Leasing aeroplanes to build hours

[Charley]

Has anybody ever tried leasing an aircraft in the UK?

There is a place that advertises in the back of Flyer and Pilot which, when you visit their website, say that they can dry lease a Piper Arrow for £45 an hour. They also claim to have no other hidden charges and they even say they'll take care of any unexpected maintenance that might be needed!

All they ask is that you clean the windows once a week.

Surely there must be some catch. Okay, so it is a dry lease and you would need to pay for hangerage whilst you lease the a/c but it might still end up very cost-effective.

Has anybody tried leasing, or heard stories about people that have -- good or bad?

[A and C]

I cant see how these people can do it at the price and make a profit that would justify the capital investment so i am driven to the conclusion thay a corner is being cut some place.

I have looked at leasing out a two seat trainer (PA 38/C152/T67) and the costs of insurance ,maintenance, and depreciation run out at about £ 35 with a modest profit to add to this a VP prop ,retractable gear ,auto pilot and a better avionic fit of the PA28R and the £45 is to good to be true.

If the deal is as good as stated then go for it but i would take a LONG hard look at the small print.