bought the plane today

my first airplane. cessna 172C.

this group, along with a couple of others, has given me the best
information as i've progressed. by way of payback, i intend to tell
some about the process i went thru for the benefit of others who may be
planning; hoping.

why a 172-c?? well, a couple of reasons. mechanical flaps (you pull a
rod that's laying on the floor) and the 6 cylinder engine which,
although it is 5-15 hp light of later models, is smooth music compared
to the banging of the 4s. any airport in america has mechanics and
parts to fix a 172. it is slow by most standards but i think i see
15/mpg which ain't that bad considering the advantage you get over cars
on "direct route". i'm retired; i've got lots of time.

i paid 34k$ and wells fargo financed me at 7.75 for 15 years. makes it
managable. very friendly people. i like them.

i joined aopa and subscribed to trade-a-plane and g.a. news. haunted
the web for any and all information i could find on airplanes including
the new light sport stuff.

every evening, or something close to that, i would read the adds in
trade a plane and e-bay and whatever i could find untill i had a good
working understanding of the issues around aircraft purchase and
ownership. i have not been flying much lately because i knew i would
need the money to buy - not rent.

when the plane showed-up at my local airport, i expressed interest and
had the owner agree to a full inspection by my mechanic. that uncovered
an exhaust valve problem. he fixed it and we closed today. yipee!! i
now own a plane. had my mechanic not examined the plane then i would be
looking at a grand in engine fix already. now, at least, i've got all 6
doing well north of 70lbs.

i''ll be joining the cessna pilots assn. shortly. thanks y'all who
advised there. hooks airport is renting t-hangers at 250/month and i'll
be getting one tomorrow. i really like having a tin box for my bird.
anyway, that's my experience so for. hope it helps.

i can see that i'm going to be needing a lot of money for gas.

dan