Discussion
How difficult is it to get a PPL? And if I managed it, would it really be possible for me to hop in the kite at the weekend and nip to the UK from Germany for a few beers and an Indian and then be back in time for Rollmops for breakfast?
I presume there are all sorts of hidden costs involved. Storage? Airport taxes/fees? etc etc etc.
Is it really possible to get a PPL (cost for that over here seems to be about €14K), buy a little Cessna (seems to be about €30K), and then use it as a weekend toy?
I presume there are all sorts of hidden costs involved. Storage? Airport taxes/fees? etc etc etc.
Is it really possible to get a PPL (cost for that over here seems to be about €14K), buy a little Cessna (seems to be about €30K), and then use it as a weekend toy?
Adenauer said:
Is it really possible to get a PPL (cost for that over here seems to be about €14K), buy a little Cessna (seems to be about €30K), and then use it as a weekend toy?
Your up-front costs would be about that, but the point to remember about aircraft ownership - outright or partial - is that it isn't an investment (ha!) and you certainly aren't buying an asset, only a liability.The costs aren't 'hidden' as such, but you do need to educate yourself to the facts:
1) If you can't afford to write off the capital outlay involved in the purchase of the aircraft at the drop of a hat, then don't write the cheque. The market value of an airframe - and the cheaper they are, the more likely it is - can be reduced to zero in ten seconds flat, by circumstances entirely outside of your control.
2) Aircraft maintenance - particularly on older GA kit that can't be owner maintained, like your €30K Cessna - can be eye-wateringly expensive. You might have just blown €30K on the aircraft, but it might well cost you €15K to get it through the next annual.
That being said, absolutely nothing you can do on two or four wheels can come close to what you can do with even a basic PPL in terms of absolute petrolhead hooliganistic pleasure, but buying a knackered old Cessna is rather akin to buying a knackered old Jag and trying to keep it road-worthy, when for the same money you could have the use of an uber-loon Caterham and enough left over to race it for a few years.
I'd say get your PPL, rent for a year, then look at group ownership - if sharing an aircraft becomes too restrictive, then consider sole ownership, but by then you'll know exactly the risk vs reward calculation to make.
^^^ Sound advice. Costs take time to understand, but the the buzz of 3D freedom is totally amazing after being stuck to 2D for most of your life. Whole new world of fun. Worth the price - and if you have the chance but don't do it, you will live to regret it one day. Another point worth bearing in mind is that your flying career could be unexpectedly short vs your driving career. Eventually, you will fail the medical and that will be that. After 40, you have to renew your medical every 2 years. Depending on license, this drops to every year above 50. Read up on the renewal and revalidation regimes of the license you are considering getting and combine this with the knowledge you will soon acquire regarding costs of ownership. The CAA website is very helpful for this stuff.
I don't think I'd necessarily want a curry before a two hour light aircraft fliIght (memories of oyster poisoning on a jaunt to Deauville...), but in essence yes, this is the freedom that a PPL with appropriate ratings and a share in an aircraft will give you
Not necessarily cheap, but from experience much, much more affordable than a child or a horse
Not necessarily cheap, but from experience much, much more affordable than a child or a horse
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