Aircraft we'd love to own

I've been fascinated by aviation longer than I dare to think about. I remember my Dad giving me a Revell kit of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, which took my 12 years old fingers a lot of time to decently put together - but once it was, the Liberator got place of honor in my messy boy's room.

Only a little later my uncle "Ouwe Dirk", a younger brother of my fathers, gave me a big color poster of the Fokker F27 Friendship, then not even in production, but later the topper of Fokker. Unfortunately Fokker has been gone for many years, but quite a lot of the original F27 Friendships are still flying, as are many of the F-27's (mind the hyphen!) that were license built by Fairchild in the US.

Ouwe Dirk is still alive, and still interested in aviation. He's 89 now (2011), a retired Delft (NL) University of Technology professor of aerospace engineering, and every now and then I phone him to ask some questions about aeroplanes, construction, aerodynamics, metallurgy or related subjects. The man's a walking encyclopaedia or aviation-related knowledge.

Myself, I never got involved with the design or construction of aircraft - I just confined myself to flying the odd kite. Gliders, single-engined Cessna's and Pipers, and even (only once, and very illegally because not insured...) a P-51D Mustang, from the control-equipped backseat that the owner had thoughtfully installed. It was, almost, better than sex (wide and wicked grin)!

But that's a long time ago now. I only fly desktops nowadays, staring at a computer screen where MicroSoft FlightSimulator X unfolds its admittedly amazing capabilities. And at night I dream. Like all of us do, who once were involved with aviation. We can't help it. Nor would we want to.

Although the autogyro concept is far from new, its popularity only began in the 1950s when the Bensen Aircraft Corporation ore or less burst into the sport aviation scene with their ground-breaking Gyrocopters and Gyrogliders. When the brilliant engineer behind this success, Dr. Igor Bensen, introduced the B-7 Gyroglider (1955), its simplicity of design and ease of flight immediately captured the public's imagination. The B-7 had no engine but was towed into the air kind of like a kite. Shortly afterwards the engine-powered B-7M Gyrocopter was introduced, and a new age of powered homebuilt aircraft had descended upon flight-minded humanity. Bensen's revolutionary designs have been copied and modified but, in the opinion of many, never surpassed.

There had been earlier Bensens, like the B-6 Gyro-Glider in the picture. Built in 1953 it was the first Bensen design that truly caught the public's attention. The principle behind the gyroglider is the same as for the autogyro or gyrocopter, which is quite simple: its rotorblades are free spinning in response to the movement of air over their surface - very much like the propellor of a toy pinwheel. With a relatively modest forward tow speed (by car or boat) of about 23 mph, the rotorblades reach a speed of about 250 mph, providing lift for the Glider to take-off. The rotorblades have a fixed, built-in pitch, so all the pilot needs to do is steer the Glider with the handlebars almost as one would steer a bike. Once airborne, the tow-line is released for a free and controlled flight, that can easily last 15 minutes or longer. Indeed, even with a relatively mild wind of perhaps 23 mph, the B-6 can take off from standstill like a kite!

On July 27, 2009, Cessna Aircraft Company announced its Model 162 SkyCatcher, which is in compliance with ASTM International standards for Light Sport Aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin before the end of 2009. The SkyCatcher is a two-seat, single-engine piston, high-wing aircraft in the Light Sport Aircraft category, defined in the United States as an aircraft with a gross weight under 1320 pounds and with a top speed of no more than 120 knots.

The 162 is powered by a Continental O-200D 100-hp air-cooled, carbureted engine and a fixed-pitch propeller. The aircraft will cruise at speeds up to 118 knots and will have a maximum range of 470 nautical miles. The Cessna 162 SkyCatcher features a Garmin G300 avionics system. Information is presented in a single, split-screen primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD), or as two full-screen displays with an optional second screen. The SkyCatcher will be capable of Visual Flight Rules/Day/Night operations.

Cessna, in association with King Schools, has developed a new Web-based training system for sport and private pilot certificates that will be available through the Cessna Pilot Center network of flight schools. Cessna launched its SkyCatcher program at AirVenture Oshkosh in 2007 and has since amassed more than 1,000 orders.

There is a natural progression of involvement in your love of flying that all starts when you first catch the dream that you really can become a pilot.  It’s a big job to get out there and find out how to get through flight training school to get your pilot's license.  The money, time and effort to get that training is demanding but its actually good that it is because when you finally pass the tests and do your solo flights and you earn that license, you really walk away with a sense of accomplishment.

But you walk away with something else even more exciting which is a license that says that you really are a pilot and the authorization to take an airplane up in the air.  It's an addictive feeling to fly an aircraft and there are lots of opportunities for jobs that will take advantage of this well earned skill you.  So just as there is a natural next step after you get a drivers license to want to own your own car, very often new pilots begin to get the bug to own their own plane after they become addicted to the love of flying.

There is no question that the freedom you will gain from owning your own plane will take your love of flying to the next level.  And there are some good economic reasons for taking this step too.  Very often you can build a small business of your own just putting your plane at the disposal of people who need it.  Offering charter airplane services to businesses or individuals to get them where they need to go quickly and efficiently can be a good paying career and give you the chance to fly to lots of places you may have never thought about before.

Owning your own small business built around your plane and your love of flying can go a lot of different directions.  You might find a great market offering recreational flights to people who want to get up above the town and look down on it like the birds can do.    Often groups will charter an airplane to take them to the nearest city that has a national sports franchise to see the big game.  These kinds of customers are often able to pay handsomely for your service and who knows, you might get to see the game too.

You should do your homework before thinking about buying a plane though because not only is it an expense up front but there will be ongoing costs that go with owning such a unique vehicle.  Obviously you can't park the plane in your garage or back yard so you will need a hanger to house your airplane day in and day out.  Most of us don’t own our own hanger right off the bat so that will be an ongoing cost as well.  And if you have your plane in a public hanger at the local regional airport, how will that affect your ability to use the plane at a moments notice if you want that kind of access?

But one of the biggest issues that you will need to be prepared to provide for when becoming an airplane owner is maintenance.  Perhaps you became fascinated with the mechanical side of airplane technology when you went through flight school.  So a career as an airplane mechanic might be ahead for you and it might be tempting to learn to take care of your own airplane as well.  But its best to at least keep on retainer a qualified airplane mechanic to perform routine maintenance and to "check out" the plane routinely to make sure it is in good working order.

When you get that plane in the air, the last thing you want is for you to not know if the plane is sound mechanically.  So while paying a mechanic to service your plane routinely is an expense, it's crucial that your plane be safe to fly every day.  So it’s a worthwhile expense.  All of these costs mean that if you want to own a plane, you will have to commit to take care of it.  But the fun of owning a plane and the potential for high paying charter business means that it might be a very good next step in your ongoing career as a pilot.