How do you pay for your flying?

[Sloper]

Gooday all

 

l am learning quickly that avaiation aint cheap.

 

Also learning other things about avaiation that seems very strange but thats something else.

 

But how do people fund there dreams?

 

l have been lucky in the fact l had hoarded parts for my cars for the last 25 years.

 

Everytime l need to pay for more lessons something come out of the garage and is sold on Eviel Bay.

 

l seem to be clearing space in the garage for the next project, with wings of course.

 

Oh and the cars are off limits. :)

 

regards Bruce

 

 

[maddogmorgan]

You don't wanna know what I am willing to do to get into a cockpit he he

 

 

[Brett]

I just pretend it's free and dont look at the bank statements,,, much more enjoyable

 

can't take it with you

 

 

[DarkSarcasm]

I live with my parents :big_grin:

 

I'm keeping all the receipts so one day I can sit in the middle of a pile of them (a la Scrooge McDuck but without the money...)

 

 

[maddogmorgan]

Yeh totally agree Brett...I haven't added it up and really don't care. Sometimes I go without so I can fly. I am on a very average wage and sometimes sacrifice social outings, food, (lucky water is free!) and many other things! But I still can't help walking past banks and armoured cars and wondering...

 

 

[Sloper]

I'm keeping all the receipts so one day I can sit in the middle of a pile of them (a la Scrooge McDuck but without the money...)

l used to keep all my car receipts in a box, never ever add them up.

 

regards Bruce

 

 

[GraemeK]

I just pretend it's free and dont look at the bank statements

I just pretend it's free and dont let my wife look at the bank statements.

 

...... fixed

 

 

[winsor68]

You just gotta say what the heck and do it...

 

I had a nice holiday last Xmas and paid for some of it on the credit card... plan was to have it paid off by now but an Ra-Aus school started here a few weeks after I got back... so the credit card has a little bit of a bump still in it but at least I am flying. I don't pay for it on credit so it doesn't increase my debt... just paying interest I could be avoiding other wise.

 

And I am lucky cause Mrs Wins has no problem and encourages me to fly... I am one lucky dude!!!

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

How do we afford it? We have a pretty conservative lifestyle, and live frugally. Being rural helps as house prices are low (but there's very little capital gain - my land has just gotten back up to its value of 14 years ago) and the airstrip is a short walk away. So what you save on housing can pay for the plane and what you save on travel to the strip you can spend on hire or another plane. Social life is also cheaper as venues are often cheap or free and things run by volunteers. Shopping - there is not much choice and EFPOS isn't available in most stores so there is less opportunity to go mad with the card. There's no restaurant and the Cafe closed leaving only the takeaway for eating out (after you have had the Works burger and the fish & chips you've exhausted the menu), no cinema, no entry fees to sport, but the pool is $1.60. So we eat at home, entertainment is free and everything in town is walking distance. Down side is if we want to sell and move to the coast the same house will cost us another $200k.

 

I worked for years in very remote locations where housing was provided by the employer - so saving that rent each week paid for the plane.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I sat down about ten years ago and tried to add up how much i had spent on flying since i started back in the 70's. freaked, added on all the tools and books, freaked some more. then i started on all the other aviation disiplines, bad move. several hang gliders, a set of paragliding gear, added around 1500 jump tickets, 6 sets of gear, jumpsuits and other associated bling. then there are the magazines, agghhh. i was just totalling up the money i had spent on providing various people with well paid careers via membership fees to various must have controlling bodies when the Devil strode thru the door and said to me, "It dosen't mean a thing son. Remember you sold your Soul for total control all those years ago!". freaked out some more.

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Just about any serious hobby is expensive. When I moved to the country, I gave up scuba diving because it is more of a search and rescue dive in Lake Mulwala. Seriously, you can't see your hand in front of your face:crying:

 

I can relate to the lack of eateries and entertainment mentioned by FlyingVizsla although I'm not outback by any means.. hell Yarrawonga has grown past 6,000 people now. This does translate into spending less money on eating out and entertainment, which used to be a significant budget item when we lived in the city. I don't smoke and don't drink much or play golf (or any other sport for that matter).

 

When I started lessons, I just looked at the cost of getting my Pilot Certificate and saved on lessons by buying 10 hour blocks. Once that was achieved, I just added another 10 hours and did PAX and XC... now I have about three hours left and am going to put that toward formation flying.

 

Looking at the cost of hire and the limitations, I figured I needed my own aircraft, and I was lucky enough that my instructor was selling his oldest XT-912, so did some sums and talked with the better half. She said "why not", so now I'm the proud owner of a very well kept XT-912 with Streak-3 wing and my wife has been up with me on four occasions so far. She finds temperatures between 1 and 6 degrees a bit cold to be flying in an open cockpit.

 

Now I can kid myself that flying just costs the fuel and consumables (oil, spark plugs etc.) and the aerodrome is five minutes drive from home and 10 minutes from work. All that adds up to being able to fly 2-3 days a week, weather and other commitments permitting.

 

Like a few others have said, don't look at the bank statements.:ah_oh:

 

 

[rgmwa]

I've always been interested in planes but only started flying about 18 months ago. Fortunately, our kids have left home (more or less), but even so I've been appalled by the amount of potential retirement money I've spent in such a short time. Now I don't add it up any more, and rationalise it by calculating how much money I've saved by not starting 20 years ago. It makes me feel better (only a bit).

 

rgmwa

 

 

[Tomo]

How do I pay for flying? With money that doesn't seem to grow on trees...

 

Fortunately for me, I'm much like FlyingViz, where there isn't really anything to spend your money on out here, other than fuel ... :ah_oh:

 

And I'm still at home, so that helps (and single !)

 

 

[turboplanner]

And I saw an ad for Jetstar Melbourne to Adelaide for $39.00!

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Gooday allOh and the cars are off limits. :)

 

regards Bruce

Now why is that? Your sloper immediately caught my eye as it's so close to my Eagle-Ray in design. At first I thought it was a Jowett Javelin (my Dad had one back in the late 40's) but on closer inspection, I see it's somewhat more modern. So what is it?

 

As to how do I afford to fly? I don't know. My wife Jenny just says 'You can fly this month if you want to' She a wiz with our pensions, but has never wanted to fly with me. Afraid of being airsick is her excuse.

 

 

[Sloper]

Ok the Cars

 

1940 Chev Sloper 1 of 149 built, also my fathers car.

 

1957 Chev wagon, the family car.

 

VK Brock Grp3

 

WB Brock Magnum

 

Sure enough if l went to sell one l would regret it.

 

But as l said l collected alot of parts over the years so l am selling them to pay for lessons.

 

regards Bruce

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Ok the Cars1940 Chev Sloper 1 of 149 built, also my fathers car.

Sure enough if l went to sell one l would regret it.

 

But as l said l collected alot of parts over the years so l am selling them to pay for lessons.

 

regards Bruce

If you've got your fact right, DON'T ever sell it. Put it in a safe. Don't drive it. What ever it's worth now, it can only go up.

 

 

[dazza 38]

I stopped working on aeroplanes and became a Plumber (sub-contractor).

 

 

[dazza 38]

Plumbing? hmmmm When is the Lear Jet being delivered? :big_grin:

I can only buy a model one. LOL

 

 

[blueshed]

When I started to Power fly it cost $65/ hour, though I reckon may wage was about $200 before tax a week for 48 hours.

 

Todays cost, by what is called the average wage, it is now probably less expensive, percentage wise.

 

And your average Airline Pilot get's paid less than 30 years ago, no I am not an airline pilot! And has to pay for his/her endorsement. Talking with a mate the other day, just did his Airbus endorsement, took him away from work for six weeks and cost him about 28k. Forgot to ask him what he will get paid when he actually starts with the airline!

 

So "How do we pay for it" Just keep working!

 

Oh and my car is an XY Fairmont!

 

 

[sain]

Personally save like mad and fly a lot less than I'd like to.

 

There are cheaper ways to go flying too. Learning to fly in a glider is normally a lot cheaper than learning to fly in a powered aircraft. Mostly because you don't have to pay much towards the maintance of the noisy thermal generator (engine) and the fuel cost is much lower (samwiches!). Get your hours up in one of those and then change over.

 

 

[Steve Donald]

Flying is still cheaper than a steady drinking and smoking habit, or sucking up to your woman, give all that stuff up and fly ya brains out, or just thought get a woman that owns a plane, yep that's the way email her first make sure you sound real cool, then ask her to send you a picture of her plane. that's gota work, well that's it for my life improvment segment for this week. next week will be first aid.

 

 

[flightygirl]

i found the fool proof way to fly whenever you want... find an instructor for a boyfriend.... go halves in a savvy with said instructor / boyfriend.... and fly like crazy!

 

of course... i plan to use up the kids inheritance.... and they have been informed their inheritance may take the form of serious debt by the time im finished.... but they get to have a cool mum who owns and flys a plane!

 

im sure all these responses to your initial question have been so very helpful... not! basically it comes down to money and how much you can earn and put aside for your passion. go for it ... you only live once!

 

 

[Sloper]

Looks like l am not alone in trying to pay for lessons.

 

Some measures seem a bit extreme though.

 

Not sure l have the legs for a skirt. :ah_oh:

 

regards Bruce

 

 

[gwillimm]

The secret to success of making money.

 

WORK is the secret.

 

he he he

 

Yours in flying

 

Mick