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Well, it's a long story so I'll try and keep it short. My dad had a J-3 and a partner. They were flying groceries to snowbound farmers and dropping meds and groceries in gunny sacks into a snowbank close to the farm house. They decided to pick up some extra cash and they hunted coyotes. Dad was front seat chasing a coyote and he flew it into a hill. He was in a full body cast for 18 months. He got out of flying after that. haha But the guy in the back walked away. Later he started a charter service, crop dusting, air ambulane and such. Years later I met him and he invited me to learn. All it cost me was fuel. I flew a J-3 for about 30 hours and then he put me in a Cesna trike. Wow, what a difference. But I had to go back to school in the fall so I stopped my learning. Course, back at home the cost to get the rest of my hours was astronomical so I never finished. It was 1969.
I have pictures of my dad's plane taken in 1951. Before and after. haha I'll post them in a few.
Holy Cow! Your dad was lucky he lived through this!
JG ... thanks for the update. You were so close to having a ticket back then, too bad you couldn't finish up
sorry about your Dad and the J-3.
I hope the OP is noting the risks one can take in aviation ... and why they're not such a great idea. Makes a lot of scrap metal out of a perfectly fine aircraft ....
Holy Cow! Your dad was lucky he lived through this!
Which Cessna model did you fly in, the 150?
You know, I don't even remember. I think it was a 150. I know this. The first time I cut power and landed I was doing fine till it started tipping over frontwards so I gassed it and took off again. Verl was laughing his ass off. Just wasn't right to tip over frontwards. haha
My son took a few lessons, and I went up for one of them.
It was one of the coolest things I ever did--and easily one of the scariest.
I am glad I stayed on the ground the day they practiced stalls.
One of our friends has been taking lessons and would like to be a private pilot when he retires.
I think what you guys all do is awesome--that third dimension, to me, adds a real "wow" factor.
You know, I don't even remember. I think it was a 150. I know this. The first time I cut power and landed I was doing fine till it started tipping over frontwards so I gassed it and took off again. Verl was laughing his ass off. Just wasn't right to tip over frontwards. haha
LOL.. Many schools now have flight simulators to help familiarize new students with the aircraft they're going to be learning on. I also know the Cessna 150 and 172 have been the ideal aircraft for training student pilots.
I also know somebody who worked at America West Airlines (now US Airways) here in Phoenix, and they have a facility at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport that has the Boeing 737-300, Boeing 757-200 and the Airbus A319 simulators and he said they were as close to flying a real jetliner as possible. I guess they have to be.
I also have a flight simulator on one of my computers at home and it is almost like being on the real thing. Here's a couple of screen shots. This is the flight deck of the Boeing 767-300, descending into Anchorage airspace.
Those pics are so cool. Always wanted to be able to fly...went to college and got all kinds of ground courses but could never afford the actual flight courses plus the fuel. Oh well....I can always dream!! Thanks for those pics. even if they are only simulators I still get that "rush".
OK, folks ... let's try to clear up another misconception about learning to fly.
Unless you are one of the rare few who own your own plane before you have a private license or have a generous friend who supplies it to you ... you will be renting a trainer aircraft from an FBO (that's Fixed Base Operator) who runs a flight school as part of their services.
Due to many aspects of aviation (insurance), you will rent the airplane for a fixed rate per hour in "wet" condition. This means that the rental cost per hour includes the fuel that you will use. It's a flat rental rate per hour, generally charged by the "Hobbs" meter time ... actual clock time with the motor running. So, whether you're in full cruise mode (not likely in training situations), or doing touch and goes, or learning manuvering with the plane, or just taxiing ... your cost is the same.
Rather than "guessing" about how "expensive" getting your license may be, you'd be well advised to consult with an FBO about their training program, cost of instruction, testing, etc. Many schools can give you a pretty fair average number of their pilot graduates, and it may be far less money than you'd imagined it to be.
Don't forget that a lot of schools offer "intro" flights for a very nominal amount of money and a typical half hour or so in the air. It's worth it to get the exposure and see for real if taking on the challenges and learning the skills are worth it to you. Yes, you will actually fly the aircraft during one of these intro flights from the pilot's seat. There's not a lot of instruction given during this time .... you simply get to handle many of the controls and do what the instructor tells you to do without a lot of background comprehension or understanding. But you do get to fly the plane and experience the motion and controls and flight experience. Call around to your local FBO's and ask for this "intro" ....
About 5 years ago, I started working on a private pilots certificate. I accumulated about 30 hours of instruction over a 6 month period, but had to walk away from it when my company "downsized" and I found myself unemployed. It was by far one of the greatest experiences I've ever had, and I hope to start training again sometime soon.
I've had a great job the past few years, and have the money in the bank now to finance my training, but I still haven't started training again because I just can seem to find the time. As many other student pilots will tell you, if you really want to learn, and be safe...you need to fly often, as in at least twice a week. Maybe you could get by with just one lesson per week, but anything less than that, and you're going to take alot longer to obtain your certificate, because you won't retain as much between lessons, so you'll be repeating alot of things. You also need to maintain currency to be safe.
I found this to be the biggest challenge in my training, because with my work schedule it was very hard to schedule lessons as often as I wanted to. The weather was also a big factor for me, as it seems like I was always having to cancel lessons due to rain and/or overcast skys. I found that if I scheduled two lessons per week, I'd be lucky if I actually did one lesson. My work schedule is still nuts, but hopefully it'll allow for more free time soon, and I'll start taking lessons again. It's alot easier to train when you are young and in high school or college, than when you are a working adult, with a family and lots of other responsibilities.
My instructor was also a factor, as his heart was not in the job at all. Like alot of flight instructors, he was instructing for the sole purpose of building enough flight hours to qualify for a job at the regional airlines. If I can give you one bit of advice above all others, it is to find an instructor who truly loves to teach, and is a good teacher. Alot of people are great at what they do, but they don't have that special gift that enables them to teach their skill to others. Spend the time to find an instructor who has this gift, and who you are comfortable with, and you will be sure to enjoy the experience and become a safe pilot.
Also, it would be wise to have the money saved ahead of time, so you don't wind up having to quit half way through like I did, if a financial hardship arises. Another thing, is make sure you understand what it is really going to cost. The FAA says you need a minimum of 40 flight hours to get your Private certificate, and alot of flight schools quote their price based on this figure. But in reality, most people need 60 or more hours before they are prepared to pass the checkride.
Good luck to you, if you decide to get your license, I think you'll find it will be an adventure above all others.
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