What are the real ownership costs?

[Ctflyer]

Hey guys, I am fairly new to the forum. I am looking to get some real numbers on what the true per hour cost are for owning a KF might be. I know it will vary considerably based on hanger, engine type, insurance etc. I am looking to keep an enclosed trailer on a tie down at a local grass strip that cost about $35 a month. I am interested in getting a KF IV with a 912 100hp engine. Just looking for some numbers from guys that have been doing it for a while... I currently belong to a club that flies a C-172, archer and a 182Rg. Monthy dues alone are $135, it is $99 an hour wet tach time for the 172, $135 for archer and $180 for 182.... Yes these aircraft are nicely equipped IFR machines, but my lionshare of flying is nice weather VFR...our club charges a minimum of 2 hours of flight time per month so the monthly cost is a minimum of $335 for 2 hours of flying. Thanks for any help!

[vetdrem]

I do exactly what you are planning to do. I keep my Model III in an enclosed trailer at a small grass strip for $40/ month, buy rec fuel from them at $4.00/ gal and fly when ever I want.

I leave it Florida and have another plane that I fly while in Michigan during the summer. I was very concerned about leaving the kitfox here closed up in the trailer during the hot time of the year, but after two years, I have been very pleased with how it works.

I don't have insurance on my planes, but when I checked on it last summer, it would have cost about $400 for liability or $800 for complete coverage. I opted not to get any.

Maintenance is the biggest variable for me. I only fly the kitfox in the winter, and do an oil/filter change, condition inspection in the spring before putting it away. A friend of mine is an A&P, and we spend a day playing with the plane, looking it over and making a list of things that I need to fix/repair. I have to buy him lunch, so that is the cost of my condition inspection. I spend the summer planning the repairs and gathering materials for whatever project I plan to tackle. In the fall when I get back down here I do the maintenance that is needed, allowing an opportunity to look the plane over again before flying it after being idle for 6 months.

So to answer your question about costs, I would say that if you average one hour per week (50 hours/ year) you could break down your costs to

Tie-down rent $420
Insurance $800
Maintenance $500 (high estimate)
Fuel $800
Total about $2520/ year for 50 hours or about $50 / hour

Mine is a little lower with lower maintenance costs and no insurance. I figure mine at closer to $30/ hour for 50 hours/ year.

Louie

[Dave S]

Chris,

Just an idea here........The real costs of ownership for Kitfox is pretty hard to compare to the set rates for a club plane. One suggestion that comes closer to reality takes a little work.....calculating one's costs based on known or estimated local costs which can further be considered as fixed and variable costs in light of the use a person thinks they will subject the plane to (hours).

Know what the greatest wild card is?........it is how many hours a person flies in a year.

It is hard to get any sort of average cost which will apply to an individual's situation.

1) Cost of the aircraft is mostly what we think about..we know what we can pay...and there is equite once it is purchased...easy to see and for a kitfox that can range from $10 K to $100K + depending on model age and condition Of course the aircraft has resale value some day if we pay attention to "resource preservation" between the times we buy a plane & sell it. A person can calculate estimated annual depreciation on a particular airplane with a particular price and a particular condition - that number can vary a lot - but it is going to be rather unique to the situation

2) Storage - easier to figure - hangar rental or ownership varies quite a bit from location to location ...maybe $1K to $5K per year

3) Insurance - maybe $500 to $2000 + depending on aircraft valuation (this plays back into "resource preservation" and a person's tolerance for potential hull loss in an underinsured or over insured plane)

4) Annual condition Inspection - if you have your repairman's certificate - this is a tremendous cost saver...if not, annual condition inspections can vary a lot from a few hundred dollars to over $1K - depends on the rate of the A & P, what they find, etc.

5) Engine replacement fund - Depends on if a person has a Rotax 2 cycle, rotax 4 stroke, Rotax turbo, Rotax EFI, Continental or lycoming, one of the various auto engines - estimating the annual costs can be better figured once the engine and condition of the engine is known.

6) Scheduled & Unscheduled maintenance - probably one of strong points of an experimental Kitfox is its frugal maintenance costs. On the rotax 4 stroke you are looking at $200 per year for estimating the 5 year rubber replacement then add Oil & filter and some expendables. Again - very dependent on aircraft age & condition.

7) Upgrades - as experimenters, we can never leave well enough alone...a person's appetite for gizmos, improvements and mandatory stuff like transponders/ADSB, the latest and greates panel, enhancements to the airframe,etc - anybody's guess

8) Fuel - notice I put this last - it is not a big item on a kitfox at 5 GPH $ $4/G for autogas $20 /hour??? I keep thinking the 182 I once used sucked down $70+ per hour of 100LL

OK - here is a made up, totally fictious example, which doesn't include engine fund, upgrades and depreciation, of how the hours a person flies plays into the equation:


Annual Fixed costs

Insurance - $1,000
Storage - $2,500
Condition - $150
Maintenance - $200
$3,850 total Per Year
Variable per hour

Fuel $20 Per Hour

Fly 25 hours per year - $3,850 fixed plus $500 fuel = $174 per hour
Fly 100 hours per year - $3850 fixed plus $2,000 fuel = $58.50 per hour
Fly 200 hours per year - $3,850 fixed plus $4,000 fuel = $39.25 per hour

Again - the big deal is how many hours you fly in a year - this is a fictitious example because a person's specific situation will result in wildly variable fixed costs - Is the Kitfox frugal....Absolutely!

The trick is to buy it then make sure you fly it...planes are not very economical if they are parked...comparatively a Kitfox can be pretty darn reasonable & fun if it is used...Have to fly!:)

Sincerely,

Dave S

[Paul Z]

Don't calculate the cost, you'll never fly!

[Ctflyer]

Guys, thanks for taking time for the replies...some of the info I was looking to get out of this was gph, insurance, maintenance costs etc. all of which I know is variable, just trying to get a good idea....when I add up what I spend per hour of flight right now (flying the minimum) it is about 167 per hour for a cessna 172!

[AirFox]

I've averaged under 4 gph on the first 185 hours on my SS7 with 912 ULS. 20$/hour plus hangar/insurance/oil changes. Way less then renting now that I have the plane.

Scott

[Paul Z]

I average about 4.5 to 5 gallons per hour. I have been running Auto Fuel without Alcohol, since I found a station in Texas that has it. It definitely save some money, the last tank was $3.37/ Gallon versus $4.50/ Gallon for 100LL.