Buying and learning.

My first plane after getting my private was a Beech Sierra. Very docile, but with 200 hp, constant speed prop and retractable gear it qualified as "high performance". In reality it was anything but - easy to fly and maintain and a great and stable learning platform. Nothing beats having your own plane to fly in if you can afford it. I would go this way if you can swing it.

 

I would train in whatever the schools by you offer, then upgrade upon obtaining your certification. You can go your route, but your costs are going to excessively high when you factor in monthly payments, housing the a/c, normal maintenance, repair maintenance, fuel, oil, insurance (which will be high considering your note a pilot), etc. Ferrari bills are nothing compared to airplane bills.


Mark

 

Do any of the local airports have flying clubs? Hourly costs can be lower and may have multiple aircraft to choose from. To minimize hrs ($) to get your ticket I would find a small non-towered airport, ideally an 'old time' airport in the country. In addition to getting more flight time per billed hr you will be learning on smaller (width and length) runways. I highly recommend learning to fly a tail dragger, whether during primary training or afterwards. If you are really interested in the LSA route a Cub or Champ are affordable and a blast to fly. Even if not both are fun airplanes. Citabria is just a slightly bigger Champ. I did my intro to acrobatics in a Decathalon. If you can fly acro in that everything else is easy. As a 17yo, 135lb weakling snap roles were two handed affairs.

As with Ferrari's get a good PPI before buying anything, especially anything with wood and fabric.

 

They need aileron spades to handle well - the 180hp Super Decathlon is a pretty good aerobatic platform. But not, of course, a Pitts Special.

 

It was a 150hp as I recall, but it did have spades. I was just a weakling at the time!

 

I'm not sure exactly what you feel is missing from a C150. But, have you ever considered an ultralight? Look up Belite. Lots of different setups. For the price of a 50 year old 2 seater, you can have a brand new aircraft. Of course, only one seat, and range is limited, but cost of ownership is super cheap. I saw one with the "turtledeck" setup to look like a cub, and it was a nice looking plane. The very base model is $16K for a ready to fly plane.

 

I know what you mean - I owned a 7ECA Citabria at the time I took aero in the Super Decathlon - and it was very, very heavy on the controls compared to the Decathlon.

Great short field airplane, though.

 

I am doing half my training in a Cessna 152 because its the cheapest plane to rent in the bay area. Later when I do navigation for cross country, I will switch to a Cessna 172 that has dual VOR and GPS. My advice is to train in a Cessna 172 as its cheaper than most planes and good fun. Buy a plane later when you have your ticket and have been checked out in different ones to find your ideal mission profile.

 

The Cessna 150/152 is the best built aircraft for flight training in my opinion. Fly some other planes and I think you will wish you were back in the Cessna.

 

I think it is brilliant. My brother bought a Cessna 140 for his kids to learn in, but personally I've always been partial to the Citabria line. A 7ECA would do the job nicely.

 

I agree. I am learning to fly in a C152. It's a great place to start and easy on the $$$. Yeah, it might not look like much from the outside, but from the inside there is plenty going on to keep a student pilot very busy... or at least busy enough when you are just starting out. Once I have the basic PPL out of the way, I'll be sure to move on to other stuff, but for training, there is no point having more plane than you can usefully, or safely, use.

To me, learning to fly is not a beauty contest, it's about staying safe and getting solid grounding before moving up the ladder. Oh - and I am learning to fly from a grass strip - once you have mastered those, you can be confident of being able to land in most places.