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.

 

[Drstrangeglove]

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.

Before you submit the medical, make sure you are not taking any drugs that might prevent you from getting that medical. Sleep apnea grounded me for a while. If you have or think you have problems, join pilots of america forum and talk to DR Bruce Chien. He knows his stuff.

 

[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.