On Thu, 11 Nov 1999 06:29:44 -0500, Glen Ward wrote: >>I would like to add my two cents worth to this very interesting dialog on maintaining our airplanes. It find it interesting that there are owners out ther who have the misguided conception that you can buy a 30-50 year-old airplane, fly it, maintain it, pour money into it for Navigational stuff, etc, etc, etc, and EXPECT TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK! I have never been able to do that with ANY airplane I ever owned. I bought a new 1993 automobile for $21,000. The depreciation alone on the car is about $2,600.00 every year. This does NOT include maintenance or operating costs. The car is always garaged, never had any accident history and does not have any scratches or damage inside or outside. It has a stree value of about $5,000.00 I really belive that an automobile is the WORST investment a person makes in their lifetime. In fact, I suspect I have spent more money on cars in my lifetime than I have on the $250,000 home I live in. On our airport, there are roughly 60 airplanes. Each owner keeps their airplane up to their OWN standards based on what THEY can afford. The people who are lucky enough to have sufficient funds to put in their airplane have better airplanes than the ones who wander through the Airplane boneyards looking for parts. It will ALWAYS be that way. No one can ever change that. It happens in cars, boats, airplanes, motorcycles, motorhomes and the very homes we live in. Yes, I have the 15-gal tanks in my Alon. I also have New 3-color IMRON paint, I also have a NEW engine and enough electronics to fly a 421 legally. Yes, I also have about $45,000 in it. IT IS NOT FOR SALE! When it is, it will probably be sold for about $30,000. That is a $15,000 loss. Which is very close to the loss I will be taking on my car when it is traded in. Some of us can afford it, some of cannot. This is the real world. ALL OF US want to fly because we love it. We should not discriminate against people who chose Cessna, Piper, Aeronca, Ercoupe, Alon, Luscome or a homebuilt. All of us will fly airplanes that WE ALONE are comfortable with and can maintain at our own $$$$ level. Yes, more will crash and more will die from neglect. We can argue this until the sun never shines again, but it will NOT change. Each year there will less and less older airplanes left flying. George Frebert
> You are right about the safety issue, but I don't believe there is much of a > 21st century for these planes, Gene. Prices have been going up in the past > but it may be that people will be facing facts on the older 415's and > Forneys real soon. Already over half a century, and already it is the kind > of thing that maybe a lot of first time buyers won't even consider - too > old, they get a 150. I like mine I just bought but I do not want to be > flying it for more than a few years. Maybe a graceful retirement will be > better than having a bunch of wings fall off then the feds get all excited. > This issue is a coming thing, sooner or later folks are going to have to > face it. The Ercoupe could easily be the first to go, maybe the Luscombe, > they are both pretty neglected compared to the Cubs which have so much > Nostalgia value. Both have problems. The coupe is neat but it was having > problems even in the 50's. That was not due to old parts. Maybe they > worked it out with the ADs but the same old failures may crop up if they > keep going and going, weakening from corrosion and fatigue. Some folks love > them so much they won't admit to their defects. Glen > > > ________________________________________________________________ Get FREE voicemail, fax and email at http://voicemail.excite.com Talk online at http://voicechat.excite.com
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