What Does It Really Cost to Own and Fly Your Own Plane? 

So you need an awful lot of money. Not possible for college student on scholarship eh

Sudarshan Pujari since a college student can barely afford a crappy car- probably not

@@ricktoberfest sigh, not even Evan's volksplane?

To cut some costs, I would have to have my own runway and hanger on my property. I would be a Sport Pilot so I'd get the Certification of Repairmen (Light Sport Aircraft).

@@ricktoberfest You can fly some really expensive airplanes in Flight Simulator and get some decent control setups for reasonable money. Maybe not as good as real but certainly a way to play until the money is there to support the real.

I’m stealing that when explaining why I fly to friends and family..

The reason I sold my "72 340 Cuda" Car? or Family?

@@lightfoot9485 dunno if i woulda sold that to be honest...

Yep! Nicely said!

Most of all you hope to god it doesn't come off the column lol

Just Some Guy without a Mustache you sir have not seen me change oil.... where I make an epic mess

Tell me why, oil came out oil went in. And

Haha same

One doesn't see enough oil change montages these days.

Bruh, how much youtube do you watch?

sailplane goes up, sail plane goes down, constrained by your coma inducing thermals and your coma inducing landing stories. Not even close to compare matey

Let's be real, Glider pilots are basically wizards.

RydFree Don’t crash! Lol.

but you do not need a A&P IA to repair the Model And when you get to 75K on models let us know.

Also Don;t forget that hanger rental is cheap as all get out. a warehouse in the projects cost 2x that a month here.

Ha Ha especially when you crash a turbine airplane.

Well there yea go. Go buy a real airplane and up your grin factor. Enjoy the view and the freedom of leaving the ground and maybe taking someone up with you to have someone to enjoy the joy of flying with. Expand your horizons.

Smart man. If there's a will, there's a way.

That’s great and all but what if you life in an area where a float plane isn’t really viable? No seaports to fly to kinda limits that prospect

@@demetriosb5758 I moved 400 miles to make it happen, just lucky my wife and kids wanted the move more than me.

@@demetriosb5758 So move! :-)

I came down to the comments to check if the entire video was a series of silly slow-mos so that I didn't have to sit through it... Honestly, I just wanted to know how much it costs to own/operate a plane, not watch an entire film school graduation project on changing oil....

Tobe Smith mmmm sounds a lot like drugs 🤣

and that's why GA is dying.

@@dsyncd555 ya think? if not for Exp I bet that there would be 75% less flying

@@ctsteve1967 the cost is what has prevented me for so long.

Guess it depends on where you live. Has not been my experience!

Why not, at least you can keep it in the back yard

So even a kit helo?

@@ctsteve1967 yeah well, savings on the hangar won't make up the difference for the insurance, maintenance and fuel consumption cost :/

@@chrisaerts6489 who would fly a kit copter? At least if your kit plane shits out on you, you can glide it in.

@@kodiererg John Denver probably thought that also. ( TBH, I don't know the details behind his last flight)

Dream Job right there. Greetings from Germany!

you could also say - "not that much... I think"

@@RobbieKiama Not having an idea would be honest and safest.. :)

Don't tell her it costs a pair of shoes every hour.

"Less than your swimming pool!"

Magic Mike! Cool to see you follow Trent. What are some more advanced cost break downs he maybe didn't mention?

@@rowdycowboy85 Some variable cost can include: Renting a hangar away from home. Some pilots prefer to have their plane in a hangar all the time. If you're financing the plane, factor in your monthly payments. Anti-corrosion treatment may be a yearly cost for some pilots. Subscriptions for Foreflight and or Coflyt etc.

Supposing you buy the plane with a loan, even if the value is steady and most of the monthly payment goes to equity, there's still interest. When you own the plane without a loan, the math comes out similarly in that, equity you have in the plane is money you didn't throw in (for example) a boring old index fund that tracks the stock market as a whole. (This is opportunity cost)

Very good point! And sorry to hear that, that is one of those horror stories that we just hope doesn't happen to us. No one in their right mind would have spent $1000+ on the engine teardown without any indications that something was wrong so I would have been in the same boat.

​@@TrentonPalmer A horror story, but rare. We were thankfully prepared. The biggest bummer for us was the several months that it was out of commission for overhaul. I also don't want to discourage anyone from buying a plane (certainly the opposite). I would just hate to see someone zero out their bank account on the purchase and be grounded shortly after because they were not ready for a major expense.

I also feel that part 103 gets you the most freedom in aviation. Hardly any regulations and super cheap (for something that flies) as you said. Also do you even need insurance for an ultralight?

No insurance is “needed”. One thing I do have is “Life Flight insurance”. Often times the cost of that is more than what healthcare will cover or at all. I hope n pray I never need to use it!

Paramotor is much more wind dependant, right? So being in a windy area means a lower amount of possible flight opportunities.

Yes, a Paramotor has a limited amount of wind it can fly in. We typically fly the “old guy hours” early morning or later in the evening. We try to avoid the mid-day thermals. As the earth heats up the atmosphere expands and contracts. We utilize more micro meteorology to seek out the best possible conditions for a safe and smooth flight.

Ultralights only general are more wind dependant

True story!!

Captain Charlie Bravo master Palmer...😂

Captain Charlie Bravo aviation spank bank

Beyond Care hahaha!

Gold...black gold

Beyond Care yasss! Hahaha!

I am Australian... PP&J?

And whats BTU's?

@@flyingtigers7856 Well when I went to school it meant British Thermal Units, a measure of energy, so he may be talking about buying gas. Now, for am old Aussie like me( 77) what is PP&J..?

@@philipboug Thanks for the reply! PP&J usually means peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Jelly is what we call jam! So I'm guessing he watches all his buddies enjoying $15 cafe lunches while he is chowing down a $1.50 PP&J sandwiches! Saving those dollars for BTU's!! :)

@@flyingtigers7856 Why didn't I think of that?! Of course it is! And yes, I love peanut butter, but not with Jam... LOL (Actually, never tried that... must do it.) now, please be careful, my definition of BTUs is just what I learned, SOGR may be thinking of something completely different! hopefully he will get back to you :-) Cheers for now, Phil.

his air plane cost more than what is stated, his new motor cost about 40 thousand

actually I think the nail in the coffin for me would be if the plane was a certified one and not an experimental. that 10 grand payment for an inspection would be a complete deal breaker.

@@jackvernian7779 I have a certified Cessna 172, and the annuals range from $1000 - 1500. If something breaks, you can often fabricate "owner manufactured components" to avoid having to purchase a very expensive new or PMA part, but it all depends. You can get unlucky and have something expensive break. And of course you can always have bad luck and have a major engine issue that requires an overhaul before the 1800 TBO limit. An overhaul can range from $15,000 - $20,000, and the engine accounts for more than half the value of the aircraft, so it can represent a major loss for an owner if something goes wrong.

If it is you hobby you can afford it. It’s no more expensive than riding dirt bikes, RC vehicles, skydiving, hunting, or going out on the weekends. Find a decent plane with decent partners and it’s more than affordable.

Jack Vernian those are very rare and only happen if something is very wrong with the plane

Jack Vernian it’s pretty rare that your single engine, non complex GA aircraft is going to cost you that much during an annual. The annual is an inspection, the work found on those inspections does not have to be done by an A&PIA, it can be done by an A&P. The issue with certified is it has to use certified parts in most cases. Those certified parts are typically 3 to 5 times the costs despite often being the exact same part you would use on an experimental. There is usually more to those “10K” annuals then what is shared, often it’s a failure to research AD’s prior to purchasing an aircraft and or AD’s that were pencil whipped, that results in those high costs. For example when I got my pacer, it had an AD for the exhaust that had been signed off but had never actually been done. Having got a good pre buy, it was discovered prior to me buying it, and I was able to negotiate the price to have the money to fix it. Had I not gotten a good prebuy that first annual would have cost me 6 grand in the things we found, instead of paying 35K for the plane, I paid 28K and then I covered the cost of the repair to make it airworthy. Point is, if your smart about its not that expensive. Honestly I spent more on my new Ford PU over the last 3 years than what I’ve spent on my plane the last 10 years. the plane hasn’t depreciated while the truck has. It’s all about perspective I suppose.

Exactly. I'm an acoustic guitar nut and next month I'll be attending the Artisan Guitar Show in Harrisburg, Pa. There I will be walking around looking at incredibly beautiful instruments handmade one at a time by some of the worlds best craftsmen/women. These things usually start in price at ~$5,000 and can and do sell for $15 to $20 thousand each. I have friends who own 5, 6, 8 of these guitars(NOT ME!) but it's all about what someone values their hobby/addiction at!

500 per year sounds reasonable enough

Wow, that's cheap! Have you renewed this year yet? Rates just went up across the boar unfortunately 😕

@@TrentonPalmer My insurance last year was $468. Beech Musketeer. Private pilot with 1200 hours and I’m not flying anymore, but I’m keeping the insurance up till I decide to sell it.

@@TrentonPalmer Just paid for it in January. The Cessna 150 has a hull value of $24,000 and I have 20,000 hours with an ATP and CFI. I think all that helps. Our Cirrus was $1,500. Much higher hull value and too many orthodontists crashing them make the actuaries adjust the rates upward! :)

@@quinnjim My Cherokee was costing me about $550 for same coverage. Paved tie down was $20.00 a month..at major airport.

lame

Greg Plaka is what your life is for feeling the need to post a hate comment

Yeah that was nicely done.

Our hearts are the reason we fly so listen to yours. I swapped a Champ even for a TriPacer because my head said a guy with a family needed 4 seats. It was so much less fun to fly it! Once again, listen to your heart.

A Toyota? 😆

@@kensherwin4544 I want a 4-seater too and was entertaining the idea of a Mooney or going with an RV-10, both are nice.

Look at the RANS S20 first.

@@pete365720 Thanks for the recommendation! I like these so far, i'm going to read up on them more.

Yeah, I used to be really into Polaris RZRs, actually raced them, and that was more expensive for me than flying!

Boats are just holes in the water you throw money into.

Owned a 17’ outboard on Long Island sound. Running costs were similar to Trent’s with a 6 gal/hr fuel burn @ 20 kts. Salt water is tough on equipment so maintainence and TBO were frequent. Bought new and boats are a very depreciable asset. Fixed costs were dock space, insurance etc. In all, I spent a little less than Trent for about 200 hours/year on the water.

It can cost way more to operate what's considered an OK boat in coastal areas (minimum 21Ft with single 150hp, preferably 24Ft with minimum twin 150hp)... Going the rest of the way off topic, it's just plain crazy how many 40+Ft boats you see in Florida now with three or four 250-350+Hp outboards = 25K-35+K for each engine, burning anywhere from 6-11GPH each @ Slow Cruise, up to 34+GPH each @ How Big Is Your Wallet WFO 😲 Hey that's only $8.50 a MINUTE for fuel 🤪

HerroRya you know what boat stands for right?.. B.ust O.ut A.nother T.housand

Trent's location and the type of plane he flies keep the numbers low. Averages for GA in the US are much higher than this video.

Sander Olsthoorn well hope you don’t mind ridiculously exepensive education and healthcare

@@onelyone6976 None of those are particularly expensive but OK..

@@onelyone6976 You mean death care lol.

@@josefstalin4532 Yes they are, literally thousands lol

I have a S7S with 200 hours on it. So far only had to pay for oil changes. Fuel burn is about 3GPH auto fuel, so it can be done cheap.

pete365720 wow!! 3 gph is unreal!

yes that is all that matters

thank you for all the information Trent.

Never too late. I'm mid 30's myself and have been thinking of getting my pilots license for the last 4 years. I'm eager but now I'm getting married this year. A lot of expenses to save up for... That said, I don't want to be discouraged from flying. I truly want to fly and some day own my own personal plane. Sorry, went on a random tangent there. All-in-all, I don't think you have to wait for your next life. Go for it... Start a gofundme.com campaign, mow some lawns, team up with other people, like me, who really want to but keep pushing it off and pushing off because of the cost associated. There is support in numbers... Maybe we can set some goals to achieve. I don't know, I'm just spit balling over here. I just really want to fly when i'm not working. It's peaceful. I'm from indiana, so if you ever make it to indiana, look me up: tzlifestyle.com - love to talk shop. Till then, I want to encourage you to pursue your flight dreams. We only have one life. Live it doing the things you want. You can do it.

Just find a pilot who owns a plane that you like. Pay him/her to fly you in there plane. They will let you do the flying. Pilots like me are always looking for ways to cut our costs. It doesn't matter what your age is.

I disagree. Trent's mission is clear. He presented it from this perspective: His channel. I tried to do the math.... here you do it, fill in the blanks. Costs ( Fixed + Operating( -/+) depreciation = Value / Returns

@@anthonyrstrawbridge : Not sure what you disagree with. I liked the video too, and only wish it was a bit more detailed. And the topic is definitely a good one, as I said.

@@maxbootstrap7397 I already know about all the options so opted out from the all inclusive part. Again, that is your perception.

To factor in a partnership you divide the fixed and reserve costs by the number of partners, basically everything else stays the same.

@Av8tore71 >>> FWIW, I would LIKE to build and fly my own homebuilt someday, BEFORE I become _worm food_...😊 My probable choice will be something two-place and with fixed gear. HOWEVER, if I DID ever choose a design with retracts, I would want something SIMPLE, as you mentioned. Just from being a former _"Coastie",_ I am aware of at least two USCG aircraft that landed with at least one landing gear not extended {an HH-65 Dolphin and an HU-25 Falcon}. Now, I was NOT personally involved in either of those cases, NOR were there any injuries IIRC. However, the COST repairing a gear-up landing -- IF the aircraft is even repairable -- make retracts NOT a preferred option.

@@Allan_aka_RocKITEman the retracts problems always seemed to be the ones that's electric or hydraulic. The Johnson Bar I mentioned is just push tubes and swivels which is just mechanical which makes it less likely to fail. There are plenty of kits out there like a Glassair 2+2. That's a nice kit it takes about 2 weeks to taxi or the Glassair II & III which is all aluminum but these are high performance aircraft. There is also Vans Aircraft which is very popular for home built. You can become a member of the EAA and you will have build coaches who can help during the build process. Worm food??? Not sure what you mean but people can be worm food driving to the local grocery store

🤣

Trent's probably not that vain to be into Manscaping. Doubt he owns a LawnMower

Good luck!

Hi Chandler, I'm not sure if it's the same case wherever you are vs in Canada. But you can start flying ( and Soloing ) at 14! I'd say talk to your family and give a local flight school a call. A lot of places might do a familiarization flight for a good cost to get your started. Cheers

Chandler Lane hi Chandler, I’m not Trent but I recommend you get started with learning right away. Get involved at your local airport flight school and show your enthusiasm. People will “come out of the woodwork” to help a young person get started. You can solo on your 16th birthday and get your private license on your 17th birthday so it’s not too early at all. Perhaps take an online ground school (there’s no age limit for that) like Sporty’s.com. Check out EAA.org and aopa.org for tons of resources to help a guy in your shoes to get started. I had the desire to fly at 14 but no one showed me these things. You can do it and even if you only take one or two lessons for now it will pay dividends for your future. Good luck and if you’re anywhere near Seattle pm me and I’ll try to help more.

save your money and take the pvt written test.

Also not Trent, but my thought for my nephew (he's 13) is flight school now, learn to fly well even though you can't solo, then get an ultralight (I don't believe there's an age limit for them, but double check to be safe) fly that until you can get your license and you'll be miles ahead of everyone else.

Ben if you owned an airplane, wouldn’t you be looking to offset the cost in your RU-vid videos?

Ross Leavitt I do own an airplane. I’m sure his 30k dollar airplane that burns 4 gph and takes 3 quarts of oil is breaking the bank! Maybe it’s the monster new house on the huge piece of land? Really the only thing that’s changed recently? You may have missed the part of the comment where I said I get what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. Just makes the video unwatchable in my opinion. I watch these videos for the content not advertising. Everyone does it with their shout outs to sponsor’s but a full on infomercial? It’s laughable and quite frankly sad. Sorry if my opinion differs from yours.

Yep, I saw that as well. Next step is to send Trent twitching pliers and then explain what's what.

@@stuartkcalvin Looks like a pair in the tool box already.

@@iffykidmn8170 Mate, they weren't twitching pliers, they's was cutting pliers. There's fencing pliers, pipe cutters, wire cutters and twitching pliers.

@@stuartkcalvin >>> _"Twitching pliers"?_ Is that another name for _safety wire pliers?_

Is the twitching pliers related to twerking pliers?

My dually is 2k in insurance per year. Stol plane - 5k insurance, maps 200, 3k for hanger. We arnt even close in comparison for fixed costs.

adventuresoftara Fixed cost maybe not. But I’d be willing to bet your operating cost with fuel alone would be pretty close.

Yeah, but the operating and maintaining isn't free on a diesel dually. I used to commute in one, had $1k/month payment, $800/month fuel. That was pre-DEF, and i had a dealer oil change program, so even more costs for the average owner now. I feel like his statement is pretty fair - for a lot less than my dually i could have been flying! 🤯

Super SLo Same costs if you were making payments on a comparable plane and paying an IA/AP for all maintenance & inspections. Flying costs twice the price of driving on an x/c, except you do it in 1/2 the time. So, moot point.

Try the far better Tesla pick up, very low fuel/maintenance costs. Plus it looks far better/cooler then any dually or Pickup made today.

Germany sucks. It's more Nazi Germany now than it was when it was actually Nazi Germany.

@@chrisr4815 Nah dude wtf

True. And rarely, before having kids, does anyone analyze what it will cost.

briankgrant if you did nobody would ever have any kids.

I want both aaaaaaaaarrrrgh