Another "what plane" thread: Cheapest possible ongoing cost IFR plane? Speed is nice, too

Posted by KITTYONFYRE@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 14 comments

realistically no shot I'm buying a plane any time soon if ever. it's fun to dream, but let's keep this dream reasonable - what airframes should I look at if hourly cost is my highest priority (followed by speed as a distant 2nd)? clearly this'll be an experimental two seater, I'm not worried about usable load really (I'm 160lbs) or pretty much any other factor. no cloth covered planes - idk what my local airport chargers for hangars, but even if it's hangared in winter it'll probably be at a tie down during summer. range matters somewhat, but stopping to fuel up is not a big deal as long as I've got more than say 350nm range (which I imagine basically anything will do). speed is always cool and nice (cruising at 80 knots would be a bit of a drag, but better than driving still, enjoyment wise!), but costs are a much bigger factor I'd love an rv4/rv7 but those are pretty expensive up front & not particularly cheap from an hourly POV (though clearly not expensive).

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

Long-Ez like this one: https://www.barnstormers.com/classified-1960272-Long-EZ.html

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KITTYONFYRE@reddit (OP)

uh, holy smokes, I didn't realize they were THAT cheap, or is this a particularly good deal? that seems like a no brainer, plus they're actually pretty dang quick. do you know much about long-ezs, drawbacks of owning etc? where's that anime dude

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xgmgx@reddit

They are really cool planes. Probably almost nothing that will beat them for speed per dollar. Downsides to consider: Pusher prop means grass strips should be a rare (if ever) activity Long takeoff/landing distances High landing speeds (not an ideal attribute for a single engine piston aircraft in an emergency) Specific thing to be concerned about on this plane: the color. There is a reason Burt Rutan said all LongEZs should only be painted white or pale yellow. Other colors absorb way more heat from the sun which results in the foam shrinking and pulling away from the outer fiberglass layer. Whether this aircraft is affected is a function of the any environment it’s been stored in which you don’t truly know, so most canard folks will recommend passing on any unusually painted ones. I don’t believe there have been any examples of an in-flight structural failure because of this, but the rarity of off-colored canards means there probably isn’t a substantial number of total fleet hours to make the lack of structural accidents statistically meaningful.

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KITTYONFYRE@reddit (OP)

appreciate the info, especially on paint - i hadn't seen anything about that yet! would need a hangar for sure, then.

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xgmgx@reddit

One other downside: insurance treats them as retractable gear due to the nose wheel. Unfortunately, they don’t care that even a nose-gear-up landing results in only very minor damage on these planes. Still gotta pay the retract tax

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MyPilotInterview@reddit

Thats a fair price for a nice one, you can find them for under $30,000. They’re a tight fit, can’t do two people and bags, etc. But speed, range, price it can’t be beat.

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drain-angel@reddit

I second the other comment about fixed costs being the largest variable outside of fuel. If you want to truly reduce fuel, if you have E0 Mogas available a plane with a mogas STC will cut costs quite a bit depending on where you are. Rotaxes can take Mogas with 10% Ethanol in them - I know someone who uses Costco gas all day in theirs. There's also those weird kinda not-hangars with shaded parking, non-FBO hangar rentals, changing your oil, etc. that can help also drive fixed costs down. Otherwise, +1 for LongEz or Berkut for a funky experimental that goes fast for cheap.

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Good-Cardiologist121@reddit

Realistically the biggest cost of airplane ownership is pretty fixed regardless of plane. Hangar, insurance, annual. Sure some planes annuals are more. But if you're playing the game of this one burns 8gph that one burns 14... Fuel is the cheapest expense. There's few things more expensive than a cheap plane.

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KITTYONFYRE@reddit (OP)

> But if you're playing the game of this one burns 8gph that one burns 14... Fuel is the cheapest expense. Depends how much you're flying it, and I'd like to fly the piss out of it lol

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Good-Cardiologist121@reddit

I have a Cherokee 180. Dad has a Cherokee six 300. I can lean the six to within 3gph. Fly 100 hours a year, that's 1500 in fuel. Hangar rent is 750 a month. Insurance is 2500. Annual 2-3k

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KITTYONFYRE@reddit (OP)

that's exactly why I'm hoping to get a cheap-to-operate plane like you've got! I'm under no illusions, I understand fixed costs are likely to be bigger than operating costs. I'd just want to minimize those operating costs regardless - I don't want to add any friction to flying the hell out of it > Hangar rent is 750 a month yikes! definitely why I'd prefer a tiedown and a plane that can be outside lol. but I don't think a spot for a piston single at my local rural strip is anywhere near that expensive thankfully even if I did decide to go for a hangar

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Own-Ice5231@reddit

TBM 960

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dat_empennage@reddit

Grumman Tiger ain’t that bad. 135 KTAS all day long at 9-10 GPH. Can find decently-maintained and IFR-equipped planes with low-time engines for roughly $100K these days. Plan around $70/hour direct operating cost including fuel and engine/MX reserves.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity: --- realistically no shot I'm buying a plane any time soon if ever. it's fun to dream, but let's keep this dream reasonable - what airframes should I look at if hourly cost is my highest priority (followed by speed as a distant 2nd)? clearly this'll be an experimental two seater, I'm not worried about usable load really (I'm 160lbs) or pretty much any other factor. no cloth covered planes - idk what my local airport chargers for hangars, but even if it's hangared in winter it'll probably be at a tie down during summer. range matters somewhat, but stopping to fuel up is not a big deal as long as I've got more than say 350nm range (which I imagine basically anything will do). speed is always cool and nice (cruising at 80 knots would be a bit of a drag, but better than driving still, enjoyment wise!), but costs are a much bigger factor I'd love an rv4/rv7 but those are pretty expensive up front & not particularly cheap from an hourly POV (though clearly not expensive). --- Please downvote this comment until it collapses. --- I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. If you have any questions, please [contact the mods of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/flying).