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ACRO E-mail Archive Thread: [IAC-L:45] Adding Category to WACs

Thread: [IAC-L:45] Adding Category to WACs

Message: [IAC-L:45] Adding Category to WACs

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From: H Brad Antin <antin at sound.net>

Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 03:14:15 UTC

Message:

  I'm just the new kid on the block, and maybe I don't know what I'm
talking about, but it seems to me that European pilots have been dealing
with a much higher cost of flying (for a lot longer) than we have.

I've got several friends over there, and most of them use "club"
aircraft rather than buy their own.

If a competitor progresses to the unlimited level, perhaps he or she
could get a partnership together and buy one of the "super-monoplanes."

When I saw the cost of buying a competitive airplane (even though I'm
just a beginning Sportsman pilot), I realized that I'd soon get bored
with what I could afford.

Well, maybe I just got lucky, but I talked around and found three other
people in my area who would also like to have a "super monoplane" to
fly.

We found a used Extra 300 for $200,000.

That's only $50,000 each (and we were able to easily finance 90% of it
at a decent rate).

So, for about the price of a good used Decathalon (OK, late model), or a
good used Pitts, I'm flying (although not very well), a top level plane.
Plus, it's actually even better than that because I'm only responsible
for 25% of the care and feeding and upkeep.

Maybe that's an option for those unlimited pilots wanting to more easily
compete at the top level.

Warmly,

Brad