Buy to fly?

[TwinOtterFan]

I think it goes without saying that a lot of students and future students have had to adjust their plans, me included. I've been thinking about different options now and would love some input from the members on this board.

Originally I was going to release from the military, take a year or so off from work and self pace my way through PPL, CPL, Milti-IFR and CFI, Now I know some are against low hour CFI's but it is something I am interested in, and passionate about. Yes my main goal is medivac but I want to teach on my off shifts. I enjoy teaching and mentoring the jr medics and I'm sure I will enjoy doing the same in the air. I would also like to work aviation into some type of program for veterans but that's much later down the road.

Now with the current world state I have decided to stay in for now, it only makes sense with no FTU's open I would just be burning savings while unemployed, plus I am a medic, so not helping through this just seems wrong. My new plan is if they start to loosen some of the social distancing rules gradually but not open FTU's right back up how does one go about utilizing a free lane instructor? I know you cannot rent a plane for instruction, but can it belong to the instructor? or are the only two options in Canada to either go to an FTU or buy a plane and have an instructor paid to fly with you?

[Slick Goodlin]

are the only two options in Canada to either go to an FTU or buy a plane and have an instructor paid to fly with you?

Functionally, yes.

From a legal standpoint, if taking instruction outside of an FTU you’ll see the Transport Canada use the term “at arms length” when it comes to the ownership of the airplane. Basically it means they don’t want a freelance instructor just buying their own plane and setting up a one man school without all the requisite FTU paperwork (of which there is a ton). This is actually perfectly legal to do in the US but as I understand it our testing system is a lot more relaxed so they have to make up the difference elsewhere. As for owning your own airplane, TC won’t make you as long as you’re not just renting off your instructor, except:

From an insurance standpoint I don’t know any unlicensed pilot who’s gotten the nod from any insurance provider to fly a leased non-FTU plane. Remember that you won’t hold a license until sometime after your PPL flight test. They seem to view it differently when you hold some ownership in the plane in question and it doesn’t even have to be 100%. If it were me I’d be considering a partnership in a cheap 150 or something, preferably with a bunch of guys who are good at paying their bills and bad at committing to going to the airport to fly.

[TwinOtterFan]

are the only two options in Canada to either go to an FTU or buy a plane and have an instructor paid to fly with you?

If it were me I’d be considering a partnership in a cheap 150 or something, preferably with a bunch of guys who are good at paying their bills and bad at committing to going to the airport to fly.

I had also thought about this, I wasn't sure if the percentage of ownership mattered. I had someone telling me that it did. figured the people on here would know the answer. I'm only looking into this to give me some overlap on my PPL while I still serve. Once everything is back in full swing, or at least mostly full swing I will release and train/fly full time.

[Colonel]

the percentage of ownership mattered

Nope. There was a guy in Kingston, Ontario years ago that had a buck fifty
on a temp C of R permanently. I think he would charge people $500 to put
them on the C of R so he could legally teach them on "their" aircraft. He
had around 20 people on the C of R at any one time. They could get back
their $500 and have their name taken off the C of R at any time.

TC went bananas of course, and put pressure on him to get an FTU OC, which
he did. He was not breaking any laws. They just didn't like what he was doing.

They can be awfully sleazy if they think the situation merits it. The Chief of
Police in the city in Ontario I used to live, went around telling everyone that I
flew loads of coke up from Columbia. Guess who told him that.

[Slick Goodlin]

The attitude of TC is weirdly and tragically dependent on the region and specific inspectors involved.

[TwinOtterFan]

"Buying" a small percentage of a plane to train would be ideal for now, I could stay in serving/helping but sneak in some training on my down time. I don't think it will matter right now though everything is still on lockdown and now I will be on a small team that will be testing likely positive people. The increased risk of infection and possibly infecting a CFI is not worth it.

I appreciate the assistance as always, I'll look around a little and see if one of these "freelance" instructors are around and go from there. I may just end up doing it all at an FTU later. Save the plane purchasing for after I have my PPL.

[Colonel]

Training on your own airplane can either be wonderful, or a terrible experience.

It all depends upon the aircraft that you buy into. Hint:

DO NOT BUY A PROJECT

Buy a flying aircraft, even if it's a couple bucks more expensive, that has flown
at least 100 hours in the last year. An airplane that has not flown much recently
but can be bought for a song, will cost you an enormous amount of money once
you start flying it again. New engine. New avionics. Either of those can exceed
the value of the aircraft, after the work is done. Guess which side of that equation
you want to be on.

The people who have had the best experiences, training on their own airplane, have
had some previous aviation / owning experience.

The most obvious is if your Dad owns an airplane, you could be taught to fly on it by
a freelance instructor. Your family already owns an aircraft, and is familiar with
hangarage/tiedown, insurance, maintenance and operation, possibly over many decades.

One tiny thing I would like to touch on: SMOH or hours Since Major Overhaul. Or SNEW.

Everyone wants a low number. Wrong. Take a new engine from Lycoming, with one hour
on it. Park it on the ramp at Key West for a year, then sell it as a new engine with one
hour on it. Problem is, it's garbage. The heat and humidity and salt in the air will have
internally corroded the cam lobes and cylinders. Garbage. Cylinders will need to be replaced
and the crankcase must be split to (at least) install new cam and lifters. And, odds are
whoever does that job, will fuck up at least one or two things along the way. Very slim odds
that it can be repaired to the same condition as when it left Lycoming.

This is the inside of a 540 that didn't fly much in Ontario (no salt!). I warned the owner about
this problem, young snot told me he didn't give a shit about cost of a new engine. Must be nice.



Lycoming lists a new IO-540 at over USD$112k. Not much to a rich Canadian.

http://www.airpowerinc.com/productcart/ ... rodID=9002

I have flown a twin with 5500 SMOH on one engine. Ran fine. It flew a LOT, and
they just changes accessories and jugs as they went south. But the bottom end of
the engine was fine - cam and bearings weren't making metal. And on it flew.

I would rather take that 5500SMOH engine over the new one that sat for a year in the salt.

That's just one tiny detail about aviation. There are thousands. And, if you get
one of them wrong, it will cost you enormously.

Sometimes, you don't do anything wrong. And you get a letter in the mail with an
AD saying your prop or engine or airframe is now worthless junk.

Remember those clamp-type props on Apaches and Aztecs? How about those SIDs
on those Cessnas? If I owned a high-time twin Cessna I'd shit a brick every time I
saw the mailman. And how about those Beechcraft cracks in the center sections
and spar straps? Speaking of cracks and corrosion, anyone own a 177 or 210? How
are you feeling about your center spar carry-through these days?

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ces ... ad-issued/

Effective 9 March 2020:

The FAA has turned Textron’s previous service bulletin requiring inspections of Cessna 210 spar caps into an Airworthiness Directive that goes into effect on March 9, with compliance due within 60 days or 20 hours’ time in service.

spar replacement, required if cracks are found, could cost $43,600 per aircraft.