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.
The old-timers will wistfully recall the days when a factory-new 172 was priced around $100,000 in today’s dollars. Then, other old-timers will one-up that figure with memories of used Cubs, Champs, and Luscombes selling used in 1964 for the equivalent of $10,000-$16,000 today. For once, the old-timers aren’t exaggerating. Have a look at the December 1964 issue of FLYING, and on page 82, those prices are indeed listed in a Shawnee Airways ad.
Today, factory-new 172s are up toward a half-million dollars, and it’s becoming increasingly rare to find J3s and Champs in good condition for much less than $30,000-$40,000. But what about the other elements of ownership? Have engines, avionics, and other parts outpaced inflation to the same degree as full airplanes? And what about the price of engine overhauls and mechanics’ hourly rates?
I’ve been chipping away at these questions for several months, and while I haven’t made anywhere near as much progress as I’d like, I have discovered some intriguing data points.
As the owner of a Cessna 170 with the original, anemic 145 hp Continental C-145 (later renamed to O-300 to reflect the displacement, since the bigger number sounds more impressive), the prices of Avcon’s 180 hp engine STC from a 1982 article’s accompanying graphic jumped out at me:
If a Cessna 170 owner was to purchase the entire 180 hp setup from Avcon in 1982, they would spend just under $50,000. Curious, I looked up the equivalent pricing in 2025 and found the figures on the right (above). At $123,000, the cost to purchase nearly identical parts has handily outpaced inflation. The parts kit doubled in price, the engine price nearly tripled, and the propeller price did triple.
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As with aircraft prices, most attribute these massive increases to the ever-increasing costs associated with certification and litigation. This is probably accurate. It should be noted, however, that the emergence of private equity is having an effect, as well.
As AvWeb reported last year, Hartzell was acquired by private equity and in the first three weeks, raised prices across the board. In some cases, prices were more than doubled. I’ll be watching closely to see if the trend continues. I’ll also be watching to see if competitors like McCauley—a company that has not been scooped up by private equity—continue to set their prices in a rational manner.
So, initial data suggest that the cost of engines, propellers, and parts has risen as dramatically, or nearly as dramatically as full aircraft. But what about avionics?
Logically, one would assume that the prices of electronics would see less of an increase. After all, things like personal computers and televisions have bucked the trend by becoming more affordable over the past several decades. To evaluate this, I turned again to the FLYING archives on Google Books.
Before long, I found what I was looking for. There, on page 65 of the September 1971 issue of FLYING, was an ad from King touting its latest radios and nav instruments—with prices. And I’m pleased to report that this segment of aviation appears to have seen a massive decrease in cost over the years:
The numbers are stunning. A pilot looking to purchase an audio panel, nav/com radio, and transponder in 1971 would have had to spend twice what we’d have to spend today for the closest equivalents from Garmin. And obviously, they’d be getting a small fraction of today’s reliability and capability. Indeed, the Garmin nav/com radio listed above includes the functionality/display of a VOR head that our 1971 pilot would have to purchase separately, to the tune of $4,000.
I’d like to see a modern, general aviation version of “Back to the Future.” An airplane owner from a bygone era would be brought forward in time to the present day where they’d be wowed by our space-age panels and, coming from the baseline shown above, would laugh at our perception that modern avionics are expensive. Then, they’d actually lose consciousness upon seeing airplane prices.
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This leaves the question of labor rates and engine overhaul costs—and this is where my progress has stalled. I need to find an old engine overhaul shop with decades of records and invoices that I can peruse. Then, I could collect multiple data points for various engine models and analyze the findings.
The goal is to determine how the (presumed) increase in engine overhaul costs compares to the increases we’ve seen in airplanes, parts, and avionics. Did an overhaul of a common 4-cylinder Continental or Lycoming cost the equivalent of one-half to three-quarters of the median U.S. salary, as it does today? Or might it have only been the equivalent of a $5,000 purchase?
If any of you happen to have access to such engine shop records, I’d really appreciate a lead. I’d happily keep the identity of the shop anonymous and would only discuss the pricing itself. You can reach out to me via editorial@flyingmag.com or by messaging through Instagram at @cessnateur.
