Xavian said,
Yea, I've had prior dealing with Canterbury Aviation, and while they were friendly and professional, he charged insane hourly rates. I'm talking about NZ$3000+ for a C180/185 including a tail dragger conversion.
The charter rate for a C185/C206 is about $550 NZ per hour, so for 5 plus hours a rate of 3000K NZD from no tail wheel time to C185 type rating is bloody good value. By having his C185 on training adds $1,500 per year to his insurance alone!
PM charged what it costs to operate a C185, hangar it, keep a building for the school and charter operations, pay for the power and phone etc. All this and he managed to keep his aircraft in good condition, plus a wage. Why do you decry him from making a living by charging a realistic rate for his C185? Do you think he should just provide it all for free?
Most GA operators do not charge enough for their aircraft to even cover minimum maintanence cost, a decent wage for the instructor, plus a return to owner. Whakatipu Aero club is a good case as they were charging their C206 at rates so low they almost went broke, and had to sell the aircraft to stay operational. They are an OK operator, had good maint, room and paid their staff a living wage, but the aircraft charge out rate could not cover the costs of operating!