Trying something new

[lrogers]

I have decided to get a sport pilot certificate. I'm doing the ground school portion now and hope to get the flight lessons started after the first of the year.
I started my first "study unit" yesterday. Man, there is a lot to learn before I try to take the "knowledge test".

[TB Roye]

RC aint' good enough hu? Have fun, wish I would have learned when I was younger. Friend/classmate of mine has Texan Trianer the he takes me up in.

Tom

[BobSch]

Good for you!

There is NOTHING—absolute nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in the air.

(With apologies to Kenneth Grahame)

[leehljp]

Congratulations! It is my dream to fly ultralights, but I have too many dreams right now! One at a time. First thing is to get back home and get settled in!

[lrogers]

I have always wanted to fly, but the cost keep me from it. Now, with the sport pilot certificate, it's in the realm of doable. Next part of the dream is to build my own plane!

[jackellis]

As a private pilot, I can tell you there is nothing quite like flying an airplane. Yes, there's tons to learn, even for a sport pilot certificate.

Learning the mechanics of flying an airplane is the easy part. The harder part is exercising good judgment, including respect for weather, knowing your own limitations, and (perhaps surprisingly) making sure you always have enough fuel.

Building an airplane is a whole other matter. It takes a lot of time and a lot of care. I'm not skilled enough but if you are, there are lots of things you'd be able to add to a homebuilt at reasonable cost that I can only dream about.

[woodturner]

making sure you always have enough fuel.

What? You mean you can't just pull over to the nearest cloud and refuel?

Had a friend who bought a twin engine Beechcraft. Turned out that the inspecting mechanic somehow "missed" that the engines were past due for an overhaul. $30K and a lawsuit later.....

A friend used to say "a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money". Too many of my flying friends would probably agree that "a plane is a hole in the sky into which you throw money" ;-)

I'm thinking gyrocopters or ultra lights could be a viable alternative for somewhat less money, though.

[jackellis]

Too many of my flying friends would probably agree that "a plane is a hole in the sky into which you throw money" ;-)

Yes, absolutely. Oil changes for my pickup run around $50 plus the time it takes to drive to the oil change place and wait. Just the 8 quarts of oil for my airplane cost that much. I now know how to change it myself but the process is incredibly messy (oil filter is on top of the engine) and attaching a new filter is a pain because it has to be safety wired. Having it done costs over $200. I just installed new spark plugs - an even dozen at $48 each for platinum electrodes that will last ten years or more.

Not cheap, but worth every penny.

[lrogers]

Jack, did you have to get a mechanic's certificate to do that work legally? As I understand it, if you build the plane, you can do that kind of stuff without additional paper work.

Oh, by the way, what do you fly?

[Norm in Fujino]

A friend used to say "a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money". Too many of my flying friends would probably agree that "a plane is a hole in the sky into which you throw money" ;-)

Yep, and as I've learned this past year, a home is a hole in the ground into which ditto, ditto . . .

[jackellis]

Jack, did you have to get a mechanic's certificate to do that work legally? As I understand it, if you build the plane, you can do that kind of stuff without additional paper work.

Oh, by the way, what do you fly?

I fly a 1979 retractable, turbocharged Cessna 182. There are 30 or so tasks I can legally do myself, unsupervised, with only a logbook entry, including changing the oil, changing (cleaning and gapping) spark plugs, changing out the ship's battery, changing light bulbs, changing tires and tubes, changing brake pads. I can do anything else I want to, but that has to be accomplished under the supervision of an A&P.

I have most work done by someone else because it takes too much time and I'm not an expert. I like knowing how things work and I will handle minor tasks by myself, but most people who know me would not set foot in the airplane if they knew I was doing most of the maintenance, supervised or not.

[Bruce Cohen]

I started taking flying lessons years ago, got about 20 hours logged.

Then I finally realized that:

A. I have no sense of direction,

B. I get extremely air sick.

Considering that lessons were about $55.00 per Hr. I found it cheaper to drive around without a map and spin myseld around till I barffed, way cheaper and same effect, lost and nauseous.

Bruce

[cabinetman]

I found it cheaper to drive around without a map and spin myseld around till I barffed, way cheaper and same effect, lost and nauseous.

Bruce

I know what you mean...I've driven in New York.
.