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What is the most affordable plane to buy for time building? And doing an EASA CPL/IR the DIY route, and AOC matters.

I got my PPL last year, did a little bit of time building, and I am paying around 120Eur per hour wet for a Tecnam P2008 (2 seats, Rotax 912).

I fly with a friend and I was thinking to look for a cheap plane to do time building (maybe find another 2-4 people to rent it to) and have the freedom of flying whenever we want.

What would be a cheap option for any of the sections below? I am looking at the acquisition cost + costs of running. Here it is very popular to fly on Mogas so that would be fantastic.

I am interested only in planes with airworthiness certificate. Uncertified is great but EASA doesn’t recognise the time.

I have the following options:
1. 2 seats, small engine (Rotax or something like that for small costs)
2. Ideally, 4 seats to fly with the family from time to time
3. The perfect option – IFR ready

LRPW, LRBS, Romania

A Rallye with a Continental O-200 or a Lycoming O-235 is probably a very good contender. Fairly cheap to buy and cheap to operate. There are several at Planecheck at the moment.

However, ownership can also get expensive if you are unlucky. The current possibility of renting a Tecnam for 120 EUR/hour is probably the best option for time building considering that there is no risk in that.

ESSZ, Sweden

Thank you!

LRPW, LRBS, Romania

Fly310 wrote:

The current possibility of renting a Tecnam for 120 EUR/hour is probably the best option for time building considering that there is no risk in that.

100% agree !! That said, if considering buying an airplane you should, IMHO, work backwards:
- figure out which airplane(s) your local mx organization has most experience with; it makes no sense to buy a cheap airplane that your local shop cannot maintain or has never seen the type
- figure out which is cheapest to maintain (spare parts, complex engineering that requires lots of hours for simple tasks, etc)
- then go out and look for an affordable plane that fits the above criteria.

Thank you! I will do that. The advice I got so far was to go with a 172 since there are quite a few around.

LRPW, LRBS, Romania

The current possibility of renting a Tecnam for 120 EUR/hour is probably the best option for time building considering that there is no risk in that.

Agree! There is a shortage of club type aircraft and they tend to be tired (bar some lipstick) and currently still expensive. You can’t beat hour building at €120 an hour in a reasonably modern Tecnam.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

Laurent_N wrote:

The advice I got so far was to go with a 172 since there are quite a few around.

If you are looking for 4 seats, then I’d agree. The same goes for the PA28 series. As well as the C172 they are extremely popular and really every shop can fix them.

For what you are looking at, I’d look at a PA28-140 or a Warrior, that is one which has the O320 with 150 hp possibly with MOGAS STC. They are usually substantially cheaper than comparable Cessna 172’s but deliver pretty much the same performance.

Another very economical plane is the AA5 series, which also has the O320 engine. The AA5A in particular is a bit faster than the Piper and Cessnas with the same engine.

If you are looking at Cessnas, I’d go for something starting with the “F” model or newer, much preferrably a Reims built one. But you will be looking at probably double the price a comparable PA28 would sell.

The Moranes are indeed cheap to buy, but they need someone who knows them for parts and maintenance. And in your part of the world, I’d say maintenance who knows the round the mill Pipers and Cessnas will be more available than someone who knows all the different Moranes.

As you are saying “for time building” I assume you want to resell after you have done that. Again, it is quite easy to sell those models most probably for the same amount you have paid for them, if they have been taken care of and are kept in good shape.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Thank you @Mooney_Driver and @RobertL18C! Great advice.
Mooney_Driver you have a beautiful plane (and live in a wonderful country).

LRPW, LRBS, Romania

Speaking as an aircraft owner, I would say that if you have such a sweet deal on a rental, you’d be nuts to buy. Owning a plane isn’t just a financial commitment (though it certainly is one), it’s also a lot of hassle taking care of maintenance and all the rest. You’ll have trouble beating an all-in cost of €120/hr by the time you include insurance, maintenance, depreciation as well as the direct hourly operating costs.

As the saying goes, if it floats, flies or fornicates, it’s better to rent. (And don’t get me started on the etymology of fornicate).

LFMD, France

Uncertified is great but EASA doesn’t recognise the time

It does, you can build your own aircraft and build hours for PPL, CPL, ATPL…you won’t be able to do “some training/testing” on it

Last Edited by Ibra at 21 Mar 22:27
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom
78 Posts
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