Private pilot's license

[Wallydeuce]

There are three flight schools with multiple instructors at the local airport. Scheduling a couple discovery flights in the next two weeks. I live about 15 minute drive away in town. Local airspace is very busy thru the summer due to charter flights, fire fighting, and private pilots. I don't think there is permanent ATC, but they do temporary for the summer at least. And the Spokane international airport is only 40 miles away.

Get ATCLive or some other app and listen to controllers and pilots talk to each other.
And when flying alone, don't be afraid of saying "Spokane approach, Skyhawk N1234, STUDENT PILOT request..." They'll slow down with their instructions.

 

[westbranch]

If you get your license, you should fly into the Baum Shelter in Warren for a pretty good burger.

Or, better yet, you could fly me there and I will buy the burgers!

I remember my dad talking the $100 burgers from when he had his plane. I think it will be $200 burgers now. Lets put it on the calendar for summer of 2027!

 

[npaden]

My brother was a commercial airline pilot (he just retired) and owns his own plane outright and still has a hard time justifying bothering to fly his personal plane much if at all. He has it hangered with a friend who flies it regularly (I think commercially) and does the annuals on it for free as long as my brother lets him fly it pretty much whenever he wants. His is a twin engine turbo prop and still doesn't seem like you can make the time and expense work vs. just driving somewhere for the most part. Especially if you need to haul any kind of stuff.

I have looked into buying a bush plane and have looked at the gyrocopters recently but short of living in Alaska it just doesn't seem to work out math wise. I can drive the 110 miles to my hunting property here in Texas in an hour and 45 minutes with whatever I want to take with me or I could fly in an hour and 15 minutes and need to have a complete setup of everything there waiting on me when I land.

Flying to my property in Colorado wouldn't really be an option either. The airport is 30 minutes from my land and I could maybe save 2 hours flying vs. driving. Same limitations, I would need to have a complete setup with a vehicle and everything at the Trinidad airport and not sure it would really save enough time to justify it.

Throw in the uncertainty of weather and it just seems like about the only reason to have a private pilots license is living somewhere with very limited roads or just for the fun of flying around. The new gyrocopters look pretty cool but the ones that are the coolest are pretty expensive. There is a new one that will do a jump start without a runway. Pretty cool.

 

[Brad]

That is a personal thing. For me I decided that if the weather was IFR I just would not wanting to be flying that day anyway, nor would the wife. The added costs and constant time involved in keeping current wasn't worth it for me. I did plenty of time flying under the hood with my buddy that was a CFI to keep the "just in case" skill so I would not do a JFK Jr. Never got into anything other than special VFR in real time needs.

@westbranch lives in Idaho - Mountain Country. Crappy as Wisonsin weather can be, this is a more demanding and changeable weather environment generally speaking... it just makes sense to have that added skill. Not necessary as you point out, and for sure a personal thing, but smart to have never the less.

 

[Brad]

I came pretty close to taking flying lessons back in '87. Talked with a guy at that airstrip North of Gardiner right above the Yellowstone. Its pretty windy there.
I realize now I'd rather not lawn dart.

My dad used to fly into that strip all the time in the early 1950's... nearly always sporty lol.

 

[Deez Nutz]

I think it all depends on why you want to fly. I don't have my instrument rating and have no desire to ever get it, although like anything I suppose that could change. I want to fly so I can cruise low and slow and look out the window and so I can get into areas that I otherwise couldn't. If I can't fly under VFR rules I don't want to be flying anyway. I don't fly to make traveling easier or quicker, that just doesn't make sense for me with the kind of plane I have and want to fly.

@westbranch what kind of flying interests you?

 

[Huntnut60]

My brother was a commercial airline pilot (he just retired) and owns his own plane outright and still has a hard time justifying bothering to fly his personal plane much if at all. He has it hangered with a friend who flies it regularly (I think commercially) and does the annuals on it for free as long as my brother lets him fly it pretty much whenever he wants. His is a twin engine turbo prop and still doesn't seem like you can make the time and expense work vs. just driving somewhere for the most part. Especially if you need to haul any kind of stuff.

I have looked into buying a bush plane and have looked at the gyrocopters recently but short of living in Alaska it just doesn't seem to work out math wise. I can drive the 110 miles to my hunting property here in Texas in an hour and 45 minutes with whatever I want to take with me or I could fly in an hour and 15 minutes and need to have a complete setup of everything there waiting on me when I land.

Flying to my property in Colorado wouldn't really be an option either. The airport is 30 minutes from my land and I could maybe save 2 hours flying vs. driving. Same limitations, I would need to have a complete setup with a vehicle and everything at the Trinidad airport and not sure it would really save enough time to justify it.

Throw in the uncertainty of weather and it just seems like about the only reason to have a private pilots license is living somewhere with very limited roads or just for the fun of flying around. The new gyrocopters look pretty cool but the ones that are the coolest are pretty expensive. There is a new one that will do a jump start without a runway. Pretty cool.

I was eating at the Airpot Diner in Fredericksburg when a couple flew their gyroplane in from Killeen for breakfast. They were both in their late 60s and both had a pilots license. It was awesome to see and get a chance to visit with them. It was definitely a newer model with all the bells and whistles. Didn’t seem very versatile but it was sure intriguing.

 

[Brad]

Just a few suggestions that will help save you time and money. I started flying at age 48 before social media and would have appreciated some of the following advice.

Find the right instructor. My first instructor taught by yelling. 3.5 hours in a tight cockpit was enough. Another couldn't show up on time. I lived 18 miles from the FBO and he lived 3 yet he'd be at least 30 minutes late. Twice was enough. My third instructor was a great pilot and teacher but hated flying in controlled airspace talking to ATC. Ironically, after 16 hours of instruction with me, he left to fly with the airlines. My best instructor got me through my private and most of my instrument rating. She had a lesson plan, was always prepared and taught to my learning style. She now flies for Delta. Don't hesitate to change instructors if you're not getting your monies worth.

Speaking of ATC, if at all possible, train at an airport with a control tower. Talking to air traffic controllers is inevitable so learn early.

Get your instrument rating and stay current. Fly as often as you can. The more time between lessons, the longer it's going to take you to get your goals.

Good luck and enjoy your ride!

That's some fine advice.

 

[kodiakisland]

I think it all depends on why you want to fly. I don't have my instrument rating and have no desire to ever get it, although like anything I suppose that could change. I want to fly so I can cruise low and slow and look out the window and so I can get into areas that I otherwise couldn't. If I can't fly under VFR rules I don't want to be flying anyway. I don't fly to make traveling easier or quicker, that just doesn't make sense for me with the kind of plane I have and want to fly.

@westbranch what kind of flying interests you?

Yeah, for me an IR rating wasn't a necessity as I wasn't flying backcountry in those conditions in the first place. I have to see not only the landing area but the terrain around it. The training is great to have when you find yourself in a bad situation, but the key is to avoid those situations in the first place.

I don't put myself in a situation where I have to fly. If I need to be somewhere by a certain time or back by a certain time, I fly commercial. IR flying kills a lot of GA pilots, mostly because they never do enough to be proficient at it and feel like they have to go regardless of the weather.

I've had a lot of IR training, as well as aggravated spin recovery training in aerobatic planes. Not because I plan on flying bad weather or intentionally stalling an aircraft, but training is never a bad thing.

Understand how to fly on instruments, but it's fine to choose not to. Many of the planes I flew weren't IR legal anyway.

 

[Hem]

My dad used to fly into that strip all the time in the early 1950's... nearly always sporty lol.

Yeah, sporty is putting it lightly.
Maybe not the optimal place to learn.