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Cheap airplanes to buy, own and fly thread

Bathman wrote:

C150’s are not cheap these days. I know someone who paid 38K for an example with a zero timed engine.

Let’s do the math. 38k minus 25k for fresh engine and make-the-bride-pretty minus 5k CessnaSID inspection minus 3k 833 not-so-old radio is 5k for naked. Sounds reasonable. You almost never get a good deal on a fresh engine aircraft, but may get one on aircraft with mid-time and beyond engine where engine OH cost is already mentally depreciated.

Last Edited by at 31 Jan 16:48

Peter wrote:

The big difference in Europe (I mean EASA-reg) is that transplanting parts is problematic. One thread is here. Other than trivia, you need an EASA-1 form to install a used part, and who is going to generate that?? It needs to be a 145 company with the right approval scope. And there are all kinds of restrictive practices when it comes to using parts from a crashed plane.

N-reg is much easier because an A&P has the authority to inspect and declare airworthy (most things).

Can’t a part 145 outfit just inspect a part and sign it off?

One option is to look at the less glamorous ugly ducklings or poor relations of common types, e.g. a PA17 has similar performance to a Piper Cub but at half the buying price. Or a lower-powered version, e.g. DR315 (115hp) instead of a DR400/160.

I was interested in a Mignet Pou-du-Ciel a few years ago, as it should be the ultimate in cheap flying, but the seller wanted 10.000€.

EGHO-LFQF-KCLW, United Kingdom

AdamFrisch wrote:

Can’t a part 145 outfit just inspect a part and sign it off?

If it was pulled in airworthy condition from an aircraft and their authorized shop procedures were granted that right, yes, to my knowledge.

Last Edited by at 31 Jan 17:10

And there lies the revenue generation opportunity.

I had this discussion with one EASA145 company owner.

He said the donor must have a valid CofA, but a crashed plane is not airworthy. So that’s one avenue closed (if the company so wishes).

And only some planes being parted-out had a valid CofA when they met their end.

The aircraft manufacturer has all the privileges and can do this without limitation, hence I have had various parts from Socata which were either secondhand (removed from a wreck) or just really old. Otherwise, you need a 145 company with the required scope. I posted about one option I came across here.

Link posted earlier today.

This rather inconclusive thread may be another; I know the UK company involved and they got their approvals to do that in the early days of JAA.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

mh wrote:

But the real cheapos out there are motor gliders.

Interesting thank you!
Are these Easa or national regulation?
Could I fly with it from Austria to Slovenia/Italy/Croatia?

always learning
LO__, Austria

Snoopy wrote:

Are these Easa or national regulation?

Most TMGs will fall under EASA scope either under Part-FCL for Aeroplanes or Sailplanes (Self-Launchers would be tricky for touring ), you can’t beat their running costs tough you will have to pay a lot for big hangar space to fit in 20m wings…

Also, maintenance is very risky if you are looking for cheap running costs (shutting down engine regularly while flying), but they offer cheap and convenient “flying time” rather than cheap “flying distance” due to their load constraints, slow cruise speed and glide perf

I had a share in one with 14 L/hour and 70kts cruise where I can get 2h flying time with 30min engine time in a good thermal day, but after all you are not going anywhere useful, to be honest I don’t remember any interesting trip on it and my wife just hate it, especially ground handling near parking and hangar, so I sold the share

Last Edited by Ibra at 31 Jan 18:36
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Ibra wrote:

to be honest I don’t remember any interesting trip on it

Well, I think it might actually be much different in Graz, than in Essex. Motoring into the Alps and gliding all day is indeed not only challenging for an aviator, but also extremely beautiful:

Snoopy wrote:

Are these Easa or national regulation?

They are on EASA rgulation, but I don’t know of any TMG with a MP so complex, you couldn’t do it yourself.

The Grob109 is not that bad in gliding and touring, and it is pretty comfortable.

Our aeroclub used to rent out a Falke for 45€/h wet.

mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany

mh wrote:

Well, I think it might actually be much different in Graz, than in Essex.

Or in Reykjavik… Mira Slovak having flown a Fornier RF4D from Europe to the US west coast, and back. He only crashed once

Last Edited by Silvaire at 31 Jan 19:38

I took my first flight at the controls of an aircraft forty- six years ago and have been searching for a cheap one without success ever since.

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