He's Owned 12 Airplanes in 25 Years. Here's How to Buy the Right One | Mark Woglom E367

Pilot to Pilot

Mark Woglom has bought and sold roughly a dozen airplanes in twenty-five years — a new Cessna 182 he learned to fly in, a Baron he never got comfortable in, a pressurized 414, a Cheyenne II XL, four separate Cirrus SR22s, a Vision Jet, a TBM 960, a Citation M2, and the CJ3+ he flies today. Six weeks ago he added an Icon A5, because you can't go sightseeing in a jet.

Along the way he built a framework for making the decision the rest of us agonize over.

In this episode we cover:

  • The three F's — finances, features, and function — and why mission is the one most buyers skip
  • The "fourth F": buying the wrong airplane, and how to avoid it
  • Why he never trusts manufacturer range claims, broker enthusiasm, or forum consensus
  • His normalized fuel reserve method for comparing aircraft honestly, apples to apples
  • Real rules of thumb for insurance, capital cost, maintenance, and the ancillary costs that ambush new owners
  • Why he took a five-year break from flying while still owning an airplane
  • What changed when he decided to earn a type rating in his mid-fifties
  • Why his wife's headset ended a turboprop purchase
  • Never get plane poor — and why a fuel stop isn't the end of the world

Whether you're saving toward your first 172 or wondering whether the step up is worth it, this one's a masterclass in buying with your head instead of your heart.

Happy Flying,
Justin

Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 003 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/mag

Sponsors — please support the people who support the show: • NEW SPONSOR ALERT I'd like to welcome AeroTow to the Pilot to Pilot sponsors! check out their AeroTow T2 Engineered for easier maneuverability, the AeroTow T2 is versatile for a variety of aircraft. Its universal cradle provides a seamless towing experience ( Pilot to Pilot listeners can save $100 by using the code in the podcast!) Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Learn more about the exciting innovations at Textron Aviation today… just go to TXTAV.com • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Allworth Financial - https://allworthfinancial.com/airlines/lp/runway-for-retirement-webinar?utm_campaign=airlines+-+more+runway+for+retirement?lmls=Partner+Channel&lmld=Pilot+to+Pilot&ad_version=Social 

More description

Mark Woglom has bought and sold roughly a dozen airplanes in twenty-five years — a new Cessna 182 he learned to fly in, a Baron he never got comfortable in, a pressurized 414, a Cheyenne II XL, four separate Cirrus SR22s, a Vision Jet, a TBM 960, a Citation M2, and the CJ3+ he flies today. Six weeks ago he added an Icon A5, because you can't go sightseeing in a jet.

Along the way he built a framework for making the decision the rest of us agonize over.

In this episode we cover:

  • The three F's — finances, features, and function — and why mission is the one most buyers skip
  • The "fourth F": buying the wrong airplane, and how to avoid it
  • Why he never trusts manufacturer range claims, broker enthusiasm, or forum consensus
  • His normalized fuel reserve method for comparing aircraft honestly, apples to apples
  • Real rules of thumb for insurance, capital cost, maintenance, and the ancillary costs that ambush new owners
  • Why he took a five-year break from flying while still owning an airplane
  • What changed when he decided to earn a type rating in his mid-fifties
  • Why his wife's headset ended a turboprop purchase
  • Never get plane poor — and why a fuel stop isn't the end of the world

Whether you're saving toward your first 172 or wondering whether the step up is worth it, this one's a masterclass in buying with your head instead of your heart.

Happy Flying,
Justin

Pilot to Pilot Magazine — Volume 003 is out now. Get yours at pilottopilothq.com/mag

Sponsors — please support the people who support the show: • NEW SPONSOR ALERT I'd like to welcome AeroTow to the Pilot to Pilot sponsors! check out their AeroTow T2 Engineered for easier maneuverability, the AeroTow T2 is versatile for a variety of aircraft. Its universal cradle provides a seamless towing experience ( Pilot to Pilot listeners can save $100 by using the code in the podcast!) Avemco Insurance — Save 5% as a Pilot to Pilot listener. Call (888) 635-4297 or visit avemco.com/4297-owner (owners) or avemco.com/4297-non-owner (non-owners) • Learn more about the exciting innovations at Textron Aviation today… just go to TXTAV.com • Garmin — Plan, file, fly, log with the Garmin Pilot app • Allworth Airline Advisors — Register for their latest webinar at allworthfinancial.com/justin • Allworth Financial - https://allworthfinancial.com/airlines/lp/runway-for-retirement-webinar?utm_campaign=airlines+-+more+runway+for+retirement?lmls=Partner+Channel&lmld=Pilot+to+Pilot&ad_version=Social 

2026-08-18 57 min Transcript
Listen elsewhere

Available Results

Generated results are saved to your library for reuse and search.

No generated results are available for this episode yet.

Transcript

Open the Transcript tab to load the transcript.

Chapters

No chapters available.