Club A/C (Cessna R182) buy-in and hourly rate

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1978 Cessna 182 retract, club's only A/C so far. $4000 buy-in/deposit and $135 an hour, wet. Average or better/worse than avg?

To me it sounds like a great deal, but I have nothing to compare it to. Just curious.
 
I don't know about the price, but aircraft is a Latin work that means expensive!
 
That sounds really reasonable. Is it a VFR only aircraft? That would be the only thing to make me take pause. Unless you don't have an instrument rating in which case it wouldn't matter. A RG 182 is a capable and forgiving AC to fly. If it was local to me and I could fly it IFR I'd be all over it at that price.
 
That does sound like a good deal. Just the fuel burn alone is half that cost. I figure it costs me $70hr for fuel and other consumable costs on my 4 cylinder cardinal RG.
 
Seems like a low buy-in price. Are there lots of owners making availability an issue?
 
I don't know the membership numbers in the club. It was founded relatively recently, within the past few yrs.
 
Having formerly been in a flying club for years, let me ask a couple (or more) questions.

How does the club handle scheduling of the 182? You want to know this in detail. Why?

Because how many members are in the club? Actually, that should've been question number one, followed by the scheduling question.

Too many members and/or a poor scheduling policy leaves you with a 182 that you have the key for and not much else.

Is the 182 fully IFR equipped?

If you do not have an IFR rating or you are just learning to fly and earn that Private certificate, what aircraft would you use to earn that needed instrument rating if you really want to use the 182 effectively?

Having paid $44 per hour wet (okay, 20 years ago) for a fully IFR equipped 172, there is no way to justify the "$100 hamburger" at your current club rate.

Who runs the club? Who is your maintenance person, if any?

I would recommend attending a club meeting or three to get a good idea as to how it is run. How the governing board (is there a governing board?) deals with the membership, maintenance, and financial matters should give you a basis for deciding whether or not you want to lay down $4,000 to join.
 
Originally Posted By: dkryan
Having formerly been in a flying club for years, let me ask a couple (or more) questions.

How does the club handle scheduling of the 182? You want to know this in detail. Why?

Because how many members are in the club? Actually, that should've been question number one, followed by the scheduling question.

Too many members and/or a poor scheduling policy leaves you with a 182 that you have the key for and not much else.

Is the 182 fully IFR equipped?

If you do not have an IFR rating or you are just learning to fly and earn that Private certificate, what aircraft would you use to earn that needed instrument rating if you really want to use the 182 effectively?

Having paid $44 per hour wet (okay, 20 years ago) for a fully IFR equipped 172, there is no way to justify the "$100 hamburger" at your current club rate.

Who runs the club? Who is your maintenance person, if any?

I would recommend attending a club meeting or three to get a good idea as to how it is run. How the governing board (is there a governing board?) deals with the membership, maintenance, and financial matters should give you a basis for deciding whether or not you want to lay down $4,000 to join.



All good points!

However, I will take exception with any form of "justification" for General Aviation.

Many of us have tried to justify ownership/rental/partnerships in light aircraft. The justifications range from sightseeing to flight training, to travel. All of which can be better served by professionals. Furthermore, the risk of flying a light aircraft far exceeds the risk of airline travel.

In my opinion, the only justification that makes any sense is a simple love of flying. The $200-$300 hamburger (let's not kid ourselves) is a great way to illustrate the costs involved.

Sorry to rant on, but "if" one loves to fly, with all that it entails, and "can" afford to fly, the cost matters far less. No justification necessary.

I own, outright, a Cessna Cardinal RG. I truly enjoy it. I've wanted to sell it to move up to a Mooney turbo (faster) . But I enjoy the Cardinal so much, the views, the flying characteristics, the reliability, the interior volume etc. Over the last 9 years of ownership, I've used it for practical purposes. But mostly, it's my preferred method of travel. Just because it's so much fun.

This summer, I flew it back n forth from South Florida to Savannah, GA, every week, sometimes twice per week. 2.2 hours each way. 22 gallons fuel. I drove it once, 7 hours, a waste of an entire day. The view up the coastline was always spectacular, the ride was good, and the flight were major fun!
 
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What is it you want to do with the aircraft?
If flying mainly locally on pretty days, there are plenty of aircraft you could buy and own for reasonable dollars.
If you want a travelling airplane, then scheduling within the club might be a problem.
You give your location as no more than "Midwest." That covers a lot of ground but in most of the Midwest, a piston single sits through four or five months of real winter.
Who looks after the maintenance of this aircraft? Is there a reserve for an unanticipated large expense in an annual?
If you really need the use of an aircraft, it might be better to buy one or cheaper to rent as needed. The same would apply if your flying will consist of the occasional expensive lunch.
Mine does.
 
I'd look at the finances of the club as with any other 'investment'.
-are they basically sound?
-how many members?
-reserves, if any, for engine OH, avionics and other major expenses or are they increasing membership to fund a major expense?
-where is the engine vs. TBO? The 182 is a pricey overhaul...
-does the ac need any upgrades? If so, are they in the financial model or are they playing financial kick the can....

Other considerations, some obvious:
-availability of the a/c as previously mentioned
-try to get a general feeling for the other members, what do they do and what do you do for a living? Bunch of white collar types, engineers, corporate types and they will be trying to get the a/c nights and weekends, contractors, doctors, self employed may have more flexibility and get their flying done during the week with possibly more availability on weekends
-get a feel for the clubs atmosphere...ask around the airport...thoughts on the club officers

The 182 is a very nice airplane.

Aside from that, do you want in on this particular ac, can you deal with the club and do you love flying? If yes, there is no rationalizing...go for it...Happy Flying!
 
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