How to transition from renting trainers to purchasing a larger plane?

I kept a log of trips that I flew in a rental or didn’t fly at all but wished I had, along with what flying each trip in various planes would have meant. That included trips I actually took by other means and trips that never happened for want of a plane. Work and personal. Skipped the hockey game because I couldn’t drive there in time but weather was great for flying. Drove to the family holiday. Flew the slow rental plane to the meeting. Things like that, in a table with columns for the time and cost of taking various planes I was considering.

Don’t skip out on buying a good plane because you aren’t 100% sure of your mission. Any plane will help you learn what your mission truly is. Find a decent fit and accept that your mission may change. But some planes are better for exploring your mission than others. Don’t buy a Piper Navajo or J-3 Cub to find out if your wife and kids like flying with you.

And remember, if your wife hates your airplane, you can always get a new one.
 
MountainDude said:
Would insurance be cheaper for the 6 if you remove 2 seats and tell the insurance company you will not carry more than 4 people?
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Yes, I’ve done this for years with my 210. Some would say that it defeats the purpose of owning a 6 seat airplane. I say it means I can carry more stuff and still fly faster than a 182. It helps with the per seat liability, but not the hull coverage.
 
The transition from the trainer to the bigger plane is made with $$. You are just figuring out how many to apportion.
 
Michael M said:
Find a CFI who is experienced in Cherokee 6s and willing to teach me in my own plane, buy a Cherokee 6 now and learn in the bigger plane.
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Late to the game but this is my vote. (Besides, even if you wait, you will still need to find a CFI to teach you in your own plane.)

You have already reached two major milestones. You have your private and you are almost finished with your first transition to something different.

That first transition is a bigger deal than most realize. It's the most difficult one even when the airplanes are similar, say 152 to 172. You may have already noticed how similarly the 172 and the PA28 perform (speeds and power settings almost identical) but it also involved three changes that many new pilots find difficult - high to low wing, no "both" fuel selector setting and the use of a boost pump (especially difficult for those who learned to skip climb, cruise, and before landing checklists :rolleyes:), and the view of the runway at touchdown. Those are not a big deal to an experienced pilot but are typical bottlenecks in that very first change from something you know to something you don't. (FWIW, I transitioned to three different make/models in the first three months after my private; I'm somewhere in the 30s now and do quite a bit of transition training as a CFI)

But the real point is that you have accomplished that first one and they get easier with each one. Analogy: you may have learned to drive in a single make/model of car. They first time you drove a different car it probably felt really weird. Now, if you rent a car you never drove before, your biggest issue is probably how the radio works. It's not quite that easy with aircraft transitions (a subject the FAA is currently interested in) but the point is still that the transition to a Cherokee 235 will be easier than the transition to the Cherokees and Archers from the 172 because (a) you have already successfully transitioned once and the Cherokee/Archer and the 235 have a large number of similarities. Now or later probably doesn't matter much.

Continue to fly the Cherokees and Archers to build up and retain your skills until you find the 235 you want, but then learn to fly what you want to fly.
 
WDD said:
Don't buy yet. Get your instrument. Fly different planes for a year or so to really get the feel for each one and to get a good idea of what your flying will really be like. Then pick your plane.
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This should be a New PPL sticky. And maybe on the PoA banner.
 
Airplanes are like girlfriends - I may love mine but she may be a nightmare for you. And you may or may not be able to afford her while I can.

I just bought a little 1976 Cessna 150 for a genuinely paltry amount - I didn’t realize how affordable 4/5 gallons per hour are, and frankly if I did most of my flying solo and local, she’d be perfectly functional.

I have owned my K model mooney for 25 years. 104 gallons of gas means no stops, an expensive panel with traffic and weather means more comfort (pre ADSB), a 28000 foot ceiling is nice with built in oxygen, and that turbo made me not care about altitude and hot days. The price of a 6 cylinder turbo overhaul these days makes anyone but a baller wince, though…

…so a 4 banger mooney with a few more years under her belt and atoll 4 seats is perfect for me today. Not quite the ceiling, a few knots less, but I bought it for a lot less than a 172 and even less than a Cherokee.


Cherokee 235, cherokee 6, lance…

Buying an airplane as an upgrade can be a costly ordeal if you’re not skilled in it. Doing an annual upon purchase is key, but doing a thorough pre buy is essential. Make sure the pre buy is done by an anal retentive model specific mechanic that doesn’t miss a thing, and do the pre buy conversion to annual as a contingency of purchase .

More ratings like IFR means less in insurance…

Joint ownership is great if and only if you have an awesome partner, a great contract and uncomplicated buyout clause…

Upholstery can be cheap, paint not so much, engines can be pricey and avionics are insanely priced and installed these days…

How’s that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The late, great Morrie Dollahan told me many years ago: "Just get yourself a Bonanza. That's what you're gonna end up with, anyway." About the best advice I ever had.
 
Jim K said:
It seems like different insurance companies have different "break points" where you get lower rates, but 250ish and 500ish were noticeable. Maybe as much as 10% in my case, although it's hard to tell with what insurance and airplane values have done over the couple years since I bought mine.
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So the savings on a plane costing $2000 a year are as much as a whopping $300? For a plane costing $5000 year to insure your could save $750? LOL. I know every penny counts for such an expensive hobby and that WOULD be nice upon reaching the 250/500 hour milestones but in the grand scheme that totals dickall for costs savings. It doesn’t factor as high as safety in my decision matrix.

I figure the yearly cost to own a plane like I want will be $20,000-$30,000 in the end. Seems like proficiency would be the #1 reason to clock the 250+ hours before buying because $300 won’t cover a long day of rental flying. My plan is Renting the bird I fly and train in now for year 1 to build hours since it has partial glass and I know it. Join a club for year 2-3 to build hours in full glass. Buy a plane year 4. That should be long enough to save money, build at least 300 hours, experience some time behind Garmin glass, and then transition to owning. But we will see what life decides along the way. ;)
 
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