Nervous 1st-Time Airplane Buyer

[Tarfu43]

Hi all,

After 44 years of being an airplane nut, I'm within a few days of making an offer on an airplane (Cessna Cardinal). I earned my PPL when I was 20, but due to lifes issues (house/wife/kids), I dropped out of flying about 15 years ago. However, I now have my ducks in a row, will be taking my flight physical on Thursday, and will have to make a decision on purchasing the Cardinal. The owner is holding the a/c for me (if I want it) until I have my 3rd-class medical in-hand. All my life I've dreamed of owning my own airplane. However, I find myself getting more and more apprehensive as the day approaches that I have to tell the owner whether I want the airplane or not. Surprisingly to me, the reasons for my apprehension are not the airplane itself or the expense. When I was flying regularly back in my 20's, I knew I was a good pilot, and had no fear of flying or my abilities. But as the decision day approaches, instead of thinking about how great it would be to have my own plane, I keep thinking about all the negatives; Do I still have the chops to fly? Is it selfish of me to pursue a potentially risky hobby with a wife and two kids (8 and 11)? Will I feel confortable flying my family around? Will I use the plane enough to justify the purchase?, etc. I've got 180 hrs TT, but haven't flown as PIC in 15 years. I just feel if I don't check this issue off by bucket list, it will be one of my lifes greatest regrets. My family is all for it, I have the means and a lifelong desire to fly/own, but yet I'm nervous as hell to make the leap. Is this normal? Has anyone experienced similiar feelings?


Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[martymayes]

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm a part owner of a Cardinal (177B) and it's great! I'm guessing you have done your homework and are buying for a fair price based on condition and equipment...?? Also home you have done your homework on ownership and operating costs? Buying the plane is only part of it. I wouldn't worry about using it enough, if you use it at all, then it's worth it.

You might have a case of buyers remorse - most people do. Keep those thoughts positive!! Remember why you are doing this! Post pictures so we can admire and encourage! If you live close to MI maybe we can fly out and meet up for lunch one day!

Just a note about risk. One of the neat things about aviation is YOU as the pilot, you have a lot of control over risk. If you feel a flight is too risky, just don't go. Or land if you are in flight. It's much easier to manage the risk than many other popular other activities.

[Bob Meder]

Find yourself an instructor that will give you a tough, thorough flight review. Make sure they hold you to better than PTS standards. And go through the ENTIRE PTS. Ground reference maneuvers might seem pointless, but the goal is to teach (or in your case, remind you) how to divide attention close to the ground, i.e. "traffic pattern."

When both you and the instructor feel solid about it all, get the sign-off and go have fun, remembering to manage risk, as already mentioned.

[ssmdive]

Eh, nerves are normal. It is your bodies way of telling you that you might be screwing up .... That being said most times it is just your body's reaction to something that is not normal and your body telling you to pay attention to what you are doing.

I keep thinking about all the negatives

Stop doing that.

Do I still have the chops to fly?

Great question.... Why not get your medical and go get a BFR and then solo a rented plane before you buy one? The only way you will know if you still have the chops is to do it. Doing it with a rental is a great idea because it removes the pressure of "I own this thing, I better fly it". For what it is worth.... If you ever soloed a plane, you still have the chops, IMO.

Is it selfish of me to pursue a potentially risky hobby with a wife and two kids (8 and 11)?

Yes. But that does not mean it is a bad thing. It is also selfish to play in a baseball league, go bowling without them, and a host of other things. Instead of looking for the reasons that it is selfish, think of the ways it is great for your family. I wish my Dad had owned a plane when I was a kid.

Will I feel confortable flying my family around?

This one is easy.... Don't fly with them till you do. Me personally, I put a 10 hour minimum before I flew passengers in any of my new planes. So get the plane and fly it around till you are comfortable.

Will I use the plane enough to justify the purchase?

Most likely no. But that does not mean you still can't buy it. I have two planes and I own the one (Citabria) just to make my wife happy. I have to force myself to fly it instead of taking the hotrod (Pitts) out when I am at the airport. I have no reason to own it other than it makes the wife happy. Financially, it makes ZERO sense for me to own both; I could rent a two seat plane for the few hours my wife flies with me a year.

All that said, you will fly more if you own a plane than renting one. How many hours justify the expense of owning one? I figure about 50-100 hours a year to justify it. But all that said, I just want them and that alone justifies it to me.

I just feel if I don't check this issue off by bucket list, it will be one of my lifes greatest regrets.

That about settles it doesn't it?

Is this normal? Has anyone experienced similiar feelings?

Yes, and yes.

Regret is a bitch. You can always make more money, you can always sell the plane and move on..... But living with regret SUCKS. I missed the chance to fly my Dad (also a pilot years ago) in MY airplane. He had flown with me in rented planes, but never MY plane. He saw me fly it once, but the weather was rolling in and I had to leave to be able to make it back home. He died before I could take him up in my plane...... I'll NEVER live that down even though I know, and he knew, I made the right call that day.

If you can afford it, if your family supports it, and if you don't do dumb things like IFR without the ticket.... You will be fine.

[frfly172]

Think of the positives,it's always good to be able to check off part of the bucket list. I have bought several and have used the plane to check off trips I have on my bucket list.

[Floatsflyer]

Tarfu 43,

Ssmdive has given you solid, logical comments. Take heed.

I would add the following though. Check with your insurance company first, before you buy, to find out what they expect of you in terms of hours "on type" before you can take passengers. This will greatly increase your competency and comfort level. Get an instructor who is very familiar with type, LEARN THE AIRPLANE and fly with s/he until s/he and you feel the time has come to solo. Then just keep soloing(circuits and air work) until you feel at ease and comfortable with the idea of taking your family up. You'll know when.

As an aside, I really like Cardinals, I love the way they look, that sleek uninterrupted profile. IMO, get at least the 180hp version. I've always wondered why Cessna didn't bring it back when they resumed SE production in 1996. I think they made a mistake.

[vaflier]

I bet you had similar nerves when you got married, hows that working. If this is your dream and your family is behind you then do it. If you decide after a while that it is not for you then sell the plane and enjoy the fact that you went after your dream. You may regret buying it, but you will definetly regret not buying it because you are unsure of your skills. Your skills can be relearned and a good instructor is a must to get you comfortable again. Then take another experienced pilot flying with you for a while until you are comfortable without an instructor. Then fly by yourself for a while to prove to yourself that you are competent and safe. Then enjoy !!!!!. I was much the same as you. And bought mine 6 years ago and the only regret I have is that I did not do it sooner. Financially it will never make sense but then dreams are all about emotions and as any married man will tell you emotions seldom make sense they just are !. Buy a large insurance policy if you are truly concerned that much about your family. It will not replace you but it can provide for them if need be. We get no gaurantees in this life and we may die at any time, but we have to dream and chase our dreams to truly live life. Your family it seems would like to see you happy and chasing your dreams. Best wishes for a long life and many happy hours chasing angels through the clouds.

[Bill Greenwood]

Call a good CFI and without a lot of bs, just tell him you are a pilot but not flown since then..

Then get him to give you the equivalent of the flying part of a private pilot test. Do the whole thing, whether you pass each part or not, don't stop with just the first rusty part.
The ask him for your grade on each part on a 10 scale. If you are an 8, great you can still fly, if you are a 6 you need a little review on that part.

Now, why to I say take the test before you start taking lessons?
First of all it will save a lot of money and time. You are already a pilot, you don't need to learn it all again from scratch. And if there are parts that you do well enough now, that means that you really learned it well back then and you still know it. With 180 hours, you were still low time, but not just a beginner.
And that was enough time for you to know in your own mind how good a pilot you were/are.



Next, as part of a legally required biennial flight review you and the CFI can get current on some new FARs etc, but don't waste your time on that initially, or the CFI may be tempted to drag this out as if you never flew before. You don't legally have to take the written test again, though you could certainly do a practice one after you get the flying started.
And use a school airplane to rent at first, whatever you trained in back then, 172?

When you are ready to buy the plane, and have your medical and biennial signed off, then buy the best plane you can, with the avionics etc, already in , to save money.
Get a good pre buy inspection from an independent A & P and check the log books and ADs carefully.
And don't take your family flying until you have at least 25 hours, better 50, in the new phase of your flying.

Good luck, and I'll bet you will do fine. It has not all changed in 15 years, we now have GPS and the big thing of TFRs, but a wing still flies the same.

[Bob Meder]

Call a good CFI and without a lot of bs, just tell him you are a pilot but not flown since then..

Then get him to give you the equivalent of the flying part of a private pilot test. Do the whole thing, whether you pass each part or not, don't stop with just the first rusty part.
The ask him for your grade on each part on a 10 scale. If you are a 7 or 8, great you can still fly, if you are a 6 you need a little review on that part.

Now, why to I say take the test before you start taking lessons?
First of all it will save a lot of money and time. You are already a pilot, you don't need to learn it all again from scratch. And if there are parts that you do well enough now, that means that you really learned it well back then and you still know it. With 180 hours, you were still low time, but not just a beginner.
And that was enough time for you to know in your own mind how good a pilot you were/are.



Next, as part of a legally required biennial flight review you and the CFI can get current on some new FARs etc, but don't waste your time on that initially, or the CFI may be tempted to drag this out as if you never flew before. You don't legally have to take the written test again.
And use a school airplane to rent at first, whatever you trained in back then, 172?

When you are ready to buy the plane, and have your medical and biennial signed off, then buy the best plane you can, with the avionics etc, already in , to save money.
Get a good pre buy inspection from an independent A & P and check the log books and ADs carefully.

Good luck, and I'll bet you will do fine.

Bill - a lot of good advice there, and,frankly, pretty much what I said (only I didn't use a scale - just "fly better than PTS", because the PTS is a bare minimum).

I do take exception to the "the CFI may be tempted to drag it out.." Since you're talking about a good CFI, that really shouldn't happen: a good one will ensure that the training will meet the needs of the pilot without dragging it out. Also, a good CFI will recognize that only one signature stands between the pilot and their fully exercising the privileges listed on their certificate.

BTW, and this doesn't really matter, but the terms "BFR" and "biennial flight review" make me slightly crazy, as there are no such things. You can get a flight review every day, if you wanted to.

[Frank Giger]

Ah, I became a pilot after the biannual flight review was changed to flight review, but I still call it that, as it's required every two years.

Though I extended the time for it by completing the first stage of the WINGS program, which includes flights with a CFI in the first year after getting my little blue-green plastic square.

I think the ground school part would be a refresher on airspace, communications, flight planning and weather - a little nighttime review at home and maybe an hour to back check with a CFI, and then three flights - an hour of basic cobweb shaking, an hour of fundamentals (slow flight, ground reference maneuvers, emergency procedures, and some landings), and then a fake check ride to see where the rust needs to come off. Then some solo time to knock that rust off before breaking the 30 nm seal of the local airport area or taking someone who's a non-pilot with you (and I'd take a pilot friend with me on some of those flights as well).

One can't fail a flight review - the CFI can refuse to sign the log book saying it was completed, but that's all. And I think a good one would sign off based on your attitude of being safe and respectful of the responsibilities of a PIC.

Piloting a simple single engine aircraft isn't rocket science or some super difficult task in good weather. Let's not make it out to be more than it is while we understand that it's nothing to take too casually, either. Heck, if I can learn to fly it can't be all that hard.