SR22 operating costs

Well in my case there is an actual maintenance cost associated with each hour due to the parts and engine programs. Now this exists with SEPs too but is hard to estimate. I tend to agree with Achim that hangarage and insurance etc are fixed and not relevant. When I consider the cost of a flight I focus on fuel, route charges and landing/handling fees. I have accepted the fixed costs and the program charges are both prepayment and insurance.

Equally I think that due to the cost of an HSI or Overhaul on a turbine engine you need to be more aware of the implicit cost even if you don’t pay for it up front via a program. If you sell a buyer will “charge” you for engine hours. Much less so with a piston.

Flyer59 wrote:

Also, i do not like the car comparison. For my life I really need a car, at least a couple of days every week. SO it’s out of the question if I will pay the fix cost.

I don’t. We have 2 cars (as most families in our country) and barely need one (like a lot of people, especially in the urban areas, we use public transport almost exclusively). Still I have it because it’s nice to have it and I can afford it. If I calculate it as you calculate your private SR22, I estimate it with my cost and mileage at ca. €200/h. Still driving to my hangar doesn’t cost me € 200 but maybe 5 € in incremental cost (electric car). Should I now say it’s better to not drive to the hangar to do something of little value (e.g. sweep it or remove the ELT for battery replacement) because it costs me 200 € to drive there? Why are airplanes different?

I also have a pool (not in Germany for sure!). It costs a lot of money to clean, maintain, heat, replace water. That has nothing to do with how often I swim in there. Should I calculate my pool costs in Euros per hour of swimming? I am reluctant to calculate that hourly rate, it would probably be like flying a Mustang but I don’t stand in front of the pool and say “I won’t jump in today because considering all costs like acquisition and maintenance that is hundreds of Euros so I better stay out today”.

achimha wrote:

Owning a sailing boat is comparable to owning a GA aircraft in cost.

Now which sailing boat owner calculates “cost per hour” for sailing? It’s all fixed cost and the marginal costs of using it are low.

GA has far more “utility” than a boat.

Even if I could drive, train or use CAT for 80% of traveling for less, it’s still not zero by a long shot and there are many instances where GA IS cheaper than the altrenatives.

So it does have some financial utility whilst a sailboat is zero utility but 100% pleasure !

Should I calculate my pool costs in Euros per hour of swimming?

No, but one thing is obvious. If you never use it, it’s too expensive, and if you you use it a lot and you have fun – then it’s fine. But there’s no way denying that it costs money.

We can agree on one thing: We fly x hours per year and that costs about € x. That’s fine with me. I don’t need the “hourly rate”. If that is what you mean.

But of course you CAN divide the amount by 130 hours and find out if maybe renting would be cheaper. An SR22 compared to mine is not available for renting in my area – and it would cost about € 100 more than what I pay, and not be available when I want it. I also hate rental airplanes. but that’s a personal thing.

GA has far more “utility” than a boat.

I disagree again. With two kids of 11 and 13 actually a boat in the mediterranean would be used much more than the plane. I actually really thought about maybe going to a cheap UL or 65 hp Cub and buy a nice boat …

Peter wrote:

IO540-C4D5D at $36k

And that includes exactly what? What about the camshaft, do you get a new one or reuse the old? What about the cylinders? New or overhauled or rehoned?

And who gets the engine out of the airplane and back in after overhaul? Do you do it yourself, or does someone else do it for free for you?

This quote looks unrealistically low to me, but you’ll soon find out, I guess…

Yes, might have been a little high when I first made that Excel. I guess it’s not off a lot though. I think it will be at least 40 K plus VAT. I’ll be happy if I don’t have to spend that much, but then my engine has only 1100 hours now and is fine … But actually i hope the 6-cylinder Diesel is available once i need a new motor … That would be an investment I’d make, if I don’t sel it before that comes.

Yes, there’s always some parts that have to be changed, battery 2, or the TKS filter (€ 200 …) or EGT probes (4 of them last year) … I also like to have perfect brakes, so i changed both the discs and the pads last year, although the discs youkd have been re-used. With the castering nosewheel, the brakes just have to be perfect, I will not save money on brakes. Last year the Airbag controller had to be changed, … $ 500. Next year it will be the bost pump (ridiculous) and that one’s expensive … Also the CAPS is due in September 2016. So I’ll spend a lot next year.

Most people also overhaul the acessories, engine mount etc. at major overhaul time, and that really jacks up the cost a bit more.

Regarding the general discussion: we all agree that most costs of an airplane are fixed (or quasi-fixed). In the end it merely boils down to whether one separates the cost of “owning an aircraft” and the cost of “flying the aircraft” or whether it is all put into one big sum.

The marginal cost calculation may be the right one in certain situations (“should I do that one more trip this year or should I take the airline?”) and the full cost calculation may be the right one in others (“will it pay off financially to own an aircraft or is it better to rent?”).

The flaw is in us always asking the “hourly cost”. As long as we don’t agree on what we mean here, we can stop discussing aircraft operating costs, since only trash will come put of it.