My husband, David Stoetzer, is a flight instructor with Fly Advanced, and works out of Wings Field, Blue Bell, PA. He teaches people to fly in a Cirrus SR22 single engine (these planes have a parachute).

Our first plane we ever owned was a Piper Cherokee, which we bought in 2011. We didn’t go into it alone – we partnered with two other pilots. That’s pretty typical in plane ownership. The first thing people usually ask when they hear we own a plane is, "How much does it cost?" Well, having partners to share the expenses makes it a lot more manageable. When you split the costs between three or more people, it can actually be cheaper than buying a used car. Just to clarify, we’re not talking about brand new planes. The ones we’ve owned were built in the ’50s and ’70s, so they need a little TLC and regular maintenance.

The second thing people always mention is a bad experience they’ve had on a small plane. The planes we own are much smaller than those "small planes" you see flying out of regional airports. Ours typically seat 2 to 4 people, and depending on the passengers weight, they might only carry two. I have to admit, I wasn’t always comfortable flying. I’m afraid of heights! But the more you do it, the more you get used to it. It definitely helps that David is an amazing pilot.

By the end of 2013, we sold our share of the plane.

In 2015, a friend invited us to partner with her in purchasing a 1952 Cessna 170 Taildragger. We kept it at Heritage Field in Limerick, Pennsylvania. The most interesting thing about this plane is the tiny rear wheel – hence the name "Taildragger." David put in a lot of hours to bring this plane up to standard for long trips. One of our most memorable adventures was in June 2016 when we took our longest flight yet, from Heritage Field, Limerick, PA to Hickory Regional Airport, NC. Our dog, Hoover, came along too. He was safely secured in the backseat wearing headphones to protect his hearing and was such a calm passenger.

David really loved flying that plane and took it on several adventures, including a trip out west. Sadly, in 2020, while landing, the plane encountered a tail loop, and after inspection, it was considered non-airworthy.

We begin the search for our next plane.

After the loss of our Taildragger, we began the search for a Cessna 172. It is a really reliable aircraft, but at the time, COVID had made used planes harder to come by. Luckily, in 2022 we found a 1976 Cessna 172 and got to work on restoring it. There’s still a lot to do – it needs a new paint job, the windows need replacing, and several other updates are on the list. But after two years of revitalizing, we’re excited to take it on its next adventure!

I’ll leave you with a short clip of us landing at Heritage Field Airport in the 172.

You may want to turn down the volume-it’s noisy up there.