Are you more likely to get a PPL/SPL if you bought your own airplane?

N918KT

N918KT

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
716
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Display Name
Display name:
KT
Hey guys. I have a question for those who bought an airplane for primary flight training (getting a private or sport pilot license). Are you more likely to complete primary flight training if you bought your own airplane to train in?

I would think the reason is why buy an airplane if you are not going to complete flight training? It would be a waste of money to buy an airplane only to not complete flight training right? Would you be able to easily sell the airplane to recover your cost if you decided to drop out of flight training?
 
I would not buy a plane for the PP, but would if continuing to get IR.
 
Had my private when I purchased my first airplane got the other ratings in my own aircraft.
 
I bought my first Cirrus 1 week after my checkride for my IR training. Would I do it again? YUP but not for a PP - IR yes.
 
It sure seems like it would offer an extra incentive to finish. Most likely though it would be an indication that they had the financial wherewithal to complete their training. Money is probably the number one reason people drop out of flight training.
 
It would also be an enabler.

Two dimensions.

1. If you are at a busy FBO, scheduling the plane can takes weeks of advance planning. if you own a plane, it's a text to the CFI saying "hey, my work schedule lightened tomorrow, any chance you've got time in the afternoon". So you'd go through it faster.

2. most of owning is fixed costs. Hangar, insurance, annual. your variable is probably 40% of the total. so once I've paid the insurance, annual and monthly storage, going to fly is just 9 gallons of avgas at $4. so it only "costs" $36 to go fly that hour. very different from it costing $140 to go fly for an hour if money is a little tight that month.
 
For me it was a necessity. My finance company put the stipulation that in order to get the loan I had to complete my PPL within a year. Took me four months.

Glad I did it. Didn't want to pay someone else's rate to learn to fly.
 
Hell yes. You own an airplane, you gotta fly it. You pay whether you do or not.
 
I bought my first airplane (Cessna 150) immediately after I solo'ed. I would think that you are more likely to obtain your PPL if you own a plane. Not only do you have more of a vested interest in obtaining the license, but it is also so much easier to go practice on your own schedule. Once my instructor signed me off to fly solo, I did a lot of flying that most students would not have had the opportunity to do. By the time I went for my checkride, I was extremely comfortable flying MY plane that I knew so well.
 
> I bought my first airplane (Cessna 150) immediately after I solo'ed.

Same thing, same plane. I even managed to put like 30 or 40 on it before the checkride.

It was a blast being able to leave the DPE and go directly home, hop in my plane and legally fly my dad around.
 
Some guys do it, but I don't think I would. Too many things can wash you out.

PPL then buy a plane.

Ask this .. would you buy a car to get a DL?
 
If you can afford it, it is the best way to be taught, being taught in your own plane, by a CFI who will help you learn all the little things about your plane and your technique is extremely valuable. It is priceless.

You can practice on soft field landings, because it is your plane. Most flight schools will not let you use their planes, for soft field landings because of insurance.

On your cross country flight, you can plan and take a real cross country, because cost will not factor in your decesion and you will try to plan a real trip. Your CFI will help you plan the trip and make it safer for when you do get your ppl. For example, Like going to fly to visit your sister in another city. You can even spend the night, something most flight schools will not let you do with their student planes. I believe the more you learn the way you will fly with the help of your CFI the safer you will be after you get your PPL. Statistically speaking, your most dangerous time as being a pilot, is the first several hundred hours after you get your PPL.

You can use your plane whenever you have free time to fly (after approval of your CFI). Thus you will have many more flights closer together (which is what we all want). You will start flying it, the way you will fly after you get PPL. The advantage is that you will still be on the tutelage of your CFI for all sorts of little questions along the way, that is worth it all by itself.

You will also learn all the important maintenance questions that will be on the ppl exam, because they make sense, your have real personal interest in the FAA plane/owner requirements.

If you buy a used plane, the value of the plane will not depreciate much, and you can sell it for more or less for what you paid for it. You will also learn all about the fixed cost of plane ownership. It is definitely not the cheapest way of learning, but the most complete way of learning if you want to be a GA.

You are much more likely to finish your PPL if you own your own plane.

It is expensive, but you generally get what you pay for.

On a side note:
It is controversial, but I would much rather be taught on a complex, retractible plane and learn it first that way, then to learn on a fixed propeller, fixed gear plane and then try to transition to a complex plane. I believe "gear up landing" are more likely in pilots that learn on a fixed gear plane first, but that is just my opinion. it is easier to learn good habits.
 
I'd think if you need to buy a plane to make yourself follow through with getting your ticket, you probably shouldn't buy a plane.
 
Bought a plane right after I solo'd. Only waited that long because it took a while to find the one (C177) that I wanted.

Flew it for four years and about 400+ hours. Finished my RV9A last spring and sold the Cardinal out to my partner for what we paid for it.

Saved a lot of money over plane rentals, and learned on a plane that I was going to fly a lot.

If you are sure you are going to follow through it is a great way to go.

-Dan
 
Known several people that bought a plane then dabbled along never, or taking a very long time, getting a license. Showrooms are hard to find but impulse buying a used plane is well within the means of many. Sort of an eccentric thing to do but not unheard of. Bad rental situations certainly stop people from getting their ticket, but I don't think ownership when an OK rental situation exists improves the completion numbers.
 
Got the airplane first, then trained. There was no doubt in my mind, I was meant to fly. Economics were not even a consideration. "Come hell or high water I was going to get licensed." ;)

PS. If you are not that sure or not a millionaire, don't do it.

Cheers
 
Last edited:
I had access to a plane during my PPL training. I paid all the maintenance and hangar fees. I definitely loved the flexibility. I am glad I wasn't locked into it. With experience, I learned that I wanted something different. I would think a lot of pilots would learn the same thing. I don't think a lot of people would know what's out there or what they really need. Unless you're willing to sell and buy another plane, I'd probably rent until getting some hours under my belt.
 
I saw a few guys at my home airport buy planes and never finish getting their PPL
 
I don't think buying a plane is going to motivate you any more than renting would, you just have to want it.

But if you did buy one, even though they're hard to sell, they don't depreciate like cars so you'd likely make your money back if you chose to get rid of it.
 
If you are looking for an anchor to keep you from dropping out... pre-pay a bunch of your anticipated training costs to your CFI or school. When I got frustrated 'way back when,' I am glad that's what I did.
 
I guess I must have been a little naive when I started my pilot training because the thought never crossed my mind that I would not complete the process of getting my license. That was why I had no qualms about buying a 150 to learn in. I flew the 150 for around 100 hours before I sold it. I think I sold it for about $500 less than what I paid for it. When I added up the cost of my ownership over that period versus renting to get my license, I came out ahead and had the luxury of being able to fly on my schedule.
 
Timbeck2 said:
For me it was a necessity. My finance company put the stipulation that in order to get the loan I had to complete my PPL within a year. Took me four months.

Glad I did it. Didn't want to pay someone else's rate to learn to fly.
Click to expand...


That's a very interesting loan stipulation. I wonder why they required it?
 
dans2992 said:
That's a very interesting loan stipulation. I wonder why they required it?
Click to expand...

Heard of that before. Suggests owning doesn't help the completion rate. At least not in a timely manner. If you have a solo endorsement and your own plane and no friends what is the rush? Or maybe student owners get into more trouble and the insurance company doesn't want to be on the hook for too long.
 
Gucci Pilot said:
I saw a few guys at my home airport buy planes and never finish getting their PPL
Click to expand...

I heard and knew of local 'pilots' who owned their own planes but didn't have a pilot certificate at a small rural airport I used to instruct at but they flew anyway. :nono:
 
I also bought a Cessna 150, just prior to solo. I knew beyond a doubt that I was going to finish and make a career of it though. The freedom of having your own airplane is invaluable. Because I didn't have to pay $100 per hour or more to go fly, I spent a lot of time selling before I got my license and I feel that that made me much more prepared to take on the world after my check ride
 
Owning while training worked well for me. My twin brother was close to his PP checkride when he convinced me to go 50/50 on a used Citabria. We were 18 at the time; I had never touched the controls on a small aircraft.

I got my license in 6 months, commercial, multi, IR and CFI a few years later. I think it is a good way to go if you have the time, money and motivation to follow through.
 
I bought my 1961 Cherokee PA-28 160 last spring. I didn't even know how to crank the thing.

I was 51 years old so I did get my medical clearance before I made the jump. No financing, I paid cash. I figure it saved me a bout $4,000 in rental fees.

It took me all summer and into the fall to get my PP. I took time for minor surgery and I felt that I was not on the priority lists to get training hours since my instructor only got $40 an hour to train me instead of the the $150 he charged people to rent and train in his plane.

I also learned how to care for my plane and developed relationships with a couple mechanics with my instructors guidance. This part was priceless to me

If I had not gotten my license, I always felt I could have sold my plane for close to what I paid for it. It worked out for me, but I did have help picking the right plane for my needs.

Good luck!
 
I know a lot of people who purchased planes (those with too much money) and never flew. I had a lot of fun in a Dakota that we got to flew because the owner was too busy to learn to fly it but was smart enough to take the advice of his instructor that the plane needed to get up in the air regularly. I know a guy who bought a 150 and frankly his wife got so annoyed that he wasn't following up the lessons that SHE decided to get her license and beat him to it. That got a fire going under him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top