On rising cost of flying due to aviation fuels, can one think of what should be an ideal ‘pilot investment or portfolio’?
Short-term,
1) Less sophisticated: Buy Avgas during low periods like CV19 and store it at home 
2) More sophisticated:Buy JetFuel and Crude contracts, 50m3 is enough
https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/energy/refined-products/gulf-coast-jet-fuel-platts-calendar-swap.html
https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/energy/crude-oil/light-sweet-crude.quotes.html
Long-term,
1) Invest any cent of retirement in commodities, any raise in these will pay for my flying
2) Invest any cent of retirement in green economy, use gains to pay for Avgas in +20y
PS: to be taken with pinch of salt, I would speak to an advisor and my wife first
Always remember that the value of any investment can go down as well as up, so only invest what you can afford to lose.
Yes indeed, you only invest what you can afford, same you only spend on a hobby what you can afford but if your investment goes bust you will be happy flying on cheap fuel 
PS: while ago with my wife we made an investment (large bet) against GBP from Brexit, while such vote had a devastating effect on our emetional & political sides being able to buy a flat in London in one month was very rewarding (we would have lost a lot if UK sayed in EU but we would have been more happy), maybe worth repeating when people start voting green without thinking or following political lies?
The phrase balanced portfolio comes to mind, even as it brings to mind an image of clingy guys who want some of your money to tell you what some might consider common sense.
My biggest priority now is actually cash accumulation, I’ll feel good to have an additional two-three years of my current paycheck, tax paid cash in hand when I retire. The idea is to weather a reasonable storm so that you don’t have to sell at a loss – what goes down generally comes up again in time. That’s why I don’t spend a year or more’s pay now to buy a fancy plane
Otherwise I have something over half of my retirement holdings in 100% paid off rental housing, roughly a quarter in stocks, roughly a quarter in bonds and cash. The stocks and bonds are held though managed funds. Pretty conservative as matches both my overall philosophy and the not so far off date when I plan to retire from regular employment and start spending my days at the airport instead.
Silvaire wrote:
. As a result they create a good life from start to finish, even after they stop working.
Yes this makes perfect sense.
Airborne_Again wrote:
I absolutely agree. This has become even more acute for me as, at 60+, I recently got a (partially age-related) medical condition that left me grounded for three months. That’s been fixed now, but at my age you should not put off things you want to do.
It is a vital point you mention why especially in aviation we can’t leave things too long. Professional pilots retire at 60. Most of us, myself included, feel their age. Personally, I am not sure how long i can continue medically, every medical is a given year for me. So putting off things I can do with my plane (once it is finally back in the air) would be stupid. Not only don’t I know how long I actually will be able to continue, but also with the current situation we don’t know how long we have GA where we want it. I know for almost sure I will loose my homebase in 2024 and have no more access to IFR in my region, so e.g. the train for an IR has left the station for good.
Dan wrote:
CoVid and the passing of my folks in the same timespan refreshed my memory… things really do happen.
Lesson: Do the things you wanna do. And do them NOW
Amen. Thinking of all the folks I lost who all had plans Covid destroyed for good. We never know.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
Professional pilots retire at 60.
Hasn’t that been extended to 65?
Airborne_Again wrote:
Hasn’t that been extended to 65?
I think in some places it always was 65, in others 60. What I see is quite a few friends of mine at major airlines who retire even pre-60 these days. Lots of my classmates from school (same year) are retired from the airlines already.
Looking at myself, I certainly am not as physically fit as I was when I was 20 or even 40, now approaching 60. So while I try to stay as fit as I can, I have no illusions to continue flying until my 80ties, which i am doubtful I’ll reach. Hence, while I take things as they come, I rather wish to use the nearer future to scratch off things I have on my flying bucket list.
(I also take to the old joke “I wish to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming in terror like the people on his plane” . When it’s time to stop, I hope I have the wisdom to know. I won’t set absolute limits as they are highly individual, but it is important to keep in mind that the big down check may occur at any time.
Ibra wrote:
Buy Avgas during low periods like CV19 and store it at home
Buy Avgas, yes, but burn it immediately! My choice.
Do commercial pilots have a retiral age? I think it’s just pax-carriers and maybe large aircraft pilots.
But photography, air survey, cropdusting, etc?
I think the mandatory retirement age requirement is for scheduled service.
Corporate pilots also have no mandatory age 65 retirement. The usual arrangement when I fly in my companies corporate aircraft is one contract pilot aged 70+ and another regular employee aged about 40. They swap PIC between legs.
