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Justina was reading over my shoulder...................

Bill
Grants Oass, Oregon

...oh oh...

Yep, definitely a better idea to get a new wife. I can't believe the number of guys who've told me how much they'd love to have an airplane or an antique car like I do, but their wives would never let them. Why the heck would anyone chose to be with someone who's out to squash their dreams?

Good point, John. I have belonged to Flying Clubs that worked quite well.

Only one that I had a problem with was the one were the Club "manager" decided to take off for Arizona one day with all of the club's funds (including all of the member's "block" fund deposits).

One of the Club Members, a Medical Doctor, who owned a couple of the planes, "took over" the operation of the Club and allowed we members with oustanding blocks to fly them off in his planes!

Nice guy!

The "hidden 150" was quite a story.

It was the same one I'd looked at buying half of about 10 years ago from it's then only owner. A nice quiet guy who just didn't fly much anymore, but hated to see it go. He would have been a good partner. " Gerht"

A year later I saw an ad in the Appleton paper looking for a partner in a 150, so I called. It turned out to be the new partner "jerk" of the same plane Gerht had.
He had bought in with Gerht. Ok, so the plane was fine, He explained how he had completely upgraded it to a full IFR panel, Nice. But this reluctent partner Gerht wasn't keeping up paying for his share of the upgrade. Alarm bells are ringing in my head, Gert never wanted it to be IFR anyway.

He "Jerk" says to call him back and gives two phone numbers. Home and office.

I called home, of course his lattest wife is clueless, but kind, about my plane questions. He called back alright, from work, In about three minutes, and was he ever mad. He was absolutley nasty to me for calling his house and speaking to his wife about the plane he told her "he was trying to sell for a friend" and I was never ever to call there again.

After holding the phone a foot away from my ear for the first minute. I coolly explained it was HE who had given me that number. It was HE who had not been honest with his wife. It was HE who had not been honest with this partner. (and there was even more to that part), and it was HE I never wanted to call ME again.

I still get ticked just remembering that idiot. I hope he see's himself in this.

Inspite of that. You would think I, of all people, would shy away from a partnership. Not true. I'm fortunate enough to own 22595 by myself,...er,.... with my wife. But the real lesson? My boat partnership was fine, beginning through end. My Dad had owned half of two different Skymasters. one partner great, the other good. I did learn it's all about the people. It's like Mick Jeager says. You can't always get what you want, you get what you need.

I got into Juliet with a partner. Our partnership worked out pretty well. In fact, I still let him fly the airplane.

In theory, with a partner you split the costs. I am rather surprised to find out that it really isn't costing me all that much more, in terms of cash flow, to own the airplane 100%.

I didn't save anything on insurance (that's why I left the partner on and let him fly). While I have to cover all of the hangar rent and the annual, in the great scheme of things, those items are not all that expensive. The big expense, if one flies one's airplane, is fuel. Having a partner doesn't help that cost out.

I am sure I will miss the partner if some big repairs come up, but having just done a pretty extensive upgrade, that shouldn't happen any time soon.

Reg

Bend is beautiful, but Bishop is nicer. Currently there are a fair number of frustrated 152 pilots in the area who keep talking about partnerships. The only rental available at the moment is a nice 172 @ 150/hr. The 152 & aerobat here are up for sale & not rentable.

If you bring it home there will be people who want to speak with you. As a suggestion you might run off a photo and equipment list and send it down to the airport staff to post with your contact info. Those two rental aircraft were always very busy and their loss has led to hopeless aerial longing. Bishop is fertile ground for either a partnership or sale.

Bill's point about rejecting a friend as a potential partner is good.

I used to teach sailing at a well-respected Sailing School. I was quite surprized when the wife of a former America's Cup Skipper showed up in one of my classes.

I ran into him a few months later at a post-race Yacht Club bar session, and asked him why he just didn't teach her himself.

He very wisely answered that he wanted them to remain friends!