My 8 year old third grader went for his first ride in a plane the other day as part of the EAA Young Eagle program. He is very interested in and excels at all things STEM related.

I have been prohibited from skydiving now that I have a family and although I have long pondered taking flight lessons, never saw a practical reason for doing so.

Looks like I may need to take up a new hobby.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGPlCTu1jxg

No small plane suggestions, but Frankie's smile put a big one on my face!!

That was awesome! How exciting!

That smile is magical!

Flies, Floats, or Fs....

RENT IT!!!!

Talk about expensive hobbies

In terms of all-around bang for the buck, simple maintenance, ease of learning, it's hard to beat a Cessna 172 for a first airplane if four seats will do the job for you, and the range and speed meet your requirements.

Get to know one or more local A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) mechanics, to do really nit-picking pre-buy inspections on used airplanes. That won't be cheap, but buying without a thorough, professional, inspection could turn out to be very very costly.

Be aware that 2020 will see new requirements going into effect for some avionics gear (ADS-B) that will cost a few thousand if the airplane is not already equipped with that.

Consider renting - or joining a club - for a while until you're certain you want to buy a plane.

I learned to fly in a two seat Cessna 150 45+ years ago during off duty time in the Army. I PCSed to home, rented 150s & 172s for another ten years, and fell away. Three years ago I took advantage of the AOPA Rusty Pilot program and got back in the left seat, I'm now in a club with a 152, another club with a 172, and I go up once a week.

Owning a plane can be a PITA. I got pre-approved for a loan from AVEMCO, but after looking at the responsibility/challenges I decided to join the clubs. In each club ten of us share the expeneses, and thankfully other guys are happy taking care of the maintenance.

This appears to be near you, I don't know anything about the fixed base operators (FBOs):

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSET

Take some lessons on rentals, then decide where you want to go from there.

A pilot buddy of mine once took me up in his Cessna 172. Beautiful day, perfect conditions and visibility. He flew me over my house. I was very much impressed with the flight and plane. Next time I saw him, I said I was considering pilot training and getting a small plane. He asked me if I rode motorcycles. After I said yes, here was his advice:
"A small plane is a motorcycle with wings. But 4 times as complex, twice as dangerous and outrageously expensive".
Since he was an ex Nam F4 jock and had been a pilot since he was a kid, I considered his advice valid.

When he's old enough, he needs to join Civil Air Patrol.

I found renting to be "iffy," that's why I bought. Too many times I had to abort a planned flight because I found unacceptable maintenance discrepancies on a rental airplane. When you own, the maintenance is under your control.

Single ownership is expensive, but I had business travel that offset the cost.

A friend of mine did something clever. I'll use numbers that might not be accurate, but they illustrate what he did.

He found the airplane that he wanted, $50,000.00. He got a loan, figuring that until he could accomplish the next step, he would be able to eat rice and beans and make the payments. He formed a non-profit company and sold seven shares at $7,000.00 / share, to other pilots and as he sold shares, he repaid the loan. At this point there were eight pilots, my friend and seven others, who used the airplane. My friend now had one thousand dollars invested.

Each of the eight kicked in $50 / month to cover fixed costs like insurance, etc., and $50 per hour flown to build up a reserve for engine overhaul, regular maintenance, etc. They each bought their own fuel -- the tanks were filled after each flight, so it was full when you got it, and you left it full for the next guy.

They used something like Google calendar to schedule reservations. It worked out pretty well for them.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

...A friend of mine did something clever. I'll use numbers that might not be accurate, but they illustrate what he did.

He found the airplane that he wanted, $50,000.00. He got a loan, figuring that until he could accomplish the next step, he would be able to eat rice and beans and make the payments. He formed a non-profit company and sold seven shares at $7,000.00 / share, to other pilots and as he sold shares, he repaid the loan. At this point there were eight pilots, my friend and seven others, who used the airplane. My friend now had one thousand dollars invested.

Each of the eight kicked in $50 / month to cover fixed costs like insurance, etc., and $50 per hour flown to build up a reserve for engine overhaul, regular maintenance, etc. They each bought their own fuel -- the tanks were filled after each flight, so it was full when you got it, and you left it full for the next guy.

They used something like Google calendar to schedule reservations. It worked out pretty well for them.

That sure sounds like both clubs I belong to, except the club pays for fuel.

Nothing like owning your own plane. It's there when you want it. Yes, the maintenance is all on you, but you'll get things done when needed. I had a fully IFR Cherokee Warrior for several years. Buying it then later selling it for a third more than I paid for it made things cost wise come out ok.

That said, if you are just going to bore holes in the sky, rent. If you are going to use it for transportation, buy it. You won't be standing around the FBO wondering if the bozo currently flying will be back in time to meet your schedule and what condition it will be in when he returns. Additionally, you can't keep it for a long weekend or overnight as the FBO needs it in the air for revenue.

Far better to pursue STEM. Flying is fun. It's not something someone should forsake an actual education for.

Renting is expensive. I began flying for a living largely because I couldn't afford to rent, and I figured it made more sense to get someone to pay me to fly, than to pay them to borrow.

The CAP cadet program is a lot like the boy scouts, but with less physical abuse. It doesn't provide a lot of opportunity to fly, but they do have a series of "orientation" flights spread out over the course of the cadets career, and have intro courses such as solo in a glider, etc. It starts at age 12 and goes up to eighteen.

I was a civil air patrol cadet; it's how I got soloed. I moved on to private in high school as a cadet, then went off to cropdust after high school. The program, like any youth program, is as good as the leadership; some crap, some great.

For a used airplane, you have time to think about it. A lot of time. There are always homebuilt, experimental airplanes available at all performance levels and prices, and a lot of used production airplanes on the market such as Cessna 172's and Piper Cherokees. For now, your boy may be a bit young...building models and playing with toys, and books on the subject are good places to start.

I understand backing off the jumping when the kids come along. I did, too, but had to go get hop and pops and the occasional jump to feed the need. If you can't catch some air, find a tunnel. When the kids are older, that's something the whole family can do.

The key I see to successful private plane ownership is either (1) several partners owning the plane or (2) using it for business / revenue - ie, able to use it to fly places for work, or have a means to earn with the plane (use for flight instruction, etc).

Either of those will depend a lot on your location & situation - and yeah, if you are semi-well off, you may be able to float it straight away.

Also look hard at maintenance & insurance costs in addition to the aircraft costs, as well as ensuring what your life insurance will pay out on.

Yes there are other ways to spend(waste $$) worse that airplanes. I’m on #3.

Yes, investigate the CAP, 12+ to join I think. One won’t learn to fly there, but you will have association with flight. Individual units can vary widely, some like, others less so.

Think about a pilgrimaged to Oshkosh, WI next Summer, later July, for Airventure. It’s almost aviation overload for those inclined.

Local airports have ‘open house’ at times, usually Summer. It’s an easy way to rub elbows with flying.

AOPA should still offer a free subscription to ‘Flight Training’ magazine to prospective students. No qualification on what constitutes a student.

The majority of my hours are in a Cessna 150M. Sure easy to fly & really well balanced, if you dont need 4 seats.
I've seen a few for sale for around $20k

Only had a few hours in a early model 172, felt like flying a 182 with a 150 engine. Newer models are better I'm sure.

1 flight in a 182RG, super sleek & pretty quick, but noticeably heavier.

Only had 1 or 2 flights in a low-lying, definitely a different experience when you're used to the high-wing Cessnas.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
One won’t learn to fly there, but you will have association with flight.

I did.

quote:

Yes, investigate the CAP, 12+ to join I think. One won’t learn to fly there, but you will have association with flight. Individual units can vary widely, some like, others less so.

Not entirely accurate

CAP has a number of powered flight academies and offers several scholarships - paid for by the Air Force

first step is to join the CAP when you're 12 and find yourself a good mentor - as a cadet you will get access to at least 5 orientation flights - each one that demonstrates different aspects of powered flight - take advantage of ALL the resources you can

The first time my dog went up in my FIL's plane she was sitting in my lap looking out the window. When we had liftoff, she stiffened up and looked at me as if to say, "Well, fuck me sideways!"