You definitely have an advantage being in the club prior the purchase. I know I would have had a lot more questions, been more picky, and felt more confident when I was in the market for a 150/152 had I been in the club.
But then there is a down side to that if you are not careful. There is a paralysis that can take over when you know all the i's and t's to be crossed. Had I been really picky...I probably would have passes on LuluBelle. I would have overlooked her low time engine and solid airframe (remember this was before the left wing corrosion was evident), and been sidelined by the less than complete logs, the very outdated panel.
So my jumping into airplane ownership was naive, and I was lucky I didn't get burned too badly. You sound like you are asking all the right questions. Just don't let the quest for the perfect plane, hanger, or instructor keep you on the ground too long!
You might also PM Konrad Kelley, he's got more hours, but no PPL. He insures his 152...
At this point, I can only backup some later posts - insurance thru AOPA, student/hours did not seem to be a big issue as long as there is instructor supervision, around $800/yr IIRC (for ~$18,000 value; high time engine) and should go down a bit once the PPL is in hand.
'75 C150M/150 . N45350 Pitch for Speed ; Power to Climb
As for hangars, yes, they're in short supply everywhere. Often, you have to be on a waiting list for a long time, unless you have money to buy/build your own, or luck out with an opening. If you manage to get a plane, it's not the end of the world to tie it down outside. A good cover will prevent quite a bit of interior damage. My plane spent over 20 years tied down outside and it didn't hurt the exterior much.
You don't HAVE to buy an airplane in order to proceed with getting your PPL. Most of us got our license and rented for quite a few years before buying a plane. Sure, it'd be nice to train in your own airplane and not "wasting" money on rents. But there's a plus side to renting: you don't have to worry about maintenance & repairs, and fixed costs (hangar, taxes, insurance, loan payments). At the end of the flight, toss the key to the FBO and drive home carefree. Not all that bad.
Hung, they don't have long time tie downs for rent here. They also don't have covered parking. There is one large hanger, but it houses the Mercy Heli and I've noticed the ground crew is always pushing planes in/out of the hanger. I don't really want people moving my plane twice a day.
I need to purchase the plane, because there is nothing to rent. Also, if I don't find a CFI locally, my drive time to a flight school will be 1.25 hours each way.
Heck. Ardmore is only an hour's flight from me. I'll have to get up there and see you some day. I haven't seen Jeff Coggins, yet. Perhaps I'll have better luck with Ardmore versus Rockwall. Oh, and are you at the downtown airport or out on the northeast end of town...ADM?
Gary,
I'll be out of Ardmore Downtown 1F0 .The ADM airpark is about 10 miles from Ardmore, so not as accessible as the Executive airport. That and if the MG plant ever makes reality, they'll be landing 747's at ADM. What's that going to do too the airspace around Ardmore?
You should just buy my plane; I have nothing but time to answer questions! Disregard the price I have come down to $25,000.00. For some reason it has disappeared off of the club classified section.
I went through AOPA for both financing and insurance. The insurance they provided me was very reasonable, about half what I pay for my car, without having a PPL yet. The only advantage to the AOPA financing on the other hand is the paperwork will be done right because they deal with airplanes all the time. You may have mixed results with your average banks. They will have a complete title and modification search done as well and will take care of all the FAA documents, as would any good airplane financing business.
Matt,
I tried the AOPA financing route. They laughed at me, well BofA laughed at me. Seems that because I'm self employed, I'm "un-employed". Whatever! It took longer, but I have the cash.
As for the AOPA insurance, I'll look into it. I have a call in, but haven't gotten a call back.
Last edited by Corey_Fisher; 08/08/0708:29 PM. Reason: I'm getting tired...
If this turns out to be the plane even though it's in a land far, far away, we'll get the plane to Ardmore......we have our ways. ;\)
Thanks Jim!
Hey I'm really looking forward to that corrosion thread you were talking about. I'm sure Hung wouldn't mind his plane completely disassembled for the article.
Ahh.. Oh my God! Look at all the reading. 
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