It's two things:
1 - A means to toss a few bucks my way as a tip to say thanks.
2 - Extra, unlockable Cessnateur writing and content in the form of a members-only blog.
Why are you doing this?
For years, people have been asking me to set up some kind of system for accepting tips toward my long-term goal of purchasing and flying an airplane of my own, I've decided on Buy Me a Coffee.
It seems like a nice, simple solution. Donors needn't create and set up a new account...you can simply make a donation as a 'guest' if you wish. And although Paypal charges a support fee of 15% per transaction that borders on extortion, Buy Me a Coffee only adds 5% to that.
Are there people and organizations out there that are more deserving of your donations?
OH DEAR GOD ABSOLUTELY. Animal shelters come to mind, as do various groups that fight child abuse. They are far, far more deserving of donations than I.
But if my daily research and writings over the past few years have brought you a nice dose of daily enjoyment, a donation would certainly help me reach my long-term goal of someday acquiring an airplane of my own.
What are you going to do with an airplane?
I'd like to use it to seek out and chase down stories of adventure centered on rare and unusual aircraft.
Specifically, I'd like to fly out to sleepy little airports, find out what's hiding under a layer of dust in the corner of a dark hangar, connect with the owner and learn about it. Pull it out and do a photo shoot, tell the story, and if it's airworthy, go for a flight and write about that.
Perhaps someone knows of a big box of aviation slides from the 1950s that a local airport is going to throw away. I'd fly out, rescue the slides, try to find a local old-timer pilot who might know what each slide is showing. Later, I'd scan/retouch the slides and tell the stories.
It's all about using an airplane to go adventure around and unearth interesting aviation stories that might otherwise fade into history.
What's this unlockable blog all about?
It won't be an every-day thing. I want to maintain my daily frequency on Instagram. I anticipate this blog being a 2-3 times per week sort of deal. More when I have some extra time, less when I'm swamped with life.
I plan on using it for:
A journal of my research and shopping process, including analyses of various aircraft that I discover listed for sale
Random thoughts and writings that are either too lengthy for an Instagram post, or too off-topic.
Cessnateur Scraps - Photos, diagrams, and images that are interesting but don't quite rise to the level of an entire Instagram post.
Possibly, downloadable chapters of a future book.
For example, here's an excerpt from an analysis I did on a 120 that's presently listed for sale:
So like I said, this won't be updated as often as my Instagram feed, but I'll aim to post regularly.
Thanks so much for being here to begin with, and for helping me get into the air if you choose to toss a few bucks my way.