Does anyone know?

Does anyone know how much money is involved with building a Piped airplane?
I have lost count and have no idea of about how much I have spent. It will probibly be like my tool box where I have $70,000 plus since I lost count. Scary Hugh?

>Does anyone know how much money is involved with building a
>Piped airplane?
>I have lost count and have no idea of about how much I have
>spent. It will probibly be like my tool box where I have
>$70,000 plus since I lost count. Scary Hugh?

You only have one box...

LAST EDITED ON Oct-04-04 AT 10:47 PM (CDT)
 
>>Does anyone know how much money is involved with building a
>>Piped airplane?
>>I have lost count and have no idea of about how much I have
>>spent. It will probibly be like my tool box where I have
>>$70,000 plus since I lost count. Scary Hugh?
>
>You only have one box...

One box bigger than a car.

LAST EDITED ON Oct-04-04 AT 11:02 PM (CDT)
 
Let's see...

Engine about $300, maybe more depending upon what you think you need. Pipe about another $100... Props, a bunch (Carbon props can be pricey.) Then there's balsa, glue, sandpaper, dope, hardware, carbon mat and tow, whatever prefab parts you buy (LG, wheel pants, control system, etc. Call it another $100 to $180)

Realistically? Between $700 to $800 on the runway.

A non-pipe ship or a 40VF will save maybe $150 but your milage will vary depending on whats in your stash, what you can get from your flying buddies and how far you really want to go.

If you start buying at LHS prices, it could be real expensive. On the other hand, if you check with your friends and use eBay, you can save a bunch. Most of us have enough equipment laying around our workshops so that that our hobby doesn't appear as expensive as it is. A bonus is that almost everything is recyclable in one way or another.

At this point, after trimming things down substantially, I have about six kits on the shelf, $400 worth of wood, a drawerful of props, maybe 20 PA engines (more than I ever use!), two work benchs full of tools and supplies, plus the huge plan collection of over 100 designs that I intend to build.

I stopped counting years ago!

BIGS

PS:
if you really want to drive yourself crazy, add in your labor at about $15 an hour! LOL!!

LAST EDITED ON Oct-04-04 AT 10:45 PM (CDT)
 
Robert,

Don't think about it. It will just drive you crazy. Clinical. When I started accumulating machines (mill, lathe, etc) it was no big deal. The cost was a bit steep, but I got good deals and was happy...then I started to get tooling. Egads! I couldn't begin to tell you how much I've spent on all kinds of tooling, endmills (you have to get the best, ya know), various types of vices (man, these can be steep, more than the original tool if you're not careful), chucks, tail stocks, rotary tables, arbors, specialty tools. AHHHHH!

I don't know how much I have into this, but I don't know what I'd do without them now. It just makes many jobs too easy. I always wanted to make bellcranks like Scott Bair.

Lines, Props, Fuel, wheels, more lines, more props, OH LOTS of FUEL.

I think my first PA-61 ship is right around $1234.87
I think my second PA-61 ship is right around $1234.53
I think my third PA-61 ship is right around $420
haven't started it yet.

Scott(beating Dirt Dan Priceless)Riese

You are right!

I'm probably still thinking in eighties/nineties dollars...

I spend 200.00 in dope and clear!
Chris...

>I spend 200.00 in dope and clear!
>Chris...

I know thats right. I was just trying to see if I could figure it out and at least that in wood.

Yes, Randy, one's vices can cost more than one's original tool.

Gee, thanks Howard. I KNOW!!

>Gee, thanks Howard. I KNOW!!

Vises, on the other hand, are pretty reasonable, considering how much more useful they are than vices. They do hurt when you drop one on your foot. Randy is absolutely right about the price of machinery vs. the price of the tooling to make it useful. Pay somebody else to do it, and save money. Steve

Steve,

Yea, vise, not vice. Sorry.

I'd rather do it myself. It's more fun and I can try stupid builder tricks without exposing myself to further ridicule from Howard.

Guys, you spend a thousand dollars more than you need to on a car and don't even think about it. These toy airplanes are cheap compared to a lot of stuff.

Ask an avid golfer how much he, or she, spends.
Glen

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-04 AT 11:13 AM (CDT)
 
Yeah, Glen, golf can cost a bunch. But most of that, at least for me, is trying to come up with the money for green fees. Living less than 5 miles from Pinehurst CC, the costs around here are unreal. (try $375 per golfer for greens fees on #2, plus a caddy at least $25-$50 more)
Fortunately for me, having been in the golf businees before, I have a LOT of actual tour issue clubs, but didn't have to spend much for them (in some cases, nothing).
Now if I had to spend actual MSRP on any of these (which aren't available to the public anyway) I could have several brand new Piped 61-65 planes completely paid for.
Bill <><

Sparky,

You work for Harley-Davidson and are calculating the cost of a PA model? Surely you have at least a remote idea of what it costs to put a full bagger on the road. Or a replacement headlight for a V-Rod.

I mean, annually each Harley owner spends more money on Loc-Tite than I do on fuel! Well, more than I spend on castor oil.

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-04 AT 11:25 PM (CDT)
 
>Sparky,
>
>You work for Harley-Davidson and are calculating the cost of
>a PA model? Surely you have at least a remote idea of what
>it costs to put a full bagger on the road. Or a replacement
>headlight for a V-Rod.
>
>I mean, annually each Harley owner spends more money on
>Loc-Tite than I do on fuel! Well, more than I spend on
>castor oil.
>
>Dan

Well I have a guess at what this one cost. But I was trying to get idea from other people.

EDIT: My guess is I have a little over $1000.00 in this one so far.

Why count the dollars if you are enjoying the experience.

When building my Lancair, the costs were astronomical but the pleasure of creating a work of industrial art and then experiencing the thrill of flight was worth every dollar and hour of effort. I told my wife the other day that my Impact with PA40 will reach about the $700 range.

Her reply was "If you don't spend it your kids will." My sentiments exactly and she knows where I am at and what I am doing. Isn't it great that we can have such fun and if you can afford the experience, go for it.

Bob Smiley
A Lancair 360 builder/pilot trying to be a modeler

Paul Smith

I quit model airplanes and played golf for 12 years.

Basically golf is FREE, compared to CL competition.

Greens fees at decent courses are equal to fuel alone. Everything else is pure savings.

But, did you have fun??? DOC

Actual cost.... hmmm.......
If you have to buy all new materials, balsa, engine set up, wheels, fuel tank, ply, motor mount stcok, silkspan and dope, etc., I figure a full size pipe plane is in the $800-$900 range. Over half in the engine, pipe, prop. Of course this means shopping around for best prices and availability.
Might be more, I haven't bought a lot of color dope in years. Been using all acrylic lacquer auto paint (was cheap) and two part base coat/clear coat ($$$).
Bill <><