|
Airplane Ownership
The best advice I've heard reading these forums echoes in my head every time I read a question like this. "Determine your mission, then------".
There are clubs and there are clubs. The one where I do my renting is all business; Annual flight reviews, safety meetings, mandatory monthly CFI meetings, etc Half the birds in the club are owned by the same guy. I've flown Warriors, Cutlasses, Archers and Cadets. None of them are cosmetic showpieces but the only squawk in seven months flying was a burned out position bulb. My mission at the moment is just flying and improving my skills. For this, I can't beat the club no way, nohow.
If/when I start to take trips where the bird will sit on the ground at the destination for more than a couple of days, then the mission will change and I'll have to consider other options. One week trips, maybe that will indicate I should look into a partnership.
Even longer duration trips=single ownership because a partner isn't going to want to pay fixed costs and have the fun machine tied up with a partner for a month at a time, several times a year.
Taking it a step further, if the mission becomes longer trips into mountainous terrain or packing lots of kids, grandkids, aunts, uncles, cousins---then we're looking at a pressurized single or twin and enough money where a partnership would be a necessity. In that case, I've thought I would continue my proficiency flying out of the club in those $62 Cessa 150s and fly the big bird less frequently.
So, that's my mission analysis and plan for keeping the costs in check. Your mileage may vary.
NRT
|