Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes New Member. Help me buy my first airplane.

FAA Airworthiness Directives and Service Difficulty Reports are available free on the web from government websites, and the club hangar section is an excellent place to start compiling a list. What you are paying for with AOPA is an already compiled (and presumably complete) listing. Don't get me wrong ... this can be a daunting task ... gathering information. I think the time and money is better spent initially locating a mechanic already knowledgeable on what needs to be looked at, and using that person for your pre-buy/annual inspection. Find someone that you trust .... when they say it's good, it's good!

There are arguments for and against title insurance. I can see good reason for it on a mortgage or Lear Jet purchase. For some reason some people worry about it on a $20,000 airplane, but wouldn't think twice aobut it when buying a $50,000 collector car! When you've picked out a plane, if you've got time, order the FAA CD on that plane. Much of the information found on a title search is on that CD, along with other valuable information on the aircraft.

Leaving an airplane outside exposed to the elements when you can afford a hangar is just silly! It's not just the sun, or wind, or rain, but most importantly to me, hail and debris damage! A supercell thunderstorm can destroy most light aircraft in seconds. Here in the southeast, hurricanes are a very real threat, and tornadoes can occur virtually anywhere in the country (they seem to like airports almost as much as mobile home communities). I didn't really consider buying a plane until I had a hangar to put it in! But, honestly? If I didn't already have a hangar, that wouldn't stop me from owning. It would make bad weather a LOT more stressful, though!

I would like a hanger, but also don't think it warrents the expense. Too many other things I can do with $3000/yr. True, your aircraft could get destroyed by a horrible storm but, to me, that's what insurance is for. I won't be attached enough to my 150 to worry about major damage from a storm as long as insurance covers it. Many others on the forum will surely have a different opinion. It just comes down to weather you're buying your 150 for time building and certs or keeping it for the long haul as your baby.

Just my $0.02

BTW, make friends with hanger folks at the airport. They'll likely let you bum a spot in the hanger for bad weather/hurricanes if there's room.

Believe me, I do understand your position! I still simply can't afford tiedown fees, let alone hangar rental, and I gave up flying for 5 years because of the cost of aircraft rental and not being able to afford maintaining currency. I admit my circumstances are now quite different. I still can't afford any extra expense, but I was fortunate enough to come across my current home and hangar and figure out that I could purchase the property and live on an Airpark as cheaply as living in town. The savings on renting a hangar or even a tiedown made airplane ownership affordable for me, and got me back into flying after a 5 year hiatus!

I realize that hangar ownership or rental is not affordable for the vast majority of owners. For me, it turned out to be the only way I could afford to fly, thanks to a VA mortgage and keeping the old house in town as income property.

Tim - sent you a PM. Got in touch with the seller of the 150 at GPM. Unfortunately, it has already been sold. Sorry!

All nice things to have and I agree 100%,, BUT what I've done is taken the money and applied it towards airtime,, and I save a bit towards the extras I want. Does it affect the appearance of the plane, yes it does,, does it affect more then what the yearly savings is. Not even close. Looking at the expensive stuff inside. I've rationalized to myself that regardless of how well I would keep it looking in a hangar, more then likely when the new stuff comes available,, I'd want it. So now, I'm going to be able to come up with the money for it,, from saving hangar fees,, Just my thoughts,,

Interesting concept. Allowing one's aircraft to deteriorate today by not putting it in the hanger so to make it possible to puchase toys to install tomorrow? What toys could possibly be that important to have?? HMMMMMMM?????

sorry! Just thinking out loud..................

IFR moving map GPS, new radios, carb ice detector, CHTs, Fuel flow meter, etc, etc...

The aircraft is left to the elements, has peeling paint. Corossion. Cracked interior plastic. But, BY GAWD, take a look at that panel!

Shaking my head..................

If you intend to keep the plane, I still think a hangar is the way to go. All those neat to have instruments and equipment will last longer in a hangar. If all you want to do is fly, keep the airplane for just a few years and then move on, perhaps a tiedown makes more economic sense. If you intend to make this airplane your pride and joy, the hangar is an expense you should carefully consider.

I see where David is coming from here! Been there! Yes, we all agree that having a hangar to put the bird you own in is preferable to any other option. No argument there! But, you still need to be able to rent or own a hangar and still afford to fly every now and then. Some budgets are just that tight (I KNOW mine is).

Storing your aircraft outside doesn't have to mean doom and gloom. It does mean paying more attention to detail, such as locating and fixing water leaks, keeping drain holes clear, keeping the bilges clean, and keeping the surfaces free of heavy snow, etc. My 1970 model spent 30 years tied down outside in a northern climate. You've seen the pictures I've posted. The paint wasn't pretty, but the airplane is SOLID! The only excessive corrosion I found was the result of dissimilar metals in contact with each other and intergranular corrosion that can exist in any extruded aluminum product regardless of exposure to the elements. Yes, there is a little surface "frost" inside the wings from being stored outside with snow on the wings, but it doesn't hurt anything. 30 years of hangar fees would have bought another plane, or at least several good paint jobs! I'll take mechanical condition over appearance anytime, and the price was right!

The biggest advantage to a hangar is protection from severe weather (my biggest ownership fear), not protection from any other normal exposure. Having a place to work on the plane out of the weather, or store things inside is just a matter of convenience, but not a necessity. Storing a plane outside doesn't guaranty structural and mechanical deterioration. Neglect, on the other hand, might!