The 182 in Georgia...

The first picture of N40BB I saw (KDNL, Augusta, GA)

Searching for the 182 had turned into somewhat of an obsession... between the daily emails from the websites and the constant harassment of the broker (I figure he saw it as harassment, I was just checking up on an investment...).

Googling around one late night (did you know you can google Cessna serial numbers?) led to a plane I hadn't seen on Barnstomers, Controller, or Trade-A-Plane... a gray and darker gray 1977 Cessna 182Q Skylane II based out of Augusta, Georgia. It was listed on the broker's personal website.

I sent an email out to the broker to take a look, little did I know this would become my plane. 

Hangars, Lack Thereof

During my search for an airplane I never had a second thought about where to base it, I planned to keep it where I did my flight training, KUMP - Indianapolis Metropolitan, and then I tried to get a hangar there...

Indy Metro is a small airport with a 3,850ft x 100ft always-crosswind runway right in the city of Indianapolis (well technically the airport is in Fishers, I think) but either way it's about 15 minutes away from both my house and the office, sitting on the northeast side of Indianapolis a bit outside the Indianapolis Class Charlie airspace. The convenience to me was undeniable. While there are several airports in Indy, including Eagle Creek Airpark (KEYE) on the northwest side, Indianapolis Executive (KTYQ) on the far northside, Indianapolis Regional (KMQJ) just south of Metropolitan -- for me none are as convenient as Metro.

Long story short, after multiple attempts, different folks out at the Indianapolis Airport Authority (the agency that runs the Indianapolis area airports) the attempts to rent a hangar at Metro didn't go anywhere near as well as planned. I ended up on the waiting list and told a hangar would be available on August 18th at Metro -- or -- I could get a hangar out at Indianapolis Regional immediately. Eagle Creek Airpark, another option, was also full. I never looked into the hangar situation at Indianapolis Executive who isn't managed by the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

Indianapolis Regional (KMQJ) is the only other airport in the Indianapolis vicinity other than International (KIND) with multiple runways, I had done a good bit of a flight training out there as it's runways almost always had better wind conditions then Metro -- not to mention 9/27 is about twice as long as Metro's 15/33. I also attended the AOPA 2014 Fly-In at MQJ and definitely liked the airport. BUT, the drive out to regional would be over 30 minutes from home and work. (Side note: living about the center of Indy really spoils me since almost anything is about 15 minutes away, doubling that drive to 30 minutes is almost unthinkable -- something most people wouldn't even think twice about).

So on the waiting list I sit...