|
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Wife wants an airplane
|
Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 10-10-2012 10:54 PM
My wife got a wild hare up her butt this evening. She asked me what it would take to buy an airplane.
It's probably just a passing fancy but here's the back story:
Her brother lives in South Carolina. She likes to go visit him but commercial air travel is, to put it nicely, cumbersome. She hates car travel so she's thinking what it would take to fly herself.
This evening, as we were watching TV, she up and asked me what it would cost to buy an airplane.
For sake of discussion, let's say she has the money.
Just off the top of my head, I figure she could get a used, late model Cessna 172 for around $250,000.
A Cessna's range is about 600 nm. and the distance, as the crow flies, to South Carolina is around 450 nm. With pilot, passenger and luggage, that's within range with enough left over for contingencies.
I estimate it would take about six months of steady training to learn how to fly the plane. Figure another six months to a year to become proficient enough to fly long distance, cross country by yourself.
I got a student pilot's license when I was in high school. I soloed and passed my ground school but I never took the exams or the flight test. (Financial issues.) I'm certainly pretty rusty and I'm just going on my memory but, just off the top of my head, I think this is doable if she really wants to.
Remember, our house is literally a stone's throw away from the airport. (ERI - Erie International/Tom Ridge Field.) We can watch airplanes take off and land from our kitchen window.
Here's what I'm going to suggest: I'll call the flight school where I used to take lessons and set my wife up with an airplane ride. I'll tell them what she wants to do and, after the laughter dies down, I'll tip the guy a few extra bucks and tell him to give her the "full treatment." ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
When she gets her feet back on terra firma, I'll ask her if she still wants to go through with it. If she hasn't been scared out of her wits, we'll take the next step.
Question to the pilots on this forum: What do you think?
Is this just a hair brained scheme or do you think she can really pull this off?
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 10-11-2012 12:13 AM
I don't know about danger but, I agree, this is not a decision to be taken lightly.
That's why I want to schedule her for an airplane ride. If she comes back and is still serious about it, we can go forward from there but, until then, I consider this a passing fancy.
The cost of aviation fuel is over $6.00/gal. The fuel tanks hold approx. 50 gal. The cost of one fill-up would be over $300. That will take you for 600 nautical miles. That's 12 mi./gal. and, according to Cessna's specs, costs about $1.00 per mile to fly. Maintenance, service, hangar fees and all that other stuff come extra. I know this ain't a cheap date.
On top of that, I'm guessing it would take a year or more of serious flying lessons just to do anything more than to go up and fly around for a while before coming home. Solo cross country is a whole different animal.
I'm 95% sure this is just a passing fancy. Those serious questions about money, training, logistics and safety will come with time. With those questions, I'm sure the shine will fade off this idea but, until then, I'm just humoring her.
I'm going to bet you, by the time she gets through with her airplane ride, she'll forget about this whole thing.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Monte L Fullmer
Film God
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
|
posted 10-11-2012 03:24 AM
I've been around airplanes all my life since my father built and owned many of them (Cessnas, Mooney's and his last one, an Aircoupe) and worked for and retired from the FAA being a tower operator. He had to get his 'wings clipped' this last year due to issues of light vertigo, but can still fly a plane, but have to have someone in the other pilot seat as a co-pilot.
It's an expensive hobby - with costly liability insurances, yearly major physical exams, major inspections and routine and white glove maintenance, since the motors are good up to 2000 hours before a major mandatory overhaul along with the FAA yearly inspections, and different grade of license.
You really have to know and study weather, learn how to do instrument landings, not visual landings, learn how read all of the gauges, learn how to use the radio and the codes involved, learn how to fill out a flight plan since the FAA wants to know the reason why you're up in the air along with the tower needing to know...and more of the extras ..
You read of air accidents where people are either killed or seriously injured, and the majority of these situation is caused by pilot error-thinking that they're 'bulletproof' and 'invincible', but when you are off the ground, you're at the mercy of the elements of the weather and your own common sense.
No second guessing since nobody wins being in second place. You have to be at the finish line at first place to be a good aircraft owner and pilot.
Hope it's a passing fancy for her, but good luck to her if she really wants to persue her dream. She'll enjoy the ride all right, maybe even get a chance to handle the controls on the side, but she'll still be that passenger and that's not the same as getting in the left seat as the pilot-a major reality awakening, esp. when you go solo to pass your flight test.
-Monte
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
|
posted 10-11-2012 11:39 AM
I'm a pilot. I own my own plane. I've been flying since '79. Louis is also active, so he can chime in on this if he's inclined to.
Some, but not all of what's being suggested here rings true. Some of this concern is barely warranted.
Yes, you need to become proficient at flying, but a diligent student does not need a year to do a cross-country flight. It's actually part of your initial training. Legally, you need 15 logged hours to solo, 40 hours total (plus a written) to license... that's if you can get past your instructor and a flight examiner. It's like driving a car... for some, it takes longer than for others, but 40 is the bare minimum. Last I heard, a reasonable average was somewhere around 60 hours. That pretty much takes you to the same point you were when you got your drivers license... you can get from here to there, but longer trips are a progression and you need to get in the air as often as you can to gain experience.
You do need to know how to deal with, and evaluate the weather conditions in the areas where you plan to fly. You do NOT need to have a instrument rating to do a cross-country flight. The FAA rules (as a catch-all) state that you need to know "everything" that revolves around your flight. This includes such things as weather, runway conditions, weight & balance, your plane's performance and capabilities, fuel management and... not the least of all... your personal capabilities and current flight-readiness. Some of this stuff is math. Some is a matter of personal maturity and judgment. In the end, as pilot-in-command, you're responsible for pretty much everything.
You have to have a realistic view of your capabilities. For most, this means getting up in the air as often as possible, both to maintain skills and to progress to new ones.
Aviation insurance is not extraorinarily expensive. I pay about $600 per year for good coverage and hull insurance for my plane. Depending on where you live, hangar costs may run between $200 & $400/mo for a 172-sized plane (mine is a Cherokee... about the same size). In most places, you can save on hangar costs by choosing to tie down your plane outside. This wouldn't be my choice, mainly because if your plane is locked up, you know who the last one to touch it was. Also, my mechanic once suggested that you can spend pretty much the same money on hangar costs or corrosion removal... your choice.
No, gas is not cheap. Figure somewhere around 15 miles per gallon for a 172-sized plane.
Depending on your age, you'l need to get a physical every 2 or 3 years. Figure $125 - $200 for that. Every other year, you have to go up with an instructor so you can prove you really know how to manage basic maneuvers (aka: the 'biannual'). $40 or $50 for that, plus your plane costs.
There's the "annual"... a yearly checkup that's done by an FAA-blessed mechanic. They'll take care of the basics... oil & filter changes, engine & landing gear inspections, etc. There's a list of FAA-issued "must-do's" and "should-do's" for any model plane, and a good mechanic will track your plane's history, as applies to that list. If you're plane is in good shape, that'll run you $600 - $1,000 per year for the general inspection, plus any required maintenance items that are specific to your plane. The plane is legally grounded if you don't get this done.
For most, you can look at owning an airplane much like owning a motor home or boat. If you buy a plane, you just purchased your Winnebago. It's a gift that keeps on giving, but requires daily feeding. Being proficient and properly maintaining your own aircraft is almost a lifestyle though, so if this is just a passing fancy, renting a plane for a few hours will probably burn through that.
BTW... $250,000 will buy a damn nice 172. In this economy, you can likely find a very good one for less than half that. If you don't burn out the budget on the initial purchase, you might have something left over for outfitting the plane with avionics and accessories that reflect the kind of flying you want to do.
I bought my plane from the family I grew up working for, so it was well known to me. The original owner was a daytime-only, fair weather pilot. He took very good care of his plane... always maintained and hangared, but never upgraded the radios (still had tubes in them). I wanted a plane I could train and eventually get my instrument rating in. So over 4 years, we purchased the plane, replaced the engine (which was 1,000 hours past due), then replaced the avionics panel with a bunch of new stuff, including GPS, backup radio, intercom and auto-pilot. It's now instrument-certified and will handle everything I've imagined I'd want to do as a pilot... though we've paid for the thing 3 times now.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Mike Blakesley
Film God
Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 10-11-2012 01:47 PM
My brother in law and former partner in the theatre, Tom, used to own a plane. I'm not sure why he got rid of it but he still rents or borrows planes and flies occasionally.
One of my favorite "family stories" was the time Tom and I flew to a theater convention in Whitefish, MT. We were in the air on the way to the convention and I asked him, "What happens if the engine just quits on you?"
He said, "When you're flying, you just train yourself to always have in mind a place for an emergency landing -- you're always sort of keeping an eye out for a field, or a level road, or whatever. It's just a habit to always be looking for a spot but hope you don't ever need it." Sounded good to me.
Then an hour or two later we were over the mountains of western Montana. Not a farm, field or road in sight. I could see Tom was looking around and seeming kind of nervous, so I said "what's the matter?" He said "You know what? If the engine was to quit right now...we're fucked."
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic