Creative Aircraft Ownership

I think fixed-wing pilots have become a lot more creative about owning aircraft than ultralight and light sport aircraft pilots.  They've had to because general aviation aircraft have been incredibly expensive for a very long time.  But ultralights were relatively affordable inviting individual ownership.  When my wife and I first got into ultralight aviation we had his and her trikes -- nice. 

Unfortunately those days are over.  First the economy continues to struggle hurting all of us. Then the Light Sport rule has made aircraft more expensive because of all the overhead associated with meeting government regulation (and the government is convinced that more regulations are required, which will add to aircraft costs).  Add to that the decline of the dollar (most LSAs are made overseas) and the cost factor gets even worse.

So if you dream of owning a trike or PPC how do you make that happen without breaking the bank?  Here are some suggestions borrowed from the fixed-wing world along with some ideas of my own.

Individual Ownership Options

First of all, take another look at 2-stroke aircraft.  In the six years I've been selling trikes over 90% of my sales are 4-stroke aircraft.  Obviously I love it when I make a 4-stroke sale but when I hear people complain about how expensive flying has become I wonder why they won't look at the 2-strokes.  For all but the last two years of the ultralight days 2-strokes were the only engines available.  The Rotax 2-strokes have developed a well-earned reputation for reliability, provided owners didn't start tweaking them (Rotax has already tweaked them so owners should leave them alone).  And a 2-stroke is at least $10,000 less than a comparatively equipped 4-stroke.  While I prefer a 4-stroke over a 2-stroke if the only way I could fly was to buy a 2-stroke I'd be flying a 2-stroke.

Look at Part 103 aircraft.  Right now I only know of two manufacturers that are making Part 103 ultralights right now I think that is going to change.  Part 103 aircraft are absolutely the most affordable aircraft to fly and maintain.  While you would be a fool to fly them without training the amount of training is significantly reduced and the aircraft is not over-regulated by the FAA saving you money.  You can maintain the aircraft yourself saving even more money. Hopefully I'll have some good news about Part 103 models from AirBorne this year.

If your have your heart set on a 4-stroke and can afford it the good news is that, while prices have gone up, so have the hours between TBO (time before overhaul).  All new 4-stroke aircraft now come with 2000 hour, 15 year TBOs versus 1500 hours and 10 years. That means your are getting 25% more life out of the engine for your money.  That is a pretty significant offset to the higher cost of today's aircraft.

Multi-person Ownership

Multiple person ownership of airplanes is very common.  A significant number of the small planes at my airport are owned by two or more people (most that I know of are owned by four). Another common ownership model is club ownership where every member of the club owns a piece of the plane.  The one I know of here at home is a 10 person club with each member owning a tenth of the plane.  But in the six years I've been selling trikes I've only sold one partner owned plane.

Partner or club ownership can really open up aviation to the average aviation enthusiast.  You do the math.  If there are two of you the cost of the airplanes (initial purchase, maintenance, hanger, etc.) just got divided in half.  If two or more of you are sharing the costs you can get an awfully nice plane for the price of an entry level model.

How do you find others interested in ownership?

Now this is a good question.  I have a few ideas.

Another way to get into shared ownership is to make the initial investment yourself and then advertise "shares for sale" at local airports, trade publications, and websites such as www.barnstormers.com.

Summary

Aviation has always been a pursuit that requires diligence and creativity. For those of you who really want to fly your own plane but just can't see your way to buying one some of the ideas above might be the difference between flying and being grounded.