Unexpected Costs In Aircraft Ownership
When I built my airplane, I thought that I only need to pay for my annual to maintain it. I didn’t expect this much cost after building a brand new plane.
Here are the things you need to look out for when owning a plane:
1. Brakes – I wasn’t comfortable with my brakes at first. Turns out there was air in the brake line. You may experience this when building an airplane. Simple things like a loose bolt or the lines weren’t properly installed will cause you problems during flight. The fee of taking it to my AP mechanic is a cost that I didn’t really bargained for.
2. Exhaust and Oxygen – The most affordable fix was the exhaust which we needed to weld a cut back together. Oxygen is only a supplementary feature when taking the plane over 12,000 ft. I had to purchase portable oxygen because we skipped it during the assembly of the plane.
3. Window Trim – I felt like the window seals on my door were thin. So I had to install something thicker because of the cold air coming in from the window.
4. Flight Program – Every pilot that I know has a subscription to a flight program like ForeFlight. These starts at $100 a month but it’s a great tool to have during cross-country missions.
5. Avionics subscription – I have a subscription to update my GPS and Garmin avionics every year. It costs around $600 every year. It isn’t an unexpected cost but it is necessary for me.
Download the Aero Avion app at AeroAvion.com.