Episode #156 "Going Haywire"

[rfelty]

Loved the real world discussion about buying an airplane in this episode. No matter how this particular situation works out for Jack, this kind of conversation on the podcast is quite educational for a lot of us. Thanks for another great show.

[David Allen]

Agreed. The discussion about purchasing an airplane was excellent!

[Rockdog]

Two thumbs up again, guys!! If I were Jack I would wait on the "better" plane.

Jason

[Andrew B]

I agree, wait for your plane because it seemed even though you really just frankly want to fly (like us all), you really want the "creature comforts" and abilities of a 4 place airplane. Good luck on your quest to find your plane. PS - get the hanger! Thanks again for another great podcast. - Andrew Blanchard

[champguy]

Agreed, great discussion about buying. Every time I thought , but wait, you covered it.
In defense of the beater, some considerations.
One, your entry cost will be less while you come to grips with and adjust to the hidden on going expenses of ownership, insurance, hanger, tools, maintenance.
Two, you will be making mistakes on a plane you probably won't be keeping long term. Thats more of an issue for the student pilot.
Three, your out of pocket expense per flight will be less and hopfully within your already busted budget, so you will fly whenever the urge strikes without guilt or doubt.
Four, the C-150 is tight, uncomfortable and without much dihedral to the wings tends to fly hands on all the time. It will get you six to eight hundred miles a day, day after day. with all your bags in the back and a place for your flight stuff on the seat next to you. And after flying too long it will survive a slam bam landing without complaint. Like the old timex watch, "They take a licking, and keep on ticking."
Five, on a long cross country, for what you save on flying a beater, you can stay in a nice Motel, with a sauna and a pool, which you will need. And the girls at the bar don't know a Cessna 150 from a Bonanza or a Lear Jet.
Good luck Jack, you have friends who will give you sound advice.

[Soccer-Jock]

GREAT episode. The topic of buying an airplane is one I wrestle with week after week. Jack, I feel you and have some similarities in the areas you describe under airplane ownership quandaries.

Of course it's coming: Here my 0.02 cents...
Lately I've become a minimalist, which is so unlike my gadget-loving personality. We just down-sized our cars, we have always had a "right-sized" house, and I'm thinking about applying that to an airplane. I agree with Champguy here. How often will you really travel an 1,200 mile trip where you have the time to be piloting it yourself? Be honest. Once a year? Twice a year? If local flying were cheap, reliable, and fun would you do it more often? I'm going to post my quandary on this topic in one of the other forum headings because I'm hunting for advice on a variation of this very theme.

Dollar-for-Dollar it's tough to beat an old C-150 or Cherokee 140. Simplicity in design, reliability through simplicity, spare parts galore, reams of documents available practically for free. Armies of people familiar with those models - with advice and tips. And the prices right now are really good. I have heard Dave Higgdon say in different words on this podcast, as an argument to those that state "flying is expensive": Don't drive around your $45K BMW, drive a more reasonable car and you could probably afford it. Why not apply that same logic to an airplane???

[plutocrat03]

You all spoke of long days in aviation during this episode.

Last year my friends and I managed to watch the sun go up and down on the same day from my wind screen. Managed to take off somewhere after 4:00 AM into IMC, avoided iceing over Indiana and arrived in Virginia about 4.5 hours later. We attended a rain/hurricane delayed NASCAR race which was over near 5:00 PM. We saddled up and watched the sun go down over Ohio during our trip back. Touchdown was near 10:00 PM. Just a tick under 9 hours in the log book in one day.

GA is the perfect time machine.

[Greg Bockelman]

Last year my friends and I managed to watch the sun go up and down on the same day from my wind screen.

I have seen the sun come up in the west. I have seen a rainbow that formed a perfect circle. I have seen spectacular Northern lights in the North Atlantic. I have seen St. Elmo's Fire in the tops of dry ice cloud. None of which I could have done without aviation.

[champguy]

Greg:
How fast do you have to go to see the sun rise in the west?
Can my Champ do it? I could take off in the dark and land legal in daylight.

[Greg Bockelman]

Greg:
How fast do you have to go to see the sun rise in the west?
Can my Champ do it? I could take off in the dark and land legal in daylight.

It can be done in the Champ, but I am not sure you can do it legally. Unless of course, you have the required lighting.

What We did was take off after the sun had JUST gone down and flying to the west, as we were climbing, the sun came back up over the horizon, and shortly set again. Kinda cheating but I DID see the sun come UP in the West.