buying an airplane at 20.... thoughts?

[Andy5466]

It does seem to be a little to good to be true. Man i wish i did not have this itchin to buy hahahaha! sooner or later the right one will come up

 

[killbilly]

Maybe money might be better spent at this point becoming an A/P?

I've considered the possibility. I'm at a point in life where I'm thinking about The Second Career.

I honestly don't know much about the process, the job field or the earning potential. And it's not like I'm a master mechanic - I'm just reasonably handy with tools and I'm not afraid of machinery or motors, even if I'm not particularly well-versed. I suppose I'd be cynically described as "knows enough to be very dangerous." Thus, my line about having someone teach me how to wrench on an airplane.

I like the idea of spending my days at airports fixing airplanes and being around airplane people and communities. But I also know that a) I probably have a romanticized notion of it, and b) like anything else, it eventually becomes a job. Maybe a good job, maybe a job I'd enjoy, but a job nonetheless. Not ready to shatter my illusions, I guess. Still plenty of money to be made in the field I'm in.

 

[mshunter]

My 20'something younger self says "HELL YEAH, BUT THAT THANG! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TAIL YOU CAN CATCH WITH AN AIRPLANE!!!"

My middle aged self says "Airplanes are really expensive, unseen costs come up, insurance is expensive, gas is expensive, and after paying for all of that, will I really have the money to use it."

It's pretty hard to argue with the 20'something guy, ain't it...

 

[Roger Roger]

I've considered the possibility. I'm at a point in life where I'm thinking about The Second Career.

I honestly don't know much about the process, the job field or the earning potential. And it's not like I'm a master mechanic - I'm just reasonably handy with tools and I'm not afraid of machinery or motors, even if I'm not particularly well-versed. I suppose I'd be cynically described as "knows enough to be very dangerous." Thus, my line about having someone teach me how to wrench on an airplane.

I like the idea of spending my days at airports fixing airplanes and being around airplane people and communities. But I also know that a) I probably have a romanticized notion of it, and b) like anything else, it eventually becomes a job. Maybe a good job, maybe a job I'd enjoy, but a job nonetheless. Not ready to shatter my illusions, I guess. Still plenty of money to be made in the field I'm in.

The TL; DR version is that GA maintenance is a great hobby (if you can afford it) but a lousy career. The money these days is in turbines.

 

[doog]

When I was in my 20's a friend of mine bought a BC-12D for 8k while working as a pizza delivery guy. He flew the heck out of it, put hundreds of hours on it and even flew it from California to Alaska. He ended up getting his CFI and it worked out to be a great fun airplane/time builder. Eventually the jugs wore out and he didn't have money to fix it so it's been sitting under a tarp in the corner of a guys hangar for the last 10+ years.. it's probably still worth at least 8k even in it's current condition.

 

[esa17]

That number comes from my 150 blowing an engine. It's also a seven year old figure.

 

[Vector]

Why is the OP not looking at an Experimental like a Sonex or KR with VW engine. He can do a lot of the maintenance himself and is not spending a whole lot on gas. Sonex may be pricey but a KR can be had for cheap.

 

[swisspilot]

If I was you I would invest whatever budget you have there for this airplane and use it to travel the world.

The more time I spend around airplanes the less I want to own one....at least for recreational purposes.

 

[alaskadrifter]

Owning an airplane is not for every pilot. All I can think about these days is what airplane to buy next. Horse and strokes and what not...

 

[hook_dupin]

All I can think about these days is what airplane to buy next.

After buying a Champ and a Citabria, I now find myself looking at an additional Citabria. This owning airplanes thing is quite addictive. Some people are glued to porn. I constantly surf Trade-A-Plane and Controller at night.

 

[alaskadrifter]

After buying a Champ and a Citabria, I now find myself looking at an additional Citabria. This owning airplanes thing is quite addictive. Some people are glued to porn. I constantly surf Trade-A-Plane and Controller at night.

For me it's Barnstormers and Craigslist.