Thanks Maulkin and Ridger- both very useful posts.
My main concern is that (maybe unduly and peculiar to new ppls or just me!) unless you like 'going places' to visit, land, hang around, burger ,this fly-in, that meet, and hope the weather co-operates for a 'day out' (which I can't yet get excited about, and also couldn't bear the 2-hour nav trips during 'training'
) then a lone (or with consenting passenger) beat-up-the-sky-sortie every now and then would clear the cobwebs and wake you up!
in the local area or further afield then go home- what's wrong with that?
Is this unrealistic/cuckoo-land/soon wears off kind of stuff?
I'm aware it all starts with what kind of flying you want to do (and even 'Why did you learn to fly?') but I couldn't live without some upside-down stuff as and when!
I've seen the 172 groups with couples going to above-mentioned rallies etc and I've seen guys with open-cockpit vintage types- I can see a desire for both.
Bulldog superb but complicated maintenance regime with the spar-mod etc.
Pup 150 would tick most boxes but are these still reasonably economically viable?
Sorry if I've rambled on again.
JJOE