Do you Fly?

[bj229r]

I finally quit my road job in early 2004 (played this game and AW before that in motels on cheesy laptop for like 6 years)--for my birthday, wife bought me a few flying lessons, something she knew I'd wanted to do my whole life (said road job provided the money, but no time)--anyhow, had a blast with the gift lessons, was trying to work out how to get enough hours in without bankrupting meself, when we found out wife had cancer--flying didnt seem so important anymore, never did get back into it. (wife eventually ok:) ) Might someday, after kid gets out of college

[Gunston]

My dad is a private pilot and I first flew with him in 1976 in a Citabria tail dragger. I never pursed a license myself for various reasons (money, time, etc.) until October 2003. I took my first lesson and the instructor was great and by great I mean a hard ass. The first flight in a Cessna 152, I don’t think he touched the controls once. He made me taxi, take off, fly, and land by verbal instruction only. I thought we were both going to die.

During that flight when I first left the ground my natural reaction was to take my hand from the throttle and put both hands on the yoke. He calmly told me to keep my hand on the throttle until after the climb out and I complied. The second lesson first take off I did it again without thinking once more he told me keep my hand on the throttle I said “oh yea sorry”.  We did a second take off during the second lesson and again I took the hand off. We were about halfway down the runway and maybe 30 feet off the ground when without saying a word he reaches over closes the throttle completely. We start descending toward the river levy at the far end of the runway and I’m panicked I don’t know what to think, do or say. Finally I say something like “what do I do” and he calmly says (as were about 15 feet off the ground) I would give it full throttle so we don’t hit that levy. I do as he says we start climbing out and he looks over and says “that’s what happens when you don’t keep your hand on the throttle. Needless to say I never forgot again.

The same guy has me solo after 6.9 hours at a strange airport on a day with about 12-15 knot gusts of wind. He says pull over let me out do three full stop take offs and landings and come back here and get me. I’m excited but really nervous. The first two go ok but on the third as I’m in the flare near stall and  inches from my wheels touching a gust of wind hit me and I’m like instantly 20 feet above the runway throttle closed flaps down and stall warning horn blaring. I go into auto pilot mode, nose down, full throttle, build airspeed, raise flaps one notch at a time and go around. On the cross wind leg I am literally shaking and telling myself out loud “what am I doing here I can’t do it I’m going to die” on the downwind I start calming down and think I know I can get it down and then I’m never going to fly again, on base I thinking actually I handled that ok in fact it was kind of cool then final and a nice landing. I’m pretty proud of myself as I taxi to the instructor and tell him about the wind gust, the training kicking in for the go-around he doesn’t seem impressed and says “you could have just gave it a little throttle leveled out and landed you had plenty of runway” I didn’t care at that time I realized “I just had one of the best days of my life I flew an airplane by myself”

I could go on all night about this guy I would show up at the airport on days I was sure he would say we can't fly weathers to bad I don't think he ever did. Nightime cross country flight with thunderstorms and tornado warnings being called on the awos we kept going and flew arond massive towering clouds. Looking back over my left shoulder on downwind because I had to hold about a 40 degree crab into the wind.
And you know what I wouldn’t have traded this guy for free lessons from someone else. He wasn’t my buddy he wasn’t my pal but he believed in me more than I believed in myself and he taught me that I could fly on days and in conditions that I might one day face when he wasn’t around.

I couldn’t fly as much as I wanted due to the cost so it took me until March of 2005 until I had 41.9 hours before I took my check ride and got my private pilots license. I fly as much as I can now but it is expensive so as of today I have about 76 hours. However my dad fly’s a Piper Cherokee Arrow I fly a lot with him maybe 50 hours a year and although I’m not rated for the plane and can’t count the hours in my log I do most of the flying since I got my license.

[palef]

I only ever fly when I ask my wife if I can do something.

Bronze Gliding medal.

Student PP.

All from about 112 years ago. No money. No time. No hope. No life.....

[SkyRock]

Originally posted by DAVENRINO
Cubs are cool.  My first flight in one as a young Flight Instructor was ferrying a new SuperCub solo with no radios from Pennsylvania to Oregon. It was a blast - 30 hours in 3 days at 500' (or less ; ) with the door open much of the way.

Dave
DJ229 Air Mafia

Yeah thank god for seatbelts!  I rolled it over a bit to see some flooding outside of Atlanta and it scared me more than my Bro inlaw!  It was very fun tho and he's an instructor so all I need is some time this summer to go visit and I will get to fly all I want!

[4XTCH]

Originally posted by REP0MAN
Hiya 4X, great thread!

I, fortunately, was able to finish my PVT rating. Solo'd in 1995, FAA cert in 1996. Trained at Westwood aviation in Phoenix. Flew a new 172 most of my training. The occational 152. ('cause they are WAY more fun in a crosswind T/O or landing). Got my IFR rating in 1998. High performance and multi-engine (piston) in 1999 in a 310. Since then have owned partials in a 172, Cirrus and a 182 (Currently) with frogleg retractable gear and pressurized cabin. Seats 6. Cost a fortune to fly anymore. Haven't been up, other than patterns and local, in almost a year.


Link to TV News program about Larry

4XTCH <------ Notes to self.... Must get into the REPO business.... Very Very profitable:lol


Thanks REPOMANX <>




4XTCH

[xNOVAx]

Though I havent actually gotten my liscense, I do have some stick time in 2 airplanes..

4 hours in a Cesna 152, and about 15 minutes in a T-38..

[hubsonfire]

I've never taken any lessons, but I have about 2 minutes in a 152. A kid I went to HS with was a pilot (his grandfather was a trainer in one of the armed forces, and he owned the plane), and he took me up for a hop one evening. For 2 minutes, the city of Lafayette, IN, was in grave danger, and yet seemed totally unaware.

It's something I've always wanted to do, but the cost (and my eyesight, and refusal to wear glasses) have been enough to ensure the safety of those who live in this area. However, my buddy (who has a PPL) is threatening to buy a 150, and is trying to infect me with the RL flying virus.

I love all things flying, except for R/C planes, which I got tired of rebuilding every flight, but one of these days...

[Golfer]

Real pilots play this game??!!!

No wonder I get shot down all the time

[Stoney74]

Started taking lessons when I was stationed in Okinawa as a member of the Aero Club there.  Got .5 hours in a 152, then "transitioned" into the 172 and got about 12 more, right up to solo until the real job interfered.  After I came back to the states, picked it up again in 29 Palms and "transitioned" into the Traumahawk.  Soloed the Hawk, and decided I hated it and didn't want to spend my money on a license to fly the thing, so I looked for something I could afford (so I thought at the time ) and wound up buying a Grumman AA-1B.  Finished my license up in 2003, and flew it pretty regularly until an unforeseen engine overhaul grounded it for a while.  After nearly bankrupting myself, got it back up in the air and flew it regularly again until a career change, then just didn't have the time or $$$ to keep pumping money into it.  Still got it, but haven't flown it much at all in the past year and a half.

No regrets though.  I love the plane, and I love the flying and plan on dusting it off and pumping more money into it as soon as I'm able.  Closest thing to flying a WWII plane in GA, with the canopy open, elbow propped on the rail and in a plane that is fast for the HP and maneuvers like a Spit.  My Dad actually caught the bug from me and got his PPL this past June.  He's starting his IFR rating right now.

Only have 140 hours, and have flown 5 different planes.  Wouldn't trade the experience or sense of accomplishment for anything.  

Good Luck,

[john9001]

took lessons a long time ago, i realised for what i was paying for lessons i could buy a new car, stopped flying and bought a new chevy convertible.    but it was fun.

[mussie]

One of my first porst:

R U A Real Pilot

[bozon]

I don't have a licence but I got to fly Piper-cubs and Bell Jet rangers till I was kicked out of the IAF flight school after a year+. I suck in real life too...

[Nilsen]

I flew F16 for the CIA for awhile but it got boring so enrolled at sniper school instead.

[festus]

ASEL

[B@tfinkV]

one day i hope to have a ppl.


so far i have a few hours in a c152, a few in an RAF cadet trainer called a bulldog and one hour in another cadet trainer called a chipmonk. so yeah im a basic noob


i also have spent about 10 hours total of my life in a glider, and did my very first loop-teh-loop in one over my house on my second flight.  

 we got towed up and the immediate sensation of freedom and flight was the best ive felt in any aircraft.
  first loop i did age 14, i dived to 120mph as instructed, then i yanked hard back on the stick and almost split the back of my head open on the back of my seat as my head was thrown back.  the instructor laughed and thanked me for not going as far as breaking his glider to bits and then showed me how to ease back into a loop and then pull hard over the top. i did a few more loops and he then showed me some real nice stalls and spins before letting me land it myself back on the airstrip two miles away.


i hope to obtain a private gliding licence long before i can afford the PPL.