Well, I did it. After months of searching and several false starts, I just sent a deposit on a plane. I hope not to jinx it by posting about the purchase prior to pre-buy, but my conversations with the seller and his mechanic partner have led me to believe pre-buy should be pretty straightforward. And, I'm so excited I just have to share.

Like everyone on here, I want a backcountry plane. Floats? Sure. Fat tires? Definitely. The ability to haul a few people and camp gear a long way? Of course. The problem with that mission list is that there aren't many planes that can do all that so I really agonized over finding a plane. Really, I need an amphib Beaver, a fast twin and a Carbon Cub which doesn't fit well into a budget that vaguely resembles mine.

I'm a guy that typically looks at 3 or 4 houses before deciding on one to live in for years. I'm not fussy and I'm not usually really feature driven but the combinations of features, mission and budget really drove me nuts looking for a plane. I came really close to putting an offer in on a Murphy Moose. And a 185. And a few 180s. Most deals fell apart because the plane sold before I could build the courage to hit enter. I could never choose which mission was most important and it really handicapped my decision making process.

It was the 'What can a 182 do?' thread that solved my dilemma. After months of scouring Barnstormers, TAP and Controller I knew every 180 and 185 out there but after the last 180 was sold out from under me, I decided to go back and look at 182s. In my email from June was a nice Canadian plane (no import hassles) that I had passed over because it had a very low usable weight because it is on amphibs. When I went back and really started mulling it over I realized it was the perfectly imperfect plane. Not a great float plane, not a great cross country speedster, not a great back country plane, but good enough in all respects that I might never need to buy another plane.

It was also a big factor that my wife was reluctant to fly a tail dragger but is really excited about flying a 182. She has a few hundred hours in 172/182 from her flight instructor days a long time ago.

A couple days of conversations and negotiations and I just received a signed Offer to Purchase and sent the deposit.

A few details:
1964 182G
1200 SMOH O470R, new 88" seaplane prop
EDO 2790 amphibs and wheel gear.
Sportsman STOL, Wing-ex.

The panel could use some updating but the biggest upgrade will be a PPonk engine some time this winter. I plan to fly most of the winter on wheels and would like to do the engine upgrade before putting the plane back on floats in the spring.

I am beyond excited. My biggest worry is weather. I'm on the west coast and the plane is in northwest Ontario. I have to figure out how to get pre-buy done, transaction finalized, and the plane in motion before the weather makes crossing the country a month-long affair.

Your wife is a CFI! We need a SMFT Instructor in Canada.

contactflying wrote:Your wife is a CFI! We need a SMFT Instructor in Canada.

She was. Now she's just bossy;-)

Congratulations.

Congrats Allen! If you need help flying it over, I'm available most weekends. But I know you and your wife are more then competent. Stop in on the way though! I'd love to meet you in person.

Congrats! Surely you have a picture to share.

"She was. Now she's just bossy;-)"
When are You moving YOUR stuff from Squamish to Estivan?

Congrats! You made an excellent choice.

Crzyivan13 wrote:Congrats! You made an excellent choice.

Right? We should make cool T-shirts.

En route tomorrow from Thunder Bay ON, to beautiful Squamish, BC.

I won't be sleeping much for the next few nights.

Hope he has a good flight! We are having a heck if a snow storm here right now.
Also, sweet looking plane!!

CJS5....welcomes you if your doing the southern MB route....I'm in the CFS text for pirep. -6316...BOB ...Gas/Beds etc.

Sorry, I should have been clear. Ferry pilot leaving Thunder Bay tomorrow for Squamish.

I really wanted to do the trip but couldn't make it happen.

I'll pass on the info for southern MB, though I hope he can stay further north.

No idea what he will encounter, but I'm expecting the Calgary-Kelowna leg will be the trickiest.

Cheap fuel and hospitality here at CEF4. Airdrie. My cell is in the CFS under FBO tab.

Hard to fault buying a 182, so long as it's been inspected thoroughly (that part's true of most other airplanes, too). They're one of those best described as not able to do anything spectacularly well, but able to do a lot of things reasonably well.

Cary

I've got to share this chuckle:

My wife has been a pilot for the past dozen years and has endured her share of bumps and bruises in the industry. A couple redundancies, a bankrupt employer, nasty pairings and a fair bit of misogyny. Pretty typical stuff, by all accounts, but they wore her down. At one point in there she took 6 years off and started to build a career in defence contracting before we met and I coaxed across the continent and into Canada. Here she found a niche in aviation again and has been loving her job selling charter time and flying right seat on a Sovereign with a great captain who has become a great family friend. Aviation is a small industry around here and everybody seems to know everybody.

Long before we had the loose cash to buy a plane I was building my dream plane in my head and shopping TAP and Barnstormers. When we rebalanced our financial world and had some spare cash we discussed a plane and we agreed on a budget and I started shopping in earnest. She would listen like a Canadian listens to the crazy guy on the subway... not really listening, but too polite to turn away completely. PPonk, blah, blah. MT prop blah, blah. Strip interior Selkirk foam blah, blah.

Yesterday, the deal became real. Money changed hands and insurance was bound. Last night she started asking questions about flying locally. Where I've been, where I want to go. Long after I though she was asleep she asked me who my favourite instructor is for mountain flying.

This morning we started watching the DeLorme track of the ferry pilot across the country and she started texting and calling her colleagues to share the news. Most of them being aviation nerds, the phone calls started coming in and the questions started flowing. Which engine? Stock wing? STOL kit? I could see her trying to dig back through all the conversations she wasn't really listening to, pulling up snippets of information and trying to make them sound important, exactly like I did in University so many years ago. My favourite part is her colleagues have all been completely enthusiastic and excited about the plane so it isn't just her newbie husband that loves this plane, it has credibility with her peers. We are swimming if offers of training from experienced float and mountain pilots.

She is now vibrating with excitement just like me and has started asking questions like why a PPonk instead of an IO550?

We have a wonderful marriage. Like many couples, we have some passions that are solo pursuits and some passions that are couple pursuits. Over the last couple years I've started to worry that back country flying might be a solo pursuit but I'm thrilled to say I think that was an unnecessary worry.

Had to share. Been smiling all day.

Congratulations on your new purchase! Before I inherited my 185, I considered a 182 because of its great ability to do just about everything. I have no doubt this thing will be great for you!

Little bit of advice, if wifey wants the 550 DO IT!!!

albravo wrote:I've got to share this chuckle:

My wife has been a pilot for the past dozen years and has endured her share of bumps and bruises in the industry. A couple redundancies, a bankrupt employer, nasty pairings and a fair bit of misogyny. Pretty typical stuff, by all accounts, but they wore her down. At one point in there she took 6 years off and started to build a career in defence contracting before we met and I coaxed across the continent and into Canada. Here she found a niche in aviation again and has been loving her job selling charter time and flying right seat on a Sovereign with a great captain who has become a great family friend. Aviation is a small industry around here and everybody seems to know everybody.

Long before we had the loose cash to buy a plane I was building my dream plane in my head and shopping TAP and Barnstormers. When we rebalanced our financial world and had some spare cash we discussed a plane and we agreed on a budget and I started shopping in earnest. She would listen like a Canadian listens to the crazy guy on the subway... not really listening, but too polite to turn away completely. PPonk, blah, blah. MT prop blah, blah. Strip interior Selkirk foam blah, blah.

Yesterday, the deal became real. Money changed hands and insurance was bound. Last night she started asking questions about flying locally. Where I've been, where I want to go. Long after I though she was asleep she asked me who my favourite instructor is for mountain flying.

This morning we started watching the DeLorme track of the ferry pilot across the country and she started texting and calling her colleagues to share the news. Most of them being aviation nerds, the phone calls started coming in and the questions started flowing. Which engine? Stock wing? STOL kit? I could see her trying to dig back through all the conversations she wasn't really listening to, pulling up snippets of information and trying to make them sound important, exactly like I did in University so many years ago. My favourite part is her colleagues have all been completely enthusiastic and excited about the plane so it isn't just her newbie husband that loves this plane, it has credibility with her peers. We are swimming if offers of training from experienced float and mountain pilots.

She is now vibrating with excitement just like me and has started asking questions like why a PPonk instead of an IO550?

We have a wonderful marriage. Like many couples, we have some passions that are solo pursuits and some passions that are couple pursuits. Over the last couple years I've started to worry that back country flying might be a solo pursuit but I'm thrilled to say I think that was an unnecessary worry.

Had to share. Been smiling all day.

That is good stuff! You will both love the 182.

After 20 agonizing days waiting for a weather window, the plane is on the move again! Left Calgary an hour ago.

Should be here tonight. I honestly can't decide if I'm more keen to see the plane or meet the ferry pilot in person. He has been a great guy to work with and I've already learned a lot just chatting with him about his decision making process with respect to weather and route. I have a nice bottle of Oban waiting as a thank you.

Proof that God has an ironic sense of humour: I've developed an ear infection and I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to go for a spin in my new bird. My lovely wife has offered to go up and send me a photo, but she was just being cruel.

I don't recommend that you pilot the airplane, but going for a ride can't hurt. Just keep the altitude low. If you ascend too much, the descent could be painful.

Congratulations on getting it home. Pictures. We need pictures.