An aviator’s happiest moments are the day he buys his own airplane AND the day he sells it

I have owned my aircraft for 35 years and whilst it does cost more than it used to, I believe the additional cost of ownership are worth the convenience, the knowledge of the aircraft and it’s sytems, are worth more than renting cheaper. If I have to sell then at that point I shall cease to fly GA. As has been intimated, what has happened to a rental before you take to the skies in it? How familiar would you be with the aircraft systems in the event of an emergency? etc etc. I am priviledged I know, but I do appreciate it.

My point is that I’m looking forward to the day when I have paid off the plane and then fly for the cost of gas and maintenance. It’s not that far away and given the age of the SR22 I will certainly be able to enjoy it for quite some time. I might have been lucky with maintenance so far and hope it stays that way. The only big ticket item I will have to deal with this year is the parachute.

On the other hand it is correct that I would probably not have bought an aircraft without being able to treat the cost as business expense. I do understand that it’s a more difficult situation when one is employed instead of owning a business where the use of an aircraft is beneficial.

But then there is glider flying and that’s what a lot of people do in Germany. The downside is that it’s a single person hobby and hard to enjoy with a family – even with a two seat glider.

I think there are lots of reasons and for each reason one person fits the bill. Buying is the easy bit, you are excited, cant wait to part with the cash and enjoy all the benefits of ownership.

Some dont think about the distadvantages of ownership, whether that be the unexpected bills, the feeling of a need to fly regularly because after all you have invested all that money, the frustration of the weather, finding your cherished aircraft has been moved to some damp cold hangar, you have scared the partner one time to many and she / he will only go commercial, the family has grown up and you need something larger or faster, or slower and smaller, that journey to the airport which started out being incidental has become a drag, especially for a quick spin around the aerial block, and, above all else, you feel you have done it, need a break, time to do something else, the love affair has ended, and of course the more you resent having the responsibility of the aircraft, the more you cant wait to sell her. Then you find selling is no where as easy as buying. When you thought the market to buy was competitive and every time you found the “right” aircraft it had sold, when you come to sell. everyone is a tyre kicker, and no one wants to pay the price. By the time someone offers a half sensible price it has become a mill stone and you cant wait to be rid of her. You almost throw them the “keys” and cant wait to turn your back on her.

Of course the love affair may or may not have really ended. You may realise it was the biggest mistake you made, or, while it wasnt a mistake, your love affair with that blue sky hadnt really ended, but other arrangments better suited your life style.

I suppose it is like life in general, never satisfied with what we have, and never satisfied when we have it.

For me the love affair, has never ended, but it has changed, it has evolved. When time isnt entirely your own and you have other interests your flying needs to adapt so you get to do some of those other things as well.

I am also convinced that as has been said many times before (but this isnt a comment just about ownership) you need to be seriously passionate about just the flying to sustain the repeated round trips to various airports without “doing” anything when you get there. After all flying is a means of transport so enjoying a good lunch or some site seeing at different and interesting places is part of the recipe. Get out and off the airport and partners, friends and family will all appreciate the value far more.

… The downside is that it’s a single person hobby and hard to enjoy with a family …

Typical family members don’t enjoy being taken aboard small planes anyway, so that should not matter too much. And honestly I would myself refuse to fly on a light plane unless at the controls or instructing on it and take the train instead. A bit like riding on the rear seat of a motorcycle which I will never ever do.

I don’t agree with what_next. I don’t find the case at all that “renting is always cheaper”. If it were, then nobody would rent aircraft as there would be no profit to make…

I could make a pretty good case for if you fly more than 50hrs per year, owning starts to get cheaper. Not only that, already from 1st hour as an owner, your cash flow is much improved. A renter has to pay all the cost, and all the projected costs, including silly stuff like tire wear etc up front. As an owner, if an O-ring leaks a little, or there’s a PTT button that’s a little sticky, well, that’s not something you need to deal with immediately. But for a rental it is, or it doesn’t get hired. This adds to the cost as they have to be carted off to mechanic and taken out of commission at the slightest squawk.

Most aircraft rentals (same like boat rentals) do not make money for the asset owner, they merely contribute to covering fixed cost. I am sure > 90% of the GA aircraft owners would save a lot of money if they did their flying in a rented aircraft instead.

However, GA doesn’t make sense money wise or utility wise, it’s a hobby. People like to own.

I agree that most aircraft owners are happy the day they sell their aircraft. There are a lot of interesting things to do and aviation binds a lot of time. It can be enjoyable but when it’s over, there are other great things.

AdamFrisch wrote:

As an owner, if an O-ring leaks a little, or there’s a PTT button that’s a little sticky, well, that’s not something you need to deal with immediately. But for a rental it is, or it doesn’t get hired.

I find it the other way around – so many rentals around which are a bit shagged with a tonne of small irritating broken stuff that’s not quite enough to ground the aircraft!

I try to keep my own aircraft such that nothing is ever labelled “inop” and everything is working as it should (although it’s not all that hard with a relatively simple aircraft).

Part of ownership for me is getting my hands dirty. That’s why I’ll always have something I can be proactive with the maintenance with and not have to use a company, the UK permit system although not perfect does at least allow me to do all the work (even if it requires an LAA guy to sign it off) which means minimal waiting for 3rd parties to show up and do things for me. All the routine maintenance items I can sign off myself. I enjoy just pottering around the airfield on a nice day, for me owning isn’t about turning up, flying, then going home straight away.