Delta Echo

Hello!

I just have a question about having a plane and using it for transportation in the US.

In Europe is a bit different... and in the american movies you see always people having an airplane just like a car, often just sit in and fly from A to B... and the fuel and the plane itself its cheaper.... so it seems people use it as a car really.

In Europe, ok, I have some friends having an airplane, but still....
In Italy, one flight hour was 300euros (basic salary let's say is 1500-2000 euros)
In Hungary, basic lower-medium salary its around 500-800 euros, and one flight hours at a school cost 100 euros...
So I mean, in Italy people earn more, but learning flying is also more expensive.

How is it in the US? Is it easier, cost less (comparing to salary) to make PPL, or even buy a plane?

JohnBurke

Flying in the US is less expensive than Europe, and considerably less complicated.

I've never seen a movie in which people in the US have an airplane just like a car, or use a personal airplane like a car.

An airplane is not a car. It's not going to come close to matching the economy of driving, most of the time, but one must consider distances and other factors, too. A typical cross country flight in the US would span multiple european countries, and there are urban coastal areas in which the cost time time for a drive can be exceptionally high; the traffic is bypassed by air.

The cost of owning an aircraft is more than the purchase price; maintenance, insurance, hangar or tie-down rental, etc, all add up substantially, and the median income in the US is lower than Europe.

When I was first flight instructing, a young man came to me from Germany, for his private pilot certificate. He flew to the US, spent 30 days earning his Private, flew his girlfriend to the US, rented an airplane and toured the country, and then flew home...for less than it would have cost to do the license in Europe. In addition, he took two months off work, something which is nearly impossible for most people in the US.

Experimental aviation is alive and well in the US; quite a few people have built their own aircraft, maintain it, and fly it.

Older general aviation aircraft can be had for about 20,000 for small airplanes like a Cessna 140, to 40,000 for a Cessna 172, to several hundred thousand dollars, depending on what one wants to buy or own.

Flightcap

Much of the expense of flying in many countries comes from per-flight fees paid to the air traffic control system. The U.S. has no such fees. Aviation fuel is also significantly cheaper in the U.S. than in many other parts of the world. Therefore the general aviation sector (small, private aircraft) is comparatively strong in this country. However, owning an airplane is still quite rare and is much more expensive than owning a car.

rickair7777

It's rare but IF you have experience in general aviation and live near a reasonably affordable airport, it can be pretty straight-forward for routine transportation of certain distances. I know people in CA who own small planes so they can sit reserve at home ad get to work despite traffic in major metro areas. They typically fly to a GA airport near the big hub and uber from there, and only have to use the plane if they get an unexpected short call out.

It's a lot simpler (of course more expensive) if you own the plane without partners... a lot easier to ensure it's available (and maintained) when you need it.

Delta Echo

Thank you for the detailed answer

Delta Echo

I was just asking, because many pilots here in Europe says, flying in the US is much easier, much more common, cheaper, more simple etc etc etc.... Many of them dreaming working in such places, like Alaska, and using a small aircraft for work etc.

Rama

Owning/flying an airplane in the US is certainly cheaper than in the EU.
That being said said, cheap or low cost is a perspective driven by income or level of wealth.
Some airports are reasonably low priced to hangar an aircraft, while others are prohibitive. There also many fly in airports where you leive next to your hangar which is ideal for someone who wants to fly extensively.

rickair7777

Also worth noting that in the US we have "airparks" which are small housing subdivisions located around a runway (often private, but not always). Each house has a hanger and "driveway" to the taxiway on the runway side, and then normal street access for cars on the other side.