Aviation BS and Photo Thread

My wife just informed me she has booked me a discovery flight with the local flight school for May as an anniversary present. Cessna 172.

We talked about it some last year, but it was still a nice surprise, since I didn't think she was too thrilled with the idea at the time.

But I've have had an interest in all things aviation since I was a boy (frankly ridiculous amount of hours flying xc in Flight Simulator 95 on my Packard Bell 486DX2), but never had the circumstances to do anything with that interest in real life. Honestly still don't at 36, but I feel like I owe it to myself to at least try it.

I don't think I'd be able to make it a career, but more of a hobby. I come from a background in racing, so I know a thing or two about blowing obscene amounts of money on experiences.

Here's to hoping it's what I have it hyped up to be in my mind. Honestly pretty nervous about it. lol.

 

Moat of those owners are probibly happy, new jet time!!

We would have crews tell us to leave the plane out if the weather was severe as the plane was insured for more than its worth.

 

Have fun! If you're already used to blowing obscene amounts of money, you'll fit right in with the aviation community

 

True. Only hassle is the downtime from not having a plane

 

Yup, bust out the net jets or xojet card!!

 

True, I'm trying to concentrate on my CDL (I recently got my permit and need to pass my pre-trip inspection to keep my promotion) and then after that I'll be ready to spend my time and budget my raise towards lessons and learning.

 

Sounds great. I tried getting my license several times over the years and always quit because of the spending on lessons and the realization of how expensive it would be after getting the license. Plus I had kids at home and bills to pay. Once the kids left home, my wife encouraged me to finish up. She wasn't really happy about the amount I was spending, but she enjoys being able to fly to visit our kids more often than we would if we drove. I think now she would say the expense was worth it.

 

For real!

 

I'm working on my PPL now. You're actually a few years behind me chronologically. You will definitely enjoy it. It may be 'slow' compared to racing, as your reference points are much farther away...and no one in next to you
Make sure you like your CFI - shop around. Don't get sucked into fancy avionics/planes instead of steam gauges. Fortunately I have a sparse Piper at a reasonable rate. I don't know how some people afford to train on a new Cirrus...lol Also, lots of YouTube folks. If you do jump in - I've found the study guide, and PHaK pretty useful in prepping for the flight lessons. I also found a gopro is helping review/debrief. Don't need the newest fancy one...but yeah. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions...I have some answers...but am definitely not an expert. Plenty of folks here have millennia of good knowledge.

 

https://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucitsrh/?sl=91QSCI20171501

https://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucitsrh/?sl=91QSCI20171502

https://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucitsrh/?sl=91QSCI20171503


Who was talking about getting a Cessna 210?

 

Good advice.
Not sure the variety I'll have in instructors in my area, but I'll look around. I know I'm not obligated to anything by a discovery flight.
The guy it's booked with is a cool dude though. He's pretty well known in the area even outside aviation. Only concern is he's an older fellow. And by that, I mean I think he gave the Wright brothers their checkride.

 

If your instructor and you don't get along, find a new one! I say this out of personal experience because I didn't know enough to ask for a new instructor.. I will not name names but back in 2012 I wasted 15 hours with a guy in VA whose teaching style was yelling if I wasn't grasping what he was getting at. Also looped the god damned 172 after I specifically asked him not to, I didn't go back after that day. It put me off 8 years from going back until recently at my husband's (commercial/multi pilot) reassurance that training was not supposed to be like that. My new instructor is a sweetheart, trained military prior, and is super level headed. I've been a glider pilot for 20 years so he takes great joy in watching me panic while taking off. Not used to having an engine so that whole high AOA near the ground thing still freaks me out. Haven't mastered the three-wheel-squeal either. I look like a damned albatross coming in.
Happy training to you!

 

Yea this!! I had a crappy instructor at my university flight program that was milking me because I was greasing every landing and I was very down on confidence. He pretty much sucked and i didn't want to fly. I was working at a smaller local airport in line service and one of the instructors there offered to help me out. I switched to that local flight school and within 2hrs with him I soloed and was back regulrary flying again. I ended up not finishing my PPL because i was a dumbass 20yr old, one of my regrets i plan on changing in the future here. Have a good instructor is KEY!! I had all the hours just needed to take my test and do my night hrs.

 

Your instructor definitely makes a difference, but sometimes you don't have a lot of options or you just don't realize how much they are affecting your success or lack there of. My main instructor was new to instructing and was a bit uptight. He would take over too often on landing so I never really knew how much was me or him. He got better as we went along. While my instructor was on vacation I flew with a CFI that was an old (really old) retired commercial pilot who didn't have a care in the world and never touched the controls. I think he may have slept through half the flights. It did me some good to fly with him and know it was all me. My confidence went way up after that.

Learning to fly is a process and journey that's different for everyone. Some take to it right away and others take time. Don't get hung up on when you solo and total hours. My school didn't want you to solo until you were ready to do everything. Others have you solo when you can barely make the traffic pattern. It really doesn't matter when and how many hours as long as you are progressing and getting to the check ride. Some days I left feeling really down and others day elated based on how I did on that one day, but my CFI always reminded me how far I'd come even on the bad days.

It's fun for me now talking to my son as he learns to fly and goes through things as a youngster that I did as an old man.

One pro tip, if your CFI advertises on craigslist, you might want to rethink it.

 

I was lucky ... learning to drive and fly ...

I was driving to spot my newspapers on my small town paper route at about 13 y/o and continued until 16 when I got my license.
Drove for about 20 minutes on Thursdays and Sundays (big newspapers) times 3 years and never got caught or wrecked.
I did take the car (early one morning) to the 24 hour drive-in diner for a snack once and on a small trip one night.

Learned to fly out on a farm from a relative and got to fly several old aircraft ... J-3 was the best.

Sooo ... when I went to fly & then solo and take my driver's test drive and parking test ... it was a piece of cake.

The toughest part was learning the academic rules of the road and ground school (had to study for both) ... and later, I was very lucky to have a good real life IP too ... then the military ... then the Lockheed Flying Club at $20.00 an hour (wet) was good for getting cheap fixed wing hours.

I was lucky to have good unofficial and official IP's - CFI (fixed & rotary) ... and 99% of my flying was fun.

 

Those that like air shows will appreciate this - Slow Motion Air Show

https://biggeekdad.com/2020/03/slow-motion-air-show/

 

That was way cooler than I was expecting

 

Went up to Lake Texoma on Friday. The sky gave us a beautiful show that evening

 

Gorgeous! Always loved those Cardinals too.