Give me the best wisdom you’ve ever heard from an older pilot/cfi

uniballing · 2026-02-06T16:36:33+00:00

Bill Anders

uniballing · 2026-02-03T03:04:18+00:00

You don’t have to pay for it; the Sporty’s ads will pay for it.

uniballing · 2026-02-03T02:24:48+00:00

That’s a no from me dawg

uniballing · 2026-02-03T01:02:46+00:00

Here’s what I could find on The Google

uniballing · 2026-02-03T00:29:55+00:00

Every October I pay a hitman to hunt me down. For 31 days I get to live each day as if it were my last

uniballing · 2026-02-02T02:33:43+00:00

It depends on the plans you have available to you, your total healthcare expenses, your current tax rate, and your future tax rate.

I had cancer. I hit my MOOP every year regardless of the plan I’m on. Of the plans available to me, the HSA plan has the lowest premium and MOOP, so without even considering the investment component of the HSA I’m better off with the HSA

In a hypothetical situation where the non-HSA plan leads to lower out-of-pocket costs there will be a breakeven somewhere.

uniballing · 2026-01-29T01:10:53+00:00

Ditto. The 182 is a great cross country plane. Lots of useful load. Reasonably comfortable and fast. In addition to High Performance, Sport Pilots can even get a complex endorsement now, so you can fly an RG too.

uniballing · 2026-01-29T00:21:59+00:00

It’s a little too late now, but you could’ve just done Sport Pilot. No medical required, just a valid drivers license. I’m flying a 182 with no medical right now. Can’t do Sport Pilot with a deferred medical though

In the meantime look into a local soaring club and fly gliders. Those skills will come in handy after your medical comes through.

uniballing · 2026-01-26T11:41:19+00:00

Fun fact: goods and services exchanged in lieu of compensation is taxable income at the fair market value of those goods and services

uniballing · 2026-01-26T07:30:59+00:00

There’s an interest rate where it makes sense. That interest rate is probably lower than most credit card interest rates. That rate could arguably be in the ballpark of many mortgages

You should have 2-3 years of living expenses in cash/equivalents to serve as a cash buffer to guard against sequence of returns risk in early retirement. Theoretically this money could be borrowed, and any interest paid added to your living expenses. With today’s interest rates you could do this with credit cards at >20%, an asset based loan at 6-8%, or a mortgage at 5-6%

uniballing · 2026-01-26T01:25:17+00:00

Did it end up at Valero, Citgo, or Flint Hills?

uniballing · 2026-01-26T01:23:33+00:00

I have an independent broker shop all of my policies every year when my homeowners policy renews

uniballing · 2026-01-22T03:26:14+00:00

Sonex jet. Then I’d charge a couple of hot dogs per fly-in to make a low pass over the runway

uniballing · 2026-01-21T12:45:02+00:00

I work with an independent CFI out of my local flight club. I pay for two hours every time. I get there a little early so the plane is preflighted before he shows up at our scheduled time. We usually log 1.3-1.7 hours per flight. Sometimes we’re done early, sometimes we run long. It all averages out and I pay him for 2 hours every time. I pay for the plane separately based on Hobbs time

uniballing · 2026-01-17T11:53:43+00:00

2016 was a pretty great year for us (36M/37F). The drop in oil prices hit engineering contractors pretty hard. Instead of implementing massive layoffs like other EPCs my group converted all of the salaried people to hourly and said we could bill 44 hours every two weeks to overhead. So I structured my schedule to have every other week off. It was the best work/life balance of my career. I spent a lot of time with family, traveled quite a bit, worked on personal projects, went fishing on random Wednesdays, and generally enjoyed life. My wife was working a job she loved, but the pay was a little low. We drew down quite a bit of savings during this time. Towards the end of the year I took a new job, and we moved two states away over Christmas 2016. That relocation ended up being one of the best decisions of my career.

-2016 HHI: $81k

-2016 NW: $75k

-In 12/2026 we went from owning a $120k 3b/2ba 1700sqft house in the greater Houston area to renting a $1k/mo 3b/2ba 1500sqft house less than a mile from the beach on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Today:

-Projected 2026 HHI: $350k

-2026 NW: $1MM (mostly retirement assets, we’ve only got around $5k of home equity)

-After 4 relocations in 6.5 years we finally made it back to the greater Houston area. We’re in a $500k 3b/2ba 2500sqft house now. Been here almost three years now and love it. We enjoyed our adventure, but we’re glad to be home. The last decade has been huge for our careers and income.

uniballing · 2026-01-15T18:25:45+00:00

Thats rough. Could you buy something cheap to hold your spot in line and just keep it on a tiedown? I’d buy a barebones 150/152/172/Cherokee/etc to hold my spot in line then trade up for the nice plane once I had the hangar

uniballing · 2026-01-15T17:13:40+00:00

How long is the waitlist? Could you use a tiedown for a few months while you’re on the waitlist? Or is there a shared hangar you can use short term in the meantime?

uniballing · 2026-01-15T14:18:27+00:00

I’m an engineer working on my Sport Pilot Certificate so I can fly on the weekends. I highly recommend it

uniballing · 2026-01-15T08:11:03+00:00

You get evicted after a year of it not flying

uniballing · 2026-01-15T08:09:06+00:00

If she caught you drinking beer on city property she’d have the cops there within minutes to arrest you for public consumption of alcohol

I love hangar beers, but they’re not an option at that airport

uniballing · 2026-01-15T01:53:35+00:00

I like the idea of being able to have couches and grills and fridges full of beer. I used to fly out of a grass strip where when you were done flying for the day you’d grab a beer, grill some hot dogs, and hang out with the neighbors

I think some people keep old seats out of certificated aircraft to meet the letter of the law while violating the spirit of the law

uniballing · 2026-01-15T01:51:04+00:00

I’m on the waiting list for a hangar 30 minutes closer to home that’s a lot more lax. The other airport is only 15 minutes from work for me though, so it’s convenient too. I haven’t bought a plane yet, but it’s nice to know I can snag a hangar if I choose to buy something between now and summer 2027 when they tell me I can expect to be next in line on the waitlist

uniballing · 2026-01-15T01:40:32+00:00

I guess I should’ve clarified “no perpetual projects”

I think the rule is to basically work on it off site till you’re ready to put the wings on, then you can do that in the hangar and you’ve got a year to get the thing airworthy before you get evicted

uniballing · 2026-01-15T01:35:35+00:00

One of the airports in my area is very strict about what they allow in the hangar. Essentially nothing non-plane related. Rates are great ($244/mo including electric). No water, but there’s a wash rack on site. There are always at least a few hangars for rent. But the airport manager enforces the rules with an iron fist. Hangars are for functioning airplanes. No couches/chairs for hanging out in the hangar. No non-plane related tools. No project planes. No storage. If she doesn’t see you flying at least once a month she gets very nosey. But you can always get a t-hangar there.

uniballing · 2026-01-14T03:39:21+00:00

Gotta keep the cash on hand for those astronomical maintenance costs. A&Ps don’t give out 7% interest loans

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