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Relax, Jeff! I have nothing but the highest regards and respect for you! Perhaps I overemphasised that with the "Mr."?

Thanks everyone, for all the encouragement and good advice.

I showed my airplane today, and ended up with a deposit in hand!

The buyer is just what I was hoping for. He's a guy who loves to fly, and is tired of paying $110+ per hour to fly someone else's plane on someone else's schedule.

This is a true "turn key" get-in and go-flying airplane! I know he'll enjoy it as much as I have.

He drove about 40 miles to see the plane, and we met on my lunch hour. He'd never flown a Cessna 150 before, just a couple hundred hours in low wing Pipers.

He caught right on, though. We flew around for about 20 minutes for him to get the feel of the controls, then we landed and traded seats for some pattern work. He's a natural!

Afterward, I had to go back to work, so I left him in the pilots lounge with my logbooks. My mechanic is right next door, so he could ask questions, and leave the books when he was through.

2-1/2 hours later, he came by my office with a deposit.

He's a young guy, and a first time buyer, so I know this was a big step for him. I'm confident, though, that this will be a great first experience!

I think I'll buy his first year membership to this club... can we do gift memberships???

Way to go, Steve.

Yes, indeed, we can do gift memberships. I've looked into doing just that. All you gotta do is email Lori and pay, then get the new owner the password and username to gain access to his new account and personalize it.

Sounds like you were the perfect host of a potential buyer.

When I bought my plane in November, '05, Larry did exactly what you did. He flew first, then I flew it for a while. After that, he left Wayne Westerman (the best buying buddy in the world) and I to peek around inside the plane and we took the books home. Absolutely no pressure. I knew what he thought of his plane, he had a flight scheduled first thing the next morning...pipeline patrol.

Wayne and I studied the books that evening, liked what we saw, and made the offer complete with a 10,000 dollar deposit the next morning. What I liked most about the whole thing was that Larry never once tried to sell me the plane. He repeated "it is what it is" several times.

Sounds like you offered the buyer an enjoyable flight, complete, no pressure access to the logs, and unimpeded access to your mechanic without you hanging around or trying to cover anything up. Those things go a long way with any buyer.

I hope this sale ends up well for both of you.

Ditto on the gift membership! That was one of my Christmas presents! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Way to go, steve!

You da man!!!

Glad it worked out well for both of you!

Well, I watched my airplane fly away today.

The new owner is very excited, and the sale went very well.

I spent about an hour with him today, doing one last thorough pre-flight inspection. I handed over the keys, logbooks, and a box of miscellaneous supplies.

I also gave him my Cessna 150 maintenance guide and parts book, a copy of Mike Armans 150/152 book, and a membership to this club.

After topping off the tanks one last time, I walked out to the runway and watched him take off.

He called when he reached his destination, to let me know the flight was smooth, and he really liked the bubble windows!

It was truely one of life's bittersweet moments....

"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, ..."

Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare. Act II, Scene II

I was so excited the day I bought 72V (my first and only plane so far), and I can't really imagine the day I sell her. I think I would cry.

Makes me sad just thinking of it.

Hey Steve,, I'm glad for you,,

What's the name of your buyer? so we know to welcome him when he signs in.