Hidden cost of aircraft ownership

[n86121]

BUYERS OVER-THINK IT
Owning a helicopter (Enstrom) as my first aircraft for five years, and then Potomac Airfield for what, 37 years (2023-1987....what?),
I have seen many prospective aircraft owners come in with complex spreadsheets analyzing their prospective aircraft expenditure decision.

HA HA Ha, Hee Hee Hee....

'HOURLY COST'

Back in the 80's, rather than having a helicopter where things would keep timing out, I bought a timed-out one and had EVERYTHING zeroed out up front.
Thereafter it was never down for unexpected maintenance, the annuals were CHEAP (for a helicopter, mostly made of sealed units), and no surprises.

My cost of ownership up front may have been higher, but thereafter ownership was basically fixed about $18k/year on January first
(Annual around $1-2k, hangar at Hanscom Bedford shared with Lear jets around $6k, and around $10k of that just for insurance).

For the remaining 364 days a year the helicopter only cost around 13 gph for fuel, plus fancy hotels and dinners wherever I might go.

A miserly fraction of what either a cocaine addiction or therapist would have cost.

I probably only used it maybe 100 hours per year, but I never tracked nor cared, as 98% of the cost decision was made on January 1:
the fixed cost for having it available at my whim for another year.

Market value at some future time of sale was the most significant factor for cost, which I never bothered.
Que sera sera.

MORE RECENTLY - WASH RINSE REPEAT

My original BOSE ANR headset recently and finally died. Back then they were still chipping them from wood,
and they haven't made the breast-implant inspired seals for decades (bet you didn't know that!).

Those seals always fail, dribbling down your neck. To keep the headsets going I used Ebay to corner the global market on seals.

But alas, the right ear finally went OUT. Like kaput. Like Deadalus.

And only got one more set of breast-implant silicon ear seals left.

Thus the end of an era was thrust upon me.

NEW HIDDEN COST

I took the plunge on the latest digital A30 and WOW.
Just testing on tie down so far at low power, I was actually looking outside to see if the prop was actually turning.

All I could hear was a teeny tiny ticking sound.
I don't have a pacemaker, so it must have been from the props.

I recently awoke at 2AM with a flying beetle stuck in my ear, which was MUCH louder than the headset.
That took an emergency ear irrigation at a nearby medical facility, but that's another story.

ONGOING HIDDEN COST

Wracked with guilt over my spending so much on the A30,
my wife has always politely and widely avoided asking for any specific expenditures on the airplane.

If you are thinking of marrying, this is a trait that should be verified in writing in advance.

She also understands that my sense of guilt and self-indulgence will payoff much better than any actual number I might reveal.
Years ago my Stormscope cost me some VERY NICE sofas as well.

Well, last week our high-end Maytag Neptune washing machine died after 23 years.

First the Bose headset, now the washing machine.

Are these the early portents of a coming apocalypse???

(I must admit Global warming is waaaaaaay down my list of concerns).

Seizing the opportunity to alleviate my guilt, AND solve the washing-machine dilemma,
I therefore bought (her) a $3,000 (special, only $2,000 + taxes & installation!), GE profile all-in-one washer drier for home.

Thus bringing the total cost of the A30 Bose to around $4k.
So far...

However, I DO feel MUCH better....