Flight Training - July 2023 - 6

ALWAYS LEARNING BY SARAH DEENER
The owners I know also tend to
Editor SARAH DEENER daydreams
about purchasing an RV-10, until
the prices on Barnstormers.com
bring her back to reality.
sarah.deener@aopa.org
fly more than those who rent. While
renters can measure paychecks in Hobbs
hours, hourly costs are a much smaller
share of an owner's expenses. When
you've already spent the money on the
airplane and the hangar, you might as
well spend the money on gas to fly. And
an open hangar door is an invitation
to community; time spent tooling
and tidying up leads to talking about
airplanes and hanging out, and then
more flying.
FOR NOW, RENTING
IS RIGHT FOR ME.
BUT SOMEDAY...
RENTER'S LAMENT
Did you hear about that barn find? What about the Ercoupe
on the ramp an hour away? Anyone up for a partnership in a
Pietenpol?
Working at an aviation organization, a sizable portion of water-cooler chatter is
pilots hatching plans-often wildly impractical-to buy an airplane. Sometimes, the
lucky among us find a way to make it work (see " Dream Fulfilled, " p. 38). The rest of
us renters wait for our moment to come, killing time on Trade-a-Plane.com.
In many ways, I like renting. I have access to a variety of well-maintained
aircraft I couldn't own outright; I don't have to budget for the unknowns of
annual inspections; and someone else handles the hangar lease, database
updates, and other logistics. Hourly rental rates are linear and predictable, and
I can reliably find a CFI who's familiar with the aircraft for flight reviews and
checkouts. But when I come to the airplane and someone's changed the moving
map to " north up " mode, or the leading edges are lined with bugs, I long for a
taste of how the other half lives.
The advantages of renting come at the cost of the little inconveniences of
sharing resources: The last renter leaves the seatbelts askew, or the fuel tanks
nearly empty when you want them full-or, worse, full when you need half tanks.
I didn't realize how strong my preferences were for avionics configurations until
I powered up the Dynon SkyView in the Van's RV-12 that I fly to find the last pilot
had moved the map window to the left, with the primary flight instruments off to
the right. (Where the engine instruments go, I huffed.)
These all are minor inconveniences with simple solutions, but they make the
dream of aircraft ownership seem even brighter. Owners can keep their headset
in the aircraft, with the hangar and cockpit organized just the way they want it.
There's no scheduling around others, and they can take multiple-day trips without
feats of advance planning or last-minute negotiations. If the tires are wearing,
it's their own fault. And unlike in a partnership, decisions on upgrades and
maintenance don't require a majority vote.
6
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2023
Of course, renting and owning aren't
the only ways to fly aircraft. Partnerships
have many of the advantages of solo
ownership, but with the cost spread out
among the partners. Flying clubs spread
those costs out even further, with the
additional benefits of a social network
and often access to multiple aircraft.
(Depending on the structure of the club,
members may or may not own a share of
the airplanes.) And, less common is a dry
lease, which just means leasing an aircraft
but not the pilot. Each option has its
advantages, and the right one depends on
a pilot's circumstances. For now, renting
is right for me.
But someday...
A few months ago, we renovated our
kitchen: knocked down walls, replaced
the sagging cabinets, and tore out the
glitchy microwave. After spending
longer than we'd planned and more than
we'd budgeted, we finally unpacked in
a brand-new space that was just the
way we wanted it. Then the washer
leaked. The air conditioner broke. I
sat contemplating how much this next
project would cost us. With the windows
open, though, I could hear the trees
swaying and the birds chirping. The
new table didn't wobble, and with the
wall gone I could see the kids playing
in the den. Like aircraft ownership,
homeownership can be expensive and
unpredictable. But it sure is nice to know
this is ours. FT
http://www.Barnstormers.com http://www.Trade-a-Plane.com
Flight Training - July 2023

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