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Chicken Stuff

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Posted

Had time today to get the basket out with all the receipts in it. I kept every receipt for the materials and parts that I ordered to recondition the "classic" model 2 back to new condition. Trouble is that I am afraid to add them all up. No. 1, I probably don't want to know the total. No.2, my wife would most likely shoot me. And No.3, I'd probably never recoup the amount if I should ever decide to part with it.  A typical first time buyer doesn't have a clue of what it takes to redo one or the amount of money involved. They just know that they seen one in %&#X state for $8000 and think they all should be around that price. Maybe the wife will bury me in it, would save money on a casket!  An old builder told me a long time ago to never add all the receipts up and just better off burning the whole shoebox full.

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Posted

Every time they ask me if I want a receipt I say nope, ignorance is bliss.  When I fist started my Avid rebuild I made a spreadsheet to track costs and hours.  I quickly decided that was not something I wanted a record of and deleted it.  

:BC:

 

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Posted

I've been saving all of my receipts, but hadn't added them all together, until today. It was right about what I thought. Just over double the initial purchase cost. Of course, that doesn't include the thousand hours, or so, of labor that I put into it. That would be another ten times the purchase price, but I just count it as time well spent. For the same money, I could have bought a high time 150 or Taylorcraft. Some of the items, I could have done without, but I made it what I wanted. The big ticket items that I could have gone without, are the two wing tanks and the wide landing gear. That accounted for about a quarter of the expenses. I do have a fair amount of covering and finish products left, and thousands of miscellaneous rivets. No regret on the cost. As I figure it, I could probably sell it for what I have into it. Not a bad deal. 

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Posted

Aircraft are a little more costly in the north country but if you could recoup the total cost, you are one of the lucky ones.  I guess it was my choice to completely recondition the mod 2 but now I know what I've got. And since its a local hayfield hopper, the model 2 will be just fine for that mission. But after looking at and comparing kits, I am not in to deep as a lot of other builders of other kits. If a 15K Fox can do the same job as a 50K Fox, then its mission success.

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Posted

On the other hand, a person could have been sitting in a bar every night, peeing his dollars away, and have nothing to show for it after a few years besides risk insurance from the DUIs he accumulated.   If you are having fun, rebuilding airplanes is not the worst thing a person could do.  And even if you have twice as much in it as it's worth, how much is last weeks beer that you drank worth?  As I type this, I do have a beer sitting in front of me, so I'm not saying don't drink anything, was just comparing to the guy that spends his life in the bar.  JImChuk

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Posted

I've never quit working on mine so I don't have to add up the receipts.:lmao:

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Posted


I compare it to other guys hobbies ya know the guy who buys a new speed boat has a house on the lake and a lift to put the boat in for Sunday afternoon boating not that there is anything wrong with that ha.

Gotta enjoy life you could be gone tomorrow.

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Posted

We all  know someone who buys a 30K camper to go camping 6 or 7 times a year or the bass boat owner who uses it 10 or 12 times a year.  They generally take more of a loss after the first year than any aircraft owner. One doesn't think much of buying a 40K pickup and 4 or 5 years later has lost 50% of it. We all have our vices, mine just flys!

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Posted

I've never quit working on mine so I don't have to add up the receipts.:lmao:

What he said :-)

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Posted

Thought Momma had you cooking dinner again

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Posted

If it wasn't for Allen I would still be in the dark , just in the shade now but getting real close to flight worthy with Allen's help. I'm afraid to even start adding my parts up

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Posted

Thought Momma had you cooking dinner again

I can kill it or catch it, fix it and clean up the dishes. A purebred hillbilly!!!!

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Posted

Purebred hillbilly? Then you forgot scrape it of the road... :lmao:

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Posted

Purebred hillbilly? Then you forgot scrape it of the road... :lmao:

Roadkill is reserved for special occasions, only!!  

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