Hoax

This is really eye opening.

Lets do it this way and see if you guys can help me out, let me tell you my needs then wants and you tell me what you think.

Musts
Must be able to get my instrumentation and commercial. I will be using the schools C172 to get my private.

after that its all wants
I would like to be able to carry my mom, dad, wife, and son on cross country trips. We have family in Nebraska, Montana, Florida, and S. Dakota. We need to be able to get there in a "timely manner" (18-24 hr drive depending on where we are going) I don't mind having to stop for fuel.

My budget for a plane is still around 50k, if I am going to take out a loan I might be able to go around 75k.

What are the chances for getting on with a charter company and making a living?

Am I pie in the sky idiot thinking I am going to get into aviation and make money?

There seems to be a lot of negativity and discouragement when talking about being a pilot for a living.

Thanks for any advice
Mike

snippercr

As I was telling my student, you might want to try looking into a C210. Single engine with some juice behind it. 6 placers with around 1300-1600 useful. Has a pretty good speed, you can find some with K-ice, but saves your the cost of going twin. A C210 will not cost as much as a 310 and maintenance, insurance, etc will be considerably cheaper. Plus you are burning half the fuel for almost the same performance.

Phantom Flyer

With all due respect, you need to do A LOT of homework before you go trying to buy a twin for $50-75,000 and think it's going to work.

1) Your budget is totally inadequate ! Several people have given you some good advice in previous postings and there are financial spread sheets available that can help. I just finished a "package" for several banks for a proposed charter operation with one aircraft. It took several people four full weeks to hammer out a realistic budget and that's with a $ 2.3 million dollar guaranteed contract with a professional team.

2) If you think you're going to make a "good living" in aviation with a charter operation, I think your delusional and please understand, I'm not trying to scuttle your dreams.

3) There may be a lot of perceived "negativity and discouragement" from people on this forum. That's probably because a LOT of pilots have struggled to make ends meet while building time and have finally gotten on with a regional, cargo operator or perhaps even a major only to be furloughed. The cold hard fact is that this is a tough economic market and starting a charter operation or getting hired by a 135 charter operator, isn't going to be a "walk in the park", if you can make it work.

Please understand, I'm just being realistic in today's economic market. I work with clients in the charter market at all levels and it's difficult to create a viable operation in this economy.

Do some honest homework and G'Luck Mate

Hoax

I understand that buying a twin is a bad idea for me under any circumstances. I will be getting a single engine plane to get the certifications that I can, other then that it will be recreational.

Maybe I should just stick to flying as a hobby since so many hard working people, with MUCH more knowledge then myself, struggle in this industry. I will be getting the certs regardless because once I have the private and a plane the rest is just flying time and studying, maybe it will work out that I will luck out and find a good job???

I came here to talk to real pilots with real experience and gain from their knowledge, which is just what I am getting.

I am 24 and trying to find a career that will be a career, maybe I should blow 50k on a real education

Thanks for the advice guys I do appreciate and I am taking what oyu say to heart.

Mike

fjetter

You may also want to look at a Cherokee 6/Saratoga for personal usage. Another 6 place single with some speed if you get the 300hp engine. It will not be an aircraft that you can get a CSEL in but will work for 240 of the required 250. Just rent a 172RG/Arrow to do the 10hrs complex. The insurance on a retract vs fixed is a huge jump with not a huge increase in speed.

Is there anyway you can utilize an aircraft to help your family's buisness?

flyingreasemnky

Aviation can be a good career but the people here are just trying to give you real expectations. Trying to be a pilot isn't something you should do on a whim. You have to truly enjoy flying and understand that you have to be prepared for several years of disappointment as this is a tough profession. If you can be prepared for several years of barely scrapping by and possibly losing your job at any moment than you are ready for this profession. I am still starting out in this career field and have been in it since 2003. If its something you really want to do then go for it and don't look back. I would just suggest that you don't try to run your own 135 op until you've been in the field for about 10-20 years.

Grumble

If you have a good job/business, stick with it.

Take that 50k and use it as a down payment on a solid six place single like a Bonanza. You can finance aircraft out 15-20 years, and realistically expect to sell if for at least what you pay for it. Aircraft have historically appreciated.

Contact AOPA for real world info, and not discussion board opinions.

snippercr

THIS THIS THIS!!!!
Invest that 50k in YOURSELF for a degree in ANYTHING - I highly recommend theory of underwater basket weaving. Then you get a job that actually pays and you can have a home life, THEN you can buy an airplane. At that point, you can possibly afford something a bit better than a 50k airplane. Maybe you can go with that nice light twin with factory K-ice, color radar, WAAS GPS, air conditioning, etc.

Ewfflyer

I did a search on controller.com and found 236 listings between $40k-$60k, there are some twins there.

Singles C210, Cherokee 6, bonanza maybe(but not with 6 seats I don't think)
Twins B55 baron, Aztec, Seneca, C310.

$50k budget is going to be tough to find a "nice" plane with that many seats, you would really need a $100k budget or better to get a decent plane, then double that for operational costs the next 5 years to be safe IMO.

I would advise a more long term budgeting, because purchase price is one thing, operating an aircraft it another. Low-time pilots insurance can be $5k/yr or higher if you go high-performance/complex/twin. Add hanger, annuals, plus any other Mx problems, it adds up fast!

The charter idea IMO is just not the right time for you. You need to educate yourself a little more in what it takes to start one, or even how one operates. It takes years to get a certificate started, do you have the ability to hold out that long?

lakehouse

nevermind someone moved it, ty whoever did