TransWorld

If you haggled a bit longer, bet you could have added a first round draft choice of a new girlfriend.

JetJocF14

Retired FedEx guy who lives in Delta base housing of Atlanta. For the past 30 years I’ve owned a 1963 Piper Comanche 250. Used to commute with it from ATL-MEM back in the days before reciprocal J/S. It’s been perfect for my wife and I because it not only perfect for those hamburger hopping flights, but it also a great cross county machine. We’ve had our plane to the four couriers of the USA and some Bahamas flights. Flying at 8000 feet vs FL 350 really brings back the fun in flying. Plus we’ve had trip out west and visited cities that you would never be able to accomplish using the airlines. You’d either spend all your time with rental car agents or in line with the TSA.

crewdawg

Figure out your mission, how many pax? how far? how fast? What's your budget? Once you know that, you can really narrow down the search to say a few different types. One you've done that, get on the type specific forums such as BeechTalk (nearly every plane has a forum) and learn as much as you can about that type. What models/years to seek/avoid. What are common problems with that type and how much/how big of a fix is it. Be wary of the posters that only talk great of that type and talk crap about every other type...some people are very emotionally tied to their plane. Learn about type specific ADs. Learn how to read/understand a TCDS, then make sure you have them for each aircraft you're considering.

Be prepared to pay cash or at least have financing ready, potentially in an escrow account...good deals seem to go fast these days. DO NOT skimp on your due diligence, there will always be more aircraft out there. Get a solid pre-buy from a reputable mechanic that has experience with the specific type. The above mentioned forums a great for finding local guys. Request the FAA records for the N-Numbers you're considering. Have it ready for the pre-buy inspection. Be a part of the pre-buy, you'll learn a lot!

Don't underestimate expenses. Insurance made a decent jump this year which whipped out and savings I though I'd get this year as a result of experience in type. Make sure you research your fixed/variable costs, to get an accurate view of what your hourly/monthly/yearly costs will be. Plan for unexpected expenses and understand they will happen...cost of doing business. Unless you don't mind shelling out a big sum of cash for a new engine, don't forget to account for engine/prop reserves in your hourly operating costs. Also, search around for hangars now! Nearly every airport around me has 6-9 months wait lists.

I came to the conclusion that I wasn't ready for a "X/C bird" quite yet and ended up with a Stearman. I fell in love with the historical/military aspect of the plane, plus open-cockpit/tailwheel flying is just fun flying. Obviously, this is a niche aircraft and won't find most peoples needs. The friends I've made from just hanging around the airport has been awesome. Even days I end up not flying, I have a blast and usually end the night with some hangar beers with the neighbors.

Cleary, aviation is not a cheap hobby, but you can't take it with you. It has it's ups and down, but I'm having a ball flying back in the GA world. Now if only the Rona would go away so I can get back to Galesburg for the national Stearman fly-in.

Let us know how it goes. Always love to hear stories/see the process play out.

formerdal

1977 Cessna 177RG...150KTS 10.5 GPH

Sole owner. Like previous poster commented Insurance made a big jump this past year and prices are through the roof. About 200$/HR all in.

Bucking Bar

Partnerships ... any kind of partnership, don't put in more than you are willing to lose and go with the flow.

If you love a pristine airplane, hangar floor you can eat off of, and notice when all the screw heads aren't aligned, a partnership is not for you.

I've owned 9 airplanes and had partnerships in 3. Currently in a Grumman Tiger and an A36. The Tiger is a terrific, cheap, simple, fun, take the kids and go play airplane. It is not a short field, grass, carry a load, machine.

Bonanzas are more complex and more expensive but with the possible exception of the C182 the best "all-rounder" that we can afford. It has a fat, high lift, high angle of incidence wing. The flying qualities of the 33-35 (straight tail, short fuselage) are perfect. The A36 is a bit of a truck in comparison. Depends on your needs. I've carried 6 adults to the islands in the A36 and done (JZP) ATL-PHX in one stop. I used the Bonanza(s) for business and put 300 hours a year on them with nary a single squawk at annual. With these more complex and expensive airplanes, I HIGHLY recommend working out a progressive maintenance schedule. Lube and clean gear and flight controls with 50-hour oil changes and the airframe will last forever. Keep them out of the sun and fuel bladders will last longer than the sealant on a wet wing.

A good friend of mine the nation's largest Cirrus dealer and MHO, they just don't make their numbers, as well as a Bonanza, does.

The problem with all the out of production airplanes is a lack of support when you need a part. I love the Comanche that another guy wrote about, but try to find an airframe part. Need a gear door? Good luck. On the other hand you can build yourself a hotrod out of STC. This was the last one I built up before coming to Delta and probably the best flying and most versatile airplane I ever owned. The A36 is worth a lot more. This was a lot more fun (1960 33-35)

GliderCFI

PM sent regarding 310's

Bucking Bar

Don't tighten the gear linkages. They need a little room. Some of the bellcranks go over center without intending to do so.

A&Ps not understanding that the right kind of loose is better than too tight are killing the fleet one gear up landing at a time.

NuGuy

I'll pile onto what Bucking said.

There has been a fairly significant paradigm shift in the GA scene over the past few years.

Lots of shops have closed, and lots of the guys who got involved back in the 80s are retiring and/or selling out. That means practically any worthwhile shop is crowded and parts availability is becoming "focused" in a few big vendors.

If you have a Cessna 172/182 or a Piper Cherokee, you can still probably do ok. Anything more complex and/or fabric covered, and your choice of shops dwindles fairly rapidly. If you have anything that is the least bit complicated or out-of-the-ordinary, then the industrial knowledge to work on them is just plain gone, and you risk further expense (ask anyone with a Cardinal that's had the shimmy damper serviced wrong, and they'll tell you....)

Commanches are a great example. Absolutely great birds, but they have enough quirks and ADs/"points of interest" that you really need a "Commanche guy/gal" wrenching on them, otherwise you're spending a lot of money to train a guy that might not be around for next years annual. Parts, as Bucking said, can be a challenge, as the salvage yards are picked clean, and the rare caches of "new old stock" are depleted. That inserts some expense and hassle into the program than just throwing your keys to the local A&P.

I'd also say if you're doing it for the family, they need to be onboard with the "adventure" that is GA, not necessarily the utility. When the kid's friends are out having fun ATVing or boating, and you're at the airport fussing over a mag drop, you're going to get some hurt feelings.

Insurance this year is way, way up. Insurance company's have been absolutely hammered by losses in the owner flown turbine market. Premiums are up significantly even in lower risk areas, and over 70 pilots are finding it increasingly difficult to find insurance, and depending on the make/model, are being dropped.

If you are going to hangar, I'd say your fixed costs for a 182 type aircraft, no financing, without you turning wrenches, in a moderately expensive area will run between $6-8k a year before turning a blade. If the gear swings, that goes up to about to about $8-12k.

There are few bargains, but you can take advantage of one thing...the current "mania" in GA is the whiz bang glass panels. Aircraft without them are at a significant discount.

notEnuf

I'm partial to antiques WWII era and earlier. Those are just fun to fly and simple and tail dragging into a wheat field or grass strip is just fun. That said, parts and expertise are almost gone. I have decided an RV will be my next plane. I haven't decided which one and I don't want to spend 7-10 years building one. I swore I'd never buy an experimental but done by the right builder they are better than any other airplane at their respective price points. Until then, day VFR only for me in my 75 year young machine. It's simple enough that I can do the work.

NuGuy

Depending on your tolerance for cost and/or hurdling over the 51% mark, there are experimental "finishing centers" that you can hook up with. They have the tools and expertise to move your project along fairly rapidly, and they can work on your schedule. But by the time you go all in, with that, engine, avionics, paint, etc, you're already well past the cost of a good used certified airplane. You need to play the long game and accept that the lower cost/hassle of MX/improvements going forward is where your savings are.