Will the wife fly with you?? Is a 2 seater overkill for me?

[jbarratt]

Hello everyone,

Just found this great site this morning and have been reading posts all day.
I saw some great advice but wanted to dig a little deeper on this topic.

After about 30 years of raising a family I have enthusiastically re-started my dream of flying. Kids are grown and college is finished!
I have about 40 hours of PIC time from back in the mid 80s.... so I'm basically starting over with about 5-6 new hours under my belt in a CTLS. Great outfit out of Racine called "Racine Sport Flyers". Going for the LSA rating due to personal issues.

My wife strongly supports my intentions to get back into flying. She loves roller coasters, but for some reason she is queasy about the idea of small planes. I could see her really loving flying, but for some crazy reason this hobby appears to be mostly a "guy thing". She does not sound interested at all. Bummer... but appears to be the case. I just don't know how realistic bringing her flying on a regular basis will be.

Once I get licensed I'd really like to be able to just get up into the air and build some stick time. I'll probably do a lot of short cross countries for some $100 hamburgers. Logic would suggest that a smaller plane would be cheaper to maintain and fly than a larger one. My thoughts were "get something inexpensive to build up time, and if I need to I can rent a CTLS to do a major cross country w my wife I can rent from the fbo.

How important is that second seat to you all? How often do you put a passenger in it when you fly? 50% of the time? 20%?
Would you regret not having that second seat?
If I'm going to be the only one in my plane for the most part, then maybe I should be looking at the Kolbs, Titans, Challengers etc.
We are currently in Chicago but hope to be in Florida full time in the next 2 years or so. The cold is one concern I must consider.

So what is your advice guys?

And here is another question.... How often do you fellow pilots all fly in each others planes?
If I can find a group of LSA folks to fly with, do people like flying with other pilot friends together in one plane frequently?
Not sure if guys are capitalizing from each others flying knowledge or it everyone tends to just fly in their own planes and meet at an agreed upon destination? What is the culture like out there among LSA pilots?

Thanks all!

[rcpilot]

Well, I mostly fly by myself. Unfortunately my wife thinks it' too "dangerous". I've taken a couple of co-workers on flights and a couple of pilot friends. My 26 y.o. son has no interest. My 8 y.o. daughter would go(I took her once against my wife's wishes) but the wife doesn't want me to. So looks like I'll be flying solo. One of the reasons that I did sport pilot.

[Warmi]

In my case I fly solo about 60% , 35% with my wife ( she is not afraid ) and maybe 5% or even less than that with others.

For me it is not a way to travel but rather my relaxation vehicle - sort of like getting on a bike and going for an hour ride or so..

[drseti]

Most of my graduates end up either buying their own planes, joining clubs, or buying into partnerships. Only one of them has a single-place aircraft (and not because his wife doesn't want to fly with him - rather, because she has a physical disability, and is unable to get herself and her wheelchair into any plane). The rest have 2-place LSAs or (in the case of those who went on to add a PP rating) 4-placers.

A couple of my graduates who do not yet have their own aircraft still rent the one they trained in (they understand that current students get scheduling priority). There are no other LSA rental options within a 100 mile radius.

There is an unwritten rule on my airport that an empty seat is a wasted resource. There is also a strong social bond within our local flying community. Consequently, our local pilots frequently take each other up, or trade rides. It's a delight to see the sense of family we've fostered on KLHV. So, 2-seat LSAs are pretty much the rule. If someone here built or bought a one-seater, the rest of the crowd would still take him up with them anytime he desired.

That said, when I retired, I still owned my business Beechcraft. But, no longer needing to shuttle around coworkers, I found myself flying it mostly with 4 empty seats. That was 13 years ago, and I ultimately traded it in on my first LSA. 2 seats suits me just fine.

[chicagorandy]

Just one less-than-well informed personal opinion , there is a common 'catch phrase' that goes "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

I 'suspect' that the total cost of ownership for a single seat LSA vs an LSA two-seater is pretty similar? As you well know, here in Chicagoland there isn't a massive fleet of LSA rentals or plentiful LSA schools in the first place. Can't speak to the situation in FL.

[drseti]

I 'suspect' that the total cost of ownership for a single seat LSA vs an LSA two-seater is pretty similar?

I suspect you're right. They both have engines, and wings, and need hangars, insurance, and condition inspections.

[Scooper]

Assuming you didn't get your private certificate before your hiatus, I suspect once you get your sport pilot certificate and successfully complete several cross-country solo flights, your wife will come around.

[jbarratt]

Thanks all for the great feedback!

Drseti "empty seat is a seat wasted"... I love that attitude! I hope I can find a club with folks if similar mind.

Yeah with regards to the single seater, I was thinking (with trailer-a-bility) perhaps some folks save a ton of money on hangar fees... but then there is the trade-off with convenience.... and I don't want this hobby to ever feel like a chore.

Regarding the advice about having and not needing vs. needing and not having.... I can definitely understand that disposition.

ChicagoRandy... are you North or South of the city? I'm just off the Fox Lake Chain up North.

Warsi.... Was that you I remember in a post a year or two ago looking to purchase your first plane? If yes, what did you end up getting and how do you like it?

Anyway... you guys have given me a lot to think about and I really appreciate your time!

Have a fantastic and safe day! .....on that note.... flying is probably about the safest place we can all be right now! Go figure.

[chicagorandy]

Hi, inner city Chicago - roughly 2 miles from Midway Airport on the S/W side.

[WDD]

When was the wife last up in an airplane? Maybe buy a "discovery flight" from your local school, and the CFI (not you) takes her up.

Maybe she'll like it, maybe not.

Also, rent for a while to see what you really like, and then buy or join a club if you want.

Renting is always cheaper than owning, but of course owing is a lot more convenient.

In the case of LSA's, renting options are often very limited - so owning might be the only option.

[drseti]

Some of you may remember Gordon Baxter, the 1960s pilot/author/radio personality who used to fly around in a Mooney M20. He was a regular speaker at Oshkosh a few decades back. I remember him describing his travels with his wife, at a long-ago forum. During the Q&A, an attendee asked "how do you get your wife to fly with you? Mine won't get anywhere near an airplane." Bax just smiled, said "my first wife was like that," and walked off the stage.

[ShawnM]

.... and I don't want this hobby to ever feel like a chore.

Well then you might want to rethink this "hobby". There will always be "chores" to do if you own an airplane. Sort of like owning a car, motorcycle or even a bicycle. Oh, and your "airplane" chores will cost three times as much.....if you're lucky.

On that note I love doing my "chores" and wouldn't trade it for anything.

[drseti]

For me, doing maintenance and inspections on other people's planes is more than a chore, it's a job. But, working on my own plane is therapeutic.

[3Dreaming]

For me, doing maintenance and inspections on other people's planes is more than a chore, it's a job. But, working on my own plane is therapeutic.

With time that to will pass.

[jbarratt]

I hear you Shawn. I've been a big boater for many years up on the Fox chain. Oil changes and acid washing the hull are definitely not therapeutic activities. That said, owning a plane might feel different. I'm looking forward to finding out for myself!!

I'm always pretty cautious with my money because I've made mistakes when I was younger getting in over my head on financial decisions. From what I can tell hangers in the Chicagoland area can run over $250/month. That's a lot of gas money I could put in a trailerable folding wing type plane like a Kolb or Challenger. So one idea I have is to complete my LSA rating and purchase a trailerable plane, fly it for awhile and build up some time/experience....and then when I feel ready I could upgrade to a more robust LSA rated plane if I felt the need. I'm not sure how difficulty it is to sell a small plane... so there is that unknown..

But then I'm reading on these flying forums and I hear some seasoned folks discouraging the trailerable plane idea because some can be a hassle to reinstall the wings. That's why I made the comment about not wanting this hobby to become a chore. I've watched plenty of youtube videos where folks are attaching the wings to kolbs and challengers and it didn't really look like that big of a deal to me.... but I have not done it personally so I can't say for certain.

I'm sure some of you might suggest that I just rent for awhile... and I might just do that. But, since childhood, I've always dreamed of owning a plane so I think it's probably inevitable.

IF any of you have ever gone the route I suggested above please share your experience. Thanks everyone!