Sky’s (not quite) the limit
What would you do with $1,000?
What would you buy for $1,000? Tell us at [email protected].With inflation and rising fuel prices putting a damper on our imaginations, here’s a more modest fantasy: What would you do with $1,000? Say you won a scratch-off ticket or got an unexpected tax refund (ha), with the stipulation that you could only use it on an airplane. What could you buy?
The obvious: “A full tank of fuel,” Lin Caywood of Frederick, Maryland, said without hesitation. Self-serve gas at Frederick Municipal Airport was running $6.65 a gallon the day I wrote this. Can you blame her?
Caywood had other ideas for her Cessna 182T: “A portable air-conditioning unit, a really good detailing, lambswool seat covers, and I’d forward pay my hangar rent for two months.” (Remember, we’re talking about hangar rent in Frederick, Maryland.)
- Fuel: $598.5 (90 gallons at $6.65 per gallon).
- Portable air conditioner: Arctic Air portable, $815. sportys.com
- Aircraft detailing: Varies, but expect to pay $500 to $1,000
- Lambswool seat covers: Starts at $328.99 each, so you could get the pilot and co-pilot covers and save the backseat for another time. covercraft.com
He'd also covet an electric bike that would fit in the back of the airplane.The mechanical: “I would get a B&C starter or alternator,” Editor at Large Dave Hirshman said. “Those are a great investment.” Hirschman, who owns a Van’s RV–4, also leaned toward some practical items: new tires and tubes (he’s a fan of Goodyear Flight Custom 3). He’d love to upgrade his aircraft cover and add a quilted engine cover that would help the RV’s oil pan warmer disperse heat throughout the entire engine during chilly months in the Mid-Atlantic.
- B&C Specialty Products starter for a Lycoming engine: $715-$795; LX60 alternator, 60 amps, homebuilt: $615-$830. bandc.com
- Tires: Goodyear Flight Custom III, $292.95 each. aircraftspruce.com
- Bruce’s Custom Covers: RV–4 canopy cover, $460; engine cover, $400. aircraftcovers.com
The technical: With $1,000 you could upgrade an older iPad or other tablet and add a subscription to ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot, and try out a subscription to SiriusXM Aviation, which works with either app with a receiver. Charles Clinton, one of seven partners in a group that owns a 1978 Cessna 182Q, said he’d also covet a folding electrical bike that would fit in the back of the airplane, and another noise-canceling headset, though he didn’t specify which brand.
- iPad mini with 256GB memory (you’ll need all that memory for the apps), from $649. apple.com
- ForeFlight subscription, starts at $120 year. foreflight.com
- Garmin Pilot subscription, starts at $79.99 per year. garmin.com
- Sirius XM Aviation products, subscription starts at $29.99 per month. siriusxm.com
- Lectrice Bike XP Step-Thru 2.0 Black folding electrical bike, weighs 64 pounds with battery, $999. lectricebikes.com
Fun stuff: AOPA Social Media Marketer Cayla McLeod is between airplanes—she most recently owned a Piper J–3 Cub—but she had several ideas of what she’d do if $1,000 dropped into her lap. If she were building the Super Cub of her dreams, she’d install Hooker harnesses, a USB port with a chronometer, or a Rosen sun visor. All can be had for under $1,000, with the unspent funds going to the maintenance shop for installation if needed.
- Hooker harnesses start at $300 each. hookerharness.com
- Mid-Continent Chronos digital clock/high power dual USB-A charger, $635. aircraftspruce.com
- Rosen visor for PA–18, $360. store. cubcrafters.com
