Q) A friend of mine worked for you as a lineman while in high school. He said you told him you would NOT fire him, if he mis-fueled or damaged an airplane, provided he told his supervisor or boss.
A) A lineman’s mistakes can kill people, so it was very important to me that my linemen would immediately report anything that could possibly cause a problem. If a lineman, or any employee at an airport, fears losing their job over a possible safety mistake, that, to me, is a very dangerous situation because the employee might be tempted not to say anything. Once a lineman came to me and said, “I think I put the wrong grade of gasoline in a Cessna 185.” We immediately completely drained all fuel and refueled the airplane with the correct fuel. If the lineman had not mentioned his mistake, and the pilot did not catch the issue during his preflight inspection, the engine might have failed on takeoff or shortly thereafter with a good chance of a serious crash.
Q) You recently showed how later model airplanes held — or even gained — a little value since the Covid issue 5 years ago. That was fine, but the average light airplane in the U.S. is now about 50 years old or so. How about value changes of say a 50-year-old Cessna 172?
A) The older airplanes jumped a lot more in value in the early years of Covid than newer ones. Thanks to my friend Chris Reynolds at Aircraft Bluebook (aircraftbluebook.com), here are numbers for a 1974 Skyhawk. Note the massive jump in values in year 2022. A new 1974 Cessna 172 cost about $20,000. Recent values are as follows: 2020 = $55,000; 2021 = $64,000; 2022 = $95,000; 2023 = $90,000; 2024 = $95,000.
Q) My friend has an older Bonanza in pristine condition, which I have flown a few times. It is on our field, and the shop that maintains my Mooney has maintained that Bonanza for many years. The mechanics tell me the Bonanza is in very good condition. I need your opinion because my friend recently retired and is going to sell it. His Bonanza is a honey, and I would love to buy it. My wife even is urging me to jump on it as it probably would be our airplane for the next 15 years or so, and she likes it very much. My problem is my friend insists the airplane is worth $150,000, and from my research, I think its market value is more like $140,000. What would you do if you were in my shoes?
A) IF you can comfortably handle the $150K price, I would say jump on it right now for several reasons: 1) In 15 years, who knows what it will be worth, and whether you paid $10 grand over market or not, will be a moot point. A $10,000 difference over 15 years is only about 60 bucks a month. 2) If you look for a different airplane, you will spend lots of money traveling, doing prepurchase inspections, etc., trying to locate another aircraft as nice as the one under your nose. 3) Perhaps most important, if your wife is happy with the airplane, that predicts a happy home. A happy home is priceless. Buy the Bonanza and enjoy it with your wife!
Q) I saw a video on the Internet showing a Cessna 206 (I think) operating on a very narrow, wet, dirt road in what looked like a jungle. That landing and subsequent takeoff looked very dangerous to me. The registration number started XB. Where was that?
A) I have seen a few of those videos. My guess is, the cargo was much more valuable than the airplane, which perhaps was viewed as expendable. XA and XB are Mexican registration numbers. Occasionally you will see Mexican registered aircraft in the U.S., and more frequently Canadian registered aircraft, whose registration usually starts with CF or CG.
Q) In the October/November 2024 issue of Midwest Flyer Magazine, you mentioned that you were 100% certain that two Parks College students tossed a calculus textbook into the Mississippi River from an airplane after learning they finally passed that difficult course. How could you be 100% certain unless you were there, in the cockpit.
A) My readers are very observant….and correct!
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this column is the expressed opinion of the author. Readers are urged to seek the advice of others, including flight instructors, licensed aircraft technicians, airport managers, fixed base operators, and state and federal officials. Neither the author, Midwest Flyer Magazine, Flyer Publications, Inc., their staffs, employees or advertisers assume any liability for the accuracy or content of this column or any other column or article in this publication.
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