I too have noticed the variability of cost to rent an RV12. I talked to two flight schools for Sport Pilot lessons, one on the East Coast the other on the West. $200/wet in the East, $140/wet on the West. Seems like the ticket is to get in a two to five person partnership for owning. Cost hour for fuel for each would be variable but the bigger constant costs are divided equally. Guess the rub is, do you feel the other two to five are trustworthy and responsible as you.
I was once in a 6-way partnership on a Cherokee Arrow. Worked well for me in that case, and I made it a point to fly with each of the other partners to assess their piloting skills. I was fortunate that all worked well. The plane was always topped off by the prior pilot and was kept clean. We had a monthly meeting and all of us became good friends.
@@jamesburns2232 You are right! In my group, everyone met their obligations and we were a cohesive unit. We agreed on maintenance and on upgrades. You hope going into a sharing relationship that this is how it will be - but apparently not always.
Don't forget your 5 year replacement of rubber components and ELT battery ===> $6500 in parts alone (ie: not including shipping, taxes, or labor to replace them.) Also be aware that the 12 is presently running at 70 Service Bulletins and counting ....
You have to run the numbers to see if they are possible for you. Once you have you aircraft you can learn to be part of it. Come out and fly some circuits in the still air of an evening or early morning. Listen and feel the machine talk to you. Measure the performance of yourself and your effects and become better. It's a love and a great responsibility. Yes, ownership is a significant financial commitment but well worth the smiles.
I'm sure there are horror stories of partnerships just as there are ones that wrok well. Maybe tyhe secret is to first have a friendship with someone you trust before embarking on a share arrangement. But your point can be true - you may end up paying for someone else's mess.
@@rv12sg I see it almost on a daily basis. Planes, boats, RVs, and vacation homes. It’s a risk I’m willing to not make. I own everything I have. I almost did a partnership on 2 planes and then said to myself “why would you ever do that”? I have our terms and conditions written that if you have a partner(s) there is only one point of contact. Literally because they’re all broke and PITA people. I ended up buying 2 of my own and freedom is real. Every time I see those partnership planes I think I couldn’t be going where I want right now if in it. Freedom isn’t free but I sure love it. Plus I know how it was last flown. If you can’t afford it don’t buy it.
My cost per hour including schedule Maint and fixed cost excluding the cost to build my hourly rate is 88.4 - I fly 110 hours a year my hanger is a little more than your annually. @rv12pilot
In a couple of weeks I will be coming up on my first full year of ownership. I'll compute my final cost then, but I suspect I will not be able to match your per hour cost. I will fall short of your 110 hour flight time, too, so my fixed costs are killing me.
