Be warned flying is highly addictive and not cheap. I took lessons back in the 90's and came just short of getting my license when I ran out of money to finish up. In a State with few roads planes are the ticket to accessing a lot of country that otherwise can't be reached, but every year there are too many crashes for all kinds of reasons, weather being a big one, low altitude stalls another. I've come around to the opinion that I'll gladly pay an experienced pilot that flies all the time to get me where I need to go because until I can afford to own my own plane and fly it regularly, I'm not going to be able to maintain the proficiency to keep myself in one piece. I say go for it, but remember to continue flying requires a lot of dedication of both time and money. Owning your own plane that you're intimate with is really the only way to go IMHO. If you can find an instructor that will allow you to do spins (with some altitude), go for it. Best rush in the world. 😎
Williwaw, post: 394625, member: 7066 wrote: If you can find an instructor that will allow you to do spins (with some altitude), go for it. Best rush in the world. 😎
as a matter of fact, here's who i'll be up with this week, and who i'll likely get most of my hours with: [MEDIA=youtube]eFI0ZXAWrsc[/MEDIA]
flyin solo, post: 394623, member: 8089 wrote: driving takes about 16 when you account for three female passengers (i've done it in just over 12 by myself).
Yep, that's because they have to pee every 30 minutes. (at McDonalds only, God forbid a 7-11).
Can drive around town for 6 hours and no pee. Get in the car for a road trip, pee alarm goes off every 30 minutes, go figure? 😉
FL/GA PLS., post: 394634, member: 379 wrote: Yep, that's because they have to pee every 30 minutes. (at McDonalds only, God forbid a 7-11).
Can drive around town for 6 hours and no pee. Get in the car for a road trip, pee alarm goes off every 30 minutes, go figure? 😉
you said it, not me. 😉
flyin solo, post: 394635, member: 8089 wrote: you said it, not me. 😉
You got dat rite, that's my story and I'm sticken to it.
flyin solo, post: 394627, member: 8089 wrote: as a matter of fact, here's who i'll be up with this week, and who i'll likely get most of my hours with: [MEDIA=youtube]eFI0ZXAWrsc[/MEDIA]
Nope. Nopie nope. No.
jud, post: 143424, member: 170 wrote: Na, people get killed in all kinds of ways, but it does make the price of a ballistic parachute for small aircraft look like a good investment.
jud
A high school classmate of mine was killed (along with his wife) when their plane went down somewhere over Utah. The plane was equipped with a parachute system. I don't know if the plane was ever found.
I was involved with the Civil Air Patrol as a teenager and actually took groundschool when I was 16. I missed passing the written by 2 questions. My math skills were lacking back then.
Lots of new stuff/technology. Mode C transponders and new classes of airspace (yeah, it's been almost 30 years). The data that is available online is amazing compared to almost everything being on paper in the past.
I want to buy a knee board and a pad computer and a Bluetooth headset. I already have a go-pro so I can record and playback my flight lessons. Any suggestions on what tech to invest in?
That video is scary! I have never been in a spin, although they do say it is could to have spin training in order to properly recover from an inadvertent spin. All pilots practice recovery from stalls, and that can actually be fun.
About 8 years ago I bought a share in a flying club that has three planes and 29 members, it has been very good, I am almost always able to get one of the planes whenever I want. The reality is that only about 1/2 of the members fly regularly. And our monthly club meetings are a good opportunity to talk to other pilots.
When my wife was 5 months pregnant with her first child we decided to drive from near Chicago (Purdue) to Monterrey, Mexico for Christmas. I wanted to stop in Houston for a job interview with Western Geophysical, so we went non-stop from Chicago to Houston. Well, of course it wasn't non-stop, there were MANY bathroom stops. Nobody pees like a pregnant woman!
Andy Nold, post: 394738, member: 7 wrote: I was involved with the Civil Air Patrol as a teenager and actually took groundschool when I was 16. I missed passing the written by 2 questions. My math skills were lacking back then.
Lots of new stuff/technology. Mode C transponders and new classes of airspace (yeah, it's been almost 30 years). The data that is available online is amazing compared to almost everything being on paper in the past.
I want to buy a knee board and a pad computer and a Bluetooth headset. I already have a go-pro so I can record and playback my flight lessons. Any suggestions on what tech to invest in?
If your plane does not yet have ADS-B, get a Garmin GDL39 (about $600). And a hand held radio (these are fairly inexpensive).
John Hamilton, post: 394746, member: 640 wrote: That video is scary! I have never been in a spin, although they do say it is could to have spin training in order to properly recover from an inadvertent spin. All pilots practice recovery from stalls, and that can actually be fun.
About 8 years ago I bought a share in a flying club that has three planes and 29 members, it has been very good, I am almost always able to get one of the planes whenever I want. The reality is that only about 1/2 of the members fly regularly. And our monthly club meetings are a good opportunity to talk to other pilots.
Spins are fun.
Spins are the only state in which an airplane is self stabile...as long as you hold the controls to the spin. Before WWII spins were how pilots would get from above the clouds to below as long as there is enough ceiling to recover.
Just did first stalls and first landing.
This is even more fun than I expected.
flyin solo, post: 396686, member: 8089 wrote: Just did first stalls and first landing.
This is even more fun than I expected.
I've always wanted to fly, just thought I couldn't afford it. I started September of last year, got my SEL in March, working on my instrument rating now. It's not cheap, but at least it's therapy that I enjoy.
Been flying 43 years, 9,000+ hours. My current plane, photo landing in 2nd place Alaska short field takeoff/landing contest.
Not too shabby if you came in behind this: [MEDIA=youtube]9V8cnMJSEAk[/MEDIA]
When no one else is around the office I tune in http://www.liveatc.net/ to listen to either KSEA or KBFI. The flight path for both arrivals transit my window from left to right before turning to intercept the localizer for one of the runways. For the aspiring aviators among us logging a bit of radio time on the ground is helpful when your work load is far greater in the air.
Daniel Ralph, post: 396823, member: 8817 wrote: Not too shabby if you came in behind this: [MEDIA=youtube]9V8cnMJSEAk[/MEDIA]
Thats Bobby Breeden, I have flown with him, his Dad is a long time friend & we fly together. That video is an experimental Cub at Valdez with good headwind. The plane was lost to a glacier calving when they were parked in front of a glacier later that summer a few years back.. My plane is an FAA Certified plane, not experimental, so I run in the "Bush" Class. My combined takeoff and landing with tailwind this year was 248 feet.
For the past 37 years my office has been just above http://www.kenmoreairharbor.com/ and I have the luxury of visiting and watching the Otters, Beavers and Cessnas come and go all day. On a windy day when the lake is white-capped and choppy I have seen pilots of the turbine Otters leave the water in a remarkably short distance. The video embedded is of a Beaver that is flown and owned by Jeremy Stevens, Seahawk tight end.
We have it good in the US, even though we often don't realize it. I can jump in a plane and fly anywhere in this country and not pay any fees for use of the air traffic control system, which is an immense and complex system that is extremely useful. I believe the system is funded mostly through a tax on avfuel, which is quite a bit more expensive than regular gasoline. Some airports do have landing fees, parking fees, etc, but those are typically the larger airports with commercial traffic. Most small airports do not charge any fees. If you buy fuel, the FBO makes money. I flew to Cleveland Lakefront twice in the last month, they charge a fee ($7) for landing, and the FBO charges a few other fees like a "security fee" (??) and a parking fee. I didn't park at the FBO so I avoided those extra fees. That airport is very convenient, it is right downtown beside the rock and roll hall of fame. I was able to walk to where we were working.
Actually, I can fly a lot of places in the US and not even use ATC if I fly VFR (i.e. no flight plan, suitable weather). I never do that because I am based at an airport with a tower, and other than a weekend flight around the local area to relax I always file IFR, I like having another set of eyes watching out.
Yesterday I received a bill from NAV Canada for a quarterly charge for "services provided or made available". I flew to Toronto in September. Not a large amount, $17.85 canadian, but a surprise nonetheless. I believe the european ATC also charges for use of their system. There was an attempt this past year to charge user fees here, but it was defeated in congress.
