air fare
 

ive been turned onto a guy that has a 75S 911 for sale and have found he's one hell of a retired fella after speaking with him on the phone a couple times.. the car looks great too but ill get back to that. he lives in one of those fly in country club up above sac on hwy 80 in auburn and has a number of planes at his house. he has suggested he fly down to the peninsula's airport in palo alto, pick me up, fly to his place to see & drive the car, then he'd fly me back to PA. he has said "if I covered costs" which I tried to get an estimate on and he never did say.

it's likely not some jet or turbo prop 10 seater, but I might expect a small Cessna or the like. it's been suggested it may be a 45 minute flight by a friend, same guy said he'd not ride in a plane with a piolet he did not know. the seller flier did say the flight was fully weather permitting.

would fuel costs be more than a couple hundred bucks? not sure of the airport in palo alto, but id imagine there is a cost to land a plane at non affiliated air strips? can any of you fliers share some knowledge on what I might expect in cost, or any questions I should ask him? the guy who recommended the sale of what looks to be a solid 75S speaks very highly of him.

drive or fly?

t

Unless he is a commercial pilot, then I don't think he can be reimbursed for expenses legally. Depending on the plane, for typical GA planes., it could burn 10-15 gallons per hour at $4-5/gallon. For my plane I figure fixed costs of $100 per hour...Cirrus SR22. Indeed, some airports charge a landing fee.

Kind of a wide open proposition without knowing details or capping expenses. Ask him for a detailed estimate of those expenses...a good flight plan should be able to establish that.

You can check fuel and landing fees online...www.airnav.com as a start.

My thought would be:
If I'm not driving that way at first light in the morning, he might sell to someone else? If you really want the car, act fast.

You're in my home turf.
Leave P.A at 5 in the morning. Get clear of the commuters and pull off for breakfast somewhere around Sacto. You'll be in Auburn by 8:30. Easy drive.

As I understand it you are allowed to split costs but not be paid without a commercial license.

Just tell him you'd like the experience of flying but not if it will be more than $xxx, then leave it up to him.

I would drive,like Charles said, it is an easy drive. I could make it from my MIL house in Saratoga to Rocklin in about 3.5 hours easy.
Did he say which airpark?
Curious because the only one around here is at Cameron Park, on 50

so yeah, I could drive and may do so but thought the flight might be cool at the right price.

the car has not been and will not be actively advertised until after the 1st of the year so unlikely to get swooped in on & bought out from under me.

quick, he owns a property at one of those fly in private air strip communities so the take off & landings in the auburn area should not be charged for. he owns a share of the air strip as I understand it. my pops has actually been to this place and says its pretty funny as all of the street signs are like 4' tall for wing clearance and it's not unusual to see a plane taxiing through the neighborhood headed to the runway...

If it was me I would not take the offer of a flight. If the drive is relatively easy then just drive. The thought of flying with an unknown pilot would not be worth it. You will be in a better frame of mind if you drive yourself than somebody else fly you. You are more in control.....:) You will make better decisions.

A a Flight Instructor, My take is if the guy lives on an air park and has several planes he should know what he is doing and 100% you can share expenses even with a private pilot....Figure $50 -$100 per 100 miles.
But remember if you fly you are at his and the weathers Mercy getting home.

Do you have much experience flying in small planes?

It can be an acquired taste:cool:

If you do and are willing to do it, no private pilot I know minds if a passenger asks them a few questions about their experience, etc., including costs.

I fly with my neighbor once a month or so and I always ask him when the last time his big ol' butt was flying as PIC.

FWIW, my experience has been that the air park folks are usually very good and conscientious.

One last thing, make sure you have arranged a way back to P.A. if Chuck Yeager turns out to be Chuck Wagon or the weather turns goofy.

What if you hate the car ? It'll be a long quiet awkward flight back. Also the guy would fly 4 legs essentially, it adds up $$... Just drive, keeps more options open.

As for the legality with the FAA, why would you care?
That's his problem if he breaks a regulation.

FAR Section 61.113(c)
– Private pilot can share operating expenses with passengers provided the private pilot does not pay less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses
– Limited to fuel, oil, airport expenditures, and rental fees
– Purpose of flight must be bona fide joint venture for a common purpose


I bet an agent from FAA legal could make the argument that providing the air transportation is an inducement to buy his car. Also, if he turned out to be a car dealer, then the flight is no longer incidental to his business... it is in furtherance of his business.



Now, if he breaks the plane... then it's your problem.
What are his insurance coverage limits for you if there is an incident? Many privately operated planes only have about $50k of passenger medical coverage.


Not saying you should not do it. Just stuff to think about.

that's why I posted here knowing I would get some straight answers and good insight on the prospects of flying with a pilot im not familiar with. like I said, I thought the flight could be a cool experience.

thanks to all who contributed

I think you should get to his place on your own and keep it simple. Maybe you will buy the car and make friends and go on a flight some other time.

I would leap at the opportunity, it sounds like fun.

Drive yourself down and look at the car. If you like it, maybe he'll take you for a quick flight around the neighborhood.

Gary