Tip - Owning our Airplane

 I started flying in 2004 and didn't purchase an airplane until 2016.

During those 12 years, I flew at flight schools, occasionally flew my dad's Super Cub or 182 when I was visiting, and rented 172's here and there.

I wasn't "current" for all of those 12 years, and some seasons I was able to fly more or less than others.

But in 2016 I bought my first airplane, a 1975 Cessna 182P.

I have loved the heck out of this airplane, and it's allowed me freedom and adventure like I've never known.

Today I want to share with you the advice that was given to me when I was searching for what would ultimately be my 182.

There are tons of airplanes out there to consider, but a great starting point is to determine your average mission that you will need the airplane to complete.

Airplanes are a lot like houses, in that they all serve a particular mission.

The neighborhood and school district it's in, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, other functional spaces like an office or playroom, garage, etc.

Airplanes have these same kinds of qualities, they just look a little different.

In my mind, here are the six qualities of an airplane. I like to call this "The Six-Point Mission"

• Budget
• Seats
• Useful Load
• Speed
• Range and Performance
• Equipment

There's not a right or wrong list here, but these are the six factors that I think can describe most airplanes and what you need them for.

I like to start with budget because this will eliminate certain airplanes from the discussion, which is a good thing.

(We can discuss budget at length separately, because it's a big topic. At a high level it comes down to operating expenses that are a function of purchase price and or payment, fuel, maintenance, hangar, and insurance costs.)

Then the other five inputs are an iterative process of describing what you think your average mission will be, and seeing if those can all go together in one airplane while remaining in budget.

Unless your budget is unlimited, you will likely find that you will need to budge on some of those factors to find a suitable airplane.

I recommend determining which of those variables are must-have's for you, and the remaining variables can be flexible to remain within budget.

Why your average mission?

Because buying an airplane that you will only need for 2% of your flights is an expensive way to go about it.

I would love to own a Cessna 206, but it would be way more expensive than my 182 and I'd only need the 206 capability 1-2% of time... the rest of the time my 182 works great.

So I'll take the 182.

My answers to the mission above were as follows:

• Budget: Purchase Price under $120k
• Seats: 4 (must-have)
• Useful Load: 1,000lb+ (must-have)
• Speed: Didn't care
• Range and Performance: Wasn't worried about range, but I did want to have some short field capabilities as my favorite type of flying is in the back-country.
• Equipment: IFR capable, HSI (game-changer for IFR flying), and an autopilot (these were all must-have's).

There are other airplanes than just the 182 that could have fit this mission, but I also had about 30 hours in a 182 and a couple hundred hours in 172's, so I was already familiar and comfortable with them.

If you'd like more info on the six-point mission, you can also check out my video that describes it at more length:

​6 Questions That Reveal Your Perfect Airplane (Mine Was a Cessna 182)​

(If that is your first time watching my channel, please forgive the reverb on the video... I have since fixed it in subsequent videos but it makes me cringe going back and watching it now. Watching it on 1.5x or 2.0x speed clears it up, too.)

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Tomorrow I'll share some other key lessons I've learned in the buying and ownership process.

For now, I'd love to hear from you what your Six-Point Mission would be if you are looking to own an airplane one day.

I'd love to help you think through that and provide any input that I can.

Your fellow left-seater,
Charlie