Originally Posted by SkyHigh

I am glad that you brought that up. Why would I be so proud of a miserable little Cessna 150? Well unlike you I have a life outside of aviation. Besides the 150 I have a wife and five sons to take care of. I am not interested in loosing anymore treasure to aviation.

I have owned several planes in my life. Besides the 150 I have owned a float plane, piper apache and half of a cherokee 140 with my brother. When I was 22 I bought my first plane, a 150, with a flight student. I trained him and his brother how to fly in it. I also used it as a business training others as a bootleg instructor in Anchorage AK. Eventually I bought my partner out and at one point it was my only possession. I lived on peoples couches and in laundry rooms to keep my dream alive. On days off I would fly into the bush landing in villages and on stream banks to fish and camp. On one trip I met an air taxi owner who eventually hired me to fly for him. His minimums were higher but he liked my displayed independence through being an owner/operator.

Soon after getting the bush job I sold my 150 for a nice profit and bought a Taylorcraft on floats. Throughout my early years as a 150 owner I was constantly worried about maintenance problems. If something big came up I did not have the money to fix it. I flew it on several trips up and down the Alcan. Every time I mad e the long journey through the Canadian wilderness if something had gone wrong, a cracked cylinder or dinged prop, my only option was to abandon the plane and hitch hike to my destination. However it never let me down. The Taylorcraft however was always breaking down and in need of a cash infusion.

I owned the Taylorcraft for 13 long years and finally sold it. At the time my brother campaigned for me to buy a Cessna 182 (and still does). I don't have a need for something that big. I don't have anyplace to go where I would not want to drive anyway. I do not like to pack my plane with passengers. All I want is guilt free fun of being able to fly whenever the mood strikes. I don't want to feel obligated to fly due to the high opportunity cost of having a costly monster in my hangar.

Most of all however I like my latest 150 because when I climb into it I am transported back to those swash buckling days as an alaskan bush rat. It offers me great guilt free joy to fly it. It is pure fun. I have access to other planes to fly but I stick with it.

In addition I think that a smaller plane is better fortified against the future. In a few years avgas could be $10 a gallon. Insurance, maintenance, parts are all a concern. The real goal is to stay airborne and a 150 is the best defense against an uncertain future. In a few years I hope to upgrade to a Cessna Skycatcher. It offers LSA and access to owner maintenance. I believe that the Skycatcher and LSA is going to be a great hedge against the future.

Skyhigh