Scrounging and Cleaning House – Hangar Flying

By John Wyman, EAA 462533, Chapter 266 Montreal.

I have come to the realization that we accumulate far too much stuff in our lifetime. This has been made clear by a recent move that is still in progress while I write this — therefore, what better time than to address the topic of accumulating spare parts and their role in maintaining your airplane and keeping you from continually ordering from Aircraft Spruce! Thankfully, their catalog is the ONE item I have in a specific place (on a shelf, above the desk) for those instances when other used parts just won’t do and I have to order new. It is a valuable tool for pricing out what anything used “should” cost, if you have the opportunity to get said part, on the fly. While we are on that subject of price, if it is in good shape, bank on that price to be 50% of new. If it’s much more than that, seriously consider going the “new” route as you never know what its real condition may be unless you can physically inspect said part before buying it.

If you are such a scrounger, you’ll already know that the Fly Markets at Oshkosh and SUN ‘n FUN are places where you’ll likely get the deal of deals for that one specific used item that normally costs you an arm or leg. Our Cessna 140 is still sporting the same pair of Cessna 150 mufflers that I purchased in Florida for $300 some 20-plus years ago, passed down from a Cessna 120 to a Cessna 140 (essentially the same engine and frame layout), when the former frame suffered a mishap. I have checked them every annual for cracks, but based on my initial assessment that they were either rebuilt or new off the shelf when I bought them, they have provided about 1,000-plus hours of trouble-free service — and compared to straight pipes they lower the decibel level a notch or two. They even came with the STC paperwork for the change. The paperwork behind such items is something that you’ll want to be aware of, but generally, if it isn’t there and is active…

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Several ways to buy cheap airline tickets.
- Start searching at least 2 months in advance and sign up for email alerts so you'll always be notified when flight prices drop.
- Budget airlines typically offer the cheapest flights.
- Save money by taking your flight early in the morning or late at night.
- Consider flying on a weekday instead of a weekend.
- Use an aggregator site to compare prices across airlines.
- Once you have found the best trip, select it on the aggregator site and move to the airline’s direct website to book your tickets. Some aggregators allow you to book the ticket through their website, but there may be an additional service fee.