Rascal

Hello,
My wife decided that she wants to become an airline pilot and as much I tried talking her out of it she will not budge. I am a major airline FO and we have some money saved up where we can finance the whole thing without taking out loans. I still have my CFII and I think that we can use this to our advantage. We are considering a buying an airplane for about 50K and eventually selling it once we are done with training and time building. I realize that we will end up losing money on the aircraft sale in the end but it still might make financial sense with the amount flight time she needs to get into regionals. Or should I just send her to All ATPS for 65k?

TiredSoul

Do not make the mistake of trying to teach your own spouse.
PPL just for giggles.....mmmmmaybe..but not zero-hero.
I'd recommend a full time course where she gets to fly with multiple instructors and doesn't get stuck with one view on things.
Flight instruct then head for the hills.

TheWeatherman

If you are looking for a quick divorce, there isn't a much better way then training your own spouse.

tomgoodman

Playing competitive bridge with spouse as partner is also risky.

Flyhayes

After purchasing the aircraft, will you have enough on hand to cover the large unplanned expenses that can pop up? There are some horror stories of new owners buying what they thought they could afford, only to wind up blowing the engine (20k) or shelling out an egregious amount (north of 10k) on an annual.
The best advice I've heard is to always have an extra amount equal to an overhauled engine put away for those unexpected outlays. If you can justify that, I think ownership is a great idea. However, hire a flight instructor rather than risk you marriage.

Rascal

We have enough to cover unexpected expenses and the airplane that we are looking at it is currently owned by a good friend, so we are fairly familiar with its condition. Thank you everyone for the input.

TiredSoul

You want cheap or you want good ( or at least better) ?
Flying different airplanes and being taught by different people is good for your overall development.
Different teaching styles, different ways of providing constructive criticism instead of a yes-man ( or woman) flying right seat.
'Airline' style training, sharing flight time with other students, back seating, practicing CRM, checklist challenge & response.
Check instructors and stage checks that you fail so you can pass a check ride first time.
You're getting none of that with a local rent-a-CFI.
Full time at a larger school the flight instruct there till your wife meets the hiring mins.
Just my 02 cents....

Besides with a purchase price of $40-$45K and a rainy-day fund and insurance and MX and fuel ( $10k for 200hrs) you're already north of $70k plus the Complex and the Multi you'll need to rent for her CPL.
Now you're at $80-$85k.

Ok last time I'll mention it.
Academy.....

kevbo

You know, if she's flying for a living, she won't be around to cook dinner every night.

rickair7777

General rule of thumb, the break-even point between renting and buying a light GA plane is about 100 hours/year.

If she's going from zero - 250+ in a year, that probably makes the case right there.

If she's going to use it to build time (vice woking as a CFII), then 1500 hours in 18-24 months definitely makes sense.

The downside is the hassle of ownership, and the risk of a major Mx issue which could wipe out all the savings of ownership (and then some).

I wouldn't sweat teaching your wife to fly, you're the best judge of that but maybe use other CFI's for informal stage checks at key junctures just to be safe.

I'd be more concerned long-term about a crew/crew marriage...gonna be rough if you have kids.

TiredSoul

And..you're really advocating time building for two years in your own airplane?
Call me old fashioned but what about working for a living?
Work your way up the ladder.
You really think 1500hrs of Cherokee time is going to cut the mustard?
I don't.