Need advice on cheap plane

[craig1919]

Im thinking about getting a plane for quicker travel but i cant afford more than $20,000. I was wondering what a good cheap option would be. I dont really care what it looks like etc just as long as it gets me there and hopefully has 100-120knot cruise speed. All advice welcome

 

 

[Sapphire]

A Hummelbird does 100 kts, but not if you are 6'6.

 

 

[nong]

"Time to spare, go by air." This means, if you don't have a flexible schedule, travel by light aircraft might be a poor or dangerous choice.

 

To recieve reasoned advice, you would need to lay out your requirements.

 

What length legs do you wish/need to tackle? Do you require to access short/rough airstrips? How much payload do you wish to carry? Can you afford (realistically) to operate such an aircraft? Lets say the engine blows up after ten hours into your ownership. Can you afford a replacement? Will you have time to retrieve a broken down aircraft? There is at least one aircraft currently advertised in the RAAus magazine that fits your rough requirement, but do you have the skill to handle it?

 

Cheers

 

 

[Steve Donald]

Im thinking about getting a plane for quicker travel but i cant afford more than $20,000. I was wondering what a good cheap option would be. I dont really care what it looks like etc just as long as it gets me there and hopefully has 100-120knot cruise speed. All advice welcome

If quicker reliable got to get there travel is needed and cheap Hyundai i30 crdi under 20k, good low level performance, airbags and can do 100kts . serious though if i am in a hurry i take the car.

 

as for aircraft you may pick up a KR2, That needs a tidy up for that 20k 110kts min a few are around and they come from a good stable,really depends on what sort of strips and conditions you fly, some dont like rough ground or need lots of runway so it pays to think about that first.

 

 

[winsor68]

You could potentially build an Onex for a little more than $20k? They claim to go 120knots plus but I am not sure if you would want to...

 

For $20k you will only get 70knots max... lol

 

 

[Sapphire]

20 grand doesnt get 120kts......

How bout a weed hopper at terminal velocity?

 

 

[facthunter]

This Is a pretty humorous thread. 120 knots takes a bit of achieving unless you are coming down vertically. nev

 

 

[cscotthendry]

20 grand doesnt get 120kts......

Yeah, I was thinking, an aircraft that had an airframe that could do 120Kt would probably need a lot of work done on it if the owner was selling it for $20K.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Im thinking about getting a plane for quicker travel but i cant afford more than $20,000. I was wondering what a good cheap option would be. I dont really care what it looks like etc just as long as it gets me there and hopefully has 100-120knot cruise speed. All advice welcome

First of all, welcome to this forum Graig.

Sorry to disappoint you,( you're obviously new to the flying world and know very little about the subject), but such an animal that you're after, doesn't exist. If it did, we'd all have one. If you're serious about using a plane for travel (in lieu of a car), such as on business trips, you first need to know where you can, and cannot go. Have you read RAA rules and regs. Then you need to do some research on RAA types of aircraft. You'll soon find out that a plane is only faster than the car is in country that slows the car down, ie hilly, tortuously winding roads etc. and were the plane can fly in a straight line between points A and B. Any time gained, is then lost in finding transport from that outback airfield into the nearest city. The car then probably wins. Ever watched Top Gear?

 

Now, just because you've received a lot of negative answers, some which may come over as taking the piss, stay with us. You'll learn heaps. Probably be good to explain your needs in a bit more detail. Then you'll get sensible answers.

 

Good luck in your endeavours.

 

 

[Sapphire]

I wish people who start threads would respond to them.

 

 

[craig1919]

Ok for those that facepalmed im basically new to everything that is planes and im sorry my question sounds kinda dumb to alot of you, im basically just after information about something i can fly cheap to get where im going faster as its least 4 hours by car and going straight to it would be quicker. Also 120knotts was more of a nice idea. i was hoping to be doing 180km or better which i believe is 90knotts. 100-120 was just working on some math and time frames was all. Also something 2 seated is prefered but im flexible. Thankyou all for the feedback this is really helping! :)

 

 

[rdarby]

I'd start by learning to fly, as that will give you exposure to what is and is no possible.

 

To cruise over 100kts you generally are going to pay over $100,000 for something new.

 

90kts isn't going to be much cheaper.

 

$20,000 is going to generally get you something like an X-Air which will cruise at about 55kts, and not have 4 hours range.

 

Start with the flying lessons, look around, take your time and keep asking questions!

 

 

[craig1919]

You could potentially build an Onex for a little more than $20k? They claim to go 120knots plus but I am not sure if you would want to...For $20k you will only get 70knots max... lol

I was looking at these before i posted this thread, they seem pretty damn good for what i want :)

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I know exactly where you are coming from Craig, but the above advice is spot on.

 

Over a decade ago I finally got started on building the plane that would save me days of driving the length of the country to visit rels. After a lot of work and money spent, I realised It would take a decade to finish, so I bought a flyable aircraft that I could modify to better suit my needs. After a few long trips it's apart for the third time being redesigned yet again. The trips to Cairns and Darwin are still a long way off, and when I finally get there, where do I store it? The people I was intending to visit are not getting any younger...

 

 

[thommo]

I can sell you a cessna 150 for $20,000

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Hi Craig,

 

Going for a Cessna 150 / 152 might be a "cheaper" option. They are old, but usually well maintained (from a safety perspective), cheap for 90-105kts, 2 seat with more luggage space and weight, parts are easy to get, most aircraft works can service, can use Avgas or petrol (if certified for Mogas), 5 hour range with long range tanks, rego is free and there are plenty around. Down side is getting a licence (PPL or RPL) that costs a bit more than an RAA certificate, 100 hourly (or annual) service costs, engine rebuild / replacement is expensive. But if it saves you $30k on purchase then it might be a while before those other costs catch up to going with a newer ultralight RAA plane. For us - It is 2.5 hours to the grand kids (airstrips within 1km at each end) Vs. 7.5 hours by car. We are fortunate in that we have everything we need at both destinations so we don't have to take much more than the wallet and some trinkets for the kids. Once you start planning to take a week's worth of clothes, swag, tools, food etc, then you really should go by car.

 

Sue

 

 

[Ferris]

G'day Craig. Just to throw my two bobs worth in, there's nothing cheap about flying. If you buy a cheap plane then sooner or later it's going to cost you a lot of money. Buying the aircraft is the easy part, owning it costs alot more. Depending on what you buy, expect it to cost $100 a week before turning the key. Perhaps the one exception to this rule is that if you buy the right aircraft to train in, you can save a fair bit on gaining your PPL or RAA certificate. An early Cessna 152 or Jabiru LSA would be a good start. Make sure you get an independant LAME (aircraft engineer) to conduct a thorough pre-purchase inspection and budget this into your purchase price. If you buy a dud you can't pull over to the side of the road and call the auto club. Cheers Ferris

 

 

[poppy]

dont get sucked in about building a plane cheap $20k will hardly get the box they come in

 

 

[ayavner]

to paraphrase my Dad's advice about vintage Jags:

 

"if you can't afford a new one, you can't afford an old one..."

 

sadly true, but hasn't (nor shouldn't) stopped me from trying :-)

 

 

[sain]

The main problem your facing isn't finding a plane for $20k that can do 100kts, its that the weather makes guaranteed "you'll get there faster" fairly improbable. If you "have to" get there, take a car.

 

The problem is weather conditions often make flight in light aircraft unsafe. You may face delays of days or weeks while you wait for the wind to die down enough for you to fly, or a sudden change in weather may prevent you coming home - what will you do stuck 4 hours from home? is accomodation available to you? can you afford to be away from work for a day on short notice?

 

Realistically you also have around half an hour on each end of the flight to take into account as well, for doing things like your pre-flight inspections, engine warm up and run ups, taxiing, refuelling, tieing your aircraft down etc etc. and that doesnt include your transit time to and from the airfields, time taken to plan your flights etc etc. Thats going to eat into any time advantage you'll get from going faster and more directly.

 

If, however, your after a plane you can occassionally take for a 4 hour flight, when it isn't critical for you to get there on time or get home on time, and maybe go for a joyflights or flying holidays in.... thats a whole different story.

 

 

[Sapphire]

Right, unless you have a plane that can do what an airline transport plane can do, you have the same pilot qualifications, and fly to and from capital city primary airports, you will be more restricted by weather-do you have the income of John Travolta?

 

 

[Chird65]

...as for aircraft you may pick up a KR2, That needs a tidy up for that 20k 110kts min a few are around and they come from a good stable,really depends on what sort of strips and conditions you fly, some dont like rough ground or need lots of runway so it pays to think about that first.

http://www.raa.asn.au/documents/market/photos/3032.jpg in http://www.raa.asn.au/market/

This does not get you there as it is 21k and only does 115K. Check the Performance detail here but remember they are talking MPH in there performance.

 

http://www.krnet.org/kr-info.html.

 

There is a wealth of information at http://www.krnet.org about the good and bad of this plane.

 

 

[ave8rr]

I can sell you a cessna 150 for $20,000

and probably spend another 20K on SIDS.

 

 

[seb7701]

Assuming no major issues, what would a 100hrly cost on a C150?

 

 

[ave8rr]

Assuming no major issues, what would a 100hrly cost on a C150?

I just paid $1600.00 for an annual on a RV9A but that included the two yearly avionics checks. Only consumables was engine oil, filter and two spark plugs.This aircraft has only flown 240 hours and like new.

I have been told that the SIDS (ageing aircraft) requirement on the 100 series aircraft will involve about 80 hours of labour alone. This requirement is to be completed before 2015 as I understand it.