Buying/owning a plane?

[jakeman]

Its going to cost you roughly 10k to 20k just to get your private pilot lic in todays economic environment.
If you started today, your looking at maybe 5 to 10 yrs down the road to do what you ultimately want to do.

Probably longer, but 10 years would be a good starting guess.

I can promise you it won’t be any less than that.

 

[jakeman]

If it flies, floats or...[fornicates]...then rent it.
It's cheaper.

^^I've heard a lot of people say that.

Because it’s true.

If it has **** or tires, lease it.

 

[jakeman]

I have a friend that's a commercial pilot. He bought a old V tail Bonanza …

Doctor killers.

Sports cars. Expensive. Fast. High performance. Often purchased by rich inexperienced pilots. Plane will take you places that you can’t get out of if you’re not an experienced pilot.

Good for your friend. Great airplane.

 

[badrinker]

Currently helping a son pay for flight school. It's not cheap, but not as much as paying tuition at a university.

 

[Gadsden]

After flying, many times, with bush pilots in and out of very remote areas, including lakes on pontoon planes back in the day, learning to fly was something I always wanted to do and not doing it is probably my biggest regret. As far as I'm concerned there ain't nothing in the world like flying and flying into the remote areas bush pilots go to takes it to another notch. So if your heart is set on it, go for it. But keep in mind, it's a very expensive endeavor (most bush pilots have an instrument rating and some even have a commercial license and their A&P license) and bush pilots are a special breed. Listening to some of the stories the pilots told me left no doubt in my mind, flying into the bush is glamorous and very exciting, but it is definitely not for everyone.

 

[Lakenut]

C-172 is still in production

 

[DRC458]

My comment "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" was not totally in jest ... it certainly was not meant to be smart aleck. I have my Private SEL ... got it back in the 70's. It got to where I couldn't even afford to rent. Of course, I was trying to go to school and raise a family at the same time. My FIL was an A&P with IA. I would occasionally assist him with licensing aircraft, annual inspections, etc. He and a friend had a sideline business for many years, buying gently wrecked aircraft, rebuilding them, flying them for a while, then selling them and buying another one to start the process all over again. They made that work, but if the cost is coming directly out of your pocket, do your homework very diligently. As has been said, go take a discovery flight with an instructor. If you still think it's what you want, start working on that license. You may take to it like a duck to water. Or, you may decide it's not for you. I haven't flown in years. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Raido Free America]

So, I've dreamed for a long time of owning a plane. Specifically, a bush plane. Something that I can use to get remote places and all that, cheapish to run, easy to fly. My dream would be that I could take my plane, throw the dog and a bag in, and fly out somewhere to go camping/hunting/fishing for a weekend or something. But, I was wondering... what would it be like to own/how much would it cost, and what can I do with it?

Those of you who have planes/have had planes/know people who have planes, how often do you fly? What do you use it for?

What kind of costs are associated with it? I've seen guys say operating costs in the neighborhood of $20-50/hr, 2-3k/yr for insurance, 500/yr inspection, garmin nav is about 300/yr

What kind of laws are associated with flying? lets say I wanna go out to the sambinoso wilderness BLM land in New Mexico. Can I just hit up my local airport, submit a flight plan/whatever is needed, gas up, load up, fly to the destination, and land in a field at the BLM land? Or lets say I wanna go visit my buddy in Denver and then do some fishing in wyoming, I just submit a flight plan, fly up to denver, visit for a day and rent a parking spot, refuel and fly up to wyoming, land on some public land, go fishing, and then when I am done I can just submit my flight plan, take off and go home?

I know nothing about owning a private plane, but we took a trip to Alaska, and it seems just about everyone that lives out of the big cities, own bush plane. We took a river boat trip from Farebanks, and a small float plane landed on the river, beside the river boat, talked to the guide on the boat by radio, then took off again, then the same plane, I think, equipped with huge wheels, and tires, landed on a sand bar, next to the boat! That was neat to watch, this bush plain could land, and take off, in what seemed like, 50/75 feet!! Most people that lived along this river had float planes, and private docks. If I were younger , I would check out moving to Alaska!!

 

[HoLeChit]

I know nothing about owning a private plane, but we took a trip to Alaska, and it seems just about everyone that lives out of the big cities, own bush plane. We took a river boat trip from Farebanks, and a small float plane landed on the river, beside the river boat, talked to the guide on the boat by radio, then took off again, then the same plane, I think, equipped with huge wheels, and tires, landed on a sand bar, next to the boat! That was neat to watch, this bush plain could land, and take off, in what seemed like, 50/75 feet!! Most people that lived along this river had float planes, and private docks. If I were younger , I would check out moving to Alaska!!

Yeah, I think the specs on most of those bush planes are takeoff/landing within about 150 feet. Damn impressive. Recently some crazy person in a carbon cub and took off from a helipad on top of a skyscraper in dubai, and then came back and landed on the same helipad.

 

[kingfish]

Yeah, I think the specs on most of those bush planes are takeoff/landing within about 150 feet. Damn impressive. Recently some crazy person in a carbon cub and took off from a helipad on top of a skyscraper in dubai, and then came back and landed on the same helipad.