Yeah because Canada was on the front line!

That's seriously cool though, flying directly home!

That famous saying still springs to mind....'if it flys, floats of f****, rent it.'

Famous sayings are not always right. Renting as opposed to owning, assures that you are obtaining the use of something which has been well used, and maybe abused, by others. Some of us prefer a known, rather than a "'hope it's okay".

So my first plane has been flown by no one but I since I bought it 29 years ago, my second (floating) plane has been me only since I bought it 8 years ago, and my wife of 19 years and I are completely devoted to one and other!

What I must commit to each is well worth it, for security of mind....

You need a lot of capital to go down that route though!

.............

I can't understand why there can be such a massive difference across the UK in the hourly rate for the same aircraft!

Consider that everything which happens to get you airborne in an aircraft, happens because a person did work. While you are airborne, you can presume that the efforts of all those people are in some way devoted to you, and you should expect to be paying them fairly for that. Perhaps the cost of living differs in different locales, and thus the wages for the people who keep the planes flying are associated.

Every consumer is entitled, and indeed wise, to shop around. But when you make your selection, it's a little harsh to then suggest that the people doing the work to keep you airborne there should not be paid fairly for that work.

Do you tip a good server at a restaurant? Or ask them to justify the price of the meal?

ST,
I totally understand your thoughts but I live in the poorest part of the UK yet the hourly rate is £90 more than the richest part of the UK.
I'm struggling to understand how FTO s arrive at their prices.

I could only speculate on the economic realities in the UK. I have certainly noticed that services considered common in some places, are very expensive in other places which are less well traveled. A bigger customer base seems to encourage competition, greater infrastructure, and lower prices. Other times, it's just the cost to get it there for you to buy. When I bought drummed Avgas in the Canadian arctic, it was four times the price as it was at an airport 250 miles away, but I knew that going in, had zero choice, and paid happily. It was my choice to fly there.

It's just the way it is.....

I can only see for definite what I was paying five years ago for a 172 and the price has gone down. Don't know about the last twelve years though, it may well have gone up since 2004.