> As was pointed out with me, the right planes don't loose value/much value and so once you own a plane your running costs are low. Unless you're flying more t

> As was pointed out with me, the right planes don't loose value/much value and so once you own a plane your running costs are low. Unless you're flying more than 100 hours a year, renting is almost always cheaper than owning. Consider a simple single engine Cessna 172. The per hour operating costs are: - Gas, $42.5 (8.5 gallon/hour, $5.00/gallon) - Oil, $5 ($250 oil change every 50 hours) - Engine replacement, $7.50 ($15000 overhaul every 2000 hours) Total = $55/hour The fixed costs per year are: - Annual inspection, $1000 - Insurance, $1000 - Tie-down/hanger, $1200-2400 ($100-200 month) Total = $3200-4400/year Assuming 100 hours per year the cost is $87-99/hour. This is an over simplified conservative estimate, it doesn't include other routine maintenance such as tires, breaks, transponder check, pitot-static check, ELT check as well as unforeseen items (radios, starters, vacuum pump, etc). Renting a Cessna 172 is about $90-120/hour. By the way, 100 hours per year is a lot. Most recreational pilots are lucky to fly half that per year.