Owning a plane in NZ
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: In a country
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Owning a plane in NZ
Hi all , following another thread I have had going, I would like to know if anyone has experience of owning an aeroplane and having a flying school use it to keep cost down in NZ.
My ideal plane would be a super cub, so with that in mind does anyone know the rough costs of owner ship and if a school is using it how much you can save etc. I really know very little about owning my own aeroplane in terms of cost and letting others use it to help pay for it etc.
I would have to use a finance company to buy the aircraft so would have a monthly loan repayment plus other expenses. Any information would be appreciated, cost of 100hrs etc.
My ideal plane would be a super cub, so with that in mind does anyone know the rough costs of owner ship and if a school is using it how much you can save etc. I really know very little about owning my own aeroplane in terms of cost and letting others use it to help pay for it etc.
I would have to use a finance company to buy the aircraft so would have a monthly loan repayment plus other expenses. Any information would be appreciated, cost of 100hrs etc.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Age: 46
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tail dragger on line with a flying school... be very wary on that and make sure you've got friendly insurers and very good experienced tail dragger instructors teaching in it.
Personally, my advice, if you're looking at something like a cub, take a look first at the various cub-like microlights on the market. RANS S7 Courier and Zlin Savage come to mind, and also the Legend Cub.
Unless you're wanting to do night VFR (or IFR, but really in a cub that's unlikely these days I think) then a micro is going to do the job and make the ongoing cost of ownership considerably less, such that putting it online isn't necessary.
Realistically I don't think putting an aircraft online in NZ is a way to pay back the capital cost of ownership, you are looking to offset (or nullify) the ongoing ownership cost.
Personally, my advice, if you're looking at something like a cub, take a look first at the various cub-like microlights on the market. RANS S7 Courier and Zlin Savage come to mind, and also the Legend Cub.
Unless you're wanting to do night VFR (or IFR, but really in a cub that's unlikely these days I think) then a micro is going to do the job and make the ongoing cost of ownership considerably less, such that putting it online isn't necessary.
Realistically I don't think putting an aircraft online in NZ is a way to pay back the capital cost of ownership, you are looking to offset (or nullify) the ongoing ownership cost.
Been there done that, and still hurting from the costs.
Taildragger on line, forget it unless you are setting up an insurance loss. If you want to use a tail dragger do what wombat35 does and operate yourself and be very picky who flys it solo.
Anything else online and it will be the last machine of choice if the flying school owns its own aircraft. Unless you are the best of mates with the owner of the school then you will be lucky to get 10 to 15 hours a month on average, but with all the cost of having the aircraft operational.
If you really want to reduce the cost of ownership then start a small group of like minded people (two works OK, and I have been in one of 10 that is still operational today 15 years after we started it)
Taildragger on line, forget it unless you are setting up an insurance loss. If you want to use a tail dragger do what wombat35 does and operate yourself and be very picky who flys it solo.
Anything else online and it will be the last machine of choice if the flying school owns its own aircraft. Unless you are the best of mates with the owner of the school then you will be lucky to get 10 to 15 hours a month on average, but with all the cost of having the aircraft operational.
If you really want to reduce the cost of ownership then start a small group of like minded people (two works OK, and I have been in one of 10 that is still operational today 15 years after we started it)
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: In a country
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks M14 for your insight!
To the other more helpful replies, I thought that would be the case but thought I would check the temperature. I would just hire one but that limits you so much as I plan to go to some out of the way places that the owner of the aircraft would not allow.
I would be interested in the microlight option can you log the hours as normal or do they fall in to a completely different category. Any more idea's on a type that is tail wheel and very rugged and can land off field and carry a little gear.
To the other more helpful replies, I thought that would be the case but thought I would check the temperature. I would just hire one but that limits you so much as I plan to go to some out of the way places that the owner of the aircraft would not allow.
I would be interested in the microlight option can you log the hours as normal or do they fall in to a completely different category. Any more idea's on a type that is tail wheel and very rugged and can land off field and carry a little gear.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Dr. Evil's secret volcano lair
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This looks like it could be a bit of fun 
Australian Aircraft Kits, home of Australian designed and made Hornet STOL aircraft kits
Australian Aircraft Kits, home of Australian designed and made Hornet STOL aircraft kits
If you raely want to go places what you need is one of these!!!
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: NT
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
never lock your brakes on the water, not in these anyway. The wheels do not rotate on the water anyway. Only ever on the water to land and take off so speed is about 40 knots max reducing to 20, if the brakes are on when you get to the land you stop very fast, normally upside down!!
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Age: 46
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would be interested in the microlight option can you log the hours as normal or do they fall in to a completely different category.
I suspect this may be on the way to change after LSA is brought in.
Speaking of LSA, hours in an LSA will count just fine, so that's another option ("real soon now").
Rex Kenny at CAA has all the answers on the regulatory stuff for LSA and Micro.
Sprucegoose
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Hughes Point, where life is great! Was also resident on page 13, but now I'm lost in Cyberspace....
Age: 59
Posts: 3,485
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
The Hornet looks much better with a radial up front!
One day, maybe one day...
One day, maybe one day...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: In a country
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That Hornet Stol is awesome, it looks ideal for the NZ back country, I want one.
Excuse by lack of LSA/microlight knowledge but what exactly is the difference. I want to log the hours as although this machine would just be for fun, I am a working cpl and could always do with a better hours tally. I like the idea of the cheaper running costs than a regular light aircraft and the extremely short Toff and land capability.
Excuse by lack of LSA/microlight knowledge but what exactly is the difference. I want to log the hours as although this machine would just be for fun, I am a working cpl and could always do with a better hours tally. I like the idea of the cheaper running costs than a regular light aircraft and the extremely short Toff and land capability.
Guest
Posts: n/a
blahhhh
if you need to lease the aircraft in order to be able to buy it....then my advice is forget it...you need to be able to support all payment incase there is NO ONE who wants to use the aircraft.
as to the hourly rate,
fixed costs - insurance, maintanence, hangerage, CAA fee(god bless them)
variable costs - fuel and oil (bugger all)
at the end of the day the more you fly the aircraft the less the flying costs per hour and vikey verka (I know, I can't spell for ****), if you want to work it out this way. ie. if you took all the costs for say 10 hours flying then you need to divide all the costs in one year by 10 and that's your hourly rate. The more hours you do the less the hourly rate. Because most private owners do bugger all hours, your best to save your fixed costs per month rather than by the hour ie
insurance say 1800
hangar say 2500
maint say 1500 (based on 100 and ara..cheeeeeeeeep)
caa (god bless them) 130
TOTAL $5930
This means that before you even go flying you have to put away about $500 a month.
Cub costs fuel at around (depending on the motor)...lets say we average it out at 20 lts per hour.... about 45 bucks an hour including a bit of oil.
So on this calculation...if you did 50 hours per year (almost an hour per week) then
fuel (oil)........................1500 (50 x 20 x $1.50average)
maint............................2000
insurance.......................1800
hangar...........................2500
CAA (god bless them).........130
hourly rate........$158
at 100 hours..............................hourly rate.........$79
This doesn't include people (who you have leased the aircraft too) trashing the aircraft because they don't own it and couldn't give a **** on engine handling or punching their great big hooves thru the fabric, therefore incurring you huge maint.. costs outside of those normal costs.
Of course there is the syndicate....never had one so can't comment on that side of it but at least all would have a financial interest to keep the aircraft in good nick and look after it. The down side is still the 'who gets it at holidays and flyin'zzz.
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, the best value is
1. if you can afford an aircraft and bear all the costs...best thing in the world.
2. if you can't...just hire one, nothing else works.
if you need to lease the aircraft in order to be able to buy it....then my advice is forget it...you need to be able to support all payment incase there is NO ONE who wants to use the aircraft.
as to the hourly rate,
fixed costs - insurance, maintanence, hangerage, CAA fee(god bless them)
variable costs - fuel and oil (bugger all)
at the end of the day the more you fly the aircraft the less the flying costs per hour and vikey verka (I know, I can't spell for ****), if you want to work it out this way. ie. if you took all the costs for say 10 hours flying then you need to divide all the costs in one year by 10 and that's your hourly rate. The more hours you do the less the hourly rate. Because most private owners do bugger all hours, your best to save your fixed costs per month rather than by the hour ie
insurance say 1800
hangar say 2500
maint say 1500 (based on 100 and ara..cheeeeeeeeep)
caa (god bless them) 130
TOTAL $5930
This means that before you even go flying you have to put away about $500 a month.
Cub costs fuel at around (depending on the motor)...lets say we average it out at 20 lts per hour.... about 45 bucks an hour including a bit of oil.
So on this calculation...if you did 50 hours per year (almost an hour per week) then
fuel (oil)........................1500 (50 x 20 x $1.50average)
maint............................2000
insurance.......................1800
hangar...........................2500
CAA (god bless them).........130
hourly rate........$158
at 100 hours..............................hourly rate.........$79
This doesn't include people (who you have leased the aircraft too) trashing the aircraft because they don't own it and couldn't give a **** on engine handling or punching their great big hooves thru the fabric, therefore incurring you huge maint.. costs outside of those normal costs.
Of course there is the syndicate....never had one so can't comment on that side of it but at least all would have a financial interest to keep the aircraft in good nick and look after it. The down side is still the 'who gets it at holidays and flyin'zzz.
Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, the best value is
1. if you can afford an aircraft and bear all the costs...best thing in the world.
2. if you can't...just hire one, nothing else works.