someone in Houston look at this plane

I owned a cheetah, I never left it was underpowered but at times I thought having the extra seed of a tiger would be nice to have.
 
That is the major overriding factor but there are 2 others.
1. I am a selfish control freak and I want my own plane with my name on the title and my face engraved on the only key.
It is just a goal. I have a goal of owning my own plane. Cost effectiveness is not important in this goal. None of my hobbies have been profitable.

When I bought my plane, I went and got 4 sets of keys made.

Then, when I got down to only one set of keys, I got 3 more sets made.

I now know where 2 sets of keys are, so, about time to go get more sets of keys made.

That is a lot of face engraving if you have similar issues that I have.
 
This is too easy...

Get your 2 seat plane. Like a Velocity, Cozy, or Vans. Continue with the Cirrus until the handle gets pulled, and then by a share in a club at Enterprise or Meacham for when you need more seats.

Costs go down while options go up.
 
Thank you sir for answering (in great detail) a question that was none of my business to begin with. I couldn't fathom having two planes, which is why I asked.

<----one of those Cherokee pilots where there is NO known graceful way of exiting the aircraft.
I had my first discovery flight in a Cherokee, I felt claustrophobic in there with no door on my side. I guess you get used to it. I've been training in 172's since that one flight. Even in the 172, access to the back seats isn't the best, with the seat full forward you have a few inches to get through and the seat back doesn't fold forward. I guess getting in/out was a design afterthought.
 
Dad and I shared a plane. It was great. I could split costs and sleep well at night.
Then Dad upgraded to the SR22. Now I still split costs as though it were on the prior plane and it it barely a drop in the bucket.

Dad doesn't really care that much but I have trouble not keeping up my portion of the expenses.

You can't share the costs for a SR22 and you can cover the costs for a plane solo? Maybe. Lower insurance (less than half?) and if you did a tie-down versus a nice hangar. The first one you posted here needs work; i.e. $$$. Others may be better.

If you aren't traveling though, you're right the SR22 is not a good fit. And more expensive with little to no benefit.

I know others that want to be the sole owner. Nothing particularly wrong with that. You can get more or spend less by have a partner or two though. But if that just rubs you wrong sole ownership is your only option. We had 4 and later on 3 flying the SR22 I was flying and rare that we ever had a scheduling conflict, and most of those were someone thinking of flying around on a nice day and finding another had it out of town on a trip.

410 pounds? Either you are smaller than I thought from the photos or your kids are really small. The kids grow. We ran into that.

Good luck in your plane hunting. Maybe you can do a good satire video, or three, on the buying process.
 
The dude wants a fkng grumman. Or a Bo. But most likely a grumman. Let the man have his plane and fly it too, for cryin out loud. you know what I'm talkin about?

for those of you having trouble understanding this, I punched my post into a Jive translator (http://funtranslations.com/jive), maybe this will help you understand:

In Jive...
De dude wants's some fkng grumman. 'S coo', bro. Or some Bo. But most likesly some grumman. 'S coo', bro. Let da damn dude gotss' his plane and fly it too, fo' cryin out loud. ya' know whut I'm rapin about?
 
Why does the AA5B in the OP have two altimeters?

Is one just a hole filler?
 

Of the two I would honestly go for the B model and put the 10k towards sprucing it up cosmetically. I would suggest pulling the carpet up under the front seats and look for any corrosion. The canopy tends to leak which is probably why some of the steam gauges are rough looking.

Both planes have old equipment that you will want to upgrade eventually. Might as well come in at a cheaper starting point. There is still however the hail damage on the B model that would be a pain to fix should you ever want a new paint job.
 
Here are the photos @Katamarino was kind enough to go out and take. Really can't thank you enough.
I spoke to a man by the name of Mike Babin who is well versed in Grummans and he got on the phone with Dave Fletcher today and while the pictures in and of them selves are not the worst of the worst, they are indicators of how well the plane has been taken care of. There could be the peeling back of the layers on this and getting deeper and deeper in a mess. May or may not be the case but given I don't have a massive budget, it may not be the right risk for me.

They have put me in touch with a couple other planes that Fletch Air is soon selling.
Anyway, for this one, here are the photos.

Thank you again for helping.


14466981_10101914586016440_1331252805_o.jpg 14467120_10101914586425620_1959664227_o.jpg 14488880_10101914586485500_209051811_o.jpg 14518793_10101914586290890_1223945143_n.jpg 14522121_10101914586086300_1412900451_o.jpg 14522271_10101914586355760_310651767_o.jpg 14536479_10101914586041390_938847478_o.jpg 14536520_10101914586046380_1863625028_o.jpg 14536605_10101914586061350_1158340074_o.jpg
 
Oh dear. That plane is ready to fly to better pastures (aka: the scrapyard).
They say they did a top overhaul, yet plugs look like they've been in the bottom of the sea for years?
 
Oh dear. That plane is ready to fly to better pastures (aka: the scrapyard).
They say they did a top overhaul, yet plugs look like they've been in the bottom of the sea for years?

I was kind of surprised by that too.
That would be the cheapest part of the overhaul.
 
I did locate a hangar today.

@tecprotb, John S. has t-hangars (open but oh well) for $150 at northwest.
I know open is not the best but we had that TB in one for a little over 2 years and it never was an issue.

I am going to talk to him tomorrow about securing one.
Until I get a plane sorted out, I may just be grilling out there and making airplane noises
 
I did locate a hangar today.

@tecprotb, John S. has t-hangars (open but oh well) for $150 at northwest.
I know open is not the best but we had that TB in one for a little over 2 years and it never was an issue.

I am going to talk to him tomorrow about securing one.
Until I get a plane sorted out, I may just be grilling out there and making airplane noises

There are not any fully closed hangars? You can never keep a plane clean in a open hangar, everytime the wind blows it gets dirty. I am anal and usually keep all my stuff spotless. I would go crazy!
 
Hey 6PC, I am wondering about your requirements? This is about 80 miles from me, FSBO:



GRUMMAN AA-1B • $20,000 • MUST SELL • Great plane , 1300 hour, lots of upgrades, completely went through by mechanic. NEW! Hoses, carburetor , alternator , belts, fuel pressure gauge rebuilt, many more upgrades. - located Madison, IN USA

upload_2016-9-29_23-46-2.png
 
Hey 6PC, I am wondering about your requirements? This is about 80 miles from me, FSBO:



GRUMMAN AA-1B • $20,000 • MUST SELL • Great plane , 1300 hour, lots of upgrades, completely went through by mechanic. NEW! Hoses, carburetor , alternator , belts, fuel pressure gauge rebuilt, many more upgrades. - located Madison, IN USA

View attachment 48237

That's a 2 seater isn't it?
 
Dad and I shared a plane. It was great. I could split costs and sleep well at night.
Then Dad upgraded to the SR22. Now I still split costs as though it were on the prior plane and it it barely a drop in the bucket.

Dad doesn't really care that much but I have trouble not keeping up my portion of the expenses.

That is the major overriding factor but there are 2 others.
1. I am a selfish control freak and I want my own plane with my name on the title and my face engraved on the only key.
It is just a goal. I have a goal of owning my own plane. Cost effectiveness is not important in this goal. None of my hobbies have been profitable.

2. The Cirrus is a fantastic machine that really just blows me away with all that it does. It does not really fit my mission though.
I am looking for something that will allow me to poke around in grass fields and throw easter eggs out at church picnics, and take pictures and do pattern work.
However, it also needs to have the ability to carry me, the wife and kids on little 2-3 hour hops.

Honestly a 172 would probably be perfect. But I like wings on bottom and easy egress (sorry Cherokee pilots).
The go to response would be "Get a 2 seater and use the Cirrus for family trips"

I suspect Dad will probably fly a couple more years and then decide when he retires that he is done.
He is not passionate about aviation, Just about using the plane to get to work and XC trips.

I am planning for the Cirrus to not be an option in the next couple years. I don't want to be trying to sell a 2 seater at that point so I can buy a 4 seater. I need ~800+ lbs useful load. I don't care about instruments. Comfort is more important than speed. The 4 of us currently weigh 410 lbs
So a Grumman, Musketeer, Sundowner, (maybe a socata Rallye. Those look cool) fit the bill.

A Sundowner, Maybe????
I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect, but with 6+ hours and climbing in the one I bought a share of, it's growing on me. (Especially the whole "operating Costs" part!) My first Longer Cross-Country in it will likely be next week.
 
A Sundowner, Maybe????
I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect, but with 6+ hours and climbing in the one I bought a share of, it's growing on me. (Especially the whole "operating Costs" part!) My first Longer Cross-Country in it will likely be next week.
BEECH SUNDOWNER 180, 1977FOR SALE • 30,000.00 OBO, 1977 Beech Sundowner 180 hp. 3034 TT , 855.0 SMOH , compressions 73,74,74,73. King avionics, GS, ADF, TXP, KX170's. Good clean interior , fair to good paint , original. Flies GREAT! Solid Beech quality. Priced right for Quick Sale
 
@SixPapaCharlie ... All jokes and good natured ribbing aside...

WAIT TO BUY. Be patient. Be open minded. Everyone knows how I got screwed... did everything right except have patience and now I'm paying out the nose.

I know everyone else here that owns their plane loves their plane... but if I had to do it again I wouldn't.
 
I did locate a hangar today.

@tecprotb, John S. has t-hangars (open but oh well) for $150 at northwest.
I know open is not the best but we had that TB in one for a little over 2 years and it never was an issue.

I am going to talk to him tomorrow about securing one.
Until I get a plane sorted out, I may just be grilling out there and making airplane noises
That is cheap at least half of the price of a closed T hangar.
 
Sounds like you need a Navion
This I would second. One ride and you would be hooked. There's a lot in your price range. I never flew in a Grumman so I've nothing to compare it to. The NAVIONS run from 185hp through 300. Lot's o pick from.
 
Until I get a plane sorted out, I may just be grilling out there and making airplane noises

Just don't get in the way and run down the runway, with your arms stretched out, trying to get airborne. Real planes have to TO and land ya know.

images
 
It is an archaic system in today's world. I am on the list but just delete most of the messages without reading them. I think the software pools the messages until a certain time or quantity has been reached then releases a bunch at a time.
BACK in the old days before the internet, during the bitnet, arpa-net, and less than homogeneous other networking, some genius built a bulletin board method they called a listserv. Oddly enough, they have survived even through far more interactive boards like this exists. It was so good, Google copies it and makes lots of lists available. Yahoo has Yahoo groups, a less than easy to use list loosely like a listserver but more graphic oriented and interactive. Some people have migrated off them, some hang on, refusing the new tech. Our own Jay came from yet another style REC.AVIATION before it got googled.
The software keeps getting improved since some people prefer the style. MAILMAN and LISTSERV are but two of this style.
You can control it by using the correct commands http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/index.html. There is another way you can look directly by going to mailman.xmission.com. The list archive is also available.
 
B listserv. Oddly enough, they have survived even through far more interactive boards like this exists. It was so good, Google copies it and makes lots of lists available. Yahoo has Yahoo groups, a less than easy to use list loosely like a listserver but more graphic oriented and interactive. Some people have migrated off them,

I'm still on 4 or 5 mailing lists, most of them mailman. With these groups, it's a tradition thing. It's the way it started, it's the way it's always done, and it's the way it will always be done. A couple of the lists still forbid attachments and largely frown upon HTML based mail. Plaint text preferable.
 
looks like a mechanic's special.....if you really gotta have it....offer a low ball (~$23K). It's gonna need some TLC.
 
Wow! I wouldn't taxi that plane around the ramp, let alone FLY it!

I know where you can get a SWEET Bo! And cheap too! :D
 
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