Not happy

[Mcstealth]

I am disappointed in what I have become. All I do is get in the rental every other month, go around the pattern, do some laps, pay my hour and go home. Since I have opened my new business, I just don't have time for anything, much less accumulating hours in the rental. If I owned my own plane I guess it would be different, but I'm not so sure. I don't golf, go out, or anything superfluous.

What I guess I am saying is I miss flying, so please you guys and gals, post your stories so I can live vicariously though them and you.

Sincerely

David

[garytex]

Screw that, figure out how you can use a plane in your business, and go buy one.  

 

Alternatively, and I've been there, work your ass off till you can get to the point that you have money to shift things around.  You may not be able to be smarter than most everybody, but it isn't too hard to outwork most everybody, most folks are pretty lazy when you get right down to it.  Just figure that you will do an astounding job for 3 years, and then you will probably be able to coast for quite a while.

Best of luck, Gary

[garytex]

PS I fly over Kerrville couple of times a week commuting.  I'll think good Juju for you as I fly over.  Hang in there.

[jetdriven]

Take him for a ride Gary, and let him take the stick once in a while.

[Dave Marten]

I hate it when life gets in the way of flying!

 

I won't jump in on a plane until you can free up a little time in your schedule, although aircraft ownership may add some imperative toward making time to fly. 

 

Figure out a way to either use the plane for your business or better yet - use a plane to get away from your business!

 

My secret recipe is combining family time with airplane time. Thank God for the $100 hamburger, local pancake breakfasts, and a willing wife/co-pilot!

 

Find a way to break free. You may be able to sneak in a quick flight between sunrise and 8am then drive over to the office to start the daily grind.

[201er]

If you're not flying the hell out of a rental and thirsting for more, you're not gonna come close to getting your money's worth out of owning. Owning only pays when you fly a lot. First find a way to fly a lot, then look into owning. Best of luck.

[Jeff_S]

The only thing I will say to counter Mike's point is that there is SOME intrinsic value in owning an airplane, if you've truly got the bug. It's fun just knowing that she is out there, waiting for you to come fly, or just give her some TLC with a wash and wax job. Men have been known to just spend time at the hangar than for no other reason than to enjoy her company. And NO, I'm not talking about a mistress (at least not a flesh and blood one).

 

But of course, this requires you have the discretionary means to engage in this type of love affair. But if you do, it is oh so worth it...

[Hank]

All good points, Dave. Toccoa is about as close as I like to get to Atlanta, Mom & Dad moved there when I was in college before heading to Dalton.

McS, keep plugging away. If you're really too busy to fly and not just bored or fed up with the rentals, waiting a little longer to purchase is best. Not only is it frustrating knowing the plane is ready but you can't fly it, it's not good for the plane, either.

[Bob - S50]

I am disappointed in what I have become. All I do is get in the rental every other month, go around the pattern, do some laps, pay my hour and go home. Since I have opened my new business, I just don't have time for anything, much less accumulating hours in the rental. If I owned my own plane I guess it would be different, but I'm not so sure. I don't golf, go out, or anything superfluous.

What I guess I am saying is I miss flying, so please you guys and gals, post your stories so I can live vicariously though them and you.

Sincerely

David

Lot of good comments here.

 

It's all about what you make of it.  I'm new to the Mooney and am finally comfortable in the plane (about 30 hours).  Like many here, I still work and schedule my Mooney flying around my work days.  If all I ever planned to do with it was to drive around the pattern a couple times a month I would sell my share.  However, I have other plans that will be much easier once I retire (37.9 million seconds from now).  I currently hope to fly at least twice each month.  Once I retire, I plan to fly more like once each week.  Here are my plans, maybe they'll give you some ideas (no particular order):

 

1.  $100 hamburgers with my wife (or is that now $200 hamburgers).

2.  Under the hood ride to get a couple approaches/low approaches and maintain proficiency.

3.  Visit relatives who live more than 100 miles away.

4.  Fly to away football games (we have home season tickets).

5.  Angel Flight West flying.  Angel Flight has wings all around the country.  Get to fly, donate your time and airplane, do some good for people, have fun, and even get a small tax break.

 

Good luck,

 

Bob

[ncdmtb]

As others have pointed out, find a way to "use" flying. I couldn't imagine just flying the pattern!?

I try to use my plane for work. Typically I commute commercial, a lot chaeper than flying myself with avgas at north of 15$ in Germany and user fees well established :-( But I still have flights, where it is actually not more expensive to fly myself.

I also use it for my freetime. (of which I have much too little). So the airplane is a great way to that. Living in Europe it is just a quick jaunt to escape to France, Italy or other cool places for the day.

Keep searching, and you will find your "flying purpose" ;-)

[flight2000]

The only thing I will say to counter Mike's point is that there is SOME intrinsic value in owning an airplane, if you've truly got the bug. It's fun just knowing that she is out there, waiting for you to come fly, or just give her some TLC with a wash and wax job. Men have been known to just spend time at the hangar than for no other reason than to enjoy her company. And NO, I'm not talking about a mistress (at least not a flesh and blood one).

 

But of course, this requires you have the discretionary means to engage in this type of love affair. But if you do, it is oh so worth it...

 

I'll also add that when you own, YOU were the last person to fly it and it'll be in the same condition you left it in (unless it's sitting on the line... ).  I got really tired of crappy interiors, questionable maintenance history, garbage left in the cockpit, wondering if the previous guy filled up the tanks, did the last guy have a bad landing and now you're the test pilot dummy because they were scared to report it, etc, etc, etc... All of those go away when you own it and it's in your hangar.  Even if you are flying just 5 hours a month, that is better than nothing in my book.  No more schedules to worry about, what time it has to be back, or minimum hours for taking it over a weekend.  

 

Personal airplane ownership never makes sense financially, but neither do boats, Porsches, trains, whatever.  It's all about what you want out of life.  Ya can't take any of it with you when you die and I'll be damned if my hard work is being left to the kids...I'm spending it all...   I'll make sure the misses is taken care of if I go first, but otherwise...  

 

If you own it, you'll feel guilty neglecting it and you'll fly more... 

 

As someone mentioned, when I retire I plan to fly at least 3-4x a week, especially if I find the right home in Florida where the Hangar is attached or very close by the house.

 

Brian

[Jamie]

The usual advice of "you'd have to fly a lot for owning to make more sense than renting" isn't wrong, given the assumptions that are usually made. But I disagree with the assumptions.

 

The price used in the calculation for the rental is usually the rental rate. This is totally wrong. The price you should be using is the one you get after asking the FBO the question: "How much would it cost to be able to get a particular airplane on a moment's notice, fly it anywhere I'd like, and stay as long as I'd like?" This (much) higher number makes the rent/own calculation more favorable to owning.

 

I simply COULD NOT do the trips I'm currently doing if I had to rent. Period. And I can (and have) put a price on that ability, and then paid it. I'm happy.

[ncdmtb]

The price used in the calculation for the rental is usually the rental rate. This is totally wrong. The price you should be using is the one you get after asking the FBO the question: "How much would it cost to be able to get a particular airplane on a moment's notice, fly it anywhere I'd like, and stay as long as I'd like?" This (much) higher number makes the rent/own calculation more favorable to owning.

 

I simply COULD NOT do the trips I'm currently doing if I had to rent. Period. And I can (and have) put a price on that ability, and then paid it. I'm happy.

I couldn't agree more!

Go to an FBO on a Saturday morning (in nice weather) and try to rent a plane on a moments notice. Telling them the total flight time will be about 3 hours and you have no idea when you intend to return the plane. Maybe this evening, but then again, maybe not until Sunday.

Thatis the cost one needs to compare with ;-)

[Mooneymite]

This thread reminds me of an obvious fact: not all flyers like to travel!

I live in a fly-in community where a large percentage of the residents really don't like to be away from home....around the pattern, or out to a local pancake breakfast is all the "travelling" they want to do.

Other residents see their airplanes as "travelling machines". For them, flying locally is a boring waste of time.

Then there are a few that like to do both kinds of flying. (Addicts)

Our Mooney is our "over-nighter". We leave about noon, fly to one of the six sets of grandchildren, spend the night and return the next day. When the kids can no longer stand us, we fly to destinations we like (TYS, BNA, SSI, 09J, CDK, AVL, MYR, ETC.), sample the food, spend the night and return home the next day. There just aren't enough weekends in a month! Living with your plane isn't a requirement, but it certainly makes travelling this way easier.

IMHO, the Mooney is a travelling machine. If all you like to do is shoot landings and go home, there are better airplanes. It's a big world out there' and the Mooney is your magic carpet. Make it a life priority to see as much of it as you can and you'll make the money you spend on flying all worthwhile.

Get out and FLY!

[fantom]

This thread reminds me of an obvious fact: not all flyers like to travel! I live in a fly-in community where a large percentage of the residents really don't like to be away from home....around the pattern, or out to a local pancake breakfast is all the "travelling" they want to do. Get out and FLY!

Jim R......are your ears burning?

[BigTex]

+1 Jim... My C is younger than I am so the way I see it, we're both coming into our prime! 

[Mooneymite]

Too bad many Mooney pilots would have you think that Mooneys are only good for IFR cross country work. Maybe if they didn't old C models would still be worth more than old Cessna 172s.

 

Actually, I didn't say Mooneys are only good for cross country.  I think there are other airplanes that are better suited/more fun for "going nowhere" than the Mooney.

 

Here's my "go-nowhere" plane.  More fun than a barrel of monkeys, but I hate to go very far from home in it....particularly in the winter!  

 

Addicts need a "go-somewhere" plane and a "go-nowhere" plane. 

[Mooneymite]

Nice, MooneyMite! Two planes for me unfortunately is not an option.

 

 

 

Not to worry!  The "Affordable Airplane Act" has been signed.  I'm sure planes, hangars and maintenance will all be provided to those who want them the same way Affordable Healthcare is.  Obviously, we won't need insurance any more.

 

.

[Jamie]

Obama gonna pay my annual!

[Mooneymite]

Obama gonna pay my annual!

 

 

Yep.  It will henceforth be referred to as an "Obanual".  Free, free, free!

 

However, airworthiness will be determined by a board sometimes referred to as "the death squad".

 

Old planes never die, they just get grounded by Washington.

[Mcstealth]

Thank you for the sympathy and the advice. Now some one tell me a fire breathing dragon story please.

David

[Mooneymite]

Thank you for the sympathy and the advice. Now some one tell me a fire breathing dragon story please.

David

David, the "dragons" in the airplane world are all of life's other priorities dragging us away. If airplanes can't be a priority right now, attend to your dragons as necessary, but keep that love of flying alive with periodic rentals until the time is right.

Mooneyspace is a great resource to stay in touch and keep your interest if you can stand all the advice!!.

:-)

.

[BigTex]

David,

If you are looking for flying stories, this forum isn't the place. Besides the best stories are the one's you create, not others. So get out and fly and create your own memories. If still interested on other pilots stories, let me recommend the book "Magic Carpet" by Greg Brown.

[Buster1]

It took me 10 years of saving, and selling off some other toys, but I just made ownership a reality!  I've never been happier (but I still don't fly as much as I wish I could).  Life, kids, work etc all get in the way at times, and that's okay.

 

For the price of a new Lexus, you can get a lot of airplane these days.

 

Good luck.

[flyboy]

I have some rental properties that I fly to and work on, its a 200 mile trip. That's my excuse for buying an airplane. It does not make economic sense. I could drive for less in fuel, but then I am too tired to do as much. Also the trips become something I dread when I drive. With the airplane, the travel becomes the best part of the trip, not the worst. I look forward to going now. I take off and land at times that suit me (with respect to weather). Aviation has rarely made money for me, its about enjoying the flight, enjoying life and helping me to accomplish other things.