At this point in this thread I'm just waiting for a jet guy to come and say:

"I've got a jet. I've found no better way to burn through oceans of cash... but I love it, I can afford it, I earned it, and if I don't spend it, my kids will. and you won't find me in a damn Meridian. Carpe diem mother truckers!"

"I've got a jet. I've found no better way to burn through oceans of cash... but I love it, I can afford it, I earned it, and if I don't spend it, my kids will. and you won't find me in a damn Meridian. Carpe diem mother truckers!"

One of my clients, who never post but is following these threads with great amusement, said people ask him all the time how much it cost to operate the jet, his reply;

“I have no idea, why the hell would I want to know that, it would take all the fun out of it!”

If you own an airplane you can't afford, that will take all the fun out of it for sure.

Mike C.

But if you own an airplane you can’t afford, typically you are keenly aware of what its’ costing you every month and every flight …

Exactly. Big difference!

Most cases of this are owners who have no clue what it is costing them until it is too late, and certainly had no clue when the bought the airplane in the first place.

So I don't think your statement is true. If it was true, they would have made better choices when buying the plane.

Flying and money are inexorably linked. Those that choose deliberate ignorance are headed for trouble.

Mike C.

Most cases of this are owners who have no clue what it is costing them until it is too late, and certainly had no clue when the bought the airplane in the first place.

So I don't think your statement is true. If it was true, they would have made better choices when buying the plane.

Flying and money are inexorably linked. Those that choose deliberate ignorance are headed for trouble.

Mike C.

Heh. That's kind of where I am. Though I do make every effort to keep my costs low I don't actually track my spending. When I upgraded from the SR22 I wanted the safest airplane for a single pilot that could hold 2 families of 4 plus their stuff. As I did my research I landed on a 501 as the answer. There is no question in my mind that for my missions, a 501 is the safest airplane that I can afford and when viewed from that lens, the extra fuel burn is a small price to pay.

Honest question here- don't you guys have bookkeepers that handle the math?

I think its an excellent choice. Being able to take two families is a game changer, and going by jet puts most pax at ease. I'm constantly reminded of this when I take people in the pc12 and they comment that they've never been a plane so small, and are nervous because it has a prop.

Heh. That's kind of where I am. Though I do make every effort to keep my costs low I don't actually track my spending. When I upgraded from the SR22 I wanted the safest airplane for a single pilot that could hold 2 families of 4 plus their stuff. As I did my research I landed on a 501 as the answer. There is no question in my mind that for my missions, a 501 is the safest airplane that I can afford and when viewed from that lens, the extra fuel burn is a small price to pay.

Not the plane math.

$40,000.00 insurance and 2weeks training at simcom. that is a lot of dough for the summer

for a Meridian??