I did it different. I owned 3 airplanes between the age of 25-40. I didn't become a dad until age 42. My kids will be teenagers when I hit 60 so owning a plane is tough for now. I think when they leave the nest I'll get an ultralight and fly that until I'm done with flying.
Wow! Is that AK prices? In '76 I was paying $19/hr for dual in a C-150, $17 solo. After I got my private, I found an old C-150 for rent for $12/hr, so I flew it as much as possible. One of my side jobs to get extra $$ for flying was moping floors in a church.