Unless you own your own aircraft or have a very good friend who does, odds are, if you want to fly you're going to have to rent the airplane. This isn't a bad thing and a matter of fact, it's often the best thing.

I know we'd all like to have that plane we can call our own. One that's always there when we need it, don't feel rushed to return and one we know what it's been through since the last time we used it. Unfortunately, that's just not a luxury many of us can afford.

The truth is, unless you're flying more than 3-5 hours a week, you're probably saving money by renting. Factor in the cost of fuel, maintenance, insurance, and repairs and you can see where a $100 an hour rental is much cheaper.

If you've recently completed your flying lessons, the odds are, yours or one of the other flight schools in your area will have exactly the right plane for you to rent. If you're looking to rent from the school you took your flight training with, you most likely will be able to rent the plane immediately following your passed check ride. Assuming it's available.

If you want to rent from a different school in your area, odds are you're going to have to get checked out in the plane. This usually means going up with one of their flight instructors and demonstrating you know how to handle the aircraft and the use the proper procedures for that airspace. Usually not a very big deal. In fact, make use of the opportunity with a different CFI to get to know a little more than you did before.

Some rental facilities will require you have a specific number of hours before you take one of their planes. If it's a transition to a glass panel or maybe you're flyinng over a large body of water, they'll want to make sure you can do that safely. Often this is something their insurance carrier requires of them. Don't be surprised if some aircraft require an instrument rating before you can fly.

Most aircraft available for rent will cost between $80 and $150 per hour. It all depends on the type of aircraft with smaller Cessna 152's going for close to $80 and larger, new or more sophisticated aircraft reaching up near $150. A newer Cessna 172 with a G1000 glass panel will usually go for about $140 per hour.

The time you're charged is based on the Hobbs meter inside of the aircraft. This meter starts ticking the moment you turn the aircraft engine on. For this reason, some pilots like to do everything they can, including talking to clearance delivery with a handheld radio, before they turn on the engine. No point paying $10 for a short clearance conversation. A handheld will pay for itself in about 20 flights.

Make sure you take the time to look at what the Hobbs meter says in comparison to the logbook. The previous pilot may have skimped by a tenth of an hour and left you paying for that. Again, at $120 an hour, 1/10th of that is $12. That's a nice lunch at the next airport.

Most of the time you're going to be charged a "wet' rate. This simply means the cost of the fuel is included in the hourly rate. Most will reimburse you for fuel you buy while you're out flying up the cost at the home airport. Make sure you're aware of that when you're buying fuel. A simple bit of planning before you leave will save you some money on your trip.

One of the drawbacks of the wet rental rate is that most renters will run the plane at full throttle burning up all sorts of fuel to get where they're going as quick as possible. Some believe it would be better for the aircraft and our environment if more facilities went to a dry rental rate.

Doing your homework doesn't just include finding the right price for the aircraft you're looking for, it means talking to the facility performing the maintanence on the plane. I recently went to rent a Piper Archer III and asked who performed the maintanence. I then walked over to the facility and had a brief converstation with the head mechanic. I found out a little bit of the history on the plane and also learned this particular facility never tried to cut corners on the maintanence.

The truth is, most of the aircraft you see available at your local flight schools are on a "lease back." This means someone else actually owns the plane and they lease it back to the flight school. This helps defer some of the cost of ownership but stll allows the owner to use the plane whenever they need it. The maintanance costs, just like a rental home, is the responsiblity of the owner.

Consider picking up a very complete aircraft checkbook or at the very least your own CheckMate checklist.  I really like the CheckMate products and they have a very good reputation.  Having your own checklist ensures you won't be stuck with some worn out piece of paper falling apart when you need it the most.  It's worth the investment.