Aviation Advice

[InbetweenDreams]

I am beginning to wonder if this is just another pipe dream of mine...

So here's the problem. Always comes down to two things...time and money.

One is getting the time in on a real plane. Been playing around on X-plane and have learned a few things on my own, which is all good. My initial plan was to get a couple hours in a plane and make a final decision on whether or not I want to go after this. I mean it is one thing to fly in a simulator, even if you have the whole setup, but a real plane is simply real...and really expensive.

To rent a Cessna 172 Skyhawk up at the local airport costs about $110/hr and adding in the cost of fuel...so make that closer to $160 after it is all said and done. That's just to fly with a friend of mine who is kind enough to do this with me, but he's not a flight instructor, so the hours don't count but will help me save a bit of money to decide on things.

So let's say I'm cool with it and I want to go after it. Now I have to pay a flight instructor which is going to cost and additional $50/hr or more...not sure what someone would charge. So, over $200 per hour... Also have to consider that the minimum number of hours to have logged are 40, but probably more like 60 hours...so that's $12k not counting other costs associated with getting my pilots license.

At the current rate, I can probably afford to fly 1 hour per month, which means I'll have the hours needed in about 5 years...Then I will likely want to own my own plane and unless you get something old or needs work, planes are crazy expensive...

I think it is certainly worth exploring but money has to come from somewhere and I would think that flying more than 1 hour per month is going to be much better, not only is it going to save time getting the hours but also retention of knowledge. I also hate the fact that I will be pushing 35-36 years old before I get there.

The other thing is that it does seem that a lot of people do business with planes rather than just for leisure, so might be barking up the wrong tree. While I think pilots and so on are going to promote getting a pilot's license and so on, might be a pipe dream after all.

I mean I think it is worth checking into but I think it may be more than I can afford to get into.

That being said there is still paramotors, although I would say it would be to my benefit to start running again lol. I mean you are carrying a motor that weighs probably 60+ lbs on your back and having to run with it and control the wing all at the same time... I mean on the time scale, it is probably something I can do for a while and unlike general aviation, probably not something I can do at 60, then again might not be able to do that either. Got to have a medical certificate saying I can fly...

Also as I said in the previous post it is pretty unlikely that I would be able to make a career out of flying at this point...Not saying I couldn't just not likely, it would be much better if I were thinking about this 10 years ago, everything would have been on the table.

[InbetweenDreams]

I got to fly a 1957 Cessna 172 this morning... I was pretty nervous, likewise not something I normally do everyday. It was pretty smooth for the most part, there were a few spots where it got bumpy and made me nervous lol. Likewise, it is something that takes a good bit of practice and to learn to relax and not freak out. Good news is that I got to use a different place so the cost was less than the rental, so happy about that.

I think a few more hours getting better acquainted with things is much needed before I set out looking for a CFI and log actual hours in. I have definitely got to have a cool head when flying, if anything being tensed up and nervous is more likely to cause problems.

I may post some pictures when I stop being lazy and upload them.

[meridannight]

[MENTION=23180]InbetweenDreams[/MENTION], I just remembered that I forgot one good book in my recommendations. It's not a technical book, but a memoir of a pilot:




It's quite well reviewed, and an esteemed book on the topic of being a pilot. You might find it interesting, as a more personal account. Although it was written in 1961, and a lot of things have changed since then, it's still a worthwhile read for any pilot, in my opinion.

As for the ATC -- yeah, I don't know why those guys have an age requirement at all. It's something one can do in their 50s if they're psychologically qualified for it. I wasn't aware they had a cutoff at 31 years.

One thing I've been meaning to ask you -- is this a completely new thing for you? To be interested in flying? It seems kind of strange (I don't mean it in a negative way), usually pilots know they want it very early on. Which is not to say there aren't late bloomers at all. Or have you thought about this before and just never got around to doing anything about it? I just wonder where did this interest come from.

[InbetweenDreams]

[MENTION=23180]InbetweenDreams[/MENTION], I just remembered that I forgot one good book in my recommendations. It's not a technical book, but a memoir of a pilot:




It's quite well reviewed, and an esteemed book on the topic of being a pilot. You might find it interesting, as a more personal account. Although it was written in 1961, and a lot of things have changed since then, it's still a worthwhile read for any pilot, in my opinion.

As for the ATC -- yeah, I don't know why those guys have an age requirement at all. It's something one can do in their 50s if they're psychologically qualified for it. I wasn't aware they had a cutoff at 31 years.

One thing I've been meaning to ask you -- is this a completely new thing for you? To be interested in flying? It seems kind of strange (I don't mean it in a negative way), usually pilots know they want it very early on. Which is not to say there aren't late bloomers at all. Or have you thought about this before and just never got around to doing anything about it? I just wonder where did this interest come from.

On the ATC thing I searched around on finding out why they have the age restriction and it boils down to statistics. They show that people over the age of 31 are less likely to complete the program and the other theory is that older people have a harder time learning new things. The final nail in the coffin is that there are 14,000~ air traffic controllers in the US and it is not a growing field, at least not yet. Although one would think if there would be more pilots taking to the skies that there would be the need for more ATC's.

That being said, I'm fine with not going towards an ATC job as it would be quite stressful and might not be my cup of tea. I don't know that I will make a career out of flying, it's possible, there's always flight instruction and so fourth. The guy who has gotten me into it and been helping out with their simulator thinks I would be a good flight instructor, that I am good at explaining things and such.

The first time I got on any plane was on a Cessna 172 about 5 years ago. Never been on any flight. It was a interesting experience to say the least. I didn't really have an interest in flying at that point. I just never gave any thought of it being a career. I keep saying this but I wished my head was in a different place 10 years ago as it could have put me on a very different path.

Here's what got me thinking more into it. Between the exposure to the simulator and having the drone. I started looking at aviation. Somehow I started watching videos on paramotors which don't require a pilot's license because I've been debating on whether or not a pilot's license is even attainable financially...but I may have a solution to that. I'll have to question my friend who has been helping me out and taking his time to help me learn all this and figure out what all I need to do.

If I can get everything down and more importantly feel comfortable flying. My idea would be to fly to different places and be able to see more places around the country. So my big plan is mostly for recreation and if career opportunities arise then there is a good chance I will take it. Nothing wrong with IT, but a change up might not be a bad thing.

Another aspect is well let's face it, getting older and while there is time, there's not a lot of time. There is no guarantee for tomorrow so if there's anything I can do that will make my life as rich as possible I am going to go for it. Doesn't mean I will be able to fly 100 hours every year, I don't think I could afford to do that, even if I end up owning my own plane (the exception being that I'm getting paid). Bottom line is that aviation is something not that many people get to do outside of a commercial flight, being able to get in a plane and go somewhere is about as liberating as it gets.

[InbetweenDreams]

I said I would post some pictures...

So far I have two actual flights in, while I didn't do a whole lot, some turns and a take off... It is a odd feeling because the plane DOES want to fly itself...

Anyway, hopefully a few more flights in the plane will make me feel a little more at ease. My legs were sore from being tensed up the whole time...

*note* Might appear as broken images for a little bit, had to "renew" my hostname as it expires every 30 days and I'm too cheap to buy one and keep forgetting about it