OK - first airplane - got my ticket in Feb, have 100 hours, working on my instrument - should be done end of July, first of August..

I was pretty much sold on a 182. Then I screwed up and flew a J-3 some. Then I got to sit in a Scout. How could somebody be considering a 182 and a tailwheel? Well, you know how it goes.

Mission - up or debate. My wife thinks I am crazy to get a tandem 2 seater considering we "might" want to take her, our 1 year old, 3 dogs, etc on a trip to see the in laws 250 miles away. Well, I have never had more than 1 person in a plane with me. The chances of us all going somewhere seems slim to me.

Trips - general out screwing around. I have a place a couple hundred miles away I will be flying to. It would be nice to land on the ranch instead of having to screw with going to the airport.

182: Hauls more people, good cargo area, expensive - lots of junk on the market.

Scout: looks like more fun, love that 30" wide cabin, cargo area sucks, not cheap, but I could swing a new one.

Big Rocks and Long Props Video - says get a tailwheel plane.

What should I do? Buy the Scout, rent a 4 seater when I need it?

Thanks,
Darin

ddivinia wrote:What should I do? Buy the Scout, rent a 4 seater when I need it?

I think this is a your plan.

I wanted a Scout too but went with a 170 due to price and cargo space. I still see that Scout in my future but with the rear seat out, a Cessna can hold a LOT of stuff. If it weren't for our somewhat irrational bush pilot fantasies, a 182 turns out to be the perfect plane for everything.

Why buy something you can always rent (c-182)?

How often do you hear about tail-draggers that you can rent and fly off airport?

Jason


Call these guys for honest info on Scouts and back country opps

http://www.bobhannah.com/

zane wrote:

ddivinia wrote:What should I do? Buy the Scout, rent a 4 seater when I need it?

I think this is a your plan.

I wanted a Scout too but went with a 170 due to price and cargo space. I still see that Scout in my future but with the rear seat out, a Cessna can hold a LOT of stuff. If it weren't for our somewhat irrational bush pilot fantasies, a 182 turns out to be the perfect plane for everything.

What have you seen on the scout in regards to resale. They don't many of them. They seen to hold thier value well. New planes seems to be a loser deal on depreciation. The one I am looking at is $150K new. $165K with a Com, NAV, GPS mount for my 496, etc.

D.

Darin, I was in your position a year ago. The more I looked, the more I liked the Maule.

4 or 5 seats, 4, 6 cyl eng. Jet A/Diesel, or Turbine. Huge side cargo doors. Performance and price worked for me. I got a 2000 M7 235C Garmin 430, 250, digital mode C, PS audio panel.

90TTAF .6 TSMO on Lycoming factory rebuild, new crank AD. It had a minor prop strike. Looked new! 130K

Down side insurance! My hours were like you. I pay $600.00 month. 5 more months and it should drop to around $350.00 and a year later probably around $260.00 Regards...Rob

Darin, I have a Maule M5 180C. I love the airplane but you know what, I am not going to recommend it to you. Why not?

If 99.9% of your flying is around the patch, out to breakfast, with a friend goofing off, in and out of grass fields, etc., then you don't need a four place taildragger that is expensive to own and insure. You need a plane that you can fly every day, is inexpensive to own AND insure, and is just "plane" fun!

That way you will build skills and you will fly many more hours. I started with a Luscombe. It used auto gas, was sweet to fly, and cheaper than dirt to own compared to my Maule. The Scout, and ones in the same class, are great planes. If you can afford a new one, great! But don't stretch yourself financially. If you buy a "good" used one, add $10,000 to the price because that is what it will take to make it right.

CAUTION - You will never have a plane that makes you stop thinking about another plane. It just works that way. A friend of mine has five and two projects. His wife thinks he has two! He is 85 so he has nothing to lose.

How do you know what is too expensive? If you even have the slightest hesitation about flying it due to cost!

I go by the rule that says "You can always sell a plane and buy another. The important thing is having a plane to fly!"

Good luck!

Since you are still a very low time pilot, I would strongly suggest you find an inexpensive tail dragger and forget the Scout and 182 for a couple years. The simple reason is that you need/want hours, not carrying capacity. The less it costs to fly, the more you will fly. In my simple, small, inexpensive airplane I can fly over 200 hours a year for less money than it would cost to fly 50 hours a year in either of those two planes. Less money upfront for the airplane, less money for insurance, less money for annual inspections, less money for maintainance, and less money for gas!

Sure, I would like to take trips that I can't take because of my limited range and carrying capacity, and I spend a lot of time thinking about bigger planes. But in the mean time I'm actually out there flying, not sitting around the airport talking about flying, which seems to be a favorite pastime of people who have larger, more expensive planes.

I have no doubt there will be a time when being able to take long trips will be more important than being able to spend five or six hours a week flying around for the hell of it, and then I'll get a different plane. And when I do, I'll have the hundreds of hours of experience my little plane gave me. I'd say that's win-win.

Of course, if I had to choose between a Scout and a 182, I'd pick a Cessna 170.

Caution: 'What plane is best for me' super-thread #27 is cleared for takeoff.

The same problem for most of us. I'd say get what you can afford to fly.

Skystrider and Rob hit it right on the head. I can tell you that as Sole owner of a 182 that it will eat you out of house and home sooner or later unless you have a real good income and the time to devote to currency and training. My 182 burns about 12 to 13 gph, so that $55 and hour or better just for fuel. The past year it's starting to hurt when I leave the pump.

If interested PM me. A friend has a 7GCBC for sale locally.

Whatever you decide, good luck and fly smart. Bub

Yep, buy the Scout rent the four seater.

Down side insurance! My hours were like you. I pay $600.00 month. 5 more months and it should drop to around $350.00 and a year later probably around $260.00 Regards...Rob[/quote]


What kind of hours do you have? I can't handle $600 a month for insurance. On a 182 with a hull of $80K I got it down to $1500 year without my instrument rating. I should be done with my instrument in Aug.

D.

[quote="ravi"]Since you are still a very low time pilot, I would strongly suggest you find an inexpensive tail dragger

------
Which ones should I consider?



and forget the Scout and 182 for a couple years. The simple reason is that you need/want hours, not carrying capacity.
----


Load is a good thing. I am 275 and my buddies usually aren't too much smaller. A new champ will hold me, full of fuel - if i loose a oupel pounds.

Thanks,
D.

[quote="Skylane"]The same problem for most of us. I'd say get what you can afford to fly.

Skystrider and Rob hit it right on the head. I can tell you that as Sole owner of a 182 that it will eat you out of house and home sooner or later unless you have a real good income and the time to devote to currency and training. My 182 burns about 12 to 13 gph, so that $55 and hour or better just for fuel. The past year it's starting to hurt when I leave the pump.

If interested PM me. A friend has a 7GCBC for sale locally.
-----


I make good money, but it all adds up. Plane, insurance, hangar, etc.

Time is an important aspect. I barely have time to fly, let alone work on planes all the time or deal with repairs shops.

I need a new plane, used price, with a lifetime warranty!

D.

Here is the scout I am looking at. Hope to fly it later this week:

http://www.americanchampionsales.com/20 ... efault.htm

D.

After flying a J-3 some, I had to question how long will flying a 182 be fun. Heck a J-3 is a blast - just too small. I think a tailwheel plane overall will be more fun.

Also, why fly what everybody else is flying?

D.

Darin,
I can tell you that the 8GCBC is the first out of ten aircraft that I have personally owned, that what few parts it takes doesn't make you curl up in a ball on the floor every time you order one.
Every time I think of selling it, my wife reminds me of how much we use to spend on Baron parts.

It also according to Avemco has one of the lowest insurance rates out there.

mr scout wrote:Darin,
I can tell you that the 8GCBC is the first out of ten aircraft that I have personally owned, that what few parts it takes doesnt make you curl up in a ball on the floor every time you order one.
Every time I think of selling it, my wife reminds me of how much we use to spend on Baron parts.

What kind of parts have you had to buy?

What year is your Scout?

How long have you owned?

What don't you like about it?

What other planes do you own now?

What other planes have you owned?

The Scout looks like a deal compared to some others in the same category.

Thanks,
D.

What kind of hours do you have? I can't handle $600 a month for insurance.

I had 0 hr TW 105 total. 130K hull. That's the only down side to my Maule. I doubt the insurance will ever go below $2600.00 per year. Regards..Rob

What should I do? Buy the Scout, rent a 4 seater when I need it?

Thanks,
Darin

Buy the Scout rent the four seater. PM me if you like, I may have a couple tips for you.

A 150 or 160 (or 180!) horse Pacer is a good airplane, as cheap as any 4-seater (actually, more of a 2 + 2) to buy and operate. Kinda tight cabin for a 275-pounder,though.

Eric