Flying Affordability

Our C-150 gets around 16 or 17 mpg comparatively, on average. I think a Mooney, if you like them, does a lot better than that.
 
I have a sideline business that paid for my flight training and pays for my flying. It also pays for the occasional vacation, which is only fair considering the amount of my time it burns up. I doubt it will completely pay for the airplane I hope to build fairly soon, but I won't have to take out loans either.

My day job doesn't exactly pay pauper's wages, but that took a lot of years and it's not like we're rich. And we did have five kids along the way. You can have both kids and fun... just maybe not in the quantities you'd like, at the same time.
 
Right now, today, I can barely afford the gas to drive out to the airport to just look at my plane, much less fly it.

I'm working on changing that by trying to sell the thing, and or, making more money. The more money part is getting close, a lot closer than anyone buying it.

If both happen, I might buy a little tail dragger of some sort, I don't know.

-John
 
somorris said:
Our C-150 gets around 16 or 17 mpg comparatively, on average. I think a Mooney, if you like them, does a lot better than that.
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The M20J I fly will get 16nmpg as well, but it does it at 140+kt instead of 95kt.
 
Jthamilton said:
You would if it's all you had, when I really want to appreciate flying I will drive the 88 Landcruiser. No power and worse gas mileage then the 2000.
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Depends on how long I am staying.

To drive 1000nm and back in that thing @ 12mpg, would cost you over $700 in gas.

If you rented a car that got 35mpg, you could do it in under $250.

If the trip is a week or less, you can rent a car for less then the $450 difference, and then you didn't put 2000nm on an old vehicle you own.
 
cocolos said:
I thought the M20J should fly at 160kts? I was considering buying one in the not so near future.
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The one I fly has double landing gear doors and a single piece belly. It will easily do 155kt level and 190kt in a 500fpm (or less) descent to pattern altitude from 30 miles out. However, since I'm paying for fuel and tach time, if I fly10 or 15 kt slower I can save a bit of fuel.
 
MSPAviator said:
The one I fly has double landing gear doors and a single piece belly. It will easily do 155kt level and 190kt in a 500fpm (or less) descent to pattern altitude from 30 miles out. However, since I'm paying for fuel and tach time, if I fly10 or 15 kt slower I can save a bit of fuel.
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MAPA flight tests reports assert that WOT is most efficient for most Mooneys from takeoff to pattern. Just bring the prop back. But I'm sure Tim will be along shortly with a bit of info, as he has owned a couple of J's.
 
What do you fly and is it expensive insure?

Dean said:
Bought a E-AB for less than $10K, burns pump gas at 4 GPH. But I fly for fun, not for work or long distance travel.
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LJS1993 said:
How much can your plane haul in comparison to your F-150?
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A lot lot lot less. Never claimed it could haul the same -- but when it comes down to getting just myself from point A to point B it's pretty obvious that the airplane is an affordable option.

This is about affordable ways to fly -- not what is better at hauling a thousand pounds of dirt.
 
Jaybird180 said:
MAPA flight tests reports assert that WOT is most efficient for most Mooneys from takeoff to pattern. Just bring the prop back. But I'm sure Tim will be along shortly with a bit of info, as he has owned a couple of J's.
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I do fly it at WOT. In cruise, it's 22" mp, 2400 rpm prop. There is a drastic cabin noise difference between 26xx RPM prop full forward vs. pulled back to 2400 RPM as well, even with ANR headsets.

From what I was taught, 22 + 24 = 46 or just about 65% power

44 = 55%

50 = 75%

If I'm wrong and there is a more efficient way to fly the plane, I would be happy to hear about it.
 
Mafoo said:
Depends on how long I am staying.

To drive 1000nm and back in that thing @ 12mpg, would cost you over $700 in gas.

If you rented a car that got 35mpg, you could do it in under $250.

If the trip is a week or less, you can rent a car for less then the $450 difference, and then you didn't put 2000nm on an old vehicle you own.
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Why do all that silly math. If I justified things I wouldn't have purchased my airplane instead sending the funds to some Nigerian prince who can make me millions!
 
I paid for my private with some stock sales, my parents insisted on paying for my instrument, and somehow I ended up with my MEI before even graduating college (I can't remember how I paid for anything past my instrument). Now I've joined a club that's relatively inexpensive and I honestly don't spend that much money on other stuff.
 
jesse said:
A lot lot lot less. Never claimed it could haul the same -- but when it comes down to getting just myself from point A to point B it's pretty obvious that the airplane is an affordable option.

This is about affordable ways to fly -- not what is better at hauling a thousand pounds of dirt.
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I could be wrong, but I suspect the Flybaby hauls a lot more than the F150 would at anything more than 5' AGL.
 
Single. No kids. Absolutely zero debt.

I call it being smart. =P
 
Flying Affordability: People who ask me get this answer: you drive a new 2012 large car, go on vacation with your family several times per year so that costs you more than it would cost me to keep my 1976 C150M in running condition and drive 2003 and 2006 used cars. Actually I have no clue if that is true but it sounds good and I really don't want to know...
 
jFlight said:
Single. No kids. Absolutely zero debt.

I call it being smart. =P
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Ditto, I'm in the same flight level as you on that. :D

AND...

I didn't buy a house 5 years ago like everybody was telling me to. I have a few friends in that boat--some have just walked away from their mortgages, others are content with being only "slightly" upsidedown.
 
Ken Ibold said:
1) Marry a lawyer.
2) Invest wisely.
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Dept of Labor says there's better off folks than Lawyers... But malpractice insurance eats a lot of what they make, so... Maybe. ;)

Surgeon: $181,850
Anesthesiologist: $174,610
OB/GYN: $174,610
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon: $169,600
Internist: $156,790
Prosthodontist: $156,710
Orthodontist: $153,240
Psychiatrist: $151,380
Chief Executive Officer: $140,880
Engineering Manager: $140,210
Pediatrician: $140,000
Family or general practitioner: $137,980
Physician/surgeon, all other: $137,100
Airline Pilot: $134,090
Dentist: $132,660
Podiatrist: $111,130
Lawyer: $110,590
Dentist, any other specialist: $106,040
Air Traffic Controller: $100,430
Computer and Information Systems Manager: $100,110
Marketing Manager: $100,020
Natural Sciences Manager: $97,560
Sales Manager: $96,950
Astronomer: $96,780
 
Herman vanOoijen said:
Flying Affordability: People who ask me get this answer: you drive a new 2012 large car, go on vacation with your family several times per year so that costs you more than it would cost me to keep my 1976 C150M in running condition and drive 2003 and 2006 used cars. Actually I have no clue if that is true but it sounds good and I really don't want to know...
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I don't know too many folks who go on vacations several times a year. Of course, I don't consider a weekend or even three days a "vacation". Vacation is one week minimum. And that's barely enough time to unplug.

U.S. companies and standards for vacation time are truly beyond God-awful. I want to punch my Australian friend when he starts discussing his well-deserved 10 weeks of vacation time per year. He put in his time to get it at one employer, but the low end is near the four week mark for most professionals there.

The average in the U.S. is 10 days. We're dumb.
 
denverpilot said:
Dept of Labor says there's better off folks than Lawyers... But malpractice insurance eats a lot of what they make, so... Maybe. ;)

Surgeon: $181,850
Anesthesiologist: $174,610
OB/GYN: $174,610
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon: $169,600
Internist: $156,790
Prosthodontist: $156,710
Orthodontist: $153,240
Psychiatrist: $151,380
Chief Executive Officer: $140,880
Engineering Manager: $140,210
Pediatrician: $140,000
Family or general practitioner: $137,980
Physician/surgeon, all other: $137,100
Airline Pilot: $134,090
Dentist: $132,660
Podiatrist: $111,130
Lawyer: $110,590
Dentist, any other specialist: $106,040
Air Traffic Controller: $100,430
Computer and Information Systems Manager: $100,110
Marketing Manager: $100,020
Natural Sciences Manager: $97,560
Sales Manager: $96,950
Astronomer: $96,780
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GPs and airline pilots shouldn't be on that list. Those figures are laughably outlier biased...
 
hindsight2020 said:
GPs and airline pilots shouldn't be on that list. Those figures are laughably outlier biased...
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Ha. I knew that, and knew someone would say it. Thus, the reason I posted your all-knowing government's numbers. ;)

Also helps to know if those are median or mean numbers, and I didn't quote that part. You guess which, for homework tonight.

Guess which the government uses when they want to make folks feel good, and which they use when they want to make folks feel bad.

As Bernanke said today, "When housing prices go up, people will *think they're wealthier* and spend more money."

(My added emphasis.)

Thanks, Mr. Fed, otherwise known as Captain Obvious!

The formula actually is this:
1) Make money
2) Spend less than you make

None of us in aviation would know much about #2 though. Heh.
 
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