wdeninger

As a person researching 2005ish Mooney aircraft for purchase for the long haul (distance and life), I admit I am enamored by the clean appearance of the dual G1000 cockpits. But now after reading a few threads on MooneySpace lamenting the difficulty or impossibility of upgrading the Mooney G1000 system, I'm a bit hesitant. Especially after the huge number of laptop blue screens of death I've dealt with over the years. What is a G1000's realistic life cycle in a cockpit environment? A computer located in the temperature controlled pristine environment of a data center would be far better off than in the sun baked pressure cycling cockpit of an aircraft, but even data center servers are replaced every 5-10 years -- and most for reliability reasons. And data center servers don't hold your life in the balance. Is the lifecycle of a G1000 20 years? 40 years? 60 years? I would guess that it would be significantly less than the lifecycle of the airframe. Should the mindset be to view the un-upgradeable un-replaceable G1000 in Mooneys as less of a feature and more of a liability that detract from an aircraft's value, analogous to buying a 20 years old Tesla that you're are unable to replace batteries? Yes, a Tesla is cool, but without a battery replacement option the deal is dead. If the G1000 systems CAN be replaced or upgraded, what is the path for doing it? -William

Shopping for a plane and considering engine variants. I've heard some aviation enthusiasts state that it is possible to safely run Continental engines LOP whereas Lycoming should be kept ROP. Is this an engine cooling issue with Lycoming, or is there a more significant difference with operating mixtures between the TIO-540-AF1B vs the 210HP Continental TSIO-550? -W

Can one rent a plane to themselves?

As a private pilot under Part 61 E (61.113), it states that: (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3f5641add742ba4c45790a373c19267b&mc=true&node=se14.2.61_1113&rgn=div8) "A private pilot may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if: The flight is only incidental to that business or employment; and The aircraft does not carry passengers or property for compensation or hire. A private pilot may not pay less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees." Rental fees generally must include more than just fuel, oil and airport expenditures (however that is defined). Obviously, rental costs would need to cover aircraft maintenance, fuel, oil, insurance, hangar, etc... or the rental business would operate at a loss. If the aircraft is owned by the pilot (not rented), is the owner able to calculate a rental cost based on an annualized cost over projected annual hours similar to an aircraft rental business? Or as a private owner, are we limited to only fuel, oil and airport expenditures (again,...whatever that is)? -W

My wife and I would love to move to TX, but having just moved from CA a few years ago with kids in grade school and middle school we are a bit sensitive about up-rooting them again. We may be stuck in IL for another 10 years unless the education system here collapses. With the COVID drive for at home learning, I put the odds of that at 50/50. -W

With the purchase price of aircraft becoming more hefty year by year, I am exploring options to reduce my initial purchase tax liability and operating costs. For example, in the state of Illinois, there is a 6.25% tax on aircraft purchases (with a few exceptions for charities, death beneficiaries, etc...). For a $300k used aircraft, this amounts to approximately $20k tax upfront. Is there a way to reduce this? A few possibilities come to mind that are probably more bunk than substance, but I figure this forum would be a good start to explore what possible options may be out there. I'm an engineer and not a tax accountant or financial advisor. And it's quite a miracle that I can entertain purchasing an aircraft. Form a non-profit corporation as the aircraft owner and insure that 50% or more of the flight time is for charity. This path creates problems when selling the aircraft, although there may be additional tax benefits (both state and federal) when donating to the corporation to pay for operation costs. Separate the cost of avionics from the value of the aircraft. Although seeming a bit more shady, it could be though of as purchasing an older aircraft without avionics at a greatly reduced cost (avionics are expensive) and having used avionics installed outside the state after the aircraft sale. (Not to sure of how the state would tax avionics if they are purchased out of state...) Win the Illinois lottery, be so flush with cash that I stop caring. (This is the preferred solution, but the odds winning are less than being struck by lightening or finding a briefcase of money along side the road. Further, IMHO buying lottery tickets may be viewed as a voluntary tax on stupidity). Can anyone offer sage advice regarding aircraft purchases? -W

Good Day, I'm searching for an M20M owner out of KPWK that could introduce me to their plane. I'm hoping to purchase one within the next year and would like to become more familiar with the flight characteristics, handling and maintenance costs. -William of Northbrook