Can you rent a single piston for a week?

midcap

midcap

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midcap
Asking out of curiosity, but lets say you are wanting to do a XC flight for a vacation.

How does that normally work out? You just pay hourly dry for the time in the air? Then you just need to return the plane full?

I would assume the owner would want some comp for that plane not being at their FBO for those day in which you aren't flying.
 
Usually they charge a minimum each day, say 2 hours a day for example. If they can spare the plane too.
 
At the FBO where I got my private, it was 3 hours per day minimum. So, to rent a plane for seven nights, it would have been a minimum of $2,444.90. (And that is for a Cessna 172 at $108/hr plus sales tax at 7.8%)

Ouch!!!!! :no:
 
azpilot said:
At the FBO where I got my private, it was 3 hours per day minimum. So, to rent a plane for seven nights, it would have been a minimum of $2,444.90. (And that is for a Cessna 172 at $108/hr plus sales tax at 7.8%)

Ouch!!!!! :no:
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makes buying seem like a good deal if you like to vacation. Which happens to be the reason I got interested in flying in the first place.
 
I've rented for extended periods a number of times but I'm pretty sure it's been less than a full week. Maybe up to 6 days.

Minimum rates are understandable. If you are going to fly for an hour and a half each way and let the airplane sit for 4-6 days doing nothing, that's a lot of time for the airplane not to be earning money.

But policies vary. I've see airplanes, especially ones that were not being used regularly for training with low or waived minimums. After all, what is a Turbo 182 RG for if not to take a trip? Fleet size matters. If that T182RG is also the only complex airplane, it might be used for for commercial and CFI training.

On the trips I've rented like that, I've almost always put on more than the required minimum hours.
 
Depends on the FBO. Some FBO's only allow solo that the ratings require, no rental for trips at all. Others, heck, they'll let you take it to Alaska if you have the bucks!
 
One thing to consider. What if you get stuck somewhere unable to fly due to weather and cant get back in time for work? What are you going to do? Thats one reason why FBO's have a problem with long term rental. The other is, what if something breaks on the airplane? That one is a problem if its far away.
 
As others have said, usually there is a certain minimum hours per day you will be charged, often 2 or 3.

So if you trip was 3 hours each way (6hrs), but it sat idle for 5 days, you would pay for the 6 hours of actual use, and then the 5 days of idle use.
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This is where equity ownership clubs come into being in a good deal. The one I am in does not charge an overnight minimum. And you are permitted to take the aircraft for periods of a week or more. Just don't book it for 4 weeks and then no use it.
 
One would think you'd want to rent all the pistons and not just one :D
 
it is possible, yes, but 'round here it's extremely tough to get on the schedule, planes are always booked. if u do it far enough in advance AND the weather works out AND you can accept (or fly) the minimums AND you don't encounter mx issues, then it can be done. but it's a PITA mostly.
 
That's one of the great things about my flying club, you only pay for the flight time. And members don't often abuse the privilege of keeping the planes tied up for week after week. Short of solo ownership, this is a nice way to fly!
 
coloradobluesky said:
One thing to consider. What if you get stuck somewhere unable to fly due to weather and cant get back in time for work? What are you going to do? Thats one reason why FBO's have a problem with long term rental. The other is, what if something breaks on the airplane? That one is a problem if its far away.
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Should be a non issue.

As for somthing breaking, yeah that wouldn't be cool for the FBO.
 
When I rented the rate was minimum of three hours a day. If you where not IFR ,and you had to get back,the FBO would send two pilots to pick up the plane,and you would be charged for their flight time and the time on both aircraft.
 
midcap said:
Asking out of curiosity, but lets say you are wanting to do a XC flight for a vacation.

How does that normally work out? You just pay hourly dry for the time in the air? Then you just need to return the plane full?

I would assume the owner would want some comp for that plane not being at their FBO for those day in which you aren't flying.
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Who would tear their engine down to rent you a single piston?
 
Tom-D said:
Who would tear their engine down to rent you a single piston?
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I have a box of old pistons. Would be glad to rent them out cheap. Say $100 per hour? Each?
 
The answer is always negotiate it up front. If you want to lease a car, and they give you 12000/year, but you're going to need 18000/year, negotiate it up front.

Same thing with a week long rental. The answer is yes you can, most FBOs have 2 or 3 hour /day minimums...BUT those minimums can always be negotiated if you just ask and if it's in the FBOs interest. If you see the Archer is much less rented than the warrior ask specifically about the Archer for the week, if you see the 172 is up training everyday, don't even bother. Know your FBO, know what's flying daily and what's not. They want to make money and they want you to rent from them. Now if you want the plane for a week to fly 1 hour each way that's unrealistic, if you want the plane for a week and it's 5 hours out and 5 hours back. Yeah that'll work at a bunch of places.
 
Ultimately, this is why most people buy some way or another. Either join a club, be sole owner, or get into a partnership. When you're trying to rent, it's always going to be a challenge because the people doing the renting are trying to make money, and rightly so.
 
I want to say the FBO here requires a minimum of an hour per day if you take the aircraft for multiple days.

Nothing made my blood boil more than looking at a nice weather day, logging into the scheduler, only to find one mean guy had the airplane I wanted reserved for 3-4 days.

Glad I don't deal with that anymore:)
 
It very much depends on the local FBO. In those available for me the key is to block the airplane well ahead of time. Sometimes other renters need to get bumped away to an equivalent type in order to free up a contiguous block. In order not to be a dick to them I avoid one-per-fleet, unique types.
 
Most places require 2-3 hrs minimum per day. You might negotiate a dry rate, pay your own fuel. Depending on the length of the trip, at a wet rate, a lot of fuel receipts to get credit for, and some places only allow the credit up to the cost per gallon at their home field.

I've taken two major trips in recent years. 2 weeks each planned, back in a little less. Flew 49 hrs on one trip and 53 hrs on the second trip. Dry rate.

Local flight school has two planes that are often gone on very long weekends or a week at a time.
 
I did ok renting non-trainers for as long as 2 weeks. They didn't look at minimums too close when I put 20 or so hours on. They reimbursed repairs. Put quite a few hours on a Mooney and a 182 with no problem on long trips.
 
Yes, for two weeks and longer without daily minimums. But the way you do it is by becoming part of a small group an owner wants to rent to. Then he puts you on his insurance and off you go.

I don't think it's so viable with flight school rentals because of daily minimums and the condition of the planes.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I want to say the FBO here requires a minimum of an hour per day if you take the aircraft for multiple days.

Nothing made my blood boil more than looking at a nice weather day, logging into the scheduler, only to find one mean guy had the airplane I wanted reserved for 3-4 days.

Glad I don't deal with that anymore:)
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Why should you be angry with someone who can plan farther in advance than you?
 
Years and years ago, I took a 182 for a week long trip. I worked out a dry rate so they wouldn't have to deal with fuel from a bunch of different places, and I put about 20 hours on the plane. But a 182 isn't your typical flight school trainer, so I think they were happy to see the time put on it.
 
WhiskeyPapa said:
Yes, for two weeks and longer without daily minimums. But the way you do it is by becoming part of a small group an owner wants to rent to. Then he puts you on his insurance and off you go.

I don't think it's so viable with flight school rentals because of daily minimums and the condition of the planes.
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That's a neat idea, I guess the only issue would be if you both wanted the plane at the same time.
 
kayoh190 said:
Years and years ago, I took a 182 for a week long trip. I worked out a dry rate so they wouldn't have to deal with fuel from a bunch of different places, and I put about 20 hours on the plane. But a 182 isn't your typical flight school trainer, so I think they were happy to see the time put on it.
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That's what I would hope would happen, rent somthing that no one uses for training, like a 182 or a Mooney or equivalent.
 
midcap said:
makes buying seem like a good deal if you like to vacation. Which happens to be the reason I got interested in flying in the first place.
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Take a hard eyes wide open look into ownership before you assume the costs of ownership are going to be less than renting.
 
If you're renting from a high-volume training mill, expect minima to be enforced; they owe it to their students and to the owners of the leaseback aircraft.

The smaller FBOs from whom I rented would negotiate on the minima, and that worked well. The flying club was the best, of course- no minima, just the policy and agreement among the members that they would not treat each other poorly, and it worked well. Occasionally, one would get a call from a member trying to put together a trip, asking if I could forgo a short flight for which I had made a reservation, and I was glad to accommodate - and had the same courtesy extended to me a time or three, too.

Still, while it was no violation of rules, our most common mission being 3-day weekends at a destination which was 1.3 hours away led to our purchase decision nearly eight years ago, somethings never regretted until just about now.

But that, as they say, is another story.
 
I took a rental 172 to Oshkosh twice before I bought the Navion. You may have to hunt around but it is well possible.
 
luvflyin said:
Take a hard eyes wide open look into ownership before you assume the costs of ownership are going to be less than renting.
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Figuring not having to book the plane and it always being available play into what I said also.

My family really likes going to the Gulf Coast, Southern Florida, Orlando, the Keys etc. I am fortunate where I can take a 4 day weekend when ever I feel like it. I also don't have to be back for work at set time.

Doing my research, and please tell me what I missed because I am way new to this, but I figured running a Mooney, I would need to have about 30k ready to deploy, and yearly maintenece and annuals would be about 5k a year? Add fuel, landing and tie down fees etc and a new engine is like 30k. I think I am close? no?
 
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SCCutler said:
If you're renting from a high-volume training mill, expect minima to be enforced; they owe it to their students and to the owners of the leaseback aircraft.

The smaller FBOs from whom I rented would negotiate on the minima, and that worked well. The flying club was the best, of course- no minima, just the policy and agreement among the members that they would not treat each other poorly, and it worked well. Occasionally, one would get a call from a member trying to put together a trip, asking if I could forgo a short flight for which I had made a reservation, and I was glad to accommodate - and had the same courtesy extended to me a time or three, too.

Still, while it was no violation of rules, our most common mission being 3-day weekends at a destination which was 1.3 hours away led to our purchase decision nearly eight years ago, somethings never regretted until just about now.

But that, as they say, is another story.
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what happened, plane trouble?
 
midcap said:
Figuring not having to book the plane and it always being available play into what I said also.

My family really likes going to the Gulf Coast, Southern Florida, Orlando, the Keys etc. I am fortunate where I can take a 4 day weekend when ever I feel like it. I also don't have to be back for work at set time.

Doing my research, and please tell me what I missed because I am way new to this, but I figured running a Mooney, I would need to have about 30k ready to deploy, and yearly maintenece and annuals would be about 5k a year? Add fuel, landing and tie down fees etc and a new engine is like 30k. I think I am close? no?
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Not having to rely on rentals being available is a huge plus, especially if you like to do spur of the moment trips. That's the thing I miss most about owning. Pick the brains of other Mooney owners about their experiences with costs. Unforeseen repairs can be killers. You know your piggy bank and priorities.
 
luvflyin said:
Not having to rely on rentals being available is a huge plus, especially if you like to do spur of the moment trips. That's the thing I miss most about owning. Pick the brains of other Mooney owners about their experiences with costs. Unforeseen repairs can be killers. You know your piggy bank and priorities.
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That's what I hear. That's why I figured with 30k of funds waiting and then adding to it every year so It can cover an overhaul and other surprises.
 
Tom-D said:
Why should you be angry with someone who can plan farther in advance than you?
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midcap said:
That's what I hear. That's why I figured with 30k of funds waiting and then adding to it every year so It can cover an overhaul and other surprises.
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That's the smart thing to do.

I had to fork out 23K+ for a full overhaul 97 hours after I bought the airplane. Not sure that happens often but be prepared for the possibility. That said, I'll still take owning over renting... Even if it does cost more(and don't be fooled, it likely WILL cost more).
 
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