Originally Posted by
TimeLordPilot
I am considering aviation as just a hobby. My only worry is that it is a very expensive hobby to keep up with. But I also did some very preliminary research on owning my own plane. If I’m willing to buy an older Cessna, they seem to be not overly expensive. (A few I found cost less than what I’m paying for my car!) Obviously, there are much more expenses to it. Gas, insurances, hangers, etc. But the planes itself seem feasible. So if you have any advice on what I might need to consider if I was going to just do GA as a hobby and own a plane…I would be more than willing to hear what you’d have to say about that.
You're right, it ain't cheap. Look for a local flying club, or form our own with 4-5 other people. Renting stinks because there are usually limits on how long you can have it -i.e. no long weekends, or a 3 hour/day min.
5 of us owned a Mooney for 10 years and it was reasonable. Over the years, guys dropped out and eventually it was just me. I could not afford sole ownership, and finding 4 new trustworthy guys was not practical in the time frame, so we sold her. I now rent a 172 to give friends rides and fly in IMC.