The Real Costs of Aircraft Ownership
The real costs, year by year — purchase, flying, insurance, maintenance, and the bills in between.
Ownership Cost History
Each year keeps its own record of acquisition, insurance, fuel, oil, training, equipment, parking, loan costs, and maintenance. Earlier figures stay here as new invoices arrive. Full annual totals are shown only when the underlying costs are recorded.
2026 — in progress | 2025 — recorded costs | 2026 monthly baseline
| Year | Recorded amount | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $22,552.66 | Documented annual-inspection invoice, renewal premium and tax, and July shelter rent. Partial charges, not a complete annual spending total or an amount paid. |
| 2025 | $43,287.97 | $24,500 acquisition cash costs plus $18,787.97 recorded ownership and flying costs. Excludes the financed purchase principal. |
These years have different coverage and completeness. Insurance is recorded at its full annual policy cost in the year it began; it is not prorated between calendar years. The monthly baseline below is a planning average and is not added to the historical totals.
2026 — Ownership Costs in Progress
2026 Monthly Baseline — Current Rates
The 2026 recurring cost baseline after the September insurance renewal, using the latest figures documented here. This is separate from each year’s recorded costs; it is not a statement of actual spending for all months. Insurance is shown as the annual premium and tax spread over 12 months; this is a cost average, not a payment schedule. Financing charges are excluded.
| Item | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | $593.52 | $7,122.18/yr including tax — 2026–2027 StarStone / London Aviation Underwriters |
| Loan payment | $693.55 | LMCU — unchanged; $8,322.60 annualized |
| Covered shelter / hangar | $267.32 | Page Field (KFMY) — $251.00 rent + $16.32 tax; effective July 1, 2026 |
| LLC annual report | $11.56 | $138.75/yr — Florida SunBiz |
| Total fixed | $1,565.95 | Before a drop of fuel is burned |
That is roughly $18,800 a year to own the airplane before flying it anywhere. This annualized figure is not the actual cost for all of 2026, because rates changed during the year.
How the 2026 Monthly Baseline Changed
| Rate period | Monthly baseline | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Before the July shelter change | $1,555.43 | Prior insurance average, $693.55 loan, $79.88 tiedown, and $11.56 annual-report allowance |
| July shelter change through the insurance renewal | $1,742.87 | Shelter increased to $267.32/month, including tax, effective July 1 |
| After the September 11 insurance renewal | $1,565.95 | Insurance average decreased to $593.52/month, including tax |
These are recurring-rate snapshots, not month-by-month payment records. Insurance is averaged over 12 months; no daily proration is implied for the September change. Fuel, training, repairs, equipment, reserves, and financing charges are outside these baselines.
2026 Recorded Costs & Details
The record for 2026 is still being assembled. The amounts below are supported by the updated shop invoice, the new insurance documents, and the July shelter invoice; they do not establish when or how much was paid.
| 2026 category | Documented cost | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance — first annual | $15,163.16 | Labor, parts, and shipping on the updated invoice |
| Insurance renewal | $7,122.18 | 2026–2027 premium and Florida tax; financing charges excluded |
| Fuel & oil outside the annual | Not yet reconciled | Annual-invoice oil is already included in maintenance |
| Parking / shelter — July invoice | $267.32 | $251.00 rent + $16.32 tax; effective July 1, 2026. Other months are not yet reconciled. |
| Loan costs — unchanged rate | $693.55/month | LMCU; $8,322.60 for 12 months at this rate. Annualized schedule, excluded from the documented-invoice subtotal below. |
| Training, equipment & other maintenance | Not yet reconciled | Additional records needed for the yearly total |
| LLC / administration & other charges | Not yet reconciled | Includes any applicable financing charges when documented |
| Documented charges so far | $22,552.66 | Partial — not the full cost of 2026 |
2026 Shelter / Hangar
The Page Field invoice dated July 30, 2026 bills July rent at the new rate effective July 1, 2026: $251.00 in monthly rent plus $16.32 in sales tax, for $267.32 total. Only this documented month is included in the yearly invoice subtotal so far.
Insurance Coverage — 2026–2027
The new policy for N2015W runs September 11, 2026 – September 11, 2027. The insurer is StarStone National Insurance Company, through London Aviation Underwriters, Inc.
| Total bodily injury & property damage liability | $1,000,000 |
| Passenger bodily injury | $200,000 per passenger, included within total liability; subject to the pilot restriction below |
| Medical payments | $5,000 per person, including crew |
| Hull insured value | $135,000 |
| Hull deductible — not in motion | $100 |
| Hull deductible — in motion | $1,000 |
| Total-loss deductible | Waived in the event of a total loss |
| Coverage / use | Full flight / pleasure & business |
| Annual premium | $7,053.00 |
| Florida state tax | $69.18 |
| Total annual premium & tax | $7,122.18 |
| Monthly cost average | $593.52 — annual premium and tax divided by 12, excluding financing charges |
Passenger-coverage condition: The confirmation of insurance states that passenger bodily injury coverage does not apply while I am at the controls until I have received a Private Pilot Certificate with an Airplane Single Engine Land rating. The listed passenger limit is subject to that condition and the policy terms.
The 2025 section retains the original insurance cost. The ongoing fixed-cost table uses this 2026–2027 renewal.
First Annual — Updated Invoice
I flew N2015W to Wingman Aviation at Arcadia (X06) on March 26, 2026 for its first annual under my ownership. The updated invoice #20260713, dated July 13, 2026, now includes labor, revised parts, and shipping.
92.5 hours of labor at $100 per hour: $9,250.00. The invoice describes the annual inspection, nose and main landing-gear oleo rebuilds, a new #3 cylinder, brake rebuilds, S-TEC altitude-hold work, an LED beacon, both main landing-gear lock rings, a CPV-out hose, the right main tire, and the ELT battery.
| Qty | Part / invoiced item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New cylinder | $2,532.00 |
| 2 | 35-380020-1 ring | $1,376.68 |
| 1 | Whelen OE36R1W LED beacon | $799.75 |
| 1 | S-TEC altitude sensor | $420.00 |
| 1 | ELT battery — MERL BP-1010 | $186.90 |
| 12 | Aeroshell W100 mineral oil, qt | $151.20 |
| 2 | Main gear rebuild kit TBMS-1 | $109.68 |
| 1 | Fuel gauge check | $90.00 |
| 1 | Oil filter CH48110 | $46.05 |
| 1 | Nose gear strut service kit TBNS-2 | $39.60 |
| 1 | Brackett BA-7112 air filter | $23.94 |
| 1 | Bracket air filter BA7112 — separate invoice line | $23.94 |
| 2 | Brake master cylinder kit PPBMC70 | $16.80 |
| 1 | TCM gasket 649965 | $2.70 |
| Parts total | $5,819.24 |
The updated invoice replaces the earlier cylinder-overhaul entry with a new cylinder. Both air-filter entries and the fuel gauge check are shown under parts exactly as billed.
| Invoice summary | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labor — 92.5 hours @ $100 | $9,250.00 |
| Parts | $5,819.24 |
| Subtotal | $15,069.24 |
| Shipping | $93.92 |
| Total invoiced, including shipping | $15,163.16 |
The annual invoice totals $15,163.16 before ongoing ownership expenses such as insurance, loan payments, parking, and the LLC filing. Those fixed costs are separate from the shop bill.
View the updated annual invoice (PDF). This invoice does not establish an inspection sign-off or return-to-service date.
2025 — Purchase & First Flights
2025 Monthly Baseline
The recurring rates recorded for the first year of ownership. The annual insurance premium is spread over 12 months for comparison; this is not the amount spent in every month of 2025.
| Item | Monthly baseline | 2025 basis |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | $770.44 | $9,245.29 annual premium — AIG / National Union Fire |
| Loan | $693.55 | LMCU |
| Tiedown | $79.88 | Page Field (KFMY), before the shelter move |
| Recorded recurring baseline | $1,543.87 | Insurance, loan, and tiedown |
Excludes acquisition, fuel, oil, instruction, equipment, maintenance, and reserves. No 2025 LLC annual-report cost is recorded in the supplied 2025 figures, so it is not included here. The actual partial-year amounts remain in the expense table below.
2025 Recorded Costs & Details
What It Cost to Buy
Purchased September 2025 and held in Krosswind Aviation LLC. The sticker price is the part everyone talks about. The tax and the pre-buy are the part they forget.
| Purchase price | $88,620 |
| Cash down | $18,220 |
| Financed — LMCU | $70,400 |
| Florida sales tax (6%) | $5,280 |
| Pre-buy inspection | $1,000 |
| Cash required at closing | $24,500 |
2025 Ownership & Flying Costs
Every dollar spent between the first flight on September 20, 2025 and the last on December 20, 2025 — 33.3 hours across 13 flights. These are receipts, not projections.
| Item | Amount | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance — annual premium, paid upfront | $9,245.29 | — |
| Gear & equipment | $2,637.62 | $79.21 |
| Flight instruction | $2,009.00 | $60.33 |
| Loan payments — 3 months | $2,080.65 | $62.48 |
| Fuel — 366.6 gal @ $4.75 avg | $1,740.00 | $52.25 |
| LH magneto overhaul | $700.30 | $21.03 |
| Tiedown — 4 months | $297.15 | $8.92 |
| Oil — 6 qt W100 Plus | $77.96 | $2.34 |
| Total | $18,787.97 | $564.20 |
Excludes the purchase price, sales tax, and pre-buy. It also excludes engine and prop reserves, which are not cash out the door yet but absolutely will be.
What the Fuel Really Burns
Eleven fuel purchases across three airports. The IO-520 has a reputation for drinking, and most planning calculators assume $85 an hour. Actual burn over 33.3 hours came in well under that — a mix of short training flights and self-serve pricing.
| Total purchased | 366.6 gallons |
| Average price | $4.75 / gallon |
| Burn rate | 11.0 gallons / hour |
| Fuel cost | $52.25 / hour |
2025 Insurance — Policy Details
Historical summary from the prior ownership page. This policy period ended September 10, 2026; the replacement policy is shown in the 2026 section below.
| Insurer | National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, PA (AIG) |
| Liability (per occurrence) | $1,000,000 |
| Passenger bodily injury | $100,000 per passenger |
| Medical expense | $10,000 per passenger |
| Hull (agreed value) | $100,000 |
| Annual premium | $9,245.29 |
2025 recorded total: $43,287.97. This combines $24,500 in acquisition cash costs (down payment, sales tax, and pre-buy) with the $18,787.97 ownership and flying breakdown above. The $70,400 financed purchase principal is not counted again as cash spent. The $564.20 hourly figure excludes acquisition costs.
Engine Reserve Planning
The IO-520 has a manufacturer TBO of 1,700 hours. N2015W has 1,267 hours SNEW — meaning roughly 433 hours remain to TBO. Engine overhaul runs $35,000–$50,000 depending on what is found. A responsible reserve is $75–$115 per hour flown, set aside specifically for engine work. This is a real cost that most ownership calculators undercount.
Why the LLC Structure
Aircraft held in an LLC provides liability separation from personal assets, clean accounting for all aviation expenses, and a structure that can support future arrangements or partnerships. Consult an aviation attorney and accountant for your specific situation.
The 2025 ownership and flying figures cover the recorded September–December period. The 2026 record is partial and will grow as expenses are reconciled. Historical yearly costs, current recurring averages, and future reserve planning are kept separate to avoid double counting.