There’s a truism that applies to owning machines like boats and airplanes: The two best days of your life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. In between, so the story goes, your ownership will be a maelstrom of inspections, repairs and downtime, punctuated by frustrations and anxieties, along with a blizzard of paperwork and large quantities of cash. Yes, the aircraft ownership “experience” is all that. Welcome to aviation.
It’s not all bad, of course, or few would dare to acquire and operate a personal airplane. For examples of the good stuff, there’s always the silly grin on your face when someone asks how long it took you to drive to a distant town for your business meeting or family event, or wants to know if it’s really worth all that driving for a weekend at the beach. There’s the satisfaction of knowing you can beat the airlines to many destinations, and get back the same day, to sleep in your own bed. There’s the security of knowing everyone on the plane, and not having to worry about missing your flight. And you always have something to talk about at cocktail parties.
