The OUTRAGEOUS Costs Of Owning a Private Jet... (Can We Still Afford It?)

It's finally time we discuss the REAL cost of owning a private jet. These video breaks down our first service bill with our Cessna Citation 501SP from an owner's perspective. Avionics upgrades, engine overhauls, scheduled maintenance, inspections, taxes, etc... Can we still afford to keep it? We bought this plane sight unseen in cash and flew it home 1,800 miles. There was some service drama that kept this plane held up for 5 months, but it's finally back and ready to hit the skies.

Main Car Channel:

Business Channel:

PLEASE NOTE: We are aviation enthusiasts. These videos are for entertainment purposes only. We are NOT qualified to give flying instruction. All of our videos, including this one, have been significantly edited down from the original full length raw footage. Many radio calls, checklist steps, and other procedures have been omitted to keep the videos a reasonable viewing length. Please speak to a CFI with any flying questions you may have.

[JRAviation]

Trust me, DO NOT buy a cheap jet unless you know what you are getting into haha. I hope you enjoyed this real talk discussing the real numbers associated with our first "small" maintenance checkup. There are many other costs I didn't mention. Pilot salary, hangar rent, taxes, registration, landing fees, etc, etc... Subscribe for more jet videos!

[timhoman]

A shop who holds you plane for 3 months, then tells you, “we can’t work on it” deserves to have their name in this video.

[lorendjones]

Jets definitely fall into the "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" category.

[marshallmurrell]

During my practice, I had several clients who were bitten by the private jet bug. Only one of them could really afford it. He was the sole owner of a company doing about $500MM in annual sales. The rest came to the same realization to which you have come. If it isn't making money for you, you should not buy it. It is a luxury which few can afford.

[IShouldOfMarriedBetter]

I loved this guy in “saved by the bell.”

[hekterr]

Tremendous life experiences don’t have to be permanent lifestyles!
The two happiest days of an aircraft owner, the day he buys it and the day he sells it.

[stephenlasko]

That’s not that bad. I just finished a $105, 000 panel job on a Cessna 340. that took 1.5 years. 2022 annual was $27, 000, flew the airplane to the avionics shop, they took their sweet time, airplane went out of annual. Had to get an annual done on the field it was at. Just got the bill - $38, 000 and most of the items found were due to sitting for 1.5 yrs. Welcome to aviation

[danielrioux]

Honestly, that rvsm recertification price is more then double what we charge. Another thing, one of my customers rolls Cessna CJ's on inspections like hot cakes and turns them all within a couple weeks on average. Very skilled Cessna guys. If you're interested in flying to Toronto Canada for your next one, hit me up!

[Xy]

Is it just me or was anyone else expecting over $100, 000

[letsflyx]

Actually, not as bad as I was thinking it would be. I once got hosed on an annual inspection on my piston plane for $21, 000.00

[johnflaherty]

I will recommend you keep the panel you have.
Keeping in mind I have maybe all of 60 hours or so total; I did not pursue flying much farther because the cost of training had already been quite high for my budget. I may eventually get back to flying; I'm planning on buying another computer for a flight simulator.
I have long had a beef with all-glass cockpits: It's an electronic gadget, it can fail. It can fail at the worst possible time.
I think it great to have a moving map display that also includes other functions, keep it in the middle or to the right in the cockpit.
You still want to have your steam gauges in front of the pilot. They're not going to go blank if a computer chip has a problem.


I think there's another reason you see very few videos done about privately-owned jets: Most privately-owned jets ...exist for routine corporate travel. They're only "privately-owned" insofar as not intended for commercial airline or charter flight use. They're quite expensive, true, yet the corporation doesn't mind the expense (as much) because they allow corporate leadership to move about without the hassles of airline schedules and security checks. Such jets also can often use smaller airports, so might come closer to actual operating locations.
Very few videos exist because most corporations have little interest in telling the world about how much they spend for travel....

[dejongdon]

He doesn’t even begin talking numbers until the 7 minute mark, and mentions “we had no idea how expensive service is” approximately 300 times.

[JRGarage]

Here before all the “I knew you couldn’t afford it” comments 😂

[cameronh]

I used to work on these as a mechanic. The labor rate per hour is usually cheaper compared to automotive maintenance. It's normally the parts that get you.

[walterthorne]

Multiple aircraft owner here….I’ve owned 2 Beechcraft Twin Bonanzas: D50 Sweringen and G 50 (IGSO 480 powered), a Beechcraft Queen Air, and a Bellanca Super Vikings. Always found maintenance to be surprisingly expensive. Looking back at my life…. aircraft ownership and flying were very rewarding. Rule #1 Always buy the best example you can afford and seriously consider purchasing examples that are the most popular as this will insure a more successful buyer pool when your bird gets too expensive to maintain. SAFE FLYING

[richvandervecken]

I new a guy back in the 1980's who was a Learjet mechanic in the Air Force, who planed on doing the same thing as a civilian, and I am surprised your cost are that low to be honest. It was informative watching the video and I wish you great success with your new used aircraft.

[mcsvls]

Most private jets are 2% of original purchase price (not used price) per year to maintain, that is why they are usually connected to a revenue stream or generate a revenue stream. Most yachts are 10% of purchase price per year, 15% the first year.

[rolandmorales]

Not bad at all for your 1st maintenance. I was expecting 150k on the low side 300k mid and 600k+ on the high side. Anything below 80k maintenance/parts is a relief in this world.

[butch]

I'm not sure what you were expecting the upkeep of your personal jet to be, but to be honest I was surprised your first service was only $27k. As you may know, come engine overhaul time, it'll be around $100k (each). But if you can justify the costs, more power to you.

[thecomet]

Best most honest clip I have ever seen on U tube .Thanks buddy . Very entertaining Glad it ain't my money