I had a wonderful experience recently sitting over a beer with Jaime, a newly successful entrepreneur. Jaime was pulling on my ear to understand my aviation and aircraft ownership journey.
We had gotten to talking in the midst of the gender-reveal party for my niece (a story unto itself). He had retired after 20 years as a tanker in the army and was partially disabled, a result of 4 tours in Afghanistan. He started his business, and as is often the case, by accident, it was becoming successful!
So, now Jaime had a little money finally and he had always wanted to fly. He had a friend, a fellow entrepreneur, who flew, and who wanted to own a plane. They had talked about partnering to buy a airplane but could not seem to get the conversation anywhere. He asked me how did I do it? How could he afford to learn to fly and own a plane. To help him demonstrate that it could be done, I told him my story.
The story is about an aspiring pilot who was NOT originally on track to get into the Part 121 air carrier world (United, Spirit etc.), or the part 135 world (think NetJets and the like). It also is not about the Tom Cruises, or John Travolta’s of the world who have unrestricted amounts of cash to buy their P-52 Mustang (Cruise) or Boing 707 (Travolta).
I started my experience in 1978 when my dear friend Hugh Ross got his license at age 30 and my father would not let me fly with him at 17. Man was I annoyed. So, on June 1, 1983, at age 23 in N4752J a 1967 A23-19 Beech Musketeer Sport II, with an old, grizzled navy carrier pilot of an instructor named Paul Drusik, I took my first flight. We landed in a field that day with an engine failure, and yet I soloed 10.4 flight hours later on July 14, 1983. Many young pilot hours were flown in 4752J and on 11/22/1983 was issued my Private Pilot Certificate after just over 50 hours total time. I had rented 52J from Paul for $35/hour including fuel (i.e. “wet”) if memory serves…ah the good old days 😊.
While I rented 52J for a year from Paul, I was simultaneously in Albany, NY, to finish college and found the Beechcraft Aero Club. They had several Beechcraft (surprise) airplanes, including Skippers, Sundowners, and a Beech Sierra (my first complex, “high performance”). This organization still exists in a scaled-down form: https://www.beechaeroclub.org/
Flying the club airplanes, I got to build time in a couple of different models. I was doing lightning research (yes, thunderstorms and lightning) at the time at the State University of New York at Albany and wonder of wonders it included flying around the country to different research locations that were at…you guessed it…. airports.
I managed to convince my research boss, and the funding agencies that private aircraft were the most efficient way to get to the research sites and this was my big break. The thing that enabled my aviation future. I built time in the next few years in the club airplanes, Skippers and Sundowners mostly, and started my instrument work and finally completed that.
My experience with the club was great. It was professionally run, and the planes kept in very good repair. It gave me access to several levels of airplanes ultimately facilitating my commercial, instrument and high-performance endorsements. I had visions of being a commercial pilot at the time, but life had other ideas.
I met Matt LaRocco through the club, and he owned the Beech Sierra and was leasing it back to the club. I loved that plane and he rented it to me for $45/hour dry. Matt soon joined the airlines which means he couldn’t afford the plane, so I lost access to the Sierra but then met Lloyd Lininger.
Lloyd had bought a K model Mooney (“231”), N5651M. The first time I saw that plane with the long sleek nose, svelte profile, low to the ground, and built for speed, I fell in love. I rented N5651M for a couple of months and then Lloyd had to move away.
Matt quit the airlines, disillusioned by the unsafe pressure to fly in ice at the time, along with furloughs and went back to work in the real world so he could purchase a Mooney “231” N1145Y. I was back in the saddle in a Mooney K model.
Renting from friends was a tremendous experience. Quality airplanes, low risk on my part. Controllable costs. Cash for the owner, it worked really well. I note also that during this time I joined the Civil Air Patrol and got to fly their 172’s and 182’s. It was a great way to get time, on the Air Force dime.
I wanted to fly a twin, so went through the express twin training in Groton Connecticut. That’s a story.
With a newly minted Multi ticket in my hand, I met a guy who owned a Piper Seneca and we made an arrangement for me to rent it. I was basing my decision on my prior great experiences. This time it was not so great. It turns out the guy did little maintenance and was a con-man. Suffice it to say I got to experience single engine takeoff performance, an ILS on a single engine and the guy ended up in jail for tax evasion. Lesson learned.
After the debacle with the twin, I decided I would buy my own plane. I was in love with the Mooney “k” model and I found such a Mooney “231” in Springs Texas that looked sharp. I flew into Texas to see it the following night. My flight was late, and I met the owner in a hangar at 11:00PM and fell in love (with the plane, not him). He called his banker buddy from the First National Bank of Joshua Texas at midnight and when he arrived near 1AM, he asked me what I did. We shook hands, and I signed a contract pending a pre-buy. The pre-buy was done the next day and off I flew the following night with a temporary registration and bill-of-sale. I was the owner of N1165G.
I had purchased 65G with the engine “run-out” knowing I would have to invest more money after the purchase. When I bought the airplane, I bought it “right” knowing of this impending cost. $30k later a new engine straight from Continental’s Gold Medallion Program was in place and I was off to the races.
Work offered me the unique opportunity to move to the desert, so I picked up and moved to Tucson, Arizona. soon after I arrived, a gentleman who was to become a dear friend introduced himself as I was untying 65G. Bruce told me he was a pilot and expressed his fascination with 65G and wanted to fly it. So, we flew that cool morning and we quickly reached agreement to rent the airplane to him!
The Gold Medallion engine soon ate its “Cermichrome” cylinders at 300 hours, something that was not supposed to happen! With an apology, Continental sent me new steel cylinders. But they told me I had to put them on myself as I was just over the 36-month warranty. I bit the bullet, and had an old time mechanic, grizzled and leathery from the sun and years of dealing with plane owners, replace all the cylinders.
Six months later, and a whole lot of experience dealing with Continental Motors, the case cracked on my engine. Now I was out of money and could not afford to repair the engine. But, I had a wonderful friend and renter, Bruce, who became my partner, buying ½ of the plane injecting the needed capital. It was a match made in heaven and we were very successful partners in that wonderful airplane for seven years.
My job made me move to Colorado. So per the agreement I had to sell my half of 65G to Bruce. I was wingless for several years. I should note that Bruce sold 65G a year later and had me fly it to the new owner. That was hard :)!.
Bruce bought a very young Mooney Ovation (M20R) to replace 65G and N2138Z was his new stead. I was wingless until my job brought me back to Tucson and I was once again renting an airplane (38Z).
As will happen, Bruce lost his medical, and I purchased the plane from him. The circle of life has brought N2138Z back to my heart. (BTW, Bruce is doing well!)
After nearly 40 years of flying I rented from private friends, rented from a club, flew for Civil Air Patrol, and finally purchased and maintained several airplanes.
In some upcoming articles I will talk about the pluses and minuses of all of these.