Any pilots on here??

Hey WW crew...

I imagine there is some aviation pilots here on the board??

If so, what type of flying do you do? what certification did you go with? equipment? if in general aviation, did you buy a plane to get your training hours? what type of training atmosphere did you go with (big airport, small airport, flying club, type of ground school, etc...)

I have wanted to fly for well over ten years (ok, maybe more, i remember doing career projects in highschool that were aviation) and I think its finally time to take some action!!

Originally Posted by brycejb328

Hey WW crew...

I imagine there is some aviation pilots here on the board??

If so, what type of flying do you do? what certification did you go with? equipment? if in general aviation, did you buy a plane to get your training hours? what type of training atmosphere did you go with (big airport, small airport, flying club, type of ground school, etc...)

I have wanted to fly for well over ten years (ok, maybe more, i remember doing career projects in highschool that were aviation) and I think its finally time to take some action!!

Started with fixed-wing (Cessna 152) and later moved on to helicopters. I trained in a R22 and now have almost 1000 hours in a EC-120.

I have a rotor commercial instrument and a private fixed license.

There is no one answer for everyone regarding training. It depends on where you want to fly, what you want to fly and what kind of money you have to spend.

You will learn a lot when flying out of a large airport, but it will be more expensive and you will spend more time on the ground waiting for clearance. Flying clubs are a great way to save money.

I am ex military. I got my training there. Figure out what you want to fly first. I would recommend fixed wing. It is typically cheaper. Are you looking at a career change or just a hobby?

Flying is very expensive...I can't afford to fly unless someone else is paying for it. I recommend renting aircraft with a school. You have more flexibility to fly different aircraft and will have a better idea of what you may want to buy after getting licensed.

My oldest son learned to fly and got his private license. He was influenced seeing several of our riding friends who flew for a living. Both had great gigs and were able to enjoy some extended days off between flights. However, when he looked at how the industry was shrinking and one of our friends long term jobs ended, it was difficult for him to find a decent and steady one afterwards. He's good now, but my son decided to go into engineering and leave the flying for fun.

I learned in a citabrea, small aerobatic tail dragged. A blast to fly. Haven't flown in over a decade though.

Got mine through the Civil Air Patrol 22 years ago this month. I've had two Cessna's, a 150 and a172, we a have a Beechcraft B-55 Baron for sale now. I hope to upgrade soon. I logged over three hundred hours in 109 flights last year, mostly from Scottsdale Airpark to Show Low Municipal.

This is me Landing in San Carlos 2 week's ago. Its not my best landing but I got it done LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXMBo...2&feature=plcp
Its our Friends Beechcraft B36.

Bryce- it all comes down to $$ and how much time you can put in. Take a look at starting out in an LSA (light sport aircraft) and work towards a Sport Pilot certificate. You can fly with just a driver's license & only requires 20 hours of training. If you really want to buy a plane, clean used LSAs can be found under $75k. Operating costs are low and Sport Pilot training now counts toward Private Pilot hours. Also be sure to take a look at your community college for a great way to get through ground school.

Good resource here-
http://www.aopa.org/learntofly/index.html

I'm working on my MEI right now and it costs me over $400/hour to fly in a Duchess with an instructor...

I agree with Doug. If you are just doing it for fun, Sport Pilot is the way to go. IMO, high performance instrument flying in busy airspace is not fun. I would love to just be a sport pilot flying something like this.

http://www.iconaircraft.com/

Doug.. you think $400 is expensive, look at the cost of helicopters. Two-seaters are over $200 and a Eurocopter EC-120 runs $1500 per hour.

Originally Posted by Shooter

I agree with Doug. If you are just doing it for fun, Sport Pilot is the way to go. IMO, high performance instrument flying in busy airspace is not fun. I would love to just be a sport pilot flying something like this.

http://www.iconaircraft.com/

Doug.. you think $400 is expensive, look at the cost of helicopters. Two-seaters are over $200 and a Eurocopter EC-120 runs $1500 per hour.

LOL... try landing in Denver on Saturday morning... I had to change my shorts... traffic everywhere!

Sedona, AZ is my favorite place to fly in or out of.

http://youtu.be/qkC5KiZOkR8

Thanks for all the insight everyone...

I would be doing this as a hobby... but who knows... things could always change one way or the other once I get into it.

The LSA certificate seems to be my best bet and will get me what I want as of this point and time... from what I have seen it can be done for $3-5k.

I am the type who likes to have some base knowledge before diving into something, I am a 1/3 of the way through this book (except the more recent version) http://www.amazon.com/Your-Pilots-Li.../dp/0071402853

and also picked up the 2012 private pilot test prep book from this company http://www.asa2fly.com/

So hopefully if i study up on these I can get through the training a little more effeciently!

oh... and that ICON A5 is a quite amazing machine!

I am a commercial pilot with CFI and MEI. I fly for a living for Comair. I can tell u first hand that regional flying is a pretty shi**y existence. I wonder all the time what life would be like if I had chosen a different career path and could afford to still fly for fun. I would look into local flying clubs and just work toward the private pilot. We have a place at the local airport that just offers taildragger citabrias for rent to members. Probably the cheapest way to go. You may even find one that has an STC for auto gas and could fly even cheaper on the hour. A lot of those clubs have instructors they use. Try and find a way to set up with a freelance instructor to save some cash. When I was instructing I taught for 25 an hour cash. Most guys will do this if you can find an aircraft. When you go in a flight school they are going to charge u 35-50 an hour for instruction and only about 20 of that goes to the CFI. If you can eliminate that middle man waste you can save a bunch of money. Get out to your local airport on a Saturday morning and talk to the old guys that hang out in the FBO. We called them the Saturday morning liars club. A lot of those guys own airplanes or know who may have something for rent outside the flight schools. They are the true people that want to experience aviation rather than screw u out of hard earned cash. Once you get some experience and some networking you can find ways to fly for free or at little cost thru these guys.

Three good books to start reading:

http://www.asa2fly.com/Test-Prep-201..._product1.aspx

http://www.asa2fly.com/Airplane-Flyi..._product1.aspx

http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/8372

Do not start reading test prep books and expect to do well. The FAA has spent the last 12-14 months changing out questions without notice. All of the test-able info for a PPL should come from the 8083 series. If you are using outside printed pubs make sure you get updates.

My advice- just go fly. Find an instructor you like and use what they recommend for study.

Shooter- I don't get your posts. You say ... "I can't afford to fly unless someone else is paying for it." But then fill us in on how many hours you have at what cost. Thanks for helping out the guy with zero experience...

You go on to post " high performance instrument flying in busy airspace is not fun" and forget to mention that everything sucks in a helo...

Originally Posted by doug2

Do not start reading test prep books and expect to do well. The FAA has spent the last 12-14 months changing out questions without notice. All of the test-able info for a PPL should come from the 8083 series. If you are using outside printed pubs make sure you get updates.

My advice- just go fly. Find an instructor you like and use what they recommend for study.

Shooter- I don't get your posts. You say ... "I can't afford to fly unless someone else is paying for it." But then fill us in on how many hours you have at what cost. Thanks for helping out the guy with zero experience...

You go on to post " high performance instrument flying in busy airspace is not fun" and forget to mention that everything sucks in a helo...

Doug, Im not sure where you are going with this? It sounds like you are trying to pick a fight, but maybe I'm reading it wrong.

I'm just trying to warn the OG poster on how expensive this "hobby" is and how little it pays if you do it for a living. I have payed for my share of flight time over the past 15+ years and during much of that time I couldn't afford much else. I eventually got into helicopters and really don't have the disposable income to pay $200 to $1500 a hour to get the crappy airport restaurant burger.

As far as my comment regarding not enjoying high workload flying...Most people think bigger & faster is better. I personally rather putt around and enjoy the flight in something like a Cub. My comment was to discourage him from buying a aircraft he knows nothing about.

The books I recommended was: 1. FAR- the pilot's bible. He will need one anyway. 2. The pilots handbook- great info, easy to read and most instructors use this book as a cornerstone of their instruction. 3. 2012 ASA private pilot test prep- This is the newest book and WILL have the FAA question / answers to the written test he will need to take. I passed my written before I started instruction. Not for everyone, but it is very possible. It will at least give him excellent information to build a foundation.

"every thing suck in a helo"? How much time do you have in a "helo"? You would realize how easy that MEL is after landing a jet turbine helicopter on a mountain top at night on night vision goggles.

www.airoperations.us

Doug, I enjoy fixed-wing, but you have no idea how much fun flying can be until you try rotor. When you are done playing in the sandbox feel free to give me a call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_le...e_gdata_player

www.airoperations.us

Bryce..Sorry for the rant. It looks like there is a lot of good information here for a wakeboarding website.

In a nut shell... Be ready to spend money because it only goes up from here, study (It never hurts and books are cheap), find a school or club that offers safe equipment & instructors regardless of price (your life depends on it) and never stop learning.

Although a lot of fun, I don't recommend helicopters. I was just giving some insight on what I know and love. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!

Shooter- sometimes I wish teh interwebz had a sarc/ font. I was pulling your chain as these "I'm a newb, help me with..." threads usually de-volve into d*ck swinging. Your thought out response kinda makes my point, as it was easy to misinterpret your earlier posts. GA is facing tough times and seeing posts about $1500/hr can be discouraging.

(For what its worth- I'm always playing in the sandbox and hope to never get out. In a previous life I'd burn $1500 of JP-8 in about 4 minutes...)

I'm often reminded (by my wife) of this doormat Sporty's sells-

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/9475

Doug I got your message I'll call u this evening when I get to the hotel.
Dave