What to Buy

If you have decided to buy a plane (or think you might want to explore such an option), the next step is to determine what sort of plane might best meet the needs of you and your intended flying companions. As with a house or a car, there is a wide range of cost, condition, and potential.

People usually learn to fly in planes that are slow, easy to fly, and consume a relatively low amount of fuel. If you learned to fly in a Cessna, or a Piper, or a Cherokee, you might feel more comfortable in that sort of a plane — or you might be interested in trying something else. For example, my husband flew in a Piper Tri-Pacer and a Cessna 172 during his training, and so is familiar with high-wing planes. As we considered options, we wanted something big enough for our family, with enough fuel capacity to fly 3-4 hours nonstop, without increasing maintenance or insurance costs too dramatically.

We considered the Piper Cherokee 6, the Cessna 172, the Cessna 206, and the Bonanza A36. We also considered the Cessna 182 RG, which has retractable gear. All of these planes have been made across many decades, and so there are seemingly endless combinations of cost and condition, ranging from total disrepair to models fresh off the factory floor.

We settled on a Cessna 182, without retractable gear. It’s considered a high-performance plane, due to its more than 200 horse power engine. It is a popular plane, with a good reputation through the years; mechanics are familiar with it, parts are widely available, and insurance is reasonable. It can carry our family and a small amount of luggage for about 500 miles (in about four hours) nonstop, if we choose to do so.

As our kids get bigger and we gain experience, we may decide to get something larger, or faster, or more complex. For now, we’re very happy with our choice.