Bad financial decisions

[WacoFan]

If it flies or floats, there used to be saying. Some of y’all are financially brave

Scenario One: USMCmech can keep the airplanes he can afford and enjoy to enrich his life, create bonding moments with his children, pursue an enjoyable hobby and make friends with other like minded people.

Scenario Two: USMCmech can sit quietly with his children around the kitchen table discussing how much money they are saving by eschewing anything a normal person would consider fun and then searching for open time that will pay a premium.

I know what I would choose.

 

[WacoFan]

It's got an IO-360 putting out 180hp. After flying acro in a 118hp 7ECA this thing is a rocketship. The open cockpit is loud but I love it.

I'm still focused on mastering the landing in this airplane and just Monday finally landed it at my home airport with a 45 ft wide runway. I'm almost completely blind in the flare, but centerline is centerline no matter how wide the runway is.

How is the wind turbulence in the cockpit? I've been some open machines that beat you up...and others like my grandpa's YPF-7 that you could lay a sectional on your lap. What - if anything - did you fly before strapping on the Pitts? Or did you go straight from Citabria to Pitts? Just sounds fantastic to me and I love the retro'ish scheme with the fishhook stripe - reminiscent of the prototype Pitts (which didn't have a fishhook but similar). Just really cool looking machine you have!

 

[USMCmech]

How is the wind turbulence in the cockpit? I've been some open machines that beat you up...and others like my grandpa's YPF-7 that you could lay a sectional on your lap. What - if anything - did you fly before strapping on the Pitts? Or did you go straight from Citabria to Pitts? Just sounds fantastic to me and I love the retro'ish scheme with the fishhook stripe - reminiscent of the prototype Pitts (which didn't have a fishhook but similar). Just really cool looking machine you have!

It's there but it's not too bad. If I sit up too high, I can feel the slipstream trying to pull my helmet off, LOL.

I went from the Citabria to the Pitts with some transition training in the S-2. I had a fair amount of time in the backseat of the Citabria which isn't the same but is a step towards the S-1.

This plane was built by Sonny Rudderick with help from Curtis Pitts himself back in 1983, so I'd guess that it's pretty close to the original S-1C as you are likely to find.

 

[WacoFan]

It's there but it's not too bad. If I sit up too high, I can feel the slipstream trying to pull my helmet off, LOL.

I went from the Citabria to the Pitts with some transition training in the S-2. I had a fair amount of time in the backseat of the Citabria which isn't the same but is a step towards the S-1.

This plane was built by Sonny Rudderick with help from Curtis Pitts himself back in 1983, so I'd guess that it's pretty close to the original S-1C as you are likely to find.

Damn man. You're already a pro at the "Curtis Pitts helped build my plane personally" humble brag!

You know, Antonio Stradivari actually helped put my fiddle together back in 1698...

 

[USMCmech]

If it flies or floats, there used to be saying. Some of y’all are financially brave

My two airplanes are both paid for in cash and combined cost less than half a years salary. Annual upkeep on simple airplanes like these is not insignificant but well within my budget (my son's after school tutoring cost more than hangar rental). Yes, there can be some big ticket surprises but insurance helps with that. They both have held their value and I can easily sell them for the original purchase price.

There are a LOT of things that ownership opens up that renting can't give you. First off, nobody else touches much less flies my airplane but me. It's always exactly how I left it a week ago. I don't have to worry about what the last guy did or if the flight school is properly maintaining it. I can go from getting out of my truck to rolling down the runway in 10 minutes and haven't even decided where I want to fly today. These types of planes are not available to rent anywhere so owning is the only way to fly them. Money wise, it's a lot different when the hourly rate is mostly just Avgas (and neither of these are particularly thirsty). Waiting in line for takeoff for 15 minutes is different when it only means 1/4G of gas.

The joy I've gotten out of my planes is worth every penny.

 

[Kingairer]

Until your tenant doesn’t pay rent. I’ve gone through this. 3 times to court. Only insta and TikTokkers with zero rental experience thinks this is easy breezy as a landlord.



True, with debt snowball. Though if one wants to payoff a higher debt account because it has a higher interest rate, knock yourself out.



$1000 first, and then the 3-6 month after debt snowball. I would agree you can save for an emer fund first if you’d like.





Should never have gotten that car payment in the first place. No one needs to show off. People should know when they can’t afford it.

So true. I tried to play landlord for a few years. It went great until it didnt. Calling cops and having stuff thrown out and dealing with the aftermath was enough to tell me I didnt want to do this again. Works for some, didnt work for me, I just dont want to do it. Id rather just invest in some low risk funds in the market and make slow gains averaged over the years than deal with the hassles of rental properties.
If I really wanted it bad enough, Id have to no problem buying a plane. Renting vs. owning a plan is really in different categories. I also subscribe to some of the Die with zero principles.

 

[killbilly]

My two airplanes are both paid for in cash and combined cost less than half a years salary. Annual upkeep on simple airplanes like these is not insignificant but well within my budget (my son's after school tutoring cost more than hangar rental). Yes, there can be some big ticket surprises but insurance helps with that. They both have held their value and I can easily sell them for the original purchase price.

There are a LOT of things that ownership opens up that renting can't give you. First off, nobody else touches much less flies my airplane but me. It's always exactly how I left it a week ago. I don't have to worry about what the last guy did or if the flight school is properly maintaining it. I can go from getting out of my truck to rolling down the runway in 10 minutes and haven't even decided where I want to fly today. These types of planes are not available to rent anywhere so owning is the only way to fly them. Money wise, it's a lot different when the hourly rate is mostly just Avgas (and neither of these are particularly thirsty). Waiting in line for takeoff for 15 minutes is different when it only means 1/4G of gas.

The joy I've gotten out of my planes is worth every penny.

God. This is the way.

I miss my airplane so much.