I sold my airplane

[DrBob]

For the first time in 42 years I do not have an airplane. I still will be flying but not owning one for the time being. I sold it to a good friend with the stipulation that I could rent it from him when I need it. It just got to the point that the ongoing expenses of owning one outweighed keeping it. It is far cheaper to rent for me

 

[Chicken]

i can only phantom the fees you paid for that thing,,

 

[DrBob]

this was my 14th airplane. It is a 182K model as far as I am concerned the K model was the best one they ever built. I few em all but I liked the K (1967) the best. The fuel cost was getting to be the biggest issue as it burned 12 - 15 gallons per hour.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Bummer!.. now you'll have to go to Colorado to get high...

 

[DrBob]

not really. I still do pilot check rides, flight reviews and advanced pilot instruction. And of course resource flights including wolf monitoring and fire control.

 

[FmGrowit]

Reminds me of a time I was invited to fill an open slot on a salmon fishing charter. The price was $125, but at the end of the day, I walked off the boat with 25 lbs. of fillets...and nothing else. No fishing poles, no tackle box, I didn't have to back a trailer onto the ramp, load the boat, drag it home...nothing.

Sometimes (often) it's just plain cheaper to rent.

 

[Southern Planter]

Did the K still have the Johnson bar flaps?

I traded my Rockwell Darter for an unfinished Pober Pixy a while back.

 

[DrBob]

them darter's (ac-100-150) did fly but that is about all

 

[Southern Planter]

The old girl did alright as a bush plane, I could leave Elko Nevada with full tanks, two souls and a thousand pounds of camping gear. Also flew out of an 8,000' altitude dirt strip outside of Death Valley. They were built like a brick s**t house, steel frame, Plane Jane, and slow, but fine dirt strip planes.

 

[DrBob]

I had a Lark for a while (ac-100-180) the darter's prettier sister with the 180 hp. The k model has electric flaps. I fly 180 and 185 Cessnas for the resource work and both of them have manual flaps. If you get that pixie going you will fall in love with it they are a delightful plane to fly, very similar flight charicteristics to a 7ac or cub with an open cockpit. The 65 hp continental would be the better engine if you have the choice.

 

[Southern Planter]

The difference between the the Lark and the Darter was the Darter's "reverse" tail. I talked to the guy who designed and built the prototype, the "Volair". He told me he designed the tail so the plane could be used to teach conventional (taildragger to you non-fliers) landing in a tricycle gear plane. The rudder authority at slow speeds was astounding.

I prefer the manual flaps so I can plop'er in on a short strip.

All the spam can guys at the airport thought I was nuts for making the trade, and the home built guys thought I would be crazy to dump any more money into the Darter. I was sick of the $1500 annuals and I was really going to take it in the shorts with two unnecessary engine ADs.

There were three reasons I made the trade. 1. I like the view from a parasol. 2. I can fix the sumbitch myself, and 3. Splat = Mass times Velocity squared.

My first plane was an open cockpit with a 85 continental and I miss it dearly.