Jeff Mottle Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 This has been something I've wanted to do since I was probably 12 years old, but am seriously considering signing up for ground school. I was just curious to see how many others here are recreational pilots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawyer Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 My best friend started as a rec pilot. He is now the head of a flight company in Homer AK. I believe you need a lot of hours in to get a license but I am sure you know that. I know he loves it. Actually one of the more romantic careers (I know you aren't thinking in those terms though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himom Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Hey Jeff, I've spent a little time in the left seat. Learned in a very cramped Cessna 152, although you can usually opt up for a larger plane if you've got the cash. I'm not sure how flight school works up in Canada, but here in the states you usually get to fly with your first lesson. Unfortunately over time, 'financial obligations' got in the way of me getting rated for VFR or daytime flight. If I could convince the wife, I would pick it right up again! Let us know how it goes -- pls post some digital photogs of the first flight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted November 14, 2005 Author Share Posted November 14, 2005 Yeah here in Canada a Rec license is about $4K and a Full private is $6K. But is typically more becuase of flight cancellations and schedules. (Difference between the two being the inability to get additional ratings (night, mountain, Instrument etc) or carry more than one passenger). I want a full license though. Here you have to do 60 hours of ground school before you get to fly a plane. Then another 62 in plane. You can take an introductory flight for 30 min, just so they can "hook" you, but they don't need to do that, I'm already hooked and have been for quite a long time. The only part that freaks me out a bit is practicing spins and stall recovery. I don't particularily like or enjoy roller coasters, but don't have a fear of heights. @Aaron, did you ever get that far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 The only part that freaks me out a bit is practicing spins and stall recovery. I have to tell you that I never managed to land a damned plane in MS FlightSim. But every time I turned my plane into a busted piece of junk I got to restart the sim. Funny, but for such a realistic simulation that part seems less than true-to-life. Kidding asside, using a program like MS Flight Simulator, especially with a yoke controler, would be pretty good training in a low-budget sort of way. Of course there's nothing like actual hand-on, in the air experience. But I would hope your next time seeing a Rocky Mountain rushing up at you with alarming speed is only on your PC. Reset. Do-overs allowed, but not always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Jeff, that price you quoted seems quite inexpensive....I'd go for it. A co-worker here is looking in to it as there is a very large Aerospace program at UND. It is supposed to be quite cheap here but my friend quoted more than that (exchange rate included ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecastillor Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 the closest I got to flight was in vice city San andreas on the xbox..... ..........that and that time in that cantina in Tijuana.............. But that was a different kind of flight..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted November 15, 2005 Author Share Posted November 15, 2005 Jeff, that price you quoted seems quite inexpensive....I'd go for it. A co-worker here is looking in to it as there is a very large Aerospace program at UND. It is supposed to be quite cheap here but my friend quoted more than that (exchange rate included ) Yeah I'm thinking I will ask for ground school and MS FS 2004 for Xmas. Here are the rates from one of the 3 here in Calgary: http://www.calgaryflyingclub.com/rentalrates.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 well, aviation is a passion of mine, and i must have been in (and personally flown) more light aircraft and rotory winged aircraft (and the odd military jet) than i can remember. my l8 father used to part own a light aeroplane with some buddys trouble is, especially in the UK, you need to be LOADED to be a pilot as a hobby. and i mean seriously loaded. cant bring the figures to hand, but i know it's a lot. something i'll never be able to even think about not only do you need the costs of getting your lisence and a seat, but the amount of hours needed per year to keep it is also a massive cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IC Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 I'm building a rocket in my shed. It's early days but I'm quietly confident I won't be living on planet Earth this time next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 hehe, you get the BBC's Rocket Man on sunday night up there m8? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IC Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Yeah but I haven't seen it. Have they nicked my idea? My friend did Aeronautical Engineering at uni with a view to getting a pilot sponsorship. He got a First and was invited to the British Airways scholarship open day where he said he was the only person who wasn't the son of an Air Force or Navy dignitary. He now runs an IT business and is paying his way to the sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 trouble is, especially in the UK, you need to be LOADED to be a pilot as a hobby. and i mean seriously loaded. cant bring the figures to hand, but i know it's a lot. something i'll never be able to even think about Can you spell RAF? --IC--Is your dog helping build the rocket? Some dogs are pretty handy, from what I've seen. You may need to him the book "Rocket Science for Dogs". Go to the moon, there's great cheese there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted November 15, 2005 Author Share Posted November 15, 2005 Go to the moon, there's great cheese there. It's true, zoom in and see. http://moon.google.com/ If Google says it is, it must be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himom Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 The only part that freaks me out a bit is practicing spins and stall recovery. I don't particularily like or enjoy roller coasters, but don't have a fear of heights. @Aaron, did you ever get that far? Naw -- only had about 8 or 9 hours of flight time plus some time in the classroom. Beginner mistake maybe, but the most difficult part of the first few flights (because they drill "instrumentation" into your head) was remembering to look up from the artificial horizon and airspeed indicator to scan the sky for other traffic. I can imagine how stall practice could be terrifying; however the difference between that and a roller coaster being that YOU are in control of the aircraft, and not merely being taken for a ride. Just remember that when you're experiencing some negative g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Denby Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 You will learn to land the thing as well, won't you? ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted November 15, 2005 Author Share Posted November 15, 2005 You will learn to land the thing as well, won't you? ! LOL, I sure hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 LOL, I sure hope so. Landing is a given. You want to learn to do a controled landing maneuver. I think that's the correct technical term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Zero Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 You should have a look around the different flight schools. It is expensive over here but there are deals to be had. One school I know of will give you all the tuition and airtime you need get you private pilots licence for a fixed price of £4000. Not bad in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRAT Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Landing is a given. You want to learn to do a controled landing maneuver. I think that's the correct technical term. yup. a landing is only a controlled crash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 yup. a landing is only a controlled crash Some more controlled than others. You didn't take the bait on joining the RAF. Pity. I wanted to watch you squirm for a moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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