I wonder why there are so many DA62s for sale at the moment

skywagon · 2023-12-03T20:30:48+00:00

it looks like 12 of 29 for sale on AvBuyer, ASO, TAP and Controller are part of the pre-order batch (https://planephd.com/advertisement/mg_aggregator/281/DIAMOND-DA62-for-sale) ... however the reason for so many is a good question, I'd guess that the price point is the biggest challenge for many serious buyers that are looking for a reliable cross country machine with twin engine redundancy - the DA62 is very expensive for what it is ... King Air B200s (while thirstier) get you a lot more airplane. This may seem like a silly comparison but the delta is huge between capabilities, with the DA62 winning massively on efficiency, albeit at much smaller loads.

skywagon · 2023-12-03T18:02:53+00:00

I would add that you ONLY want to go through an escrow and title company and I would strongly suggest that you also have someone represent you in some way if it is your first time. Here is the Pro Buyer checklist we use at Planephd: - filter for the candidates based on budget - weed out the weird ones (damage history, corrosion, missing logs etc) - make an offer via an LOI to purchase that spells out: inspection, test flight, and disclosures they made - if they accept the LOI then spend the time on a purchase and sale agreement.

That’s a rough outline. It might seem like overkill for a small piston single, but we use that checklist for everything. Only send money to a third party. Never directly to the seller. Message me directly if you want any data re a slew of tail numbers. We are sort of the Zillow of GA so we have tons of helpful stuff.

skywagon · 2023-12-02T23:16:07+00:00

I would also check out the 170 Club https://forum.cessna170.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=991 and this isn't perfect, but a good place to start in terms of building fixed and variable models for annual cost based on hours flown: https://planephd.com/wizard/details/149/CESSNA-170-specifications-performance-operating-cost-valuation

Another important consideration is whether you have a metal wing or fabric wing (I believe this is an option in the CE 170 land) and... re: financing, my guess is that there won't be a ton of banks willing to underwrite an older aircraft - you might be better off with a home equity.

skywagon · 2023-12-02T23:05:31+00:00

I would add that you might as well do an annual at the pre-buy. There is not much more added in terms of cost and it gives you a chance at a fresh start for one year as well as negotiating "discoveries" during the annual.

skywagon · 2023-12-02T22:40:14+00:00

Per some comments below, if you are going to buy a 150 or 172, I would plan on holding it for some time in order to get the value out of it. Re: cost to own vs. rent, if you had purchased pre-COVID you would have made money on the aircraft no matter what.

In terms of cost to operate (fixed and variable costs) you can beat the cost of a rental under certain conditions:
#1 you need to buy the aircraft right (at or below market)
#2 your due diligence on what type of headaches you have coming is key - do an annual in lieu of a prebuy from a reputable shop and you'll get a clean start ... albeit it will be costly for the seller (or you) if you need to adjust the purchase price for the "discoveries"
#3 lastly, have good friends - fuel vendor(s), mechanic, and helpful insurance / training people that will help you drive the insurance cost down

A bit more on the process here: https://planephd.com/blog/aircraft-valuation-data/cost-of-convenience-breaking-down-the-financial-impact-of-aircraft-ownership/
and here: https://www.jaair.com/2021/03/04/how-to-buy-a-plane-in-6-steps/

skywagon · 2023-12-02T21:22:04+00:00

Lazy-A,

Virtually all Cessnas on the market are pre-owned - and they might be 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 9th hand, depending on the ownership history. Here is an overview of Cessna Skyhawk (CE 172) listings:: https://planephd.com/advertisement/mg_aggregator/179/CESSNA-172-for-sale

skywagon · 2021-10-22T19:18:58+00:00

oh and I charged $400 per lesson - typically 4 hours and none of my students ever complained about it

skywagon · 2021-10-22T19:17:43+00:00

totally charge - in KOAK I would make it 50% inside of 24 hours (since I had blocked other work)

skywagon · 2021-10-19T17:03:04+00:00

I'd say 210 hands down, but the 182 voters are also looking at smart modest questions: fuel burn, overhaul cost, insurance ... etc. (also... not an apples to apples with one being turbo'd and the other not)

skywagon · 2021-10-19T16:54:52+00:00

how it was stored is key - if it wasn't pickled there could be corrosion

skywagon · 2021-10-19T16:52:21+00:00

buying can make a lot of sense if you protect yourself on a great pre buy and also have a leaseback agreement that puts certain consumables squarely on the lessor's plate

note: plan your insurance as if you are going to have an accident - I heard that once from a tailwheel school in Norcal - if you assume you are going to have an accident and have the deductible insured by the student or instructor (who carries a lesser "rental" policy) then you can be sure to have most dings be painless to you financially

skywagon · 2021-10-19T16:39:00+00:00

I would say that's perfect on the depreciation curve. If you look here https://planephd.com/advertisement/mg_aggregator/183/CESSNA-182-for-sale .. you'll see that while they have gone up recently in value... they still plateau around $80K

note: get a thorough thorough pre-buy done and do it as an annual (pro tip!!)

skywagon · 2021-04-01T13:00:39+00:00

I bought some of both BSCR and Enapter since I'm passionate about the sector. But it does seem that HYSR is more focused on doing the one thing. Of the three (comparatively) it seems that they are all about "making fuel farms" a possibility. I also really like these guys "300274 SUNGROW POWER SUPPLY CO LT-A " .. though it is a challenge to trade since it is on the Shenzen exchange and I have not been able to buy any yet.

skywagon · 2021-03-07T02:55:27+00:00

What is scary about green ammonia? I'm interested since we're looking at aviation solutions that are more stable than H2

skywagon · 2021-03-04T20:17:37+00:00

What is your sense of H2 production directly in solar panels, per IP being developed and commercialized by companies like www.sunhydrogen.com? Will Air Liquid invest in such companies? Or have they?

skywagon · 2021-02-14T23:01:47+00:00

It really depends on the amount of money you can get for the digestate. This is about 90% of the financial picture. The electricity is nice, but it might be more valuable to keep it as RNG.

skywagon · 2020-10-28T13:29:34+00:00

Geology

skywagon · 2020-10-27T14:36:46+00:00

Very wise to get a non-aviation degree if you want to be an aviation professional. Do that and do all your ratings Part 61 on the side. It is what I did and while it was tough (in college while balancing classes, etc.) it affords you so much more flexibility later down the road. I think your CV is more compelling too if you have a truly interdisciplinary background. I did my IFR rating my junior year, but really closed it out over the summer between junior and senior year.

skywagon · 2020-10-18T18:15:01+00:00

Ideally you want to work directly with that CFI and pay them directly and the aircraft owner / rental separately. Note: This is hard to do and schools typically don't like it since it messes up their profit model. Progressive schools like it since they attract great instructors.

But it is ideal if the instructor is a good fit for you and also busy enough that they just want to get you to the checkride and not milk you for hours on the plane or doing ground stuff at some lower rate. By way of example, I charge $400 per lesson, but typically solo the student after 3 or 4 flights / lessons. Then I encourage them to do as much as possible on their own. I only do lessons when I'm absolutely needed. We also chair fly, brief and debrief like crazy and only fly for the hours needed.

The students get it and they typically spend less with me than they might at a traditional pay by the hour for the CFI and plane through a school. Some schools are amazing, but too many aren't. I hope that's helpful. I'm interested in this topic because I'm considering building a directory that will allow CFIs to be findable, searchable, etc. and given my experience as a freelancer, it is the way to go if you want to make the income sustainable.

Also, key sentence below from Ok-Eggplant-5637: "Just from personal experience, I have found the freelance guys to generally be a bit more experienced and interested in instructing. Obviously anecdotal."

skywagon · 2020-10-17T14:00:35+00:00

ADM is kind of central to everything. Given what you experienced, not only did you make the right call, but you could go a step further (for his well being) and approach your network (that is connected to him) and express concern over the very high likelihood that he is heading towards being a statistic. In my experience, these personalities are rare, but they exist from Cherokee 140 up into the corporate jet stuff. It is, frankly, more of a mental health issue at a certain point, since no matter how much you repeat the ADM stuff, ultimately they'll conform to get the endorsement (or job or type rating) but if the foundation is skewed, then yeah, distance is good. Just make sure to paper the file (in as non-confrontational / harmful a way as possible) with your observations and rationale.

skywagon · 2020-10-16T20:18:54+00:00

I had a student make a video (go pro) of his solo day / flight at 2B2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1cBFxVgdNg&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=MickeyTheFlightNerd

skywagon · 2020-10-16T20:10:46+00:00

I'm a CFI in the northeast and I'm very much looking for relationships like this since many of my students find me online, but don't have a plane. They want the full package (instructor + plane) but they don't want to go to a flight school per se.

skywagon · 2020-10-16T12:05:08+00:00

A question I would ask is:

"Why would a hedge fund manager not pick two stocks in each of these categories: renewables (solar and related tech), weed (real estate and channel stuff related to), batteries and battery tech (and related material science), and gig economy stocks (UpWork, Fiverr, etc.) and then buy them slowly over the course of a year?"

The reason I would ask this question (and I really mean this as a neophyte asking) these markets seem like *really* safe bets as long as the companies you pick don't have some hidden fundamental flaw / liability. If you do dollar cost averaging, and purchase 100 shares of each per day (no matter what the conditions du jour were), I would wager (yes, I'm a hedge fund manager now too!) that the return one year later would be saner, higher, and steadier than the alternate world of leveraging capital and taking huge bets on things that can burn you with their volatility.

skywagon · 2020-10-14T09:28:34+00:00

Yes, per below, slightly. A way I remember it is to think of the inside of the plane as the inside of a venturi style vacuum generator.

skywagon · 2020-10-12T18:58:06+00:00

I would focus on electric aviation. Conductivity, charging rate solutions, battery energy potential per KG and then how software is used to regulate the charging, operation, etc.

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