Photo above – After 24 years of owning and flying a Piper Archer, and before parting ways with aircraft ownership, Bo Bowman purchased this restored 1940 Luscombe 8C and became a “real pilot.”
By Bo Bowman
Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with originating the phrase “all good things must come to an end” in his 1374 poem Troilus and Criseyde. At 83 years of age at this point, I have found this bit of wisdom to be very true, but no “good thing” has been more heartfelt for me to end than the “airplane ownership” phase of my life—but let me back up a bit to provide some background.
When I was 8 years old in 1948, my parents purchased an airplane ride for me at a small grass strip airport not far from our home. It was in a tail-dragging fabric-covered Aeronca Champ, yellow with the orange “sunburst” on the side of the fuselage. I still remember the experience of looking down on the trees from about 1000 feet, with the overhead wing bottom, the wing struts, and the right main landing gear just out the side window, right up there with me. That perspective of being “up there” with the plane and looking down” was forever imprinted on my mind. I was totally “hooked”. I knew I had to someday and somehow, become a pilot and eventually own an airplane.
As with many of us that have married and raised a family know, sometimes the fulfilment of earlier dreams must wait a while—–like until you have raised your kids through their younger days and have tucked enough money away to provide them with a college education. Such was the case for me. Long story a little shorter, by the age of 39 I had finally earned my pilot’s license and I soon joined a local flying club which had three Cessna’s—a 152, and two 172’s. That sufficed for a while, but the “having an airplane of my own” part of my dream was still hanging out there waiting for me. I was flying enough to warrant ownership, and having an airplane available to me and knowing it was being maintained as I would want, became more and more appealing. I learned that a very nice 1974 Piper Warrior, hangered at our local airport, was for sale. I test-flew it, liked it, bought it, and quickly and easily, I was an “airplane owner”, and I even had a hangar to keep it in. We enjoyed and traveled a lot in that airplane. I eventually had a major engine overhaul done, and I later earned my instrument rating in it—-all this teaching me the responsibilities and the costs associated with the ownership of an airplane. Unfortunately, on a fateful night after my first five years of ownership, my beautiful Warrior was “totaled” in a massive hangar collapse at our airport under two feet of very wet and heavy winter snow. I was devastated, but not dismayed from continuing with airplane ownership. I was adequately insured, so within two months I found myself owning and flying a very nice 1976 Piper Archer.
It was in this Piper Archer that I experienced the “heart” of my private pilot career. I owned the Archer for almost 24 years. During that time my wife and I flew on many vacation trips to various locations in the eastern third of our country. I flew roughly 120 Angel Flight and Mercy Flight missions. I flew 380 Young Eagles, and countless friends for rides, and on outings to dinner. I attended many aircraft-related events, including Oshkosh, Sun ‘n Fun, and others. I learned about the PrayerFlight organization and began flying annually for them—-flying over our state Capitol, praying for our state and country on the National Day of Prayer. I was also asked to become the Prayer Flight Southeastern U.S. coordinator. I look back at those 29 years of my life and I realize just how blessed my wife and I have been to have had all those wonderful flying-related experiences, most of which we would not have had if we had not owned and used our airplane. Of course, I also experienced during those years the costs involved with flying and owning an airplane, including another major engine overhaul. It was when I was in my mid-70’s with my third engine overhaul looming in near future that I began thinking seriously about just how long I wanted to absorb these expenses and continue flying. I knew I would be very sad selling my Archer and leaving that type of flying and those experiences behind me.
I had often heard, especially from some “old and bold” pilots, that a pilot is not a “real pilot” until he or she has flown a tail dragger. So, my decision (actually, my “excuse” for not ending my flying and airplane ownership “cold turkey”) was to more slowly “phase out” of flying by selling my Archer, buying a nice vintage tail dragger, and getting my tailwheel endorsement in my logbook. So, I sold my Archer, and bought a restored 1940 Luscombe 8C and had a wonderful seven-plus years of being a “real pilot”. There is some truth in the “real pilot” stuff—-tailwheel flying does make you a better pilot, especially with your use of the rudder. You really do have to keep “flying” the airplane until you taxi to the hangar and shut the engine off. Even though all my flying from here on in my tail dragger involved mostly local flying, I had many good experiences over these years—-to nearby fly-ins, flying friends for rides in a vintage airplane, continuing participation in Young Eagles flying, and continuing with my annual Prayer Flights.
I have well over five thousand hours in my eleven logbooks. All this flying with which I was blessed, and during which I had many opportunities to “give back”, brought me to the ripe age of 83 years, but it was time to think again about “airplane ownership”. I am still healthy, and I am maintaining my medical certification via the FAA’s Basic Med program. However, my wife has had a few medical issues, and we moved into nearby a retirement and long-term care facility a few years ago. Although we enjoy the more carefree living in our small “villa”, life in such a nice facility is now by far the larger portion of our budget. Along with that, our income remains relatively constant, and the cost of living is rapidly increasing. Airplane ownership involves more than meets the average eye— hanger rent, ongoing airplane maintenance, the annual inspection, insurance, and the hourly expense of flying the airplane. The combination of these thoughts was primarily what has led me to the decision that it is finally time to depart ways with “airplane ownership”. My wife and I feel it was the right thing to do at this point in our lives. However, we do this knowing and being thankful for just how fortunate we have been to enjoy 43 years of flying and 40 years of airplane ownership.
However, thinking again about “phases” and not going “cold turkey”, I am not yet going to totally give up my flying. There is a rentable Cessna 150 available at our airport waiting for me when I get that so far unavoidable “itch” to fly. I am going to extend my landing approach and “land” gently from that “high” of owning and flying my own airplane.
