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"Flying On The Side"

rstark
Adventurer B

Brian asked me recently if I had been doing much flying outside of Southwest.

 

As I have mentioned in the past, my daughter is a flight instructor in Phoenix and flies regularly. I flew with her when she was earning her ratings, but now that she is a bona fide instructor, there is no reason to haul a non-paying passenger like me along. She has student loans to pay!

 

Everything is more expensive today. Private aviation started getting expensive about 30 years ago, and is now beyond the reach of most people. Much of this cost arose out of questionable law suits aimed at the manufacturers of light aircraft. Today, it is estimated that 60% of the price of a new Cessna goes into a “contingency fund” should the manufacturer ever be sued over the life of the aircraft. With a ticket price of just over $200,000, that means, $120,000 of the purchase price goes to attorney fees. That is tough for many people to swallow and is probably the single largest reason more new aircraft aren’t produced.

 

Because of the high cost associated with new planes, older planes have kept their value very well over time. Still, the number of pilots has fallen off markedly over the past 30 years. In fact, since 1980, the number of rated pilots in this country has declined from over 827,000 to less than 600,000 in 2006. So few are the people who can afford to meet the stringent rating and training criteria--and the stratospheric aircraft rental costs, the FAA has created two new pilot rating categories in an attempt to lower the costs associated with “flying yourself.”

 

In 2004, the Sport Pilot category was created to allow pilots to fly a new class of planes that only carry two people, only go no faster than 120 mph, and weigh no more than 1,320 lbs, about half the weight of the average car. This aircraft is limited to daytime operation only. An additional rating category termed, Recreational Pilots, further restricts pilots to a certain distance from their home airports but greatly lowers the training costs associated with flight training.

 

A new pilot going for a traditional Private Pilot’s rating can expect to spend between $10,000 and $20,000 to gain certification. The Light Sport rating is estimated to run $5,000 to $6,000. For a pilot who wishes to work as a commercial pilot, the costs approach that of medical or law school. My daughter started with a Private Pilot rating I paid for when she was still in High School. Since then, her student loans to get her an Instrument rating, a Multi-engine rating, her Certified Flight Instructor Rating (CFI), and her Certified Instrument Flight Instructor Rating (CFII) have run her about $75,000. She will be employable at a commuter airline shortly, after bagging a few more flight hours. But, before she can start class at Southwest Airlines, she will have to earn a 737 Type Rating. That unique requirement means all applicants at SWA that get accepted into our training program are already Captain-rated by the FAA to fly the 737. That rating will run another $7,000-$9,000.

 

Okay, say you don’t want to be an airline pilot, but rather just a professional who likes to fly on his or her time off. After the basic rating, you either have to rent or buy an airplane. Sadly, not many friends loan out their airplanes to their friends. 

 

Renting is the most hassle-free method. You can expect to pay between $100 and $140 an hour to rent a small Cessna or Piper. You pay more per hour but you don’t have any of the “boarding” costs associated with ownership. The rental facility takes care of all the maintenance and upkeep issues with the aircraft, along with the considerable storage costs associated with storing and "feeding" the aircraft.

Fuel is usually included in the rental hourly rate. 

For those deadset to buy their own plane, often the best way to go is with multiple partners. Two or three people will buy into a plane and this greatly cuts the maintenance and storage costs. Unlike SWA Boeings that get inspected monthly because they fly so much, every year a light aircraft is required to undergo a “annual inspection” where all aspects of the aircraft are inspected to ensure airworthiness. Sitting is bad for an aircraft, especially if the aircraft is stored outdoors. Hangar costs can run $300 to $700 a month at small general aviation airports

 

Those who can afford it, undertake the whole cost of an aircraft unto themselves. Many have decided to “live at the airport” at fly-in communities where they store their aircraft at their house, usually in an attached hangar which looks like part of their home. This situation is usually the most cost effective and helps lower cost of ownership as well as lowers the “hassle factor” by keeping the aircraft close for spur of the moment flying. This, in turn, is better for the plane because it sees more frequent use.

 

So, in my case, I get my fill of aviation flying my passengers around the country. It sure would be nice to own a small plane to go fly with my daughter, but that is really an expensive proposition, especially while she is buying flying ratings so that she can replace me and fly my passengers' kids around someday. I hope to fly with her here before I retire in a decade.

 

But then there’s always the PowerBall!

 

(Ray asked us to share this great video about the joys of flying at the greatest airshow in the world, Oshkosh.)

4 Comments
bhurst
Adventurer B
What a great video for General Aviation ... not to mention it's narrated by Harrison Ford!
James_Aydelott
Explorer C
Great blog about the cost of General Aviation. I'm an instrument rated private pilot, and I use my Cessna Cardinal for lots of trips between Dallas and Springfield, MO. (Unfortunately, SGF is not a Southwest destination) There's no doubt its more expensive than driving, but from Dallas to Springfield, the Cardinal is 2.5 hours, the car is 8 hours. Compared to a walk-up fare on the unnamed airline with the eagle on the rudder, going by private plane is still far cheaper. The other great thing about general aviation is not having to deal with TSA and what is arguably the worst part of flying commercial, the security checkpoint.
chuchoteur
Adventurer B
Hi Ray, indeed the cost of flying has gone through the roof... I'm fortunate that my employer is dedicated to aviation as a whole, and subsidised in part my private pilots licence. Flying in a flying club has cut out a lot of the expense that can be associated with aircraft ownership and maintenance, but whilst I "pay by the hour", aircraft availability may not match my schedule, and going away for more than a weekend with an aircraft can be complicated to organise... An option to get into the "owner" market is to build your aircraft yourself. If you don't feel you can handle starting from scratch with raw wood and/or metal, you can find a large number of kits on the market that will suit most needs, as well as most budgets. You can also get some help building them! Alas, these can require a lot of time and dedication to complete... but on the "experimental" register, you are then allowed to carry out your own maintenance, which reduces the operational costs. Looking at the selection available at Oshkosh for example, you'd almost buy one there and then! :o))) When it comes to loaning your aircraft to friends, the lawyers get in the way again. Insurance companies may be reluctant to provide cover, as your premiums are determined according to your experience and familarity with that category/type of aircraft, and unfortunately if even the smallest thing goes wrong (even a small tech issue), the costs often swell quickly, with responsibility & warranty issues :o) Now flying WITH friends (even if they are technically PIC) is always a solution, enabling people to fly further and spread the costs across more people, especially since most light aircraft are dual-equipped, with full access to all controls from either left or right hand seat! But, flying is still a dream come true for me!
n922wn
Explorer C
Hey Ray : I myself would like to become a SWA Pilot, and I would love to get some advice from you, if you could possible shoot me an e-mail b_catone@yahoo.com it would be great to hear from you! Sincerely Bobby Catone