How One Category of Airplane Ownership Has Become More Affordable

When adjusted for inflation, research indicates avionics cost a fraction of what they did decades ago.

Jason McDowell

Wednesday, May 07, 2025 at 10:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A vintage Cessna 172 price list. $9,795 is the equivalent of $104,764 today. [Image: Cessna]

Key Takeaways:

General aviation aircraft and major components like engines and propellers have seen costs significantly outpace inflation since the 1960s/70s, largely due to certification, litigation, and private equity acquisitions.
For example, a new Cessna 172 cost around $100,000 in today's dollars in the 1960s, compared to nearly half a million today, and engine upgrade costs have tripled in real terms since 1982.
In stark contrast, avionics have become dramatically more affordable and capable; a 1971 basic radio package cost twice as much (in today's dollars) as a superior modern equivalent.
The author is still researching historical labor rates and engine overhaul costs to complete a comprehensive comparison of GA ownership expenses over time.

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Occasionally, I enjoy looking through old back issues of FLYING to get a feel for what it would have been like to own an airplane in the 1960s and ’70s.

These were the heydays of GA, when it seemed as though everyone and their brother owned a small plane—and many did so on a single, middle-class salary. Bring this up in an online discussion forum or around the table at any small airport’s Saturday morning coffee and donut session, and inevitably, the conversation will eventually turn to inflation and GA affordability—or the lack thereof.