Gang I feel, as a flight instructor, there is much truth in Kevin's comment. There have been times in my life when I had to sell something I owned and enjoyed, a plane, a car, real estate, a wife.... because the cost of ownership became difficult (only kidding about the wife...couldn't sell her, had to give her away). It's not about being poor, it about making decisions about where one should spend their money. We all have some dough...some more than others...and we all have responsibilities...kids, rent, mortgage, health insurance, car payments, elder care, etc. Prioritizing these items is a part of being a responsible adult and making hard decisions. Certainly, of the few items I listed, owning an Ercoupe is lower in the pecking order then the others. If the items higher on the list don't leave enough dough in your pocket to keep your Ercoupe airworthy, legal and safe, it's time to sell it or store in in the barn until the kids are out of the house. This is nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, I have seen many Ercoupes that are not safe, airworthy or legal. For example, I have meet many owners that know about raw fuel leaking into the cabin and consider this an annoyance, but an acceptable situation. It's not! I was in an aircraft that had a small gas leak and burst into flames at 8000 feet (another story sometime). One possible alternative to selling or putting it away in the barn is having a partner or two. This very quickly cuts the operating cost by a significant percentage. But the bottom line is this, as Kevin stated...cosmetic items can be deferred but safety items must be properly and legally addressed.
Glen ----- Original Message ----- From: kgassert To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2007 9:42 PM Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Re: Censuring For what? Was is about the comment "Those who can't afford it should not fly dangerously, period" ? If so I totally agree with Al. When someone said that a reason could be that someone just might not clean their tanks because they could not afford it, it struck a nerve with me also. This is not like fixing a tear in a seat cover. If you can't afford to clean your tanks you can't afford to fly. I don't know of a simpler and cheaper aircraft to maintain then an Ercoupe so if you can't afford to maintain one you can't afford to fly. Sorry if that hurts anyones feeling. Kevin --- In [email protected], "Tommy Terry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Ladies and Gentlemen: > > As some of you know, I am one of the group moderators and I must say that I > am in agreement with the censuring of Mr. Demarzo. There is absolutely no > doubt in my mind that Al is a very knowledgeable person, not only about our > beloved Coupes but about aircraft in general, regulations, and flying. It > is most unfortunate that his delivery of that information and his opinions > can sometimes seem less than friendly. I would hope that the perceived > hostility in some of the posts is not his intention. Mr. Demarzo was asked > to "tone down" some of his posts and then offered the service of his posts > being moderated, proof read if you will, and then posted. All in an effort > to keep this list civil and on track; no knowledge or expertise is passed on > when we get distracted kicking each other around. I personally would have > liked to have seen him accept that service. > > > > Al, I am personally asking that you reconsider and accept the offer of > moderation; after all, you wanted a moderated list and even offered to be a > moderator. Should you not accept the offer, we will miss your information > and I wish you clear skies and tail winds. > > > > Tommy > > N93929 > Glen Glen Davis 917 297 1111 www.ishootpictures.com www.ercoupepilot.com
