Airplane Ownership

by Ron Wanttaja

Book Overview

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.
This invaluable companion covers everything a private pilot needs to consider before and after purchasing an airplane, and is now updated to cover the new FAA Special Light Sport Aircraft category
For the first-time airplane buyer, this...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 007145974X
• ISBN13: 9780071459747
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 315 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.7" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great starter book

This book covers a lot of stuff in just enough depth to answer most questions a first time aircraft buyer might have. I had probably figured out 80% of the content on my own before getting the book; however, it was a great read and confirmed what I already knew and presented a few things I didn't know. It gives me enough to pursue some topics in more depth via other books or web searches. I'm pleased with my choice and feel it was a great value. I disagree with some remarks about the book being focused on being cheap about flying. There's a lot of people out there that have an interest in aviation and just assume you must be wealthy to own an aircraft - this book shows that's not true, and that there are several ownership options that can get you flying, even on a modest income. The contents of this book are not something you'll hear from your local FBO or CFI in most cases. I've seen other reviews about the pricing data being overly optimistic or out of date. Get real - this isn't a website being updated real-time. It's a BOOK that was published at a point in time. Buy the latest edition and note the publishing date so you have perspective on the time-relevant content. Even if the values are a bit off, the concepts remain valid. Given the poor ecomony lately, the pricing figures in this 2005 edition are actually not too far off :-D

Starting to show its age but still worth owning

I bought this book prior to purchasing an airplane, read it then put it on the shelf and promptly forgot about it. Now, after owning a plane for 2 years have rediscovered the book and upon review can validate the authors thoroughness and careful selection of subject matter to cover. He did a great job. Most topics covered are still accurate today and very relevant to me as an aircraft owner of two years. Where the book could use a refresh is of course in the cost info cited as well as an update related to availability of information on the internet.

Had to buy it!

I picked this book up at the local library while I was looking for my first plane. After using up all my renewals and continually referring to it, I had to buy. It goes into much more detail than other books about what to expect during and after purchase.

Everything You Need to Know

Simply put, if you're even thinking of buying an airplane you should buy this book first. This book reeks of experience. It's by Ron Wanttaja, who received the 1992 Aviation/Space Writers' Association Award of Excellence. He's an excellent writer and is very knowledgable about owning an airplane. All aspects of owning a plane from deciding what to buy to the real world operating expenses, the new Light Sport Aircraft category, inspections, everything. The tone of the book is on saving money. He talks for instance about setting a limit of $30K for the purchase of a plane. He talks about the costs of a tie down vs a hanger and gives examples from his local area which is around Seattle. You may not have the financial issues as a primary concern, but many of the same subjects apply without regard to their cost -- what to look for when you inspect a used plane for instance. I'd list the chapters in the book, but think it's better to just say that every aspect you can think of (and more) is here. And, oh yes, this is the new second edition of the book that updates the information on a lot of areas.

I keep coming back to this book, It's worth every penny!

This book is an informative, easy to read, engaging look at buying and owning an aircraft. It walks you right through the different types available, and explains many of the advantages and pitfalls of the different types (antique, classic, homebuilt, modern, etc) of aircraft available. It goes on to explain what you can and can't do in owner maintanance. This book shows how to do what you can do, with photos and illustrations to back up the text in many instances. Overall, of all the airplane ownership books I've got, this is the one that I keep coming back to, it's well done, interesting, and informative!