Kind of an interesting thought experiment. Setting aside the kid in the candy store stuff, it got me thinking how i might actually do this over a decade if I had that budget.

My kids are 10 & 12 and we have non-rev privileges on American. Airline travel is surprisingly pleasant when it's free! I have an ATP/MEI and like to instruct.

In terms of toy airplanes, I don't think I'd use more than 50 hours/year. I could probably find 100 hours/year to instruct. And I probably have 50 hours/year of GA XC travel that would be on routes not well served by the airlines, with an emphasis on space and comfort. So call that 2000 hours over 10 years and my budget is $2 million. Wow, $1000/hr will go a long way.

A Carbon cub would make a nice toy/instruction airplane. I'll call that $20k/yr total cashflow to buy new and sell at the end of the decade.

The travel plane becomes interesting here. I was thinking TwinBo or something but with $1.8 million a turboprop is sure looking nice. Maybe a really nice Caravan or a Kodiak.

Randy: a big part of this will be residual value assumption if you purchase and usage. You should be able to purchase an older turbine for around $500,000 and operate 100 hours a year for $150,000 per annum. There should be some residual value. If you purchase a newer plane, maintenance will be less, but it may depreciate more.

When I start dreaming of airplanes... I think about my desires and mission.
I wouldn't blow the whole budget on a single airplane.
My fantasy stable of aircraft on a $2M budget ( or even a bigger budget) would consist of:

1. A king air for bad wx and hauling ability... but still capable of short unimproved strips
2. Keep my A36.... it just does too many things well when you don't need all weather capability or more than 4 people
3. A T-6 to scratch the warbird, formation, old man acro itch (you couldn't do a P51 on $2M and 10 years)
4. A classic taildragger.... J3, C120/140, taylorcraft, champ.
5. A bush plane. super cub, C180/C185, Beaver, ?????
6. Seaplane/float plane...

It would take some partnering up and budget minding to do it all.

But unless I find a winning lotto ticket in the street... it's not happening.

Leldon

I'd Build a Nice Log Hangar Home, on a Nice Lake (Roosevelt) maybe?
A Place Where, I could Invite, all my New Beachtalk Friends, their Familys and Dogs, to come Every Other Year for a Big Party

Think Pig at (Grommets, and Barrus), one Year...............and Brisket at (Wakehams) the Next

Folks, we need more Partys Especially out here in the Northwest

Oh, and in My Hangar, would be one of the Coolest V-Tails ever Seen, (without Tip Tanks) Like Mcbrides
and down by the Lake......a Cub on Floats, Like Hefflys

A SuperCub! With all the bells and whistles.

I'm curious. How many hours do you get, after purchasing it, for $2M????

And with the rest of the money ?? Have you no dreams

A nice hangar home, the hangar part has to be insulated an have at least a limited amount of cooling/heating, and big enough for two planes and some tools and equipment. I'd add a G500 to the F33A, and then perhaps buy a T34 for fun.

In all seriousness I would buy 1 high performance piston plane (sub 350k with op cost sub $300hr anticipating 100hrs/yr) for my personal backup plane and rent or lease all sorts of different planes for fun.

I think I would aim for a new 'fun' plane every ~6-12 months. (rent a L39, lease a King Air, lease a carbon cub, lease an amphib for a season in Alaska, fill in the blank with some joy ride plane)

With that sort of fantasy budget I want this to be fun; to me saying only one plane, when all this is just for fun...seems limiting.

After 15+ planes I think I will have gotten my money's worth.

900k for a Meridian and 110k per year to operate it.

There is no way I could spend $2M in ten years with my current setup:

$50/hr for overhaul reserve gives me $70k for a Western Skyways overhaul of my TSIO-520, with prop and accessories, every 1,400 hrs.
$50/hr for ‘everything else but gas’ covers all other maintenance, training, hangar, subscriptions, other consumables, insurance.
$100/hr for fuel, that’s 20gph at $5/gal — more than I use.

At $200/hr total, I would be flying 1,000 hrs/yr for ten years, that makes flying a part-time job.

After a few years of flying 3 hrs/day I would be bored of it. After a decade, the airplane would be ready for retirement, having gone through seven more engine overhauls in this pursuit.

So this fantasy is not realizable with my current turbo 210, just can’t spend the money fast enough! Would need a more expensive plane — probably with a turbine engine. If a twin it would be an MU-2 or a turbine Commander, if a single I’d be looking at a TBM-700 or an M600. If a piston, probably that beautiful air-conditioned turbo Baron (56TC) in Austin... in THAT I could probably spend the $2M

Another way to look at it is by features, the two features I’d really like that my current airplane doesn’t have are air conditioning and pressurization. I suppose I could upgrade to a pressurized and air-conditioned P210, the above numbers would inflate a bit, but I’d still struggle to spend $2M in ten years.

A Baron 58 would handle all my family adventure / transportation / rescue animal moving / Veteran's Airlift needs and desires (and the charity flying would help stretch the opex funds).

Any flavor Decathalon would scratch all my tailwheel / low & slow / upside down / $100 hamburger itches.

An RV (pick a number) would satisify my desire to have something I built with my own hands (too long sitting behind a desk managing "stuff" and having nothing physical I can put hands on and say "I built this").

Of course not, it’s not about what you have now, obviously.

Of course not, it’s not about what you have now, obviously.

I love spending fake money...A mid to late 70s B58, trick it out with fresh panel and one of those high performance air conditioners (I live in Houston), and a brand new carbon cub...I'd probably still have money left over at the end of 10 years...Maybe buy a 172 with a 430 waas and dual G5s to put in our local club and teach friends and family to fly for the cost of gas.....