At 92, Brown continues working in the aviation field by promoting and leading The U.S. Airline Industry Museum Foundation, Inc. He was instrumental in having a Convair 240 moved to its present location at the Orlando Apopka airport (X04).

LeRoy’s story is a fascinating trip down the memory lane of aviation history. His stories makes one think he has lived a charmed life (which he did), gives the reader insight into the cropdusting business, and takes us all on a few of his more memorable airline flights.

Here, from LeRoy’s book, is one of his unforgettable flights flown earlier in the jet age.

Excerpt from Cropduster to Airline Captain, by LeRoy H. Brown – © 2013 LeRoy H. Brown and Dr. Leo Murphy

DC-8 Engine Failure in Mexico City

Recalling my most unusual trip in the DC-8 is easy. On April 25, 1975, I received a call from crew scheduling advising me of a charter flight to Mexico City. Since they could not find anyone else, they assigned me the trip.

The flight was in one of our stretch DC-8’s, so I got dressed and went to flight control. It was a night flight and I filed a flight plan for 37,000 feet to be above the weather, which was forecast for rain. The trip was uneventful until we arrived at Mexico City where it was, in fact, raining really hard. During our approach, a completely unexpected event required our immediate attention.

Approach control brought us in quite high above the glide slope, so I reduced all four throttles to flight idle to get on the glide slope as soon as possible. We were about eight miles from the airport. After settling nicely down to the glide slope, I applied power to maintain the descent at the proper speed, only to discover all four engines had flamed out. I couldn’t believe it. It was the proverbial dark and stormy night and I had no engines.

I immediately turned on the ignition override switch and told the flight engineer, Mugovero (Muggs), that we better get at least two engines going or we were going to have a long, wet walk. I stayed busy flying the airplane while the engineer and copilot were scrambling frantically to restart two of the engines, which they successfully did.

These two engines gave us plenty of power to make a safe, successful landing. As we touched down, let me say the excitement level in the cockpit was quite high as we realized how close we had come to having a very bad accident with a full load of passengers. But, that was not the end. More problems awaited us.

An airplane holding for takeoff watched our landing and advised us on the radio that the tires on our right main landing gear were on fire. Thankfully, as I slowed the DC-8 down, splashing water from the wet runway doused the fire.

We were able to taxi to the terminal building and discharge the passengers. Muggs went out to inspect the tires and reported that two were flat. He also advised there were two wheels and tires in one of our baggage bins. I instructed him to put them on the airplane so we could go back to Miami.

Muggs returned to the cockpit to report the tires were the wrong size for this airplane. I asked him if they were round and full of air and if they would fit the axles on the airplane. He replied affirmatively, so I instructed him to put them on the jet as we were flying back to Miami without passengers.

After we pushed back from the gate for our return flight, all four engines started normally. We taxied to the runway where we received takeoff clearance. I opened the throttles for takeoff, but we were still plagued by gremlins. Only two of the four engines would accelerate, so I aborted the takeoff.

Naturally, some of the flight attendants came up to the cockpit to see what was happening and listened silently to our discussions. The copilot, Muggs, and I worked out a plan to get the two reluctant engines to accelerate. We decided we would begin the takeoff on the two good engines that would accelerate, and then as we approached 90 knots Muggs would attempt to add power to the idling engines. Everyone was in agreement this would work so we decided to give it a try.

Cleared for takeoff once again, as we approached the 90-knot mark, Muggs got a third engine to put out power and a few seconds later, the fourth engine also produced normal power. If these engines had not started producing power, we could have easily aborted the takeoff as we had plenty of room on the runway to slow down. We proceeded to Miami uneventfully and thankfully, with no more surprises.

I really did not get scared until I got home that night, as I could not get the events of the four-engine failure off my mind. My external performance in front of the flight crew when faced with the near catastrophe of a four-engine failure at night, in bad weather, while close to the ground, by no means reflects my inner personal feelings at that moment. The instant I realized all four engines had quit, I was gripped with fear and an empty, sick feeling. However, I quickly overcame my fright by a great rise in adrenalin that enabled me personally to fly the airplane while ordering the rest of the crew to do the things necessary to save our lives and those of the passengers. The flight crew performed their duties flawlessly. There was no time to declare an emergency, read a checklist, or alert the cabin crew to the problem. Had we been successful in getting only one engine running, I am certain we would have had a safe landing.

I still thank my lucky stars and the good Lord for giving this professional flight crew the ability to overcome their shock and to execute a flawless performance in the face of an almost certain tragedy. This four-engine failure was the one and only time something like this ever happened to me or anyone else that I know of.

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©2013 J. Clark

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Well, it is over. After 367,910 miles, the Road Warrior swallowed her last little sip of gasoline, sucked in her last breaths through the air induction system, and rolled her last few feet into the Hyundai dealership in St. Augustine. This, after leaving me stranded on the side of Interstate 95.

I wanted to drive her out to at least half a million miles, but she just needed too much work. The cost just did not justify keeping her going. It would have been about $3000 to keep her going and I just would not be able to trust her not to let us down anymore. The last straw was the failure of the electrical system and battery. I am fairly sure the alternator was dying, putting out just enough juice to keep the alternator warning light off, but not enough to charge the already weak battery. I had to call home and get my wife to come out and we ended up jumping the car six times from the place where she died on the Interstate all the way to the dealership.

I feel bad about leaving her at the dealership. She was a good and faithful friend. I purchased this 2001 Camry in 2002 and she had 13,675 miles on her at the time. I and my wife and friends added another 354,235 miles. I did the lion’s share, so assuming I personally added 350,000 miles, divided by an average speed of 57 miles per hour, it means I sat in the driver’s seat of the Road Warrior for about 6140 hours. That is a lot of time.

There were good times, and bad. We had happy times in the car, as well as some very sad times. She took us to parties, movies, out to visit friends, weddings, the beach, school, work, and to funerals. She was everything we needed in a car.

I remember crossing the 100,000-mile mark and wondering if I should start thinking about another car. She said, “Naw, I’m okay, I’m just reaching my stride,” and kept right on going. She only let me down twice; both times due to broken timing belts. One time, it was my fault and the other hers, as I pushed her to the limit. The belt is rated for 90,000 miles and a little less than 90,000 miles on the second belt, I was driving home in a hard rain. There was standing water on the Interstate and I was letting the cruise control hold the speed. Suddenly, I hit a deep patch of water and the wheels hydroplaned, the engine surged, then the tires caught on the pavement again. When they did, the belt broke and it was time to call AAA.

The second time the belt broke, it was a little over 270,000 miles. I was going to the shop the following week to have the belt replaced, but it beat me to the punch. We were returning from Tampa passing through the middle of the Ocala National Forest, just after crossing the Cross Florida Canal on Highway 19, her tach needle and speedometer suddenly dropped to zeros. As we coasted down the backside of the tall bridge to a deadstick landing on the side of Highway 19, I cussed myself out for pushing it too far. Of course, there in the forest, there was no cell phone coverage.

The Road Warrior may have let me down a couple of times, but in the end, the events she presented us with renewed my faith in the goodness of humankind.

I started wondering about being in the forest after dark (it was only about 45 minutes from sunset). I thought about what evil might lurk out in the woods after sunset, animal, human, or otherwise, just beyond the light and in the darkness. As I thought about how to extricate myself from the situation, Ardis started praying. It always works.

About this time, a large pickup truck flying oversized Confederate Stars and Bars from both sides of the bed went by us. Then it slowed and turned around and I thought, I don’t have anything for a weapon if I need it. Silly me, the man and his wife and child pulled up behind us and offered to help. We talked about it, he had a chain, and the next thing I knew, he was pulling us to Palatka at 60 mph.

My friend and neighbor, Dan, helped me with the decision to keep driving the Road Warrior beyond the second timing belt incident. A professional mechanic, he told me to go buy a new belt and he would install it. Thanks, Dan.

This last time, she let me down hard. I was on my way to give a final exam, which I had printed out and sitting in the seat next to me. Then it happened.

Sitting on the side of the road, I called work and talked with one of the other professors. He offered to proctor the test for me, but the problem was that it was in the car with me. So I started thinking fast again and knew that I could send him a copy by email. I opened up the hotspot on my iPad, wirelessly connected the computer to it, composed the email, attached the test, and poof! Right there from the side of the highway from a dead car I was able to send him the test. Technology is “wunnerful!”

After Ardis came to my rescue and we jumped the car, it was time to head straight to Hyundai of St. Augustine. It took six more jumps, but I parked her one last time and went to talk to Roosevelt “Rosie” Ramsubhag. He came highly recommended and did a great job for us. I will never forget how he looked at me when I asked how much they would allow for the trade.

The Road Warrior parked for the very last time with 367,910 miles showing on her odometer.

“Well, I don’t want to insult your intelligence…” he started out. I had to laugh. I got every last cent of use out of the Road Warrior. According to my spreadsheet, in the end I had worked the final cost per mile down below 12 cents. She was a good, faithful, and loyal friend. I think the Sonata will do the same for us.

Hummm, only now we have car payments…

So begins the saga of the next Road Warrior.

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©2013 J. Clark

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General aviation aircraft have always been safe – extremely safe. In fact, flying privately owned airplanes is a great deal safer than the public may ever realize. Then why do so many crash? Are there a lot of crashes, or does it just seem so? Why are there constantly stories in newspapers or on television about airplane accidents? It seems as though aircraft accidents always make the six o’clock news and the front page of the paper, no matter how insignificant or minor the accident.

The sad truth is this: about 40,000 people die on the nation’s highways each year. Typically, less than 500 (per John’s comment and research below in the comments) die in all aircraft accidents in the same period. Today, only one or two people may perish in all airplane accidents in the entire United States (these fatalities are from all categories of air travel including the airlines, the commuter airlines, corporate aviation, charter operations, and privately owned aircraft). During this period, however, more than 109 Americans will perish on American highways! Yet, do those 126 individuals have the story of their demise plastered all over the front page of the newspaper? Is there news at eleven regarding the deaths of those lost on the roads? No! Why?

The reason is this: as a society, we have come to accept death on the highway as a part of life. Highway fatalities are sad, but commonplace. An airplane crash on the other hand, is usually a spectacular, sometimes fiery event that thankfully, does not happen often. Consequently, airplane crashes, no matter how minor, make the news because the accident sells papers and draws many to the evening news.

Regarding the safety of small airplanes, the first and most important characteristic of safety is the operator. The degree of safety in general aviation is directly proportional to the operator of the vehicle. Just as with small boating, the careless skipper usually gets into trouble. If, however, the captain of the vessel is knowledgeable in the rules of the road, skillful in the handling of the craft, and avoids unnecessary risks, the predictable conclusion of the sail is never in doubt. The same applies to general aviation and flying “little airplanes.”

In general aviation, as with other avocations or careers, the intelligence level of the participants runs the typical bell curve — at each end of the curve, there are the two percent very gifted and the two percent who should never be allowed near an airplane. All the rest of us fall into the 96 percentile making up the middle of the curve. Consequently, if you study the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident files on general aviation mishaps, you will find the NTSB attributes the many of the incidents and accidents involving light aircraft directly to decisions made by the pilot-in-command. To be more specific, many times the NTSB cites the pilot’s poor judgment as the cause of accidents.

As with any other sport, activity, or career, flying is only as dangerous as you make it.

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©2013 J. Clark

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It is important on the first few flights with a new student to make sure they are comfortable with the weather, what is going on with the airplane and the flight in general. If the student is comfortable and has a great time, rest assured they will return for more lessons. On the other hand, a student who is hot, perspiring, uncomfortable and develops an upset stomach from all the bouncing in turbulence will probably view general aviation as the unpleasant experience some of their friends may have alluded to be. Throw in high aircraft rental fees, inconvenient scheduling and anything less than total enthusiasm on your part as the instructor, more than likely the student will not return for the next lesson. This is not good for general aviation, the local economy, and most importantly – your bottom line.

Ideally, the first flight should consist of nothing more than an introduction to the airplane and the local flying area. On the first flight, you should fly the student to a nearby airport, maybe 20 minutes away. On takeoff, try to be as smooth as possible. Use a cruise climb so the new student is not alarmed by an extremely nose high attitude on takeoff. On the way to the airport, set the power at about fifty-five percent to help keep the noise level down and use no more than 15 degrees angle-of-bank for turns. These measures will help keep the student comfortable throughout the flight.

After arrival at the distant airport, shut the airplane down and treat the student to a drink of water, a soda, or a cup of coffee. Let him or her unwind a little with the drink and a liberal dose of enthusiastic information about airplanes, the fun of flying airplanes, and the places to which they might enjoy flying.

The stop for coffee or soda allows the student to take stock of what they have just done over the last 20 minutes. They can also come to grips with the idea that they actually flew an airplane, many for the first time in their lives.

During the first 20 or 25 minutes of flying, a new student will probably have many questions they will want to ask. Unfortunately, they are unable to think of those questions while trying to fly and make sense of everything new they are learning. After 20 minutes, the break is a chance for them to gather their thoughts, think about what they have done, and ask important questions. This is where the real learning takes place; when you can sit down with a student and go over the recent maneuvers, they can analyze what they did, what they did not do, and what they should do.

When they are comfortable, it is time to put them back in the airplane and return home. Again, you should do everything very easy on this first lesson. The return flight should mirror the flight out. If their home is nearby, or there are other landmarks they can easily identify from the air, flying over them will give the new student something to talk about with their family and friends. When they talk about how they enjoyed flying with you and how much fun they had learning, they will increase the number of your students. Nothing is better than word of mouth advertising.

This is why the important thing on a first lesson is to deliver a smooth and comfortable flight home.

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©2013 J. Clark

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On my long transit down Interstate 95, I am listening to the audio book production of Beryl Markham’s West With the Night. What a wonderful story she penned about her life and flying in Africa. I wrote about the first time I read her book back in the late 1980s. Out of curiosity, I began looking into the story of how she came to write her wonderful story about growing up in British East Africa, now known as Kenya.

I also wanted to know the story behind the inspirational comment made by Ernest Hemingway in the excerpt from a letter on the back cover of the book. The story of Hemingway’s comments and the latest publication of the book intrigued me. As it turned out, the story of Hemingway’s letter, how it was discovered, and the publication of the book in the 1980s is a story worthy of telling itself.

It began in 1957 when a former merchant seaman, George Gutekunst, took his life’s savings to start a restaurant on the San Francisco waterfront. He was loud and boisterous and his son, Eduardo, said his father often would grab a bottle of wine or something from the dessert menu and sit down with guests who he thought “were interesting.” One such person was Jack Hemingway, son of the famous writer. Soon, the two became good friends.

Hemingway would take Gutekunst fishing in Idaho and it was on one of these trips Hemingway allowed Gutekunst to read his father’s letters. This was when Gutekunst discovered a paragraph Hemingway had written about Beryl Markham that supplied the impetus for the reprinting of her memoir. In 1942, Hemingway penned a letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins. In it, he wrote, “Did you read Beryl Markham’s book, West With the Night? …She has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and nailing them together and sometimes making an okay pig pen. But this girl, who is to my knowledge very unpleasant and we might even say a high-grade bitch, can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers … it really is a bloody wonderful book.”

(On the back cover of the book, Hemingway’s praise is evident, but the publisher judiciously left out the insult.)

Gutekunst, a degreed historian and voracious reader, became curious about Markham’s book and found a copy in a public library. He read Markham’s work cover to cover in one sitting. He was enthralled with the story and the writing – so moved by the book he contacted a writer-friend for help in getting Markham’s book published again. The two went to William Turnbull, publisher of North Point Press, a small publishing house in the bay area. They were successful in convincing Turnbull to reprint Markham’s memoir.

Turnbull took a risk with West With the Night. The first reprinting in 1983 was small, with a print run of only 5000. By 1988, the book sold more than 500,000 copies and enjoyed 79 weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list.

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©2013 J. Clark

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The price of operating an aircraft falls into two broad categories. These include “fixed” costs and “variable” costs. Pilots (and accountants) appropriately refer to these charges in this manner because of the factors influencing the total amounts in both columns.

We refer to the fixed costs as “fixed” because every month, regardless of the airplane flying or not, the owner has to pay these bills. Fixed costs include such things as the aircraft loan, the insurance, the storage fees for the airplane, and any other bills that which come due each month.

The fixed costs, depending on the airplane, can be a substantial amount of money, or not. This also depends on the size of your budget, what might substantial to some may not be to others. There are many factors influencing the fixed costs of aircraft ownership. One is the bank note on the airplane. If it was an expensive aircraft and the balance on the loan is large, the monthly payment will be high. If the airplane is older and less complicated, the owner might have purchased the craft outright, or with a small balance on the loan. In these cases, the monthly obligation may be minor.

For the pilot who diligently saved enough money for the full cash payment of the airplane, there are still the other considerations of insurance and storage. No matter how hard you try, these costs are always going to drive the cost of flying up. After discussing the fixed costs, we get into the question of variable costs.

Variable costs include everything involved in operating the airplane. This includes fuel, oil, engine overhaul allowance, inspection allowance, and other incidentals charged when the airplane flies, but otherwise amount to zero when the airplane remains in the hanger.

Fuel is one of the largest hourly expenses. With aviation fuel costing North of $6 a gallon (at the time of this writing), an airplane burning 7 gallons per hour will cost $42 an hour in fuel alone. The ugly thing about fuel costs is that as we move further into the new century and remain dependent on the Middle East, fuel costs will remain a detriment to flying. In larger and faster airplane, those burning say, 15 gallons per hour, the price just gas alone hits $90 per hour.

This is why careful consideration of the kind of flying you will do is so very important before purchasing an airplane. For smaller airplanes, pilots can expect to pay a great deal less in fuel for the same amount of flying time than those flying larger, more complex and costlier airplanes.

If a pilot has a need for cross-country flying, paying for extra fuel might not be an option. Most airplanes cruising in the 120 to 150 knot range typically burn 10 to 15 gallons per hour. If you have to fly this fast for other considerations, you will end up paying the fuel penalty.

On the other hand, if all you want to do is get out and enjoy flying in good weather, a smaller and more efficient airplane may be in order. There are many good airplanes available at minimal prices, aircraft which burn little fuel, compared to bigger airplanes.

Another important aspect about smaller airplanes is that in addition to lower acquisition prices, they also have lower operational costs. Again, it all comes back to your monthly flying budget. If you have $800 extra a month to spend on flying, you have the ability to fly eight hours at $100 per hour, or 16 hours if you can get the operational cost down to $50 an hour.

Regarding operating prices, one important thing you should do is carefully track all of the expenses associated with your flying. Today, with smartphones and computers, it is very easy to track the details – down to the last penny. This allows you to anticipate and plan for different events in the life of you airplane. For example, planned maintenance is one thing, surprise maintenance is another.

For an estimate of costs, and these are only estimates, go to my excel spreadsheet for aircraft operating expenses. Please keep in mind the numbers are estimates only and any airplane you consider purchasing, may, or may not, cost more or less than the spreadsheet shows.

I say this because I was lucky with my airplanes. I never had a problem after the buy. In this business, as with any other, there are no guarantees. Once you buy the airplane, you may never have a problem with the craft or the engine over the 20 years or however long you may own the airplane. You may also, however, blow a jug on the flight home right after the purchase. Remember, as with many things in life, “You pays your monies and you takes your chances…”

Good luck with your search and here is hoping the best for you while you are out having fun in your flying flivver.

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©2013 J. Clark

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When you start “looking under the hood,” you will find the condition of most airplanes will range from pristine all the way down to unacceptable. The key, as with any vehicle, is knowing what to look for.

One of your first considerations is the question of your experience level in aviation. If you have been in aviation for a while hanging around airports and aircraft shops, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to look for when searching for an aircraft to purchase. On the other hand, if you are a student pilot or a recently certificated private pilot, your knowledge in these areas may be weak.

If this is the case, definitely consider the services of an experienced airframe and powerplant (A&P) technician in obtaining their opinion about the aircraft following a pre-purchase inspection.

Just as with buying a car, there are obvious signs you can look for when considering the purchase of an aircraft. When it comes to metal airplanes, or all aluminum airframes, the thing to look for is corrosion. This is particularly important where rivets join one metal part to another.

On an aluminum airframe, seeing any residue, which looks like a white powder, might be a concern. You should also be aware there are different types of corrosion. In addition to finding the powdery residue on the metal, you may also see pitting or a general roughening of the metal surface. Another place to look for corrosion is where one type of metal joins another. Technicians refer to this type of damage as dissimilar metal corrosion.

In checking the engine, there are many similarities to car engines. You want to look out for such things as leaking oil, cracked or dry seals and gaskets, and again just as with the airframe, corrosion. Unlike car engines, aircraft engines are typically constructed with aluminum engine blocks with other components consisting of other metals. This gives rise to the problem of dissimilar corrosion. After checking the engine, if it looks good and passes your first visual inspection, it is time to get into the logbooks of both the airframe and the engine.

Here is a word of caution about aircraft and engine logbooks. These documents should include all of the factual information regarding any repairs, any preventative maintenance, and any maintenance mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. This is where you will find the airworthiness directives and service bulletin maintenance recorded.

Unfortunately, sometimes the information contained in aircraft logbooks is, well, not too factual. Some logbooks are as full of good fiction as you might find in the best novels on the New York Times bestselling list. This is where you need to have an A&P reading over your shoulder – more than likely, you will not be well versed in reading the hieroglyphics of the FAA Air Worthiness Directives. Additionally, a good A&P might be able to help point out some of the fiction in a questionable logbook.

Once you satisfied with the logbooks and decide on buying the airplane, you are now in the realm of negotiating the price with the owner. To help with this task, there is actually a “blue book” for airplanes that has information about the value of used airplanes based on type of airplane, number of hours on the airframe and the engine (which can be completely different), and the equipment on board, such as radios, transponders, and GPS units. Your banker may be able to help you in determining the actual worth of the craft.

After you and the owner agree on the price, it is time to complete the deal. You now own an airplane and it is going to cost you – beyond the purchase price. How much?

That is the topic of the next blog, On Buying An Airplane, Part IV.

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©2013 J. Clark

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There are several pros and cons to both sides of this argument. For the aircraft owner, here are a few pros:

1.  No scheduling conflicts – if you own the airplane and no one else has rights to it, you can pull the key out of your pocket and fly whenever and wherever you wish – all the time.

2.  As the owner, you know no one will mistreat the airplane to the point of damaging it.

3.  Flying the same airplane constantly really allows you to come to know the airplane. If there are any mechanical anomalies, you will recognize them right away.

4.  You will become very comfortable with the “feel” of the airplane (in short order).

5.  By assisting in the maintenance and annual inspections, you will truly come to learn about the type of airplane you own. You will in short, become an expert.

Now, as well as the pros are good, here are the cons:

1.  You have to pay all the bills.

2.  If you fly the airplane roughly and damage it, you will pay for all the repairs.

3.  If the engine suffers a major catastrophic event, you could be out of the flying business for a while if you have to save enough money to cover the repair.

4.  You will be solely responsible for the inspections and airworthiness of the airplane.

5.  All the cleaning, washing, and waxing will fall squarely on your shoulders (you can’t imagine how large a small airplane can become while washing and waxing…).

So, there is an incomplete list of the pros and cons of ownership. For the rental pilot, keep in mind one of the major headaches is scheduling the airplane, and then there is the issue of the “daily minimum.”

Most FBOs charge a minimum daily rental time. In other words, this is the number of hours they expect to rent the airplane per day. If you take the airplane to a destination two hours away and want to keep the airplane for five days, you may think you are going to pay for four hours of rental time. Then when you return, you are surprised to find a bill for 15 hours of flight time. For an airplane that rents for $120 an hour, this can be too expensive. Ralph the Rental Pilot might expect a $480 rental bill on return, only to find his actual total closer to $1800.

Paying for the minimum daily rental time is one of the most aggravating aspects of renting airplanes. This alone can make owning an airplane worthwhile. Unfortunately, there remain the other associated costs of ownership.

Which aren’t cheap!

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©2013 J. Clark

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There are all kinds of sources for finding airplanes for sale. One of the best and oldest is Trade A Plane. They have been in business since 1937 and advertise airplanes, engines, jobs, instruments, aviation companies and real estate; in short, anything to do with airplanes can be found in the yellow pages of Trade A Plane or on their website, http://www.trade-a-plane.com. This is the first place to start when thinking of buying an airplane.

There are other sources all over the Internet, from individual sales people to other companies. You can also find airplanes listed independently by owners. There is no shortage to finding airplanes.

Here’s another important thing about airplanes. If you are going to buy a late model, fairly new airplane, prepare to drop massive quantities of dollar bills. No, make that thousand dollar bills. Maybe ten thousand dollar bills.

But you don’t have to spend that much in airplanes.

The first thing you have to think of is the mission. What do you want to do with your airplane? Do you just want to fly around occasionally in the afternoon or on weekends for fun? Will you use it as transportation for your family? Do you need to haul heavy loads? Are you going to fly in the mountains?

Every airplane is suited for a particular mission and how you are going to use the airplane will determine what airplane you should buy.

One of the first considerations is cost. Yes, we are talking the price of the airplane, but we are also talking about a lot more. In addition to the asking price, you also have to think about other considerations – such as storage, insurance, and maintenance. Oh, yea, gas and oil, too. Oops! I forgot to tell you about the overhaul allowance on the engine. Oh, and you should an avionics allowance also – sometimes radios quit working and have to be fixed.

I am not bringing up all these expenses to scare you; I want to make sure you are well informed and know what you are getting into in buying an airplane in terms of operating costs.

With regard to operating costs, this is a very important equation: the more it costs per month to keep the airplane, the less flying you will be able to do. In other words, if you have $700 a month in income you can devote to flying, and it costs $45 dollars to operate your airplane, you can fly 15.5 hours ($700/$45=15.55 hours). By the way, $45 an hour is very cheap; it is a goal many cannot achieve.

For the same $700 a month, an airplane that costs $185 per hour to operate will deliver only 3.8 hours of flying. There’s no question about it, flying, however you slice it, is expensive.

The first expensive hurdle to get over, of course, will be the actual cost of buying the aircraft. After you begin shopping, you will find airplanes can be ridiculously costly, or unbelievably inexpensive.

If you have your mind set on a newer model aircraft with a glass cockpit, prices for such a used airplane will probably start in the neighborhood of $180,000. Operating costs will be high for a multitude of reasons, one of which will be the expense of hull insurance.

On the other hand, on the lower end of the pecking order of good used airplanes, a solid Cessna 140 will cost about $23,000 to $30,000. This particular plane burns five gallons of fuel per hour and with the low acquisition costs, monthly insurance costs will be minimal. This airplane will provide hundreds, maybe thousands of hours of enjoyable flying for a very reasonable cost.

The question then becomes where you can find such an airplane. Additionally, what are you looking for in the search? What can you expect to come across in terms of used airplanes?

So, as you start looking for airplanes, you will find some are cherries, and many are trash. You have to realize that when people advertise their aircraft for sale, they are seeing it through their eyes. Typically, they will write glowing sales ads about their airplanes in hopes of bringing in more cash offers. I remember driving three hours one-way to look at a Cessna 170 that, according to the ad, was in perfect condition. When I arrived and found the aircraft, I did not even bother calling the owner to meet me. I just climbed in my car and drove home.

I eventually found my Cessna 170 in a manner others have found their aircraft. I discovered the airplane at my home airport, by accident. And of course, it was not for sale. At least, not at first. But as they say, everything has a price.

When considering a particular airplane, the first place to start is with the aircraft itself. Be aware some airplanes look like a million bucks, but are in fact not worth a plug nickel. By the same token, an airplane that looks fairly rough and flies almost every day may almost be a perfect airplane for consideration. If the airplane looks good, then you need to start digging a little deeper.

Remember the value of an airplane is determined by the number of hours on both the airframe and the engine. As long as the airplane has been properly maintained, high airframe hours may be insignificant, depending on the use of the airplane. In other words, an airplane used for transportation should display less wear and tear compared to an aircraft used for training pilots.

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©2012 J. Clark

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The Dawn Patrol

While my friends, the boys, and I renewed the phrase, The Dawn Patrol, in our late teens and early twenties, our Dawn Patrols had little to do with the rising of the sun. It usually meant we got our butts out of the rack and going about the break of noon…, or maybe near 1300 hours (1 pm for the non-flying and civilian readers). While flying at dawn has somewhat romantic connotations, for us to get going in the morning was nothing less than a chore.

A Dawn Patrol flight, however, a true Dawn Patrol, is a perfectly wonderful experiene. The only negative with The Dawn Patrol mission is waking before the sunrise. Beyond that, however, the experience is one of the finest in aviation.

It does not matter the time of year a pilot flies a Dawn Patrol. It can be the summer, the winter, or the fall or spring. Each season has its advantages and disadvantages; in the fall and winter, the air is cool, bordering on cold and in the summer and spring, the atmosphere is delightfully moist. This provides surreal scenes involving wisps of fog and propellers squeezing out the dampness of the air as it tries to drag the airplane into the sky. This leaves behind an artful visible spiral from the tips of the props.

Once in the air, the airplane flies through air that is so smooth it defies description. There is not a bump of turbulence, there is no wind. The sky is dark to the west, light to the east. If it is early enough and there are few clouds, the pilot might be able to see the last of the stars as they disappear in the heavens.

Because the air is so stable, the airplane does the bidding of the pilot with little resistance or complaint. For a pilot to enjoy pure flying, there is no better moment than this; for the student pilot who learns to fly only in this time, well, let’s just say they learn little in dealing with wind or real weather. Students must accomplish some of their flying lessons during times of wind and poor weather, otherwise, they will not learn the lessons of flying well.

Flying is easy in these conditions, especially with the modern airplanes of today. Because of the inherent stability designed into the airplane, a pilot can fly The Dawn Patrol with barely a touch of the stick or yoke. Once the airplane is trimmed, it will stay in that attitude doing exactly what the pilot has commanded. In fact, a pilot can trim the plane right after takeoff, then in level flight, and finally on final approach to landing – and not touch the flight controls from moments after takeoff to a few seconds before landing. Just a little nudge on the rudder pedals to turn and position the airplane properly on heading is all that is required.

While the military pilots of World War I had fighters that barely reached 120 mph and altitudes of less than 15,000, today’s fighter pilots have the chance to blast through a dawn flight at 1500 mph and up to altitudes higher than 50,000. Today’s jet pilots can launch into the sky in the dark, quickly climb up to FL 500, and then watch the sunrise for the first time of the day. After the sun comes up, they can close their power levers and dive down to FL 400. In the dive, they can watch the sunset to the east and after they level off, they can enjoy the sunrise again. They can repeat this procedure to watch the sunrise five times in one day, the last as they are taxiing to the hardstand after landing.

I miss seeing the sunrise several times in a day, but I still enjoy flying the occasional dawn patrol in little airplanes. The difference between Dawn Patrols in jets and little airplanes is that in the little airplane, a pilot can truly enjoy the lay of the land. At altitude in a jet, the land lacks definition. Down low, the little airplane pilot can see things a jet pilot will never see.

Today, I like taking my time and viewing what the land has to offer at very low airspeeds and altitude. I still believe The Dawn Patrol is the best time to fly. However, getting up that early can sometimes challenge most pilots.

As much as I enjoy those early-morning flights, thank goodness I don’t have to fly The Dawn patrol every day.

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©2012 J. Clark

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