Finally, after starting my private pilot training in 1984, I've finished. Passed my checkride last Thursday so have been a licenesed pilot now for a whole week.

When I started in '84 I was flying with the USAF Aero Club, Chanute AFB, IL. Soloed back then in a C-172 and shortly after soloing the center commander closed the club. I always figured that he figured if they'd allowed me to solo their standards had dropped so far they'd better close the club before someone got hurt. Cost to fly tripled and I just couldn't justify continuing.

Fast forward 25 years, a new friend takes me up in his Nanchang CJ-6. Let's me fly and is surprised I can make a coordinated turn. He asks me if I'm a pilot. I tell him about starting out, and he then insists I let him teach me how to fly; see, he's a retired Delta 737 captain, and former F-16 pilot, and a CFI since '76. Told him I'd think about it, and then another friend say's "You can use my plane for free", a C-172N with a brand-new motor. With free instruction and a free plane (not really, I pay $50 per hour plus gas) how could I refuse? Restarted the training in April and finished last week; a life-long dream come true.

CONGRATULATIONS! Fly safe and enjoy the airways!

Congratulations! Still one of my dreams!

I'll third the Congratulations! Especially nowadays it is a significant accomplishment.

Did the same thing, except I haven't finished yet. I will!

Way to go John! I've had an instrument ticket since the 80's but can't afford the expense anymore. Besides, the most fun was learning, watching the expressions on the instructors faces, etc.

One thing I did find out was that it was a whole lot easier to learn when I was in my mid-20's than it is in my mid-50's. You may be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but he's not going to pick it up as fast!

Congratulation!

Congratulations

I started about the same time actully just a little bit earlier and passed my check ride in 83.
Flying (espeacially in AK)has done a lot to define who I am as a person.
I'm glad that you saw it through after all this time, Way to go.

Congratulations!!!.... its a great feeling....

Awesome.GOOD WORK!!

Now you've got a license to learn. The more you fly the more you learn and the more you'll love it.

Absolutely!

Congratulations!

Now I feel terrible! I 'started' in Jun 1966 and still haven't finished up. But come June I will have been involved with the industry for 45 years! Seems impossible I've been around A/C and aviation for that many years!

Congratulations! I have been a pilot wannabee since I was 16. Circumstances just never came together in the last 50 years.

I check in here everyday and really enjoy everyone's post.

Thank you all.

It is good to see that there are some AR pilots who fly small stuff. I thought for a while all AR pilots flew fighters for the military or heavies for the airlines. Now we are talking 172's and such. I fly a one seventy (a really old 172). Old and slow but gets to some good hunting spots.

Tom

I love the 170. I flew 120's, 140's 170's and 180's for a long time before I moved up, not to mention several other GA aircraft. Super Cubs, Citabrias, Couriers, J-3's, and some taildragging twins like the Lockheed 10, my favorite the Twin Beech, Lodestars and DC-3's. Flew a bunch of other GA aircraft, as well. Most of the Piper twins, & several of the Cessnas. Not all of us began at the top.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
I love the 170. I flew 120's, 140's 170's and 180's for a long time before I moved up, not to mention several other GA aircraft. Super Cubs, Citabrias, Couriers, J-3's, and some taildragging twins like the Lockheed 10, my favorite the Twin Beech, Lodestars and DC-3's. Flew a bunch of other GA aircraft, as well. Most of the Piper twins, & several of the Cessnas. Not all of us began at the top.

Dang! Must have been a kick flying all those planes. Just reading your logbook has to be nostalgic. I may start logging too. All I have is student pilot entries and bi-annuals.

Tom

Hey I'm a GA guy from way back too.

I owned a C-180 have flown the L-19, Cubs on wheels and floats, T-6, L-18, Husky, C-172,175,182,185,195,205,206,207,210,310,414 various light Pipers, Mooney, Beech,V-35,B-55, D-55, Queen Aire 65, Aero Commander 500B and the Turbo Commander, Swearingen SW-3 (Merlin III), Mual M-20, DHC-2 Beaver,Various Gliders and I'm sure a couple I can't remember at the moment.

I miss flying the small stuff but I can't afford it at the moment.

I doubt I'll ever get to fly that many different aircraft. For now I have unlimited access to a 172N, but what I'd really like to have is a PA-18. For now the 172 is just great to have available.

quote:

Originally posted by twoseventy:
It is good to see that there are some AR pilots who fly small stuff. I thought for a while all AR pilots flew fighters for the military or heavies for the airlines. Now we are talking 172's and such. I fly a one seventy (a really old 172). Old and slow but gets to some good hunting spots.

Tom

Tom it's funny that a lot of people assume that because we are flying the heavies for the airlines that is all we've ever flown. Most guys especially GA guys had extensive light airplane careers before they got on with a major airline.

I'm afraid however that guys like Jet and I are a dying breed. Guys now days tend to get on with an RJ outfit with little or no time then get hired by a major. They have just about ZERO real world experience IMO. And it shows when the cards aren't in order.

Flying an RJ in the right seat for 4,000 or 5,000 hours and never having to make a real honest to god life or death descion on your own, always being above weather, having an autopilot, being pressurized, having total automation, havind deice/anti ice equipment that actually works,and a no thought process necessary navigation systems makes for a really good computer operator. But 5,000 hours of that stuff not even equal to 50 hours of hard core in the stuff, night freight in a light recip twin as far as real world descion making and actual stick and rudder flying skills are worth.

Congrats. My grandpa taught fuel systems at Chanute after WWII through the 60's.

I'm hopefully going to start working for my pilot's license this spring and summer.

Congrats and welcome to the club. Have never flown the heavies and as far as high performance, flew WWII fighters in the Confederate Air Force. Did fly a 170 on floats while in Minnesota. Owned an American AA-1.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Hey I'm a GA guy from way back too.

I owned a C-180 have flown the L-19, Cubs on wheels and floats, T-6, L-18, Husky, C-172,175,182,185,195,205,206,207,210,310,414 various light Pipers, Mooney, Beech,V-35,B-55, D-55, Queen Aire 65, Aero Commander 500B and the Turbo Commander, Swearingen SW-3 (Merlin III), Mual M-20, DHC-2 Beaver,Various Gliders and I'm sure a couple I can't remember at the moment.

I miss flying the small stuff but I can't afford it at the moment.

Yeah, me too. I flew 205's, 206's & 207's, Cherokee 140's, 180's, Sixes, Apaches, Aztecs, Navajos, the Geronimo, the Cessna 310, 411 and 404, Comanche 250's and Twin Comanches, Great Lakes, and a Corbin Baby Ace, which was a real kick in the ass. 172's and 182's, also. I'm sure I forgot a few.

I lost the sight of my right eye in 1966 and the first guy who gave me a job bought and sold GA aircraft out of Mobile, the late Dick Jagitsch. Wonderful guy. He'd say "Go to Goderich, Ont and pick up a Commander 560F and take it to San Antonio and pick up a Chieftain and take it to Baton Rouge and then bring a Twin Comanche back here to Mobile." I never knew what was coming next. I checked myself out in a bunch of aircraft. Lotta fun and a great education.

Jet,

That is one way to learn isn't it? Hop in a strange airplane figure out how to start it read up on the speeds and go.

I've got a buddy who does worldwide ferry work. The first time he ever flew many of the types he ferried was when he picked them up to take them across the ocean.

Type check outs were kind of a misnomer back in the day. If you had a license to operate the cat and class you were golden. Now days they try to make a big deal out of every little type difference there is. I was checked out at local flying club in their 172 just so that I could take the kiddies up every now and then since I've been forced to sell my C-180. They tried to make me do a 2 hour type check out to "upgrade" to the 182. Even though I've got over 2,000 hours of 180,185 and 182 time combined. Most of it bush flying in Alaska in and out of gravel bars in marginal weather. More time in those airframes actually working on the ragged edge and mind you more than all of their instructors have total time combined most likley.

Aggravating SOB's don't get my hard earned money anymore.

Business is bad, so they're out to pad their recievables as much as they can. Additionally, the insurance companies are forcing FBO's to do these preposterous checkouts. A Cessna is pretty much a Cessna. It either has a fixed pitch prop or a constant speed. If you can fly a 182, you can fly a 206. All you need is the numbers and a warning not to land with full flaps if you're empty. Same with the 207. I first flew a 205 in 1963 when I was a kid in Miami and we wanted to go to the islands, so everybody chipped in and since I had a commercial, I got the check out with a nice lady instructor. It took an hour.

I've lost count of the number of light singles and twins I just got into and flew. The most interesting self check-out was in a Helio Courier. I flew it from San Antone to Lake Charles and then to Mobile. I only scratched the surface of its capabilities. A truly amazing airplane.

I know what you me jetdrvr, I gave a guy a BFR many moons ago in a Helio Courier. The usual fire drill. Then he had me fly the thing for about an hour or so, t.o + landings. A week later he asked if I would reposition his airplane, he couldn't take the time, so I did, flew the thing from CT to Talkeetna Alaska. When home, he did his flying Vacation there, then had me fly it back. I liked flying that airplane, I would own one in a NYC sec if I could afford it. I can't afford much of anything these days. Its gotten out of hand in GA. You can blame the flight schools for all of it, after all they have problems too. I just checked out to rent a 172 and the kid doing the checking was still a little wet. I didn't mind it to much, after all I was in his shoes a few decades back.