Aviation BS and Photo Thread

That's cool

 

Thanks, yeah we have a good time. Northern AZ has some awesome spots. Need to get up to Utah and Idaho!

 

Nice Pacer! Is it a Bushmaster conversion?

 

Hey folks, longtime lurker in this thread. This is a copy of a post I made in the Space and Science thread.

I’m hoping to tap into some expertise for those of you who might be in the aerospace field.

My bud’s son just graduated high school and is going into an undergraduate aerospace engineering program in the fall.

Any ideas for something I can get him that could help him begin this journey? Something that might not necessarily be on a syllabus or book list from the school. Something useful from an insiders perspective.

Thanks in advance

 

Some randoms from my service. First 2 are from a gunnery at Ft McCoy. Last 2 are from when I was in Iraq. AH-64A

 

Thanks, no, but it is a PA22/20 ('59). Just has a climb prop, vg's, madras wing droops , and 8.50's.

 

Cool! Looks like a great backcountry ‘RV’. Tastefully modified.

 

Yeah, it's been an awesome bird. Thanks. Plenty of useful load, I usually carry all my buddies gear when we go out. This is my first plane and honestly couldn't have picked a better way to get into the sport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAba29nFT4g

 

Any recommendations for a flight school in the Bay Area? Finally ready to start working towards my PPL

 

Are you just getting your private? I got mine Part 61, and think it's the way to go. If you want your commercial find a flight school IMHO.

No matter what, it's the best decision you've ever made!

 

Sometimes I forget that this website is actually about trucks.

 

Thanks! It's been a long time coming. I'm not going commercial or anything, so just getting the private

 

Most of the schools I knew about when I was an instructor have closed or changed so much that I can’t vouch for them. I have heard good things about https://bayareaflyingclub.com/ but I don’t have experience with them.

 

Right on, thanks! I'll check them out

 

Not sure about NorCal, but if it is anything like SoCal - stay away from the busier airports. The busier the airport, the more you’ll be waiting on the ground for the pattern to open up. I fly into Van Nuy’s and Orange County often and those poor studies are always waiting on the ground or being told to fly enormous patterns by tower because of volume. Maybe take a look at Concord, Hayward or Livermore. If you’re on the west side of the bay, you’ll have Palo Alto and San Carlos.

 

Just like being in Saigon!

 

Good to know! I’m actually right up the street from concord lol

 

My husband went through his PPL/commercial ratings at a non-towered 141 school. Ive tried two 141 schools and am currently in a 61 at a class C towered. Biggest tip I could say is make sure you and your instructor jive. My first one yelled at me and hogged the controls, the second was in it to get hours, arrogant, and tried to loop the 172 with me in it to ‘show me what they can do’ after I specifically asked him not to after he said ‘want to see me loop it?’ My current instructor is chill af, doesnt hog the controls or comms, and is an awesome teacher. I think you asked about radio stuff earlier? The class C and tower stuff imo is nbd, you learn as you go. The jets do their thing, the tower does theirs. I feel like the annoying mosquito buzzing around. Husband said he wished he learned in towered for the radio stuff because it was ‘daunting’ when he had to enter towered airspaces. Its all different and relative I guess. I did comms in the military and have done pattern crap the last 21 years with the hang gliding and it kind of carried over.. good luck whatever you choose. Its awesome!

Did my first solo XC yesterday up the coast and over BXM, was super fun. Greased the landings

 

an instructor who is arrogant or hogs the controls is one thing, but trying to loop a skyhawk? with a private student, no less?! I sure hope you made a prompt call to FSDO. I can let a lot of things go but there's just no excuse for that level of recklessness. that level of douchebaggery has no place in any cockpit, let alone setting a horrid example for learning students....

Ditto on the ATC comms; I did my PPL outta BHB and made it a point to hop over to BGR often just to practice on the radios. BHB got busy, but man it becomes the wild west during the summer. Planes doing whatever left or right traffic they want, people on the ground playing "tower", etc. In fact, once I got over the initial nerves about "what if I say the wrong thing?," it was a relief talking to BGR and having standard, professional interactions. I fondly remember my CFI facepalming repeatedly when I kept making unrequired position calls out of habit, and tower kept responding like "Uhh, okay? Thanks?" haha