can $25,000 get you get a decent aircraft?

air-cool-me · 08-03-2007, 07:44 AM

So I am interested in an economical aircraft to build time in and have fun for less then the 130$\hour the local FBO wants...also I would like to get my dad back into flying small planes...(he fly’s for Boeing)

I am really green with only 247 hours instrument rating, multi and commercial.(working on cfi)

Part of me wants the ability to “go places” but I think I only have 1\2 of what I need to get a decent cross country aircraft.

I also have this tingling urge to try “light” backcountry flying…..
With proper Instruction…

Also a biggie is that I am currently at 5000ft in Prescott… and on a hot day the density altitude can be way up there….

Any suggestions? Any been-there-sold-that advice?

_nick

Dantilla · 08-03-2007, 08:02 AM

Find somebody else with $25,000, and buy yourselves a $50,000 airplane.

I own half of a Bonanza. I'd rather pay for half of the bills for a seriously fun, fast airplane than try to foot the entire bill for half the capability.

Joeaksa · 08-03-2007, 08:41 AM

Dantilla has a good idea. Find a good partner and try that. If you need help with finding a partner, email me as I know an FBO owner in Prescott who might know someone looking for a partner.

Are you wanting to build time or go places? An old C-150 or the like is a good cheap time builder. I own an Aeronca just for fun but at 100 mph it takes a while to go anywhere... I fly it for fun, not for going places.

Joe

charleskieffner · 08-03-2007, 09:25 AM

know of aircoupe for sale at deer valley aeropuerto. 25k ready to go fly. all recent certs done. e-me if interested

rouxroux · 08-03-2007, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charleskieffner

know of aircoupe for sale at deer valley aeropuerto. 25k ready to go fly. all recent certs done. e-me if interested

Especially fun when you look down and see nothing on the floor except a brake. You'll also get "very friendly" with your passenger when going for the fuel selector switch (great when you're single and in college)....

Tim Hancock · 08-03-2007, 09:42 AM

You can definitely find a small two seat airplane for 25k. As Joe stated, old taildraggers are lots of "fun" to fly and if fun is what you are after, by all means go for it. At most small local fly-ins, no one even notices the 40-50k 172, instead most like looking at the old classics.

100 mph vs 125 mph is not too big of a difference when going on a 500 mile trip. Sure a Bonanza would be a great choice if you intended to travel cross country alot, but I bet Joe has just as much "fun" buzzing around is his Aeronca (as I do in my 125 mph Pacer) as guys who are flying 175 mph birds when it comes to shorter trips or $100 dollar hamburger trips.

One "cheap" plane I can think of is pretty fast, but would not like low and slow stuff is a Grumman AA1 "Yankee". 125 or so mph, but poor short field or high density altitude performance.

Note, I am not knocking Bonanzas (I would love to have one), but small cheap (relatively slow) airplanes are plenty of "fun" to fly. Hell, Joe flys jets for a living yet he chooses to fly an old tube and fabric classic for fun.

When I want low and slow flying ("fun"), I usually drag out my ultralight and go have a blast. It only cruises at about 65, but it is a blast landing on short strips and on occasion smooth farm fields or BIG backyards.

BlueSideUp · 08-03-2007, 09:50 AM

I'm not sure how much of a Stinson Voyager you can get for 25K but I used to fly one out of Prescott. It did really well and was a decent cross country plane. The Voyager definitely has a lot more style than any 172. The airplane I flew had the 165 horse Franklin engine in it, hopefully I'll be able to buy one myself someday.

I also flew a 7EC Champ out of Prescott and I think it had the 85 horse engine. It wouldn't climb too well when it was hot and you weren't coordinated but it was a great airplane.

My list of cool airplanes I'd like to own are a dream until the far off future....

Stinson Voyager or Station Wagon
Stinson Gull Wing
Howard DGA
Piper Super Cruiser
Beech T-34

Only one at a time but I'd love to own any of these airplanes.

Dantilla · 08-03-2007, 09:55 AM

The Grummans were on my short list of airplanes I was considering before the Bonanza opportunity arose. A Cheetah or Tiger has four seats, so the whole family could go. Fast, efficient fun. Something I could afford on my own.

If you even considering the partnership idea, I think the partner is far more important than the airplane. It would be no fun to butt heads over scheduling and maintenance, and if one side is a gadget freak who wants constant upgrades, and the other is a cheapeskate who doesn't want to spend an extra dime, the partnership is doomed. I've been very fortunate to have been in two partnerships that have worked out extremely well. We both want the airplane impeccably maintained, and we both have flexible schedules. I know how he flies, he knows how I fly. We both take very good care of that expensive air-cooled flat six (semi-Porsche content) up front.

charleskieffner · 08-03-2007, 09:56 AM

hmmmmmmmmmm! but aercoupe/ercoupe/aircoupe has p-38 lightning tail on it!!!

everyone would think you were going after YAMAMOTO! slap a few jap rising sun stickers on it and everyone would think yer a fighter jock!

LOL!

this bird is in very nice shape. owner -g/friends step dad, is going to loose his medical.

cash talks on this one!

rouxroux · 08-03-2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charleskieffner

hmmmmmmmmmm! but aercoupe/ercoupe/aircoupe has p-38 lightning tail on it!!!

everyone would think you were going after YAMAMOTO! slap a few jap rising sun stickers on it and everyone would think yer a fighter jock!

LOL!

this bird is in very nice shape. owner -g/friends step dad, is going to loose his medical.

cash talks on this one!

Could'nt he fly it in sport pilot category? The aircoupe certainly qualifies!

charleskieffner · 08-03-2007, 10:29 AM

yes he can but he has too many projects right now. 3 homes 2 mining claims blah blah vintage vehicles blah blah. just like us.............too many toys/projects.

it really is a nice plane.

joe it is west of restaurant row closest to south runway nose pointed to the south w/for sale sign on it! look for p-38 boom tail. name on cowling is "TARA" his wifes name.

Dantilla · 08-03-2007, 11:05 AM

Ercoupes are neat little airplanes. I thought of getting one before I had a family of three.

rouxroux · 08-03-2007, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dantilla

Ercoupes are neat little airplanes. I thought of getting one before I had a family of three.

And SO much fun to "crab". I really have a soft spot for them.

rattlsnak · rattlsnak's Garage

while i agree with Tim on most points, for me, i would rather have a fast plane that i could fly slow, than a slow plane i couldnt go faster in. yes, i love to fly, but not at the level some of you do. after i built my time and got to the airlines, i simply have had no desire to get near/fly a piston airplane again. Now a nice radial engine warbird would be cool!!

Joeaksa · 08-04-2007, 01:11 AM

One thing to be careful of is getting a "complex" airplane right off. Retractable gear, controlled pitch prop and so on. It doubles the cost of your annual inspection and the props are required to be overhauled every 5 years, so it adds up.

Get a fixed gear 2 or 4 place plane and build some time. Upgrade it along the way and you should be able to get close to what you paid for it when you sell it in 2-3 years.

Personally I do not like the Ercoupe's but thats just me. Would buy a C-120/140, Aeronca or Stinson myself but I am biased. An old straight tail C-150/C170 or C-152/C-172 would be nice as well.

on2wheels52 · on2wheels52's Garage

Should someone should bring up the advice about never buying that floats, flies, or f*#@s?
Jim

HardDrive · 08-04-2007, 12:06 PM

rattlsnak · rattlsnak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by on2wheels52

Should someone should bring up the advice about never buying that floats, flies, or f*#@s?
Jim

LOL,. yep, we use that saying all the time...

"If it Flys, Floats or *****s, you will go broke maintaining it".

Joeaksa · 08-04-2007, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rouxroux

Could'nt he fly it in sport pilot category? The aircoupe certainly qualifies!

Not every model of the Ercoupe is sport pilot legal. As well the Ercoupe's have a very bad corrosion problem, so if anyone is ever thinking of buying one a pre-purchase inspection by someone who really knows the make is mandatory.

I know of one where two young kids purchased one, flew it for 6 months then did an annual on it. The IA found corrosion so bad that it grounded the plane and the repairs were more than they had paid for the entire plane.

Tim Hancock · 08-05-2007, 07:18 AM

I am not too fond of Ercoupes myself, but to each their own. I stripped and repainted an Alon (newer version of Ercoupe) 7 or 8 years ago and they just don't do it for me.