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Author Topic: Owning an airplane  (Read 6155 times)

Offline CptTrips

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #30 on: April 19, 2011, 12:40:47 PM »
Quote from: Wolfala on April 19, 2011, 08:42:41 AM
KaChing..KaChing...KaChing...KaChing....

Yikes.  Whats that old saying?

If it flys, floats, or fornicates, rent don't buy.  It'll be cheaper in the end.

:t,
Wab
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Offline LLogann

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #31 on: April 19, 2011, 12:47:19 PM »
 :cheers:
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Offline Tupac

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #32 on: April 19, 2011, 01:55:27 PM »
Quote from: Shuffler on April 19, 2011, 11:54:01 AM
Amazing what the flood did a few years back when it overran the spillway. Made a whole new canyon.

I have not kayaked from the dam down since that flood. The sat pics are amazing though.

There are some even bigger ones on the otherwise near the floodgate, but it was o dark to get pictures
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Offline Tupac

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #33 on: April 19, 2011, 01:59:27 PM »
Otherside* sorry can't fix it I'm on my phone
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Offline Shuffler

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #34 on: April 19, 2011, 02:22:44 PM »
Quote from: Maverick on April 19, 2011, 12:05:14 PM
Airplane costs are one of those things like asking how high is up. I had a 59 Piper Comanche for more than a decade. The annual costs were minimal really. I don;t think I ever topped $2000 for one but then again I really didn't have much in the way of failures. I did buy a new prop one year but that was to avoid an inspection AD on the old one that was all but an overhaul every other year. When you have a constant speed prop that can get expensive. The new prop cost me $7k but I sold the old one to a guy in Australia for $5k. There was nothing wrong with the prop so he got a good deal and my new scimitar tri blade ended up costing me $2k.

I figured out at the time that between the insurance coverage, shade port rent and registration that the bird cost me $2k not including maintenance even if I never turned the key on it at all. It was fulfilling my childhood dream so it was worth it to me and I could afford it at the time. It was a bitter sweet day when I sold her. Missy flew beautifully on the demo flight and her new owner was impressed.

I did my own maintenance under supervision. It actually wasn't terribly hard to do, just long hours and a lot of time spent on details. The retract gear added some additional time and expense. It had bungee cords as well as electrical motive gear. The bungee was really the force that kept it up tight or down and locked rather than the gear mechanism. It had a 3 year life span. Changing it could get "interesting" because of the tension on it and you had to do half of it "blind" one handed inside the wing. It's hard to start a bolt then insert a small cotter pin in a small hole at arms length with your arm bent backwards stuck in a 5" wide hole in the wing. Since it was based in Marana AZ. I also had to spray to get the black widows out of the wing area before working on it.

The plane also had an annoying habit of breaking something if it felt I was not paying enough attention to it. Nothing really bad, just more $ and time in the shop hanger. One year on the flight home from the location of the annual (Tucson TUS) the gear, which had been exercised several times during the annual, decided to play a trick on me. Right after take off it refused to retract all the way and stuck exactly half way up. Then  it refused to extend. A bit of a bother there. I got to use the manual extension for real for the first time. Fortunately my son was in the bird and helped push it down. It seems a small wire came loose from a sensor switch and the gear stopped. I did make a nice smooth landing right back where I took off from though.

Eventually the plane work was extensive enough that my IA actually hired me to work for him when I was between jobs after retiring from the City. I enjoyed it and light planes are pretty simple machines for the most part. It is a thrill to take the first engine you overhauled up for it's first break in period. You keep trying to go over the overhaul in your mind to see if you might just have forgotten something.  :pray Then it becomes tedious hours boring a hole in the sky in a circular pattern waiting for the rings to seat, the cylinder temp and the oil temp to drop. It took 5 hours in the 172. It ran very strong and extremely smooth.

When 9/11 happened our business went away because everything was grounded so I went back to school, got my 3rd college degree and an A&P from Cochise College. Then I went back and worked for him again for another 2 years until the wife finally retired and we hit the road full time.

Nice read Mav... thanks for posting. Never fails to amaze me.. the folks we have in our community.
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Offline Tupac

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #35 on: April 19, 2011, 02:38:05 PM »
Mav, how difficult are owner assisted annuals? I'm mechanically inclined. I guess what I mean is how much $ does it save me?
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Offline Golfer

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #36 on: April 19, 2011, 04:19:34 PM »
I don't think your allowance will take a hit over it but you will learn.

Don't just walk away because it's dirty. Don't throw in the towel because removing and reinstalling inspection panels doesn't go as fast as you want. If you weren't told to do it, DON'T!  If you screw something up, admit it. If you use a tool, put it back. If you can't find one you used, find it anyway.  When you wind up with extra parts and fasteners find where they go. Follow the instructions in the maintenance manual. Read twice and do once. You're not too smart to do "that."  Look closely because big problems don't have to be obvious.  Don't throw a tool because you got mad. Don't wear nice clothes. Have plenty of airflow and circulation in your workspace. Stay focused but take breaks when you need them.

And no matter what don't under any circumstances EVER...

Gotta go passengers just showed up.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2011, 04:42:00 PM by Golfer »
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Offline pipz

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #37 on: April 19, 2011, 04:29:40 PM »
Dope pictures Tupac  :aok
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Offline flight17

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #38 on: April 19, 2011, 04:53:06 PM »
cubs arent as fuel efficient as you think. At least the super cubs arent. Ours burns 6gal an hour, about the same as a 172
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Offline Dichotomy

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #39 on: April 19, 2011, 05:53:13 PM »
Quote from: Golfer on April 19, 2011, 04:19:34 PM
I don't think your allowance will take a hit over it but you will learn.

Don't just walk away because it's dirty. Don't throw in the towel because removing and reinstalling inspection panels doesn't go as fast as you want.  

He won't.

Tup is fine example of a young man in this country.  We could use a couple million more like him.

Shutting down now the Tornado siren is going off.

Edit: well that didn't take long to blow by :)  At least I don't have to water tomorrow.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2011, 06:35:17 PM by Dichotomy »
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Offline Tupac

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #40 on: April 19, 2011, 06:51:04 PM »
Just got done with my first solo flight in the plane. About a 350 foot ground roll and 1400 fpm climb at 76knots.


Golfer, I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty. I do most of the maintenance on my car (oil changes, fuel filters, etc)

Dicho, aw shucks  :)
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Offline Tupac

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #41 on: April 19, 2011, 06:54:43 PM »
Von, I forgot to take pictures today. I PROMISE I will do it tomorrow
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Offline MachFly

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #42 on: April 19, 2011, 07:36:14 PM »
Quote from: Tupac on April 19, 2011, 06:51:04 PM
Just got done with my first solo flight in the plane. About a 350 foot ground roll and 1400 fpm climb at 76knots.

What's the elevation?
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Offline Tupac

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #43 on: April 19, 2011, 07:37:55 PM »
Quote from: MachFly on April 19, 2011, 07:36:14 PM
What's the elevation?

650ft at KBAZ (New Braunfels)

It sustained the climbrate pretty well up to 3500 feet.

I didnt do a Short field takeoff, either. I bet I could get it off the ground and in GE by 250 feet
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Offline MachFly

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Re: Owning an airplane
« Reply #44 on: April 19, 2011, 07:53:34 PM »
Quote from: Tupac on April 19, 2011, 07:37:55 PM
650ft at KBAZ (New Braunfels)

It sustained the climbrate pretty well up to 3500 feet.

I didnt do a Short field takeoff, either. I bet I could get it off the ground and in GE by 250 feet

That's really good.

What kind of engine did it originally have?
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flew Spitfires, Hurricanes, P-51s, P-47s, and F-4s
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