Any pilots here

[dm]

Thanks everyone. The wife has actually been up in a 152. A local kid we know took her for a spin a year or two after he got out of high school. She seemed to enjoy it and didn't have any motion problems.

As I said, this is something that I have alway's wanted to do, but either didn't have the time or money. Now I do, so I start in February when I get back from vacation. I do want to be able to go an a trip now and then, but understand its weather permitting.

I talked to two different instructors at two flight school's and both said the 152 might be a little small for me and an instructor. I'm 6' and 200 lbs, and the instructors were about the same.

Prices for a block of 10 hours were, $70 for a 152, $75 for a PA-140, and $93 for a 172. Instruction is $45 per hour. The above prices may vary some with the cost of fuel.

He had some tailwheel aircraft in his hanger, but I think he is more of a collector, don't know if he rents those out or trains in them.

 

[MikeD]

$93 an hour! That's cheap! My wife got a bug for learning to fly a helicopter a couple of years ago! $265 an hour! She spent $5K before we knew it but had a lot of fun and learned a lot. She learned on a Robinson R22 and it took a long time to learn to hover. I prefer ground based transportation.

Mike D.

 

[Avalon]

1 - NEVER be so impatient to fly that it clouds your judgement on weather, your health at the moment, or the condition of the plane. Force yourself to never REQUIRE flying on any given day. If you ever fly somewhere, the return trip's timing is flexible. You'll spend the night in a hotel if necessary.

This is a very good point. I lost a good friend years back who took off into bad weather when he shouldn't have. He had a room reservation during the Oshkosh air show and was determined not to lose it. He was flying a home built aircraft called a Cavalier. The saddest part was that his 12 year old son died in the crash with him.

 

[ls99]

"....fly a helicopter a couple of years ago! $265 an hour!"

Helicopters a very complex machines.

One definition was of military helicopter: A bunch of spare parts flying in loose formation, supplied by the low bidder.
At least the American ones did not have what the Russians used to refer to as the Jesus nut holding on the rotor blades. Jesus nut, because if it came loose all the pilot could say was Jesus before crashing.

They expend nearly 3/4 of power and fuel in holding them up and about 1/4 of energy for forward/sideways or backward propulsion.

The advantage is that it can do all of those things and hover. Those feature make it very expensive and very maintenance intensive.

But there is no comparable feeling of jollies in the world to pulling up the collective, lifting off, hovering, then taking off in a right ascending spiral. Almost better than sex.

Then there is the hair raising experience of flying at about 15 Kts, in the fog and seeing hundreds of legs and hoofs about 50' higher than horizon, and realizing a herd of caribou is attached to the legs. Telling the real pilot -your stick -, Coming to a near screeching halt, then really slowly easing forward to see the rest of story.

 

[rescueme]

One definition was of military helicopter: A bunch of spare parts flying in loose formation, supplied by the low bidder.

Heck, one of my old managers learned to drive a UH-1 (Huey) and it didn't cost him a cent.

He even became a captain (Army) without a college degree (quite unlike the AF, which I was a participant ).

Of course, that was in the "old days" when he/I were used as target practice by some folks in a certain SEA vacation paradise, that we were invited (by Uncle Sam, to meet Uncle Ho) to travel to.

 

[REWahoo]

I learned to fly absolutely free - heck, I even got paid to do it!

Of course I had no choice in what I flew, where I flew, when I flew, when I came home, or where I lived for several years. But the training was excellent, ongoing and fully funded by the taxpaying citizens of the US of A.

 

[ATC Guy]

This thread makes me want to get current again. Got my private license back in 2005. Awesome experience but being young I quickly ran out of money after training.

I'll reiterate that you should plan lessons two to three times per week.

Learning to fly was very rewarding and having a license even more so. I thought it would be so cool to take friends and family up flying once I had the license but actually found it more fun to fly alone. Most passengers are inexperienced when it comes to small planes which creates the "hassle" of explaining EVERYTHING you are doing and sometimes dealing with frightened people.

I'm also an air traffic controller so if you want any insight into the other side of the scope let me know.

 

[ls99]

OK. Show of hands, how many want to join the military for free flight lessons, room and board?

I learned to fly helis while leasing them with pilots for research purposes on gummint grants and other research contracts, ie. taxpayer expense. Hundreds of hours flying, got to learn and play, no flight certificate. I just wanted initially learn enough to land the things in case the pilot had problems. The rest just evolved over about 14 years in Alaska. real bush flying.

Real joyride: Fly along a ridge line 2000' or so feet up, inside of the vortex generated by wind hitting the mountainside.

After landing sometimes clocked 30 to 40 Kts sitting there. Kind of hard to tie the main rotor blades down so it does not bang up the rotor head.

Inside vortex flying is OK in Hughes 500 and Bell Jetrangers, Sucks in UH-1H and UH-1M, the rotor diameter is too large, get real bad bouncing, forget it when trying to turn to set up for tiny landing spot, the tail rotor gets caught in wind, tend to run out of rudder control. Heh heh, full pedal and still going in the wrong direction. If the terrain is real rocky it can lead to extreme "pucker factor". Hard to get the seat cover out of one's backside.

Just to pipe in with the others, if you don't pay good attention to the weather, and truly understand its vagaries, it will kill you. Get there itis is often fatal.

 

[Nords]

Heck, one of my old managers learned to drive a UH-1 (Huey) and it didn't cost him a cent.
He even became a captain (Army) without a college degree (quite unlike the AF, which I was a participant ).
Of course, that was in the "old days" when he/I were used as target practice by some folks in a certain SEA vacation paradise, that we were invited (by Uncle Sam, to meet Uncle Ho) to travel to.

That's when they needed a new pilot every few minutes, right?

Of course I had no choice in what I flew, where I flew, when I flew, when I came home, or where I lived for several years.

And they called you funny names, too...

OK. Show of hands, how many want to join the military for free flight lessons, room and board?

Yet you guys think submariners are nuts. Sheesh.

 

[clifp]

Yet you guys think submariners are nuts. Sheesh.

I don't know which group is crazier naval aviators or submariners. However, I bet watching Top Gun that almost all guys, and probably a heck of a lot girls, thought flying a jet looks like a hell of lot of fun. No doubt looking like Tom Cruise would add to the fun factor.

On the other hand I can't imagine kid watching Das Boot, and saying gee that looks like fun career. Even if people aren't trying to kill you all the time, being locked up in a steel cylinder for 90 days without seeing the sun doesn't like nearly as much fun as doing aerobatics in a F14.

 

[HFWR]

So you want to fly in a Navy Fighter Jet?

Biff was to fly me in an F-14D Tomcat, a ridiculously powerful $60 million weapon with nearly as much thrust as weight, not unlike Colin Montgomerie. I was worried about getting airsick, so the night before the flight I asked Biff if there was something I should eat the next morning.
“Bananas,” he said.
“For the potassium?” I asked.
“No,” Biff said, “because they taste about the same coming up as they do going down.”

 

[JPatrick]

I learned to fly absolutely free - heck, I even got paid to do it!

Of course I had no choice in what I flew, where I flew, when I flew, when I came home, or where I lived for several years. But the training was excellent, ongoing and fully funded by the taxpaying citizens of the US of A.

+1

Don't forget--Cool sunglasses for free..

 

[clifp]

+1

Don't forget--Cool sunglasses for free..

The sunglasses are free too! Now I am really jealous, if only they had Lasik surgery back in 1977 I might have had a different career.

 

[HFWR]

The sunglasses are free too! Now I am really jealous, if only they had Lasik surgery back in 1977 I might have had a different career.

Is being dead a career?

 

[ls99]

For those that never spent time in a cockpit, here is a video of a fairly high performance aircraft with two very experienced pilots heading to Aspen, missing the approach due to weather, landing in Eagle.

Note that they are pretty busy even though flying with a the autopilot knob for a good while.



Aspen Missed Approach.wmv - YouTube

 

[Leonidas]

I'll admit to watching a little GA porn in response to this thread. The Cirrus SR22 is a sweet airplane:

Landing at Detroit City Airport in a Cirrus SR22 - YouTube

 

[clifp]

I see my dad Falco is is for sale, by the guy I sold it to. It is gorgeous plane, although being only two place may not be the most practical. The guy hasn't flown in much since I sold it to him, a few hundred hours in the dozen years, because of medical problems.

 

[Nords]

I don't know which group is crazier naval aviators or submariners. However, I bet watching Top Gun that almost all guys, and probably a heck of a lot girls, thought flying a jet looks like a hell of lot of fun. No doubt looking like Tom Cruise would add to the fun factor.
On the other hand I can't imagine kid watching Das Boot, and saying gee that looks like fun career. Even if people aren't trying to kill you all the time, being locked up in a steel cylinder for 90 days without seeing the sun doesn't like nearly as much fun as doing aerobatics in a F14.

Yeah, I know, Top Gun has Cruise & Kelly McGillis. Hunt For Red October has a Baldwin brother and a cameo by Gates McFadden...

I guess the good news is that the "real" Navy makes fun of both movies for their lack of realism.

 

[samclem]

I see my dad Falco is is for sale, by the guy I sold it to. It is gorgeous plane, although being only two place may not be the most practical. The guy hasn't flown in much since I sold it to him, a few hundred hours in the dozen years, because of medical problems.

That is a beautiful airplane. Anybody that finishes building a Falco has really accomplished something, your dad built a work of art. I'm sure if the airplane market was in better shape this seller would be asking much more for this plane.
Everyone reports that Falcos are sweet fliers, but you've got to avoid letting the airspeed get low.

 

[JPatrick]

Everyone reports that Falcos are sweet fliers, but you've got to avoid letting the airspeed get low.

Also important not to run out of altitude...

 

[Rustward]

My first solo was in N5318Q. Looks like it's still flying.

 

[l2ridehd]

Been flying for a long time. Took my flight exam on my 16th birthday in 1961. Flew Cessna 140's, 150, 172, 182, Taylor, Luscombe, Aeronca, Piper, and a few others. Had flown skis and floats by the time I was 19, had commercial and instrument ratings when I went in the Airforce. Had the fun and scare of flying F-111's there. Flew for a while when I got out, mostly antique stuff, but haven't done any for 25 years now. Hopefully now that I am retiring in a month I can get back in the cockpit again.

 

[HFWR]

Also important not to run out of altitude...

Danger, Will Robinson, adult content ahead...

Ron White Flying With Engine Problems - YouTube

 

[check6]

For those that never spent time in a cockpit, here is a video of a fairly high performance aircraft with two very experienced pilots heading to Aspen, missing the approach due to weather, landing in Eagle.

Note that they are pretty busy even though flying with a the autopilot knob for a good while.

A lot of chattering going on and a lot of switches being thrown during the landing roll.

 

[ls99]

Noticed that.

Don't recall that sort of routine in helicopters, except after turbine idle, then shutdown, and the rotor blades had stopped as well.