Was Buying an Airplane a Good or Bad Idea? How Buying a Piper Cherokee 6 Changed My Life.

hello everyone and welcome to flying dirty if you're into aviation and you're like me and enjoy watching other pilots v-logs and experiences then consider subscribing after watching this video and give me a big thumbs up becoming a private pilot has been one of the top rewarding decisions i ever made in my life and being an aircraft donor not only has it changed my life but my family's life as well i started in jacksonville florida back in 1998 and it was not until 2011 when i really got started renting airplanes almost every other weekend by 2014 i began considering purchasing my own airplane initially and like most things in life i started out with a very small budget i was looking at cherokee 140s moonies pa-28s and cessnas 172s for the most part but i started realizing one major problem with those particular aircraft i started realizing that if i was going to purchase an aircraft then let it be one that my entire family could also enjoy so i figured i had already flown alone way too many times and my strong desire quickly became to share these wonderful experiences with my family and friends so although i was finding the initial airplanes priced around my initial budget they were limited to a maximum of four passengers and maybe two to three adults and we were five so i upped my budget and began looking for a six passenger airplane after doing a ton of research my target became the cherokee six my main reason for choosing the cherokee six were price reliability ifr capable six passengers very roomy very impressive useful load at 1 618 pounds and maintenance is very reasonable that meant that i could fill up the tanks at 504 pounds carry all five of us pack up to 200 pounds of luggage and still have 150 pounds of cushion they call the cherokee 6 the suburban of the skies and so far it has definitely lived up to that reputation with a cruising speed of around 140 knots it is not considered very fast but considering the useful load and my other factors it is a very doable and capable airplane i like to burn around 13 gallons per hour and normally cruise at 127 knots and 65 power and after several months of searching on december 2014 i came across november 36 to zero whiskey in van nuys california owned by only two previous owners with a super low 3481 airframe hours and only 261 hours since a major overhaul on the engine the paint job though was about a 3 out of 10 and the interior well that was just about the same the avionics were horrible but the airframe and the engine were in great shape so after a pre-buy inspection came back good i went for it and on december 27 2014 i flew the airplane from van nuys to mesquite nevada for a lunch stop and then went on to farmington new mexico then finally on to a cold frigid centennial colorado the runway was totally snow packed but i managed to land the airplane safely the first major modification to the airplane was the interior in may 2016. i ordered a set of carpets side panels seat coverings headliners and soundproofed insulation all from airtex suddenly the interior was coming together in june of 2016 it was time for a fresh paint job i had the airplane stripped resurfaced and the tip tanks were in horrible shape so i sent them off to get remanufactured and those tip tanks came back looking new i also replaced the windows while it was being painted then it was time for the white bait then the trim and for the finish i don't normally get too excited about spending money but this was one of those rare moments in 2017 i changed out the two blade prop and i used my box truck and picked up a brand new hardsole 3 blade it gave the airplane a slightly better climb performance and a better look around the same time i had a garmin 430w installed so that i can continue practicing my ifr i knew that i wanted to go full glass at some point and i wanted to get rid of my steam gauges and the vacuum pump and after debating for several years between the garmin g500 the garmin g3x aspen e5 and the dinan skyview hdx i made my decision and decided to go with the dynamite i had jesse in saint aviation florida complete the installation i went with the dynon hdx equipped with an engine monitor and also an angle of attack indicator i also went with a dynon com an avidyne ifd 440 on a 430w trade and a truetrac autopilot everything was finally installed in june of 2020 and so far i am really enjoying the new avionics to keep the airplane safe from some of the crazy snow storms and not to mention those hail storms that we get in denver i decided it was best to get a nice size hanger and a nice little golf cart to tow the airplane as it gets a bit heavy with 504 pounds of fuel so why do i like being an airplane owner well first of all it's about the family experiences and then also to be able to teach my children to have passions in life centennial grounds 3620 whiskey north run-up run-up complete vfr south east with information romeo good job aside from business use of the airplane we have taken the airplane to many family vacations some of our best family trips in the airplane were rapid city to see mount rushmore [Music] and then also while we were there we went on to see wild big hickok saloon number 10 where he was killed and we spent some time at rushmore cave this trip was a lot of fun we also flew and camped out at yellowstone national park now i can't say enough about yellowstone this place is a must-see for pilots and it is filled with a lot of natural beauty best of all they had a free campground for pilots so as opposed to paying over a thousand dollars for a hotel we decided to pack our camping gear camp out at the yellowstone national park the yellowstone aviation fbo was marvelous and the rental car company was right next door we've also been many times to dallas for business and family visits then i also packed my brother-in-law's in the airplane and we went to the beach in houston [Music] we've also been to jacksonville a number of times where my family lives and to the tampa bay area the miami area beelinks montana [Music] and sedona arizona with its spectacular views [Music] the grand canyon [Music] a camping trip to see the august 2017 solar eclipse in douglas wyoming it was a great experience to have seen the total eclipse in wyoming the eclipse began to cover the sun and the temperature dropped very fast in wyoming and the mosquitoes came out ready to attack thinking it was sunset [Music] owning an airplane has been a rewarding experience not just for me but for my family a decision that has changed my life by being able to go places that otherwise we wouldn't have been able to as a result of time it is like our own personal time machine not to mention those holiday trips during thanksgiving and christmas without having to worry about checking luggage or waiting in long lines and folks that about wraps it up for today's video and with that don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me take this time to thank out all of my subscribers i just started this channel a few months ago and we're already up to 150 subscribers so thank you and please continue to share my videos with other individuals to make this channel grow even faster and if you're watching me for the very first time then support the channel and subscribe and if you love aviation as much as i do also give me a thumbs up until next time take care stay safe and have a great day my [Music] friends you

Channel: Flying Dirty

Views: 26,131

Rating: 4.9682999 out of 5

Keywords: Airplane owner, airplane ownership, owning your own aircraft, owning your own airplane, Buying your own airplane, Buying a Cherokee Six, Buying a piper saratoga, Buying a pa32, Buying a PA-32, Airplane Ownership Experience, Is it worth buying an airplane, Buying an airplane vs renting, cost of owning an airplane, airplane owners, Flying your own airplane, private pilot, latino pilot, Airplane Restoration, Dynon Skyview HDX, Trutrak Vizion, AeroCruze 100 PMA Autopilot

Id: xC_S_Aog_q8

Length: 10min 34sec (634 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 11 2020