the future. My life insurance agent, though, thought that
this would adversely impact my life insurance.

More, he seemed to have difficulty getting me the insurance increase
(appropriate now that I'm a parent) I wanted because I was a pilot. He'd
no similar difficulty for my wife.

I'm wondering if this is typical, or if I should be shopping elsewhere.

- Andrew