How much does it REALLY cost?
 

On Alderney last year, we got into conversation with a sailor and his wife who'd taken several days to get there from Bristol. We started comparing costs - marina, maintenance etc. He told me that mariners have a standard answer when asked "how much does it cost" - apparently the answer is "how much can you afford". Same difference? :bored:

*cough* PPL FI here, about 500 hours over the last year, in a variety of types, and paid to do it. :} So it doesn't cost me that much, but did to get myself into this position!

23 hours in a Piper L4 Cub last year came to around £1250 including subs. I haven't included the share cost as I could get that back in an instant and the value is increasing rather than depreciating it seems.

SS

I budget £300 a month for rental costs, not counting landing fees, maps, Skydemon subs, pub lunches and all the other guff that goes with flying. I average around 70 hrs per year P1 on this and probably do around 120 hrs including RH seat. I do have a lot of non pilot friends who like to fly who cost share. This makes a massive difference, I very rarely fly on my own unless it's a servicing flight. In fact more often than not I'll stick someone in the RH seat if it's a servicing flight just for someone to talk to.

I did 50hrs in my Europa before leaving the syndicate. Total cost over 2 years excluding landing, handling, club membership, LAA membership but including hangarage, maintenance, insurance, fuel, oil, etc was £60/hr wet. Factor in all the other costs and it was probably closer to £70/hr.

What was it *worth* - priceless. Miss that aeroplane.

Permit aircraft, hangarage of just under £2000 p.a., fuel, insurance, Permit, plus maintenance and sundries estimated fairly generously at £500, gives something in the region of £47 p.h for last year's flying.

Fuel prices at today's prices would reduce this to about £41.

Not Rotax money, but my little Continental sounds so much nicer...

What this brings home is the (un)economics of the industry.

If as an aircraft owner you were tempted to hire out, you are (I believe) restricted to CofA types and therefore most if not all of the lower cost examples above need to be ignored.

So, take the costs I've declared above for what is a typical trainer/hire aircraft. They were £150 per hour. Knock out the hangarage and it drops to £120 per hour. I know Fuel is more expensive than market rate at home base, but maintenance I pay is I believe in line with market.

However, if hiring then there would need to be a CAMO involved which as private owners we don't need, and I'm guessing that even as a low hours PPL my insurance is going to be lower than an aircraft available for hire. Although the full value of maintenance will be seen (50 hours will be 50 hours flying not 6 month time elapsing) you would expect the maintenance costs to go up-hired planes I'm guessing don't get respected as well as owned ones. Furthermore as a hired plane engines will need changing on calendar time irrespective of hours and compressions.

So overall, even if the swings and roundabouts cost the same as I'm paying (which seems a bit optimistic), how does anyone expect to make money given that a wet hire rate for a C150/152 is iro £125ish per hour ?

Truth is, almost nobody can make money with this business. A sustainable commercial operations in that sector is long gone and what we do since many decades is living from the value our grandfathers built, by eating it up.