Any Pilots On Here??

[ray66v]

Unless you have reason to believe you can't get a 3rd class medical, (you only have to get the first one), I can't see doing the light sport certificate.

Yes, they have some nice looking LSA's. But, they also don't have as good a safety record.

If you buy a nice C150, or C172, it's not hard to find a freelance instructor, or a pilot to fly with you, while you gain experience. And, they are fairly cheap to operate. They are also the best thing you can have, if you want to sell.

A C150 is without a doubt the easiest, most forgiving plane to learn to fly in.

 

[fried1765]

Unless you have reason to believe you can't get a 3rd class medical, (you only have to get the first one), I can't see doing the light sport certificate.

Yes, they have some nice looking LSA's. But, they also don't have as good a safety record.

If you buy a nice C150, or C172, it's not hard to find a freelance instructor, or a pilot to fly with you, while you gain experience. And, they are fairly cheap to operate. They are also the best thing you can have, if you want to sell.

A C150 is without a doubt the easiest, most forgiving plane to learn to fly in.

I would suspect that LSA safety record issues are mostly pilot induced.
Extremely low time pilots, poor technique, and flawed headwork.

 

[Old Red]

Yeah, I'll just go with normal PPL. Going to schedule my class 3 medical this week to get that over with to ensure there are no concerns. Have not been to the Dr. in a long long time.

Been reading so much my head is about to explode. So amazing youtube videos out there. I have also read some stuff where the idea I have is bad...but that was mostly spouse induced. My wife LOVES to travel anywhere...we'll see. Thanks for the info guys! I am going to re-read this thread again now. I have learned a ton since my first post to this thread.

 

[ray66v]

I would suspect that LSA safety record issues are mostly pilot induced.
Extremely low time pilots, poor technique, and flawed headwork.

You are looking at it from the stand point that LSA pilots are generally new pilots.

A lot of private pilots went to light sport, because of medical issues. I would bet that was much of the crowd.

An article I read a while ago, If I remember it correctly, said, they believed the problem lies in the fact that since the aircraft certification process is much different. They said the part 23 certification process, results in aircraft that are all reasonably similar in performance. The process for LSA aircraft results in aircraft that are not only sometimes different than part 23 aircraft, but different than other LSA's. Meaning, they sometimes don't have the flying characteristics experienced pilots expect. This idea was being considered as the possible reason for the poorer safety record.

I have not followed up on this, to see if it proved to be the case.

 

[Beltzington]

Yeah, I'll just go with normal PPL. Going to schedule my class 3 medical this week to get that over with to ensure there are no concerns. Have not been to the Dr. in a long long time.

I'll chime in late, I am an inactive private pilot, flew on and off for about 7-years and medical issues, typical middle age hyper-tension maladies, kept me from passing the class 1 medical exam without a waiver, this put my instrument training on hold as I was using the older GI retraining bill... yadayada. Short story, is I got fed-up jumping through the FAA Medical hoops and just stopped flying. My intention was to take a break and eventually start flying again but months turned into years and now I only occasionally get the itch.

Concerning your medical exam, other folks may have different experience but you need to know a couple things, the medical examiners works for the FAA and are obligated to follow their rules. This is not a bad thing but there is no patient confidentiality between you and the flight doctor. They are obligated to report anything that in their or the FAA opinion could jeopardize flight safety. You can download the Medical Class 1/2/3 paperwork and see what type of questions are going to be covered, be honest, just make sure you are answering from a medical perspective. You don't get a mulligans on the form, once it is filled out it becomes FAA history of your health as a pilot. Chest pains caused by late night spicy meal incorrectly reported can result in the FAA requiring a full cardiology exam and up to a year awaiting the FAA approval.

Because of this and the fact you have not seen a doctor in a "long-long" time I would not "schedule" a class 3 medical exam, they will likely have you start filling at the form while you are waiting to see the doctor. It sounds like you already have a friend who is a pilot and a doctor so sit down with them and discuss your health and see if they sense any red-flags. If you are not comfortable discussing your personal life with them just set up the appointment for a general discussion concerning medical exam requirements and get some feed-back on whether a class 3 medical is best for your needs.

Good Luck, if all you do is walk away from your first solo landing, it will still be something you will always take pride in.

 

[TimberHole]

I just browsed this thread quickly but the overall theme of the majority of responses is that flying is expensive and there is a good chance you'll kill yourself doing it. Maybe I read too fast.

I'm in my mid 50's and have flown all my life. My dad flys. My brothers flys. We've owned lots of airplanes and own a half dozen or so currently. If you want to fly it can be done on a reasonable budget and done safely. There are lots of good trainers that can be bought for less than 25K, some for as little as 15K.

If you intend to fly your family on trips, plan on continuing your training thru your instrument rating. Flying GA isn't perfect but when it works it is very rewarding. I highly recommend it. If you would like to discuss in more detail, drop me a PM. If you choose to proceed, you have much to learn about ownership and maintenance and managing those costs.

 

[TimberHole]

I'll chime in late, I am an inactive private pilot, flew on and off for about 7-years and medical issues, typical middle age hyper-tension maladies, kept me from passing the class 1 medical exam without a waiver, this put my instrument training on hold as I was using the older GI retraining bill... yadayada. Short story, is I got fed-up jumping through the FAA Medical hoops and just stopped flying. My intention was to take a break and eventually start flying again but months turned into years and now I only occasionally get the itch.

Concerning your medical exam, other folks may have different experience but you need to know a couple things, the medical examiners works for the FAA and are obligated to follow their rules. This is not a bad thing but there is no patient confidentiality between you and the flight doctor. They are obligated to report anything that in their or the FAA opinion could jeopardize flight safety. You can download the Medical Class 1/2/3 paperwork and see what type of questions are going to be covered, be honest, just make sure you are answering from a medical perspective. You don't get a mulligans on the form, once it is filled out it becomes FAA history of your health as a pilot. Chest pains caused by late night spicy meal incorrectly reported can result in the FAA requiring a full cardiology exam and up to a year awaiting the FAA approval.

Because of this and the fact you have not seen a doctor in a "long-long" time I would not "schedule" a class 3 medical exam, they will likely have you start filling at the form while you are waiting to see the doctor. It sounds like you already have a friend who is a pilot and a doctor so sit down with them and discuss your health and see if they sense any red-flags. If you are not comfortable discussing your personal life with them just set up the appointment for a general discussion concerning medical exam requirements and get some feed-back on whether a class 3 medical is best for your needs.

Good Luck, if all you do is walk away from your first solo landing, it will still be something you will always take pride in.

No disrespect intended but so much misinformation. Do a google search on "BasicMed". In many states a chiropractor can now do the exam. Things have changed for the better.

 

[Old Red]

I just browsed this thread quickly but the overall theme of the majority of responses is that flying is expensive and there is a good chance you'll kill yourself doing it. Maybe I read too fast.

I'm in my mid 50's and have flown all my life. My dad flys. My brothers flys. We've owned lots of airplanes and own a half dozen or so currently. If you want to fly it can be done on a reasonable budget and done safely. There are lots of good trainers that can be bought for less than 25K, some for as little as 15K.

If you intend to fly your family on trips, plan on continuing your training thru your instrument rating. Flying GA isn't perfect but when it works it is very rewarding. I highly recommend it. If you would like to discuss in more detail, drop me a PM. If you choose to proceed, you have much to learn about ownership and maintenance and managing those costs.

Perfect....I will...thanks.

In regard to medical....I'm good. I had a physical for life insurance at 40 and got the best rate. No issues that I know of. But thanks for the heads up....I know how people complete their medical apps. I have employees who do that when filling out insurance applications. They are so terrified if they don't list every single tiny thing they will not get insured. Cuases our premiums to skyrocket.

 

[Beltzington]

No disrespect intended but so much misinformation. Do a google search on "BasicMed". In many states a chiropractor can now do the exam. Things have changed for the better.

No misinformation, a very similar set of circumstances happened to me. I am very familiar with the new basic med however the OP was going to apply for a class 3 not a BM.

My general point is an FAA medical needs to be approached as an exam not a visit to your family doctor.

Q2: How does BasicMed affect FAA medical certificates? Does FAA still offer the third class medical?
A: BasicMed does not affect medical certificates at all. Nothing about the FAA痴 medical certificate program has changed with BasicMed, and you can still apply for a first, second, or third class medical the way you always have. BasicMed is merely an additional qualification you can use to fly, in lieu of holding a medical certificate.

 

[TimberHole]

This is what I work on when I'm not working on tractors. It's my retirement airplane. I need to get focused and get it done.

 

[ray66v]

This is what I work on when I'm not working on tractors. It's my retirement airplane. I need to get focused and get it done.View attachment 543821View attachment 543820View attachment 543819View attachment 543818

Is that an RV, or Thorpe?

 

[TimberHole]

Is that an RV, or Thorpe?

RV-8. O-360 with a fixed pitch prop. Goal is to build cheap and simple. I've had as much fun scrounging the parts as building the plane.

 

[Old Red]

RV-8. O-360 with a fixed pitch prop. Goal is to build cheap and simple. I've had as much fun scrounging the parts as building the plane.

I just heard a little bit about that last night. So just curious, do you fly much for travel? Did you when or if you had kids at home? I was calculating distances last night in NM to some of my favorite destinations. One is where my brother lives in Naples Florida....assuming you can go straight shot it is 716nm. The Panhandle or Tampa Bay Area is where we will likely spend a lot of time in the winter in 10 to 15 years. 422nm to Panama City Beach and 600 to Central Florida. Tell me about these distances in say a C182? My ultimate plane (Today, it changes by the day) is going to be an SR20 or SR22. Based upon performance charts on the sellers websites (an zero experience about any of this) I can get to Naples in 4 hours. Not sure that is realist or even something I would want to do, but it sure sounds great on the surface to be able to see my bro and his daughter on a weekend. Just blows my mind.

 

[plowhog]

I can rough out the 600nm flight to Central Florida in a Cessna 182RG just from memory. Although I would cruise at 155kts, I would flight plan for 150kts. That always seemed to work out as you were at slower airspeed in the climb, but faster in the descent. So a 600nm flight is 4 hours.

My 1978 model carried 88 gals of fuel. I would flight plan for 14 gals/hr even though it only burned 13gph. So, 4x14=56 gals burned. 22gals on board upon landing, or about 1 1/2 fuel reserve in case you decided (or were forced by weather) to go somewhere else.

A couple of notes: I found I preferred 3 hour flight legs, then land and get a soda, fuel, whatever. But flying to Vegas was always 4 hours "on the money" and so I would not add a stop for that. Just pack a few waters and don't drink them early in the flight!!

And, btw, my Cessna 182 had retractable gear. Your insurance provider is going to want to see some actual logged flight time before they are willing for you to step up to retractable gear.

Note: The Van's RV airplanes are great little planes and are very fast and efficient. But, put one side by side to a Cessna 182. In comparison, the Cessna looks like a flying Chevy Suburban, with plenty of room for suitcases, ice chest, etc. Not so much for the Van's RV. It gets its speed from being small and slim. So it speeds along nicely while carrying much less gear.

 

[TimberHole]

I just heard a little bit about that last night. So just curious, do you fly much for travel? Did you when or if you had kids at home? I was calculating distances last night in NM to some of my favorite destinations. One is where my brother lives in Naples Florida....assuming you can go straight shot it is 716nm. The Panhandle or Tampa Bay Area is where we will likely spend a lot of time in the winter in 10 to 15 years. 422nm to Panama City Beach and 600 to Central Florida. Tell me about these distances in say a C182? My ultimate plane (Today, it changes by the day) is going to be an SR20 or SR22. Based upon performance (an zero experience about any of this) I can get to Naples in 4 hours. Not sure that is realist or even something I would want to do, but it sure sounds great on the surface to be able to see my bro and his daughter on a weekend. Just blows my mind.

I no longer own a go fast airplane so not doing that type of flying now but did when the kids were younger. Lots of good memories. I owned a Bonanza for many years and it would deliver our family of 5 from the Midwest to Panama City in 4 hours. I trued 170 kts and could do the trip in 4 hours nonstop if I didn't have a headwind component. Arriving at the gulf 4 hours after wheels up always seemed like magic. As I said before, I highly recommend it.

Your ability to deal with weather will be directly related to your budget. A guy can safely deal with a lot of weather VFR but there are times when it simply isn't possible. If you plan on doing this type of flying definitely plan on becoming a proficient instrument rated pilot. You owe it to your family! Have fun!

 

[grsthegreat]

i have my single engine fixed license, but have not flown for quite a few years. after i got married there were too many other needs for my money, and flying just fell off the radar. i would like to take it up again, but the rules have just gotten too complicated for my old brain. typical govt getting too crazy in making up rules. i was just getting into instrument training when i stopped flying, and really enjoyed visual flight rules. but back in the 80 and 90's there wasnt much govt regulation to pester you when flying VFR.

my buddy has his own plane and is building a kit also. that just doesnt interest me as much as it used to.

when i was flying i paid $32 wet for a 4 seat piper dakota. i owned a quarter share in a turbo arrow IV but i hardly ever got to fly that as it was always rented out. i ended up renting the flight schools turbo arrow IV to fly. got pretty disgusted with the whole rental craze that was hot at the time. i forget what the arrow rented for (too many years ago) but it was fast and got me where i needed to go in short order. i8 used to fly up to northern calif from southern calif to go pheasant hunting for the weekend and be back to work on monday. was nice.

also, nowdays i think my wife would be real nervous if i took up flying again.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's some aviation humor...

aviation humour Aviation Clichés

My favorite...

The difference between a duck and a co-pilot?
The duck can fly.

 

[Old Red]

I no longer own a go fast airplane so not doing that type of flying now but did when the kids were younger. Lots of good memories. I owned a Bonanza for many years and it would deliver our family of 5 from the Midwest to Panama City in 4 hours. I trued 170 kts and could do the trip in 4 hours nonstop if I didn't have a headwind component. Arriving at the gulf 4 hours after wheels up always seemed like magic. As I said before, I highly recommend it.

Your ability to deal with weather will be directly related to your budget. A guy can safely deal with a lot of weather VFR but there are times when it simply isn't possible. If you plan on doing this type of flying definitely plan on becoming a proficient instrument rated pilot. You owe it to your family! Have fun!

Man, that sounds awesome...I have not looked at a Bonanza....I have heard of it but know nothing about it. Missouri is farther away from PCB that I am in KY. And something they have now they didn't when you used to fly the kiddos there is this thing called Uber....makes getting around PCB so much easier.

When you did that 4 hours in your Bonanza loaded down with everyone....were you beat down or ready to go? At 170kts on a bonanza I am in PCB in 2.5 hours. WOW.

And my intent is to get the IFR ticket. The instructor yesterday said he recommends learning in the 150 or 172 and then moving to a 182 for all my IFR and flight time hours and learning to be a pilot before moving on to my dream plane of the SR20 or SR22.

 

[MossRoad]

Boy, don't go down the Bonanza path... it doesn't have the most stellar of records as far as deaths per hour of operation. From what I recall, you really need to know your stuff in a Bonanza and its not a forgiving airplane. Look up Dr. Killer Bonanza. Don't want to start anything.... but the last Bonanza I saw was just a couple months ago.... next to the highway, outside of the airport fence, in the grass by the side of the road..... it may be in your future, but learn to fly first.