airguy

airguy

Unrepentant fanboy
Sponsor
I had to chuckle at myself a bit this morning, and put some things in perspective. We all are painfully aware of the quantities of dollars that we throw at our hobby, and sacrifices that we make in other areas for that. There is something intangibly "different" though, about spending money on our hobby than spending the same amount of money on other life stuff.

I twitch a little when I sign the bill for a $100 steak dinner on a night out with my wife, but I don't even bat an eyelash at buying $100 of 100LL fuel. We don't even think about paying for a chart subscription, but we turn off all the lights in the house because electricity costs money. I'm sure a lot of you guys are grinning and nodding already on that one. Last night my wife mentioned that she wanted to buy a particular piece of furniture, not a big deal, price was $560. I almost had a conniption fit about that, until I stopped to think about the fact that just two weeks ago Dynon introduced their new GPS-2020 receiver puck for Skyview at a price of $590, and my reaction to that was "Oh good, yes I need that" and I ordered it immediately without hesitation. I felt zero emotional pain about the GPS expenditure, but the same price for the furniture my wife wants might put me on blood-pressure meds.

What is it about this crazy game we play?
 
Is it bad if I read this in my living room with the lights off, while borrowing the neighbors wireless wifi service?

I am not sure I understand still.

Anybody have any duct tape I can borrow to fix my car tire, so I can get to the airport to install my EFIS?

:eek:
 
As a long time aviation freak, my wife has come up with a comment for everything she buys that might get a negative comment from me, she always adds "but that is cheaper than an airplane". Hard to argue that point.
 
I remember Oshkosh 1999 when a vendor was selling software to track airplane operational costs.

After a series of pilots saying things like "you want me to provide evidence to my wife" he figured out that this was not the product for this market.

Carl
 
Yep! Last night my wife said she'd be a bit late the next evening as she'd scheduled a massage. Really? A massage? That's like $120 with tip! Are you craz........ Oops, button your lip buddy, remember that tank of 100LL you just pumped just to joy ride? Keep your powder dry boys!
 
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My wife occasionally gets apologetic about stuff she has spent money on, or is about to spend money on. Since she has been amazingly tolerant of my addiction/obsession/hobby, I try hard to return the favor.

The other day, though, I was talking about taking the LSA Repairman class this year. It was right after the monthly hangar rent bill arrived, and she mentioned that it seemed like the plane was just one expense after another. (well, yeah...) I was about to point out that we spend more on her trainer and gym membership than we do on the hangar... but I managed to bite my tongue and just let it go.

After all, I get to go flying. :)
 
The AMU is where boaters have it better. A "boat buck" is the same as an AMU but for boats. It lets sailors tell their spouses that they only spend a couple bucks.

Tell someone you spent a couple AMUs and they'll be sure to ask what the heck. When you tell them, that'll change to a WTF.

Dave
 
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I was talking to a non-aviation friend the other day about my panel and he inquired as to my actual cost for instrumentation. He nearly dropped his beer when I told him what I had in it.
 
Hi. My name is Ray and I have an airplane habit with a strong desire for a helicopter habit at the same time.

Fortunately, my wife has a horse habit.
 
I guess that depends on available resources. If my wife had a horse habit, I wouldn't have an aviation habit. Or an eating habit, for that matter...
 
For newbies reading this, consider the costs of shipping in your estimates. You should consider a UPS account and/or Fed Ex. Then get the discount and use the shipping number. Considering $10k in shipping costs overall, it might be a saving.
 
ty1295 said:
Is it bad if I read this in my living room with the lights off, while borrowing the neighbors wireless wifi service?

I am not sure I understand still.

Anybody have any duct tape I can borrow to fix my car tire, so I can get to the airport to install my EFIS?

:eek:
Click to expand...

This is so like me, that I laughed so hard I almost wet myself while reading it. :D
 
DaleB said:
My wife occasionally gets apologetic about stuff she has spent money on, or is about to spend money on. Since she has been amazingly tolerant of my addiction/obsession/hobby, I try hard to return the favor. ... <snip>
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My Sweetie too. I just remind myself and tell her to buy whatever it is.
 
good to have bad examples nearby

...don't make it personal. Don't compare your spending to hers.
compare it to the OTHER dorks in the neighbourhood!

it's fantastic to be having a conversation about the $500 cheque for parking/tie-down fees with your wife, and then walk her over to the window, and gaze out upon your neighbours driveway.....

" ..I see Bob just got a new 2-seater Quad thingy.....$21,000
and some racks, bins, lights and winch for it...............$7,000
and insurance..............................................................$2,000
and some bitchin' riding gear, boots, helmet, gogs......$1,000
and quick-fuel tanks, ramps, full cover, seat pads........$3,000
and a trailer to load it onto.........................................$15,000
and a new, bigger truck that can pull it all..................$57,000
and I think his kids want one too....................................????

winning an argument without really trying
( & making an airplane seem like a bargain)...........priceless!!!
 
Flawed.

I see there this is going. This needs to stop because it is a flawed line of thought.

I can sell me airplane and get a good portion of my money back.

Gas money is also called experience which has a far greater value.

Airplane enhancements increase safety. I am the main bread winner. They need me around. So a new efis is really the best way to properly take care of the family.

The faster my airplane flies the less time I spend enroute and the more time I spend with the family.

The beer I drink at the airport in my hangar while learning from other extremely expirienced aviators is worth it's weight in gold. Knowledge is power and safety (see above).

Plus, an efis is far cooler than a few purses or couches. Let's face it.

My wife should encourage my spending habits on aviation. As a matter of fact, I feel it is my duty to do those things for her.

X




Please don't let her read this :-/
 
rv7charlie said:
I guess that depends on available resources. If my wife had a horse habit, I wouldn't have an aviation habit. Or an eating habit, for that matter...
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She's been riding since she was 12 and has owned a horse longer than I've known her. I supported her hobby for many years (~15) before starting mine so it's all good and we can now afford both, which we could not even 5 years ago.

But I still turn out the lights when possible and avoid spending as on things that are not hobby related. My jeans are are 5 or more years old, except for the one pair she bought me so I'd look decent going out for a $50 dinner.

Comcast gets a call once a year and they generally drop $50 a month off my bill to keep me from going to satellite, which I would loath to do (been there, done that).

I save anywhere I can so I can enjoy building more quickly and someday, more flying, which *should* be less expensive.
 
After having just received my -10 emp kit, an aviation friend commented that the $$ on the side of the crate was an indication of where I'd be throwing my money for the foreseeable future. Ahh Aviation. They were even kind enough to put an arrow pointing towards the top of the box to know exactly which direction to throw said money! :)
 
Happy Wife, Happy Life! It can't be said any more simply. I scrimp and save where I can, while she does the same. We talk about money, jointly decide where it will be spent. Aviation expenditures are weighed based on merit. Safety items go to the top of the list. "Nice to have" items go to the bottom of the list. In between are a whole bunch of other items related to everyday, non-aviation life. If we are both content with this arrangement then neither will begrudge the other their hobbies.

Oh, by the way, SHE was the one who insisted on heated leather seats in the airplane. By the same token, she's also the one who got the idea from her second-hand 9 year old Toyota that she drives to work every day.

One other quick point... she likes the idea that our TruTrak "Straight and Level" button on the instrument panel is known as "her button". Selling the autopilot as a safety feature, particularly with the "Straight and level" functionality, was an easy sell. She's a terrific gal, if for no reason than because the lets me think I can sometimes "sell" her on something; we both know that if she were to say "no" there would be no changing her mind. The bottom line is she supports my aviation habit, and I'm so lucky to have her support.
 
Vlad, your photo gives me a good idea... I am going to re-scale my fuel totalizer to read in dollars left in the tank instead of gallons...:)
 
Let us all be thankful our aiding & abetting spouses have not discovered the concept of Compensatory Spending. That's where She spends a dollar on her hobby for every $ you spend on yours. A friend at work many years ago explained that was his spouses philosophy and how it limited BOTH of them. Other than zillionaires, that approach would certainly kill off our aviation/building hobby! :)
 
airguy said:
I was talking to a non-aviation friend the other day about my panel and he inquired as to my actual cost for instrumentation. He nearly dropped his beer when I told him what I had in it.
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Greg, Im sure you have seen the quote, "My biggest fear is when I did my wife selling my airplane stuff for what I told her it cost"!!
 
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