How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

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Ryan Smith
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How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by Ryan Smith »

Now that I've got my private, I have an agreement in place with the owner of my family's airplane to allow me to fly the airplane quite frequently, and also would allow me to chauffeur her to check rides in the airplane if the need arises without it going against my normal monthly agreement with her. All in all, it looks like I'm going to be flying the airplane about 60 hours a year now, which is half or a little more of what the airplane flies. I'm working on my instrument rating now, so there is quite bit of flying that I'm doing while I work on ratings and so forth.

That made me curious - how many hours do you put on your 170s each year? For those on here who are not professional pilots, how many other hours do you fly per year?

If I could, I'd fly the airplane every day. Maybe one day I will. I don't know if it's because I was indoctrinated at such an early age, but it flies so much better than anything else I fly on a regular basis, and I get more enjoyment out of that airplane than anything else - even than the Super Cub I normally fly.
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Ryan Smith
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by Ryan Smith »

Cool!

Of all of the info that I have on 56D, I've never broken down the hours by year. I'll have to do that now. I've got them since 2013, but I have not thought to sit down and look at the hours by year. I know that in the first 10 years, the airplane flew something like 2,000 hours; and has only flown 1300 in the last 50.
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Ryan Smith
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by Ryan Smith »

Out of curiosity Arash, how many owners has 44C had, and what was the airplane used for? 56D was a charter airplane for the first five years or so of her life living in southern CA.
bagarre
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by bagarre »

I fly 81D 50 to 100 hours a year, give or take.
1st year I few her 100 hours. Last year was 50, the year before was 75.

Lots fo factors in there. Job, Life, Weather, other hobbies...

81D has hade 4 owners and around 5,000 hours.
She was used mostly for photography in the 60's and 70's.
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Ryan Smith
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by Ryan Smith »

Jeez! 56D has had 23 owners so far.
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SteveF
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by SteveF »

For the ten years I owned N2353D I flew between 50 and 100 hours a year usually closer the 100 hr mark.
With the Sport Pilot Champ I have now I put in between 50 and 75 hours as it is more sensitive to wind and weather.
Any trip is a lot longer in the Champ but still a lot of fun - get to have a real good look at the country side as you travel. :)
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daedaluscan
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by daedaluscan »

GDRG is my first plane. I just did my third annual and have 400 hours in 3 years. I would fly a LOT more if I had the time and gas$$$
Charlie

1956 170B C-GDRG #27019
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jmurtap
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by jmurtap »

I'm at 55 hours so far since January.. :)
Jason P
53 170
SN 25878

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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

When I first bought a plane 25 years ago I'd fly about 75 hours a year. It has fallen off a bit every year for many reasons. Time and money being primary reason for less flying I suppose but to be honest, it is old hat. As on ages I think it natural to realize you only have so much time and I realize there is so much more to life than flying.

Grand kids are one of them.

Fact is for the last 15 years I've had a special issuance to keep flying. I've only jumped through the hoops because that is the source of my income. But I realized long ago that if I couldn't fly tomorrow because of a medical, I'd be mad someone was telling me I couldn't fly, but it would not be the end of life. IN FACT it would just be the beginning of a new chapter and I'd pursue any one of about 10 other hobbies that have taken a BIG back seat to aviation.

So as it is I fly about 15-20 hours in my 170 and another 15-20 in my Cub.
CAUTION - My forum posts may be worth what you paid for them!

Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
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MoonlightVFR
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by MoonlightVFR »

Recent years , a "hanger Queen"

Total time approx 3600 hours divided 61 years 59 hrs /yr

It originally was purchased as a work plane. for a few years it was up to 300 hours per year.

Unique log book entrys.

9-15-54 " Periodic inspection Installed Seat Covers, Amplifier & Speaker on Belly. Cylinder head temp gauge. Lubricated controls. Added battery water, hydraulic fluid. Airplane Airworthy George Colskin A&E 1046130"

9-18-5 " Accepted delivery of airplane for Border Patrol daily from Pacific Ocean to New Mexico Border on Mexican-USA International boundary. Dept of Agriculture Cattle quarantine. "

Several years parked next to past president John Collins Weiss Airport St Louis MO

First major flight C-170 Convention Ithaca New York 1979 - group flight to Alexandra Bay NY.

Old airplanes will continue to fly for 100+ years. Thanks to inventor of IRON, Aluminum. as you know Iron Fe 56 is the most stable very stable element . Focus on the nucleus not the atom.
Nucleons.

Many memories..

Keep up your enthusiasm for flying
gradyb, '54 B N2890C
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170C
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Re: How many hours a year do you fly your 170?

Post by 170C »

As a fairly low time pilot (2600 hrs) I seem to remember flying more hours during the first several years than in most since. I think that might be normal. What made some years with more hours than others depends on how far we fly to the 170 conventions and if we go elsewhere on trips. Since moving to TN I have done more flying in a short time frame due to the many Saturday flyin breakfasts and places to fly for lunches. Over my flying career I have averaged 87 hours per year. Haven't checked to see how many I have averaged with my 170 "C" :)
OLE POKEY
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