Plane rental time

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FutureFly

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FutureFly
Having not started flight training just yet, regarding most plane rentals, do most charge you for the time including time which you pre flight the airplane or do they only charge the time in which the propeller is spinning? I think I read somewhere that for an hour plane rental the average time one will spend flying for a 150/152/172 is around 42 minutes after a flight pre check? Please Correct me if that is inaccurate.
 
Usually, you reserve a block of time and pay for the time the plane's engine is running. Most rental places charge based on the "Hobbs meter", which is a timer that starts when the engine starts (usually). I can't guarantee what your rental place will do, but that seems to be the usual modus operandi.
 
My Hobbs starts when the master switch is on. Don’t leave that master switch on any longer than necessary. Lower the flaps, check the lights etc - then turn it off for the rest of the preflight. You will typically get charged for some ground instruction - .2 too .5 - depends on the lesson. You are paying for all idle, taxi, run up, taxi back. If the airport is busy, long taxi, that time can add up.
 
You are billed for the time that the engine is running. Whether it’s running on the ground or the air, the clock is still ticking. Most places bill off Hobbs time, since they make more money that way.
 
Eric Brunelle said:
My Hobbs starts when the master switch is on. Don’t leave that master switch on any longer than necessary. Lower the flaps, check the lights etc - then turn it off for the rest of the preflight. You will typically get charged for some ground instruction - .2 too .5 - depends on the lesson. You are paying for all idle, taxi, run up, taxi back. If the airport is busy, long taxi, that time can add up.
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Some planes yes, some planes when the engine is running from the oil pressure starts the Hobbs.
 
Usually Hobbs and instructors will charge ground time on top of that usually. Depends where you learn at.
 
All good answers. Hobbes meter is pretty universal. However, particularly in the beginning, your instructor’s time could be charged for a longer period as he or she teaches you how to preflight & then supervises you preflight until they are comfortable enough to let you do it on your own.

later in your training, if your plane is available on the flight line & your instructor is flying with another student, you’ll move things along by doing the preflight before she arrives. In fact they will expect you to brief the wx & pre-flight the plane beforehand (it’s part of growing your independence & demonstrating your Aeronautical Decision Making skills) . But…don’t expect your instructor to just hop from one plane & into yours. They need time for a debrief of their current student, take a bathroom break, & a steal few minutes to have a coke & relax.

Frequently, they’ll also spend time pre-briefing you, having a little chalk-talk & playing with models with you before you head out. You’ll usually pay for that, either extra on top of the instructor’s cockpit hour or by reducing flying hour.

If you want to save money & make good flight progress, prepare ahead of time. Consult the syllabus or, before you leave for the day, ask your instructor what you should know before your next lesson.
 
As already mentioned, you are typically charged the hourly rental rate for the amount of time recorded on the Hobbs meter.

Most rental airplanes have the Hobbs triggered by oil pressure so it only records time the engine is actually running. Some are electrical and record any time the master switch is on. Occasionally you will see one that is wired to the landing gear and only records when the gear is retracted. You usually only see the gear activated meter on twins and even then very few of those on rentals.

When you are learning to fly and taking instruction, you will also be charged based on the hourly instructor rate in addition to the airplane. So if you spend 2 hours with a CFI, but only 42 minutes in the airplane with the engine running, you’ll be charged 0.7 times the hourly rental rate plus 2 times the hourly instructor rate.

How flight schools bill for instruction can vary quite a bit though. Best to ask questions and be sure you understand the schools policy before you start shelling out the money.

When you have your license and want to rent a plane to fly for fun or your own use, you only pay for the time the engine is running, but some places may require a certain hour per day minimum for cross county trips. So if the daily cross country min is 3 hours and you want to go someplace for a 3 day weekend, they expect you to put at least 9 hours on the airplane.
 
All good answers. We bill $50 an hour for instruction, both ground and air. The rental charge for the airplane is based on Hobbs time, which starts when the engine comes alive and oil pressure activates the Hobbs meter. Depending on the lesson, we may spend 20 minutes or so briefing the lesson and another similar amount of time reviewing the lesson. Of course, it varies with the lesson. Early ones are shorter; later ones are usually an hour or so in the air. Cross country flight planning is longer on the ground.

Students who do the homework and are ready for each lesson get things done faster.
 
Gilbert Buettner said:
All good answers. We bill $50 an hour for instruction, both ground and air. The rental charge for the airplane is based on Hobbs time, which starts when the engine comes alive and oil pressure activates the Hobbs meter. Depending on the lesson, we may spend 20 minutes or so briefing the lesson and another similar amount of time reviewing the lesson. Of course, it varies with the lesson. Early ones are shorter; later ones are usually an hour or so in the air. Cross country flight planning is longer on the ground.

Students who do the homework and are ready for each lesson get things done faster AND CHEAPER.
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FTFY. :D
 
Just FYI. Some rental places charge wet and dry time. Dry time is if you take the airplane somewhere and don’t fly it for a few days. For example you have a 3 day weekend and rent the airplane. You fly 2 hours to the destination which is Hobbes time. The plane sits for 2 days before flying back, that is dry time. The 2 hour flight back is Hobbes time. The place I rented from would only charge dry time if the airplane is sitting for more than 2 days. I don’t recall what the dry time daily charge was but it was small compared to the rental per Hobbes time. To be fair while the airplane is sitting on the ground for 2 or more days the rental place is not making money on the airplane.
 
RonP said:
Just FYI. Some rental places charge wet and dry time. Dry time is if you take the airplane somewhere and don’t fly it for a few days. For example you have a 3 day weekend and rent the airplane. You fly 2 hours to the destination which is Hobbes time. The plane sits for 2 days before flying back, that is dry time. The 2 hour flight back is Hobbes time. The place I rented from would only charge dry time if the airplane is sitting for more than 2 days.
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Not quite. "Wet" and "dry" refer to whether fuel is included in the rental rate; naturally, wet (fuel included) is a higher rate, and is most common.

Now, most FBOs have a per-day minimum if you have the plane overnight and it's not flown, 2 or 3 hours is typical.
 
RonP said:
Just FYI. Some rental places charge wet and dry time. Dry time is if you take the airplane somewhere and don’t fly it for a few days. For example you have a 3 day weekend and rent the airplane. You fly 2 hours to the destination which is Hobbes time. The plane sits for 2 days before flying back, that is dry time. The 2 hour flight back is Hobbes time. The place I rented from would only charge dry time if the airplane is sitting for more than 2 days. I don’t recall what the dry time daily charge was but it was small compared to the rental per Hobbes time. To be fair while the airplane is sitting on the ground for 2 or more days the rental place is not making money on the airplane.
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While the concept is correct, the terms are not.

Wet rental means gas is included. So when you fill up at another airport, you keep the receipt and they deduct that from your rental charge.

Dry is gas is not included, like a car rental. For planes, it would normally be starting with fuel at the tabs. And when you get back, you fill to the tabs, and the gas purchases are all on you.

Obviously wet rates are higher than dry rates. Also, these days, some places rent wet, but cap the fuel reimbursement at the local fuel price. So if the place you rent from has gas at $6 per gallon, they only count the first $6 per gallon if you get fuel at another field.
 
Eric Brunelle said:
My Hobbs starts when the master switch is on. Don’t leave that master switch on any longer than necessary. Lower the flaps, check the lights etc - then turn it off for the rest of the preflight. You will typically get charged for some ground instruction - .2 too .5 - depends on the lesson. You are paying for all idle, taxi, run up, taxi back. If the airport is busy, long taxi, that time can add up.
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Back when I was a renter (the week after I got my PPL I bought a plane and have never rented since), I once rented an aircraft for my solo cross country...about half way into the trip, I encountered some pop-up thunder storms, so I landed and waited them out...problem was, I accidently left the master switch on. When I went to log the time, I realized what I did when my 150 nm cross country was showing something like 5 hours hobbs time. Lucky for me, the place I rented from was very generous, and so we computed approximately what it should have been, and they only billed me for that!
 
I remember you saying that.

I have not fueled a rental outside the airport rented from for MANY years.
 
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