An advantage of being behind the baby boomers

It would be great to see an age break down of active PPLs in the U.S. right now. I do seem to see a lot of "lost my medical" ads. Problem is that a lot of these guys let the plane sit to the point that it can't be flown again.
 
Murdoughnut said:
It would be great to see an age break down of active PPLs in the U.S. right now. I do seem to see a lot of "lost my medical" ads. Problem is that a lot of these guys let the plane sit to the point that it can't be flown again.
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Well that's just a waste :(
 
katiekat said:
Well that's just a waste :(
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can you blame them tho? I mean, of course their baron with two run out engines, three dry rotted tires, and four years out of annual is WORTH 180k.

Its not their fault they cant get a reasonable offer on it. Everyone else is just too cheap to recognize a quality machine when they see it. If i couldn't get what it was worth, id let it sit too, just to make sure no one else can enjoy it. Because if im not happy, im gonna make sure everyone else is pissed about it. Then, ill write in a letter to GA news explaining how "kids" have no discipline, make terrible aviators, and will never understand the "right" way of doing things. And to teach these punks a lesson, I the beachcraft pilot purpose, (and im NOT making this part up) That every pilot ought to have at least 10 hours a month in an AIRPLANE under 1000lbs. (yes, thats a real airplane under one thousand pounds- show me one and ill fly it) Because thats the only way to be a good pilot.


/rant.
 
ozone said:
.....They will all start to lose their medicals. And then they have to sell their planes. Prices will go down and I can finally (realistically) think about getting a plane for myself (Muahahaha!!!!). To wit: http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?t=57137
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Boy! And they say lawyers love the misery of others!

Besides, don't bet too much on that. We boomers tend to stay pretty healthy and, if not, =you'll= be the one paying for the engine conversion when they stop making avgas. :cwm27:
 
cmill said:
can you blame them tho? I mean, of course their baron with two run out engines, three dry rotted tires, and four years out of annual is WORTH 180k.

Its not their fault they cant get a reasonable offer on it. Everyone else is just too cheap to recognize a quality machine when they see it. If i couldn't get what it was worth, id let it sit too, just to make sure no one else can enjoy it. Because if im not happy, im gonna make sure everyone else is pissed about it. Then, ill write in a letter to GA news explaining how "kids" have no discipline, make terrible aviators, and will never understand the "right" way of doing things. And to teach these punks a lesson, I the beachcraft pilot purpose, (and im NOT making this part up) That every pilot ought to have at least 10 hours a month in an AIRPLANE under 1000lbs. (yes, thats a real airplane under one thousand pounds- show me one and ill fly it) Because thats the only way to be a good pilot.


/rant.
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The really funny thing is that they probably bought the Baron for $40k 30-years ago. Just like real estate. All of these people bitching about the house they paid $100k for dropping from last year's value of $500k to a measly $200k now.
 
ozone said:
.....They will all start to lose their medicals. And then they have to sell their planes. Prices will go down and I can finally (realistically) think about getting a plane for myself (Muahahaha!!!!). To wit: http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?t=57137
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I hear ya. How can something made decades ago that still has a carburetor and has a combined 360 hp cost more than a FERRARI or a boat? With outrageous operating costs to boot. It must be great not having to worry about money. A 150/152 made in the beginning of time still costs 20K!
 
Socal321 said:
I hear ya. How can something made decades ago that still has a carburetor and has a combined 360 hp cost more than a FERRARI or a boat? With outrageous operating costs to boot. It must be great not having to worry about money. A 150/152 made in the beginning of time still costs 20K!
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The free market?
 
Socal321 said:
I hear ya. How can something made decades ago that still has a carburetor and has a combined 360 hp cost more than a FERRARI or a boat? With outrageous operating costs to boot. It must be great not having to worry about money. A 150/152 made in the beginning of time still costs 20K!
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Maybe this is only applicable to new planes, but isn't most of the cost simply due to product liability issues?

I mean, $18,000 for a refurbished O-320 using 1940's technology and producing a whopping 150HP is just laughable to me. It does not make any immediate sense. The most expensive GM crate engine you can buy costs $5,000 less than that, and produces 720HP!!! And yes they have been used in aircraft.

It does piss me off. Airplanes are so much simpler in construction and even technologically than even 20 year-old clunker cars, yet their outrageous costs make ownership out of reach for many.
 
Holocene said:
Maybe this is only applicable to new planes, but isn't most of the cost simply due to product liability issues?

I mean, $18,000 for a refurbished O-320 using 1940's technology and producing a whopping 150HP is just laughable to me. It does not make any immediate sense. The most expensive GM crate engine you can buy costs $5,000 less than that, and produces 720HP!!! And yes they have been used in aircraft.

It does piss me off. Airplanes are so much simpler in construction and even technologically than even 20 year-old clunker cars, yet their outrageous costs make ownership out of reach for many.
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Yeah, but the plane engine is FAA approved. :sarcasm:

Seriously though, car engines simply aren't made to be pushed as hard, or run as long as airplane motors. Also, if the engine in your vet breaks down, i guarantee you wont get killed because of it.

I agree, airplane motors might be over priced, but there's also a reason.
 
cmill said:
Seriously though, car engines simply aren't made to be pushed as hard, or run as long as airplane motors.
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You'd be surprised. If properly maintained, the "hard parts" of most auto engines these days would in all likelihood last as long, or even longer, than those of your typical Lycoming.

Plane engines have it easy; spend life below 2400RPM, and hardly ever see major fluctuations in RPM. It is the auto engine that must be engineered to work harder, and generally last longer. There's a lot of guys out there running auto engines in either experimental or STC'd aircraft with fantastic results, especially considering the relatively low cost of powering the plane.

Granted, we're not likely to see this widely implemented; Lycoming, Continental, Rotax, etc, certainly work very well. But their price is pretty damn outrageous for what you are actually buying.
 
The cost of the aircraft engine covers really 2 things: Liability and certification. We all know how much fun aviation got to be when lawyers realized it was an easy target for liability suits. As for certification, it's not because the certification is so expensive (I'm sure cert. costs for the O-360 have been paid off loooong ago) but rather the engine makers essentially have a duopoly...it would cost so much for a startup to get going that Lycoming and TCM don't really have to worry about anyone undercutting them.
 
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