Don Hoover's Ownership Costs
[From an email dated June 21 2000. Reprinted by permission]
Hi Ron.
I was just looking over the FLY-BABY Home Page and was reading about
your break-down of the costs of operating you're 85 hp. version. I had
read this before but this time I kinda had to giggle because I realized
how times have changed.
The serial no.of my baby is 63-38 but really did not finish it until 66, so you see how far back we are going and you can say "certainly things are bound to change since then" ----But how much?
Well here goes, first to be truthful I have to tell you my baby is only 65 hp--Cont. I use 4 gal per hr. and in 1966, 80 octane av fuel was 40 cents a gal. $1.60 an hr?-- now that is what I call cheap but like you say "A bit more for oil" Hanger Rent? Well I shared the hangar with a Piper Twin engine which belonged to the man that owned the hanger. MY SHARE? $15 a month for 8 mos. The winter months the plane was brought home so I could sit in it and make believe I was on the way to Rockford or Oshkosh.
I only had liability ins which was around $65 a year. In 1450 hrs of flying I bought a new pair of 800x4 tires and tubes for $40, a wood prop reconditioned by Sensnich {Like New) for $80, a major engine overhaul for $300. For something to do, after 10 years I removed the covering and done it all over again (Like I said for something to do) Cost about $200.
In 14 years of flying that would average out to about $50 a year for maintenance. So with an average of 100 hrs flying a year, Fuel costs $160----Hanger-$90----Insurance-$65----- Maintenance-$50.
If my math is correct that is $365 a year which comes out to $3.65 an
hour. THAT'S CHEAP but don't forget
that was 1966. Even so that was still dirt cheap back then. Times
really have changed!!!
