Dry vs. wet hire in Florida

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Movie85

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Tom
Hey there,

I've finished my Private Pilot License last year in Florida and I want to take a trip to the Keys and South Florida early next year. I want to rent a 172 or similar for me and my sister. So my first question is: Can you recommend any (cheap) Flight School or rental place? I don't want to fly all day, so I'm searching for someplace where the minimum daily flying time is not like 5 hours or so...

I've already found some promising places, and they offer dry and wet rental rates (172 dry 75$ eg). Does anybody know if you can get away cheaper using dry rates? I always lean as good as I can and I don't try to overtake any F-15s in the air...

Greetings from Germany,

Tom
 
Movie85 said:
Hey there,

I've finished my Private Pilot License last year in Florida and I want to take a trip to the Keys and South Florida early next year. I want to rent a 172 or similar for me and my sister. So my first question is: Can you recommend any (cheap) Flight School or rental place? I don't want to fly all day, so I'm searching for someplace where the minimum daily flying time is not like 5 hours or so...

I've already found some promising places, and they offer dry and wet rental rates (172 dry 75$ eg). Does anybody know if you can get away cheaper using dry rates? I always lean as good as I can and I don't try to overtake any F-15s in the air...

Greetings from Germany,

Tom
Click to expand...

I know wet 172s in Ft Laudererdale that were $115 an hour last I rented from him.
 
Movie85 said:
Hey there,

I've finished my Private Pilot License last year in Florida and I want to take a trip to the Keys and South Florida early next year. I want to rent a 172 or similar for me and my sister. So my first question is: Can you recommend any (cheap) Flight School or rental place? I don't want to fly all day, so I'm searching for someplace where the minimum daily flying time is not like 5 hours or so...

I've already found some promising places, and they offer dry and wet rental rates (172 dry 75$ eg). Does anybody know if you can get away cheaper using dry rates? I always lean as good as I can and I don't try to overtake any F-15s in the air...

Greetings from Germany,

Tom
Click to expand...

Welcome!

Where did you take your flight classes in Florida and how much was it?


Thanks!
 
Expect $40+ per hour in fuel in a 172. So, $75 dry will be about the same as $115 or $120 wet.

Where dry rates are helpful is when you expect to be sitting on the ground for IFR delays, or spend a lot of time at very low speed. Otherwise, it's pretty close to a wash.

There isn't that much difference between slow cruise and fast cruise on a 172. Only about 10 knots, and maybe 1 GPH. I can make a much bigger difference in a 182, and routinely get it down to 9 GPH when flying kids around at slow cruise (it's more like 13 GPH when I'm trying to get somewhere).

It's possible to overdo leaning at low altitude in a carbureted 172. Watch the CHTs.
 
All the 172's I rent here in Naples are $170-ish wet, that's about on par with what I've heard from other in the Ft. Myers area.
 
Air America FC in Daytona Beach. Alot of planes, very reasonable prices.
 
VTC_WS6 said:
All the 172's I rent here in Naples are $170-ish wet, that's about on par with what I've heard from other in the Ft. Myers area.
Click to expand...

DAMN that's expensive.

I don't pay that much for a 182, in the Bay Area. Even in Palo Alto, I can find a 172 for ~$130.
 
Thanks for the answers! It seems I'll stick with wet rates... I will have a look at the locations you mentioned.

FloridaPilot said:
Welcome!

Where did you take your flight classes in Florida and how much was it?


Thanks!
Click to expand...

I did my training at Florida Aviation. Great school and lovely people there! I paid about 90$ for a 152 and about 50$ for an instructor... They have one 172 which is about 120$, but it's their only one so they don't rent it for long periods of time...

They also have lots of PA-28, but I doubt that they are nice planes for fun trips, I prefer a high wing aircraft...
 
PA28s are very pleasant to fly on long trips, with one exception -- they get hot because the windows don't open.

But I prefer high wings when looking down (e.g., sightseeing) as well.
 
MAKG1 said:
DAMN that's expensive.

I don't pay that much for a 182, in the Bay Area. Even in Palo Alto, I can find a 172 for ~$130.
Click to expand...

Flight Schools vary in price by availability and location.

Naples, FL is mostly affluent so I'm pretty sure the price reflects that. I asked the OP because he learned in Florida and I wanted to find out where and how much. I've seen anything from $5,000 to $15,000 for everything!
 
Last I check TCFT at SUA had 172s $115-$140 depending on its avionics, 152s were around $95. Their min was 3hrs/day, if you buy fuel they subtract it out. They of course will require a checkout flight.
They also have a couple of Pipers and a few of their planes have air conditioning.
 
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mtuomi said:
Air America FC in Daytona Beach. Alot of planes, very reasonable prices.
Click to expand...

Air America sounds interesting. But it seems they have a strange fuel reimburse policy... (2,70$ per gallon purchased somewhere else). Does anybody else has experience with Air America?

Tom
 
I was expecting this thread to be about Miami prostitutes.

Disappointing.
 
FloridaPilot said:
Flight Schools vary in price by availability and location.

Naples, FL is mostly affluent so I'm pretty sure the price reflects that. I asked the OP because he learned in Florida and I wanted to find out where and how much. I've seen anything from $5,000 to $15,000 for everything!
Click to expand...

Do you realize how expensive Palo Alto is? You can buy 5 houses in Naples for the cost of one, in Palo Alto.
 
mercurial said:
Do you realize how expensive Palo Alto is? You can buy 5 houses in Naples for the cost of one, in Palo Alto.
Click to expand...


you are so wrong, its eight houses. median price naples, 305,000

palo alto 2,450,000:yikes:
 
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mercurial said:
Do you realize how expensive Palo Alto is? You can buy 5 houses in Naples for the cost of one, in Palo Alto.
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I don't know if you misunderstood me or not but I am not comparing Florida to California. I lived in California for a few years so I understand how expensive it is.

I said: "Flight Schools vary in price and location"

If the flight school is on an expensive airport then the school has to absorb the expenses somehow and they do it through the students.

If the flight school is in the "sticks", (Rural area) it's possible you can get a better discount.
 
Welcome to PoA! Check out Open Airplane. They have a bunch of locations in Florida and a wide array of rates and equipment. I saw a 172m at $115 per hour.
 
VTC_WS6 said:
All the 172's I rent here in Naples are $170-ish wet, that's about on par with what I've heard from other in the Ft. Myers area.
Click to expand...

Fort myers flying club has an archer and newer 172 around 115/hr and a newer 182 they just purchased. I got my license with them back in 09 and it is well run. Pm me if you want details.
 
Movie85 said:
Hey there,I don't want to fly all day, so I'm searching for someplace where the minimum daily flying time is not like 5 hours or so...
Click to expand...

You don't have to fly all day. But you DO have to pay their 'minimum daily rate.

And, yes, I know, for most pilots "if I'm paying that, I'm FLYING that!'
 
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