Recommend an aircraft for me.

[43Inches]

Hmm, I'm a bit suspicious of anyone that quotes $12 per hour for maintenance for a 40-50 year old Arrow airframe, that's only $1200 every 100 hourly. If you operate off tarmac you might chew that up on tyres alone before anything mechanical goes awry.

[tossbag]

It's American, where LAME's call themselves mechanics because, well, they're mechanics. Not mechanics calling themselves engineers when they are clearly NOT engineers. So the corresponding cost of maintenance will be lower.

[340drvr]

Originally Posted by 43Inches

Hmm, I'm a bit suspicious of anyone that quotes $12 per hour for maintenance for a 40-50 year old Arrow airframe, that's only $1200 every 100 hourly. If you operate off tarmac you might chew that up on tyres alone before anything mechanical goes awry.

Note that the video includes $3000 for annual in the 'fixed cost' column, so for a 100-hour year, you might call it 3000/100 + $12 = $42/hr for maintenance. The numbers presented seem pretty realistic to me (for the USA), except for fuel cost, which is probably higher with present costs.

[43Inches]

It's American, where LAME's call themselves mechanics because, well, they're mechanics. Not mechanics calling themselves engineers when they are clearly NOT engineers. So the corresponding cost of maintenance will be lower.

Why would you call yourself an engineer, that's a train driver ain't it.

Note that the video includes $3000 for annual in the 'fixed cost' column, so for a 100-hour year, you might call it 3000/100 + $12 + $42/hr for maintenance. The numbers presented seem pretty realistic to me (for the USA), except for fuel cost, which is probably higher with present costs.

I know its a private ownership machine they are talking about, but you would have to have a very clean and good bones machine to get away with those numbers for consecutive 100 hourlys. I assume there is nothing in that for replacement of gear at TBO. Like I said one tyre will cost around $200 USD. So depending on how much wear you get, could be $600 a year just in rubber. Then there's the fault with the IO-360 Arrows leaking oil from the governor straight into the alternator, so expect no more than 400 hours out of that. There's not much you can do about it as its a weak point in the design of the thing, you can either repair alternators or chase oil weeps as they appear, both are costly. I could add a few more electrical and airframe things that need to be shored up every 100 hourly to keep them from ageing too fast, but you get the picture, $12 an hour just wont cut it in the long run. By the way, he says a 152 only needs $10 per hour for maintenance, so you reckon $2 an hour difference between the two types?

[Aussie Bob]

Wait 5 years and when there is no more avgas and mogas is 5 bucks a litre, owners of piston aircraft will beg you to fly them away from where they are racking up standing costs. Meantime expect airport costs to increase, as supply reduces with flat land ripe for other development. As the fleet ages, accident rate is likely to increase, because cheap aircraft often attract inexperienced owners who can’t afford maintenance, so up go insurance premiums. Insurers may impose requirements which are costly or even impossible to comply with.
Used piston aircraft will soon be scrap value, so about the worst investment one could make, with big power boats a close second.

Ahhhh ... Mach, so depressing but I fear, rather prophetic. I am of the dilemma: do I sell my lightie now and make a small profit or do I just let it depreciate to sweet FA and fly it while I still can. Perhaps I sell it now then buy it back at a bargain basement price in the future? I don't know so I guess I will just keep flying it. The thought not not owning it is rather depressing after all.