News flash: I have just finished eating a $16 bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. That’s nothing. Last night I feasted on a $25 hamburger. Neither meal was unique, memorable, or impressive in any way other than the price.
I feel an analogy coming on.
With the price of a single engine Cessna creeping up into the $400,000 range and Light-Sport Aircraft well over the $100,000 threshold, it would appear that aviation really is too expensive for the average man, woman, or child. It would appear that way, but it’s not.
A quick look through the classifieds at GeneralAviationNews.com will expose the great secret of general aviation. New airplanes are expensive. Old airplanes are not.
How not? How about a C-152 for $25,000? How about an Aeronca Champ for a similar amount or less? Wanna go bigger? You say you need four seats, a higher cruise speed and some creature comforts? No problem. May I point you in the direction of the classic four-seat Stinson, with an interior that reminds me of my grandfather’s old Cadillac. You can grab a Stinson for less that $30,000.
The point is simple. If you want to spend stupid money on a hamburger, or a bowl of oatmeal, or an airplane, you can certainly do that. There are waiters and salespeople who will take your money. Then again, you can get out of the trendy neighborhood and buy a substantially similar burger for less than two bucks. And yes, you can buy an airplane that will serve you well for years to come for less than the cost of the average new car.
The key to that sentence is “serve you well.” Because you have to know what you want that airplane to do in order to get a truly good deal.
If you want to go high and fast and far, then a Piper Cub is a lousy pick, even if you do find one at a good price. Then again, if you intend to stay within a 100 mile radius of home, burn minimal fuel, and watch the scenery, the Cub is an outstanding choice. And the Cub will hold its value. It might even appreciate in value over the years.
Hey wait! That’s true of the Luscombe, the Cessna 152, the 172, and the Stinson, too. If you grab an airplane with some time on it, you just might be able to fly for years, get exactly what you want out of it, and sell it down the road for more money than you paid for it in the first place. Wow!
Right about now the financially astute will point out that you actually lose money on the deal. There’s hangar rent (or tie downs) to consider, maintenance, fuel, insurance, etc. And they’re right. You’ll pay.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather live a life filled with adventurous merriment and deeply rooted friendships than one that’s based largely on the financial security I might find if I just don’t do anything stupid. Sometimes stupid is good. Sometimes it’s brilliant. Never discount the innate awesomeness of doing something absolutely, unabashedly stupid. John Lennon’s aunt Mimi famously said, “The guitar’s all right, John. But you’ll never earn a living with it.” Several billion people disagree.
I’ll tell you something stupid. I once took my son flying in a C-152 after a maintenance crew rebuilt the engine. I was an instructor at the school that managed the airplane and as a matter of policy we would burn the engine in for 10 hours before letting a paying customer take it following a rebuild.
So being a shockingly cheap consumer, as I am, I chose that airplane to introduce my son to aviation as seen from the front seat. He was 8 years old.
We flew all over the Connecticut River Valley. We headed out for Long Island Sound then turned to fly up the coast to Rhode Island. My boy had the controls the whole time, I just sat there marveling at how cute the little rascal was with my headset and sunglasses on. We talked. It was magical. We flew for quite a while and it didn’t cost me a dime.
How much do you suppose that memory is worth today? If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, and have to pay $100 for that flight, or $500, or $1,000 — would I do it? Oh yeah. I’d do it. That memory is fixed in my head as one of the great moments of my life.
Better yet, it’s fixed in my son’s head as one of his great shared experiences with the old man. It was a time when I trusted him enough to know that I’d let him take the controls of the airplane and fly across three states. He noticed. That flight made an impression.
When you consider how that flight enriched the lives of two generations, helped cement a bond between father and son, and opened a boy’s mind to the possibility that he can do anything he puts his mind to – well that’s a damn good bang for the buck no matter what the price tag might be.
But in all honesty, that flight at today’s rates would fall somewhere between $100 and $200. Cheap for what I got in return. Yep, that’s a deal if you ask me.
But then, why would you ask me? I just paid $16 for a bowl of oatmeal.
Hi Dan; ALL of GA’s “problems” can simply be traced to this – DEMAND (or lack of) for a myriad of reasons!
The next annual on that $30K classic could possibly run over 100% of the purchase cost unless the purchaser is an A&P.
It is true. The Golden Age of general aviation is a distant memory. Most people today are very, very risk averse, and prefer to spend their dough on house and car upgrades.
So what! A hundred years ago most people got around on foot or with the assistance of horses. Few do today, but there are still people who enjoy both walking and riding for pleasure. Personal aviation is going the same way, but that does not mean it will die, only that it will be regarded strictly as a hobby subject to reasonable restraints to avoid conflicts with other forms of aviation.
People who want new, capable aircraft in the $100K +- range today build them, fly them and maintain them. If you aren’t an expert when you begin your project, you certainly will be by the time it is ready to fly.
PS: I learned to fly in a C-152 about 25 years ago. It is a lovely-flying airplane, but I would not trade my Glasair for one.
I agree with Jaime. I think the thing that is driving up the costs is product liability. Also, as a full time flight instructor, it has become a full time job keeping people interested in flying especially when wages aren’t keeping up with living expenses. Also, it’s hard to keep excited about aviation when you see small airports deserted on weekends, and the people there bemoaning the high cost of flying while they are excited about their new Iphone 6 they just bought and paid a lot of money for. But alas, that’s human nature. AVIATION, you gotta love it to stay in it.
Donnie, respectfully, I strongly ask WHERE you want to be in the 65+ age group years from now. Will the “love” or passion for aviation give you any degree of financial security when you need it most – think long and hard about this – have seen to many have ZIP options later do to short term affairs now!
…..and the winner is………..The RV-12! Sure it’s a little over 100 thousand but that’s doable for anyone that should be able to fly in the first place. Don’t expect to be a recreational pilot if you are fliping hamburgers – even if you want to fly an old 150.
I just finished a $0.75 bowl of Oatmeal and had a 6 oz. Filet Mignon for $5.00 last night! Avgas at our airport is $6.79 / gal self serve. I self pumped 20 gal of Sunoco (89 octane) for $3.06 / gal. for my STC’d J3 Cub. AOPA discuss a “refurbished Cessna 150” in the Oct issue of The Pilot! Cost was $99,900..! I totally understand economics and we have (or been forced to) price ourselves for only the “upper crust” of our economic society. There are many in the USA who could afford flying if they were not so obnoxiously taxed to support the welfare state and a bloated government. It was tough to make a living not that many years ago as an FBO / Flight School catering to a limited disposal income. We are in a UAW mecca where factory floor cleaners and disposable waste pick-up people make $35.00 an hour, smoke cigarettes, drink lot’s of beer and vacation in Florida during annual plant shutdowns, (with pay of course!) I have been a strong advocate of GA and have experienced years of our growing problem. I have some answers and suggestions, but they are not “politically correct” in our current society. So, fly less, pay more and eat at less expensive places, like at home! Dan Lane= ATP/CFII/MEI
Two observations. If someone is getting $16.00 for a bowl of oatmeal, I am in the wrong bidness. Secondly, some day we are going to run out of lovely old formerly owned airplanes. The FAA can always adopt regs that take all of our beloved clunkers out of the sky and there won’t be any newer ‘used’ aircraft to replace them. Indeed – how can we sustain recreational aviation?
I guess perhaps you shouldn’t have articles touting new aircraft?
I love the story and that works for a while. If I’m a young engineer a few years our of school with a private ticket, Why can I only afford airplanes older than my dad? Fast forward 50 years. Where are the 50 year old airplanes going to come from then, or will my grandson be flying 100 year old planes? At some point it all falls apart and recreational flying will only be a memory. How do we keep recreational flying sustainable?