TiredSoul

This ^^^
I’ve worked for schools with lease back owners and Its diffucult to keep the owner happy.
If as a Private pilot you would recreationally fly 200hrs/year ( and that’s a lot) you’re now looking at 3-4 times that amount of maintenance cost.
And MX increases exponentially and not linear.
High ticket items will come quickly.
And the hours that you fly won’t be free.
Let’s say that the fixed costs are $80/hr
That’s MX, engine fund, tie down, insurance and a management fee for the school.
10gal/hr. brings that to $120/hr while they may charge a walk-in customer $130-$140.
You need 250 hrs which is $30k
Purchase price decent airplane $50k
Revenue-operating cost = your cut.
So let’s say that’s $10/hr.
Airplane flies 800hrs/year so you get $8k. For two years $16k.
So you’re out $80k-$16k = $64k
Now a student dings a wing on a solo and minus deductible it’s -$5k.
Puts you back at $69k.
A bald spot on a tire? $250 incl labor
Alternator? Starter fried? Vacuum pumps? It just goes on and on.
After two years you’re sick of it and you sell the plane for $40k.
You’re out $29k plus whatever you couldn’t fly on a fixed gear single.
Your commercial, your ME and your Initial CFI.
That will put you back up to like $50k.
And at that point it’s like 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.