Title: Is a $2.5M Family Plane a Smart Choice? A Reality Check for a Small-Plane Purchase
If you’re based in Eastern Europe, you’ve likely felt how grey winters can be, and the urge to escape to sunnier spots during the summer is strong. In my case, we own a summer house in Spain and a small apartment on the Amalfi Coast. We usually fly with low-cost carriers like Ryanair for these trips because our local airport is fairly limited, and even city breaks often involve budget flights and tight schedules. I’m not fussy about comfort in a pinch, but the irregular flight times and early morning connections can turn a quick journey into a long, 12-hour ordeal with layovers. For example, a 4 a.m. Spain connection often disrupts travel plans for an entire day.
I’ve done some chartering, but it feels wasteful unless I’m accessing a popular route, so options like NetJets aren’t on the table for me. This has led me to consider the Cirrus Vision Jet. It seats seven (I have three kids), has a 1,200 nautical mile range, and includes safety features like autoland and a parachute on the aircraft’s roof. My background includes gliding, so I’m comfortable with aviation and could pursue a license. From a financial standpoint, it seems surprisingly practical: I could lease the plane through my LLC and take advantage of a favorable write-off, and the aircraft appears to hold its value reasonably well.
Right now, the idea feels like a honeymoon phase—romanticizing the prospect of taking my wife and kids on family trips, with everything looking ideal and rosy. What I need is a dose of reality and some perspective: why might this be a poor idea? For those who own a small aircraft, have you encountered regrets?
Note: I’ve left this post up for posterity to capture where my thinking started and to invite constructive feedback.
