Yep…I’m not sure about the Army scout guys, they did their own thing, but the Huey guys were specifically ordered not to do it for the reasons you state.
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Random Griz Aviation Musings
- Thread starter Griz882
- Start date
I guess the gremlins were done with me! Got a nice 2 hour flight in today…followed some of the swampy rivers that run off the Potomac. Cavorted with lots of bald eagles but didn’t catch any on camera!
Blossom Point Navy Research area…
25 feet, about 75 knots…
Another shot…
Riding the shudder over the tree line and to my spot…
Blossom Point Navy Research area…
25 feet, about 75 knots…
Another shot…
Riding the shudder over the tree line and to my spot…
It’s a real shame your right seat is empty…perfect spot for a dedicated photo/video person. ??♂️
You jonesing for a Grizlandia Defense Forces NFO billet?
What do you want to know? There are a number of CFI’s who pop in here.
I've wanted to get my PPL since forever. How do I go about picking a school? One school very close to me is East Coast Aero Club, which I think is quite popular and well-known. On the other side of the tarmac is the Hanscom Aero Club, which I can use as a reservist.
On one hand, ECAC is bigger so it probably has more instructors to choose from - thus greater potential to find one I really get along with. But it's more expensive (about $30/hr more for a Warrior, about $40/hr more for instruction) so it's more costly to build hours. How do you weigh these two against each other?
The other question is: when starting out, how often do you want to take lessons? For example, if you fly once a month you'll probably forget everything you learned the last time you flew. On the other hand if you try and fly every day, will you get mentally fatigued by the amount of information you're trying to absorb?
Ahhh…Hanscom! My wife is from the area and I lived there for a number of years. You’ll probably find the base aero club cheaper in more ways than just the wet time and instruction. Check both places and see if they have a fixed price deal for your PPL. Once you finish ground school I recommend flying at least once a week (twice if you can swing the time and cash). More and your mind might get scrambled with other non-aviation stuff (like your real job), less and you really aren’t learning. I’ve known people to knock out their PPL in about two months…that seems fast to me but you’ll know yourself once you start training. If you can afford it go past your ppl check ride and knock out your instrument as well…it will expand your world.
You have some beautiful places to fly to around there. The flight over the bay to PVC (P’town) is beautiful and of course you need to run the beach north to 7B3 (Hampton NH) and have breakfast at their excellent airfield diner! Reach out to @ChuckMK23, he is a CFII and knows the business well.
You have some beautiful places to fly to around there. The flight over the bay to PVC (P’town) is beautiful and of course you need to run the beach north to 7B3 (Hampton NH) and have breakfast at their excellent airfield diner! Reach out to @ChuckMK23, he is a CFII and knows the business well.
skybert
Skybert
If you were in southwest Michigan, I’d learn ya in my 172……. 2-3 days a week will keep you sharp and save money in my opinion
Turn over of flight instructors is super high now. Changing CFIs will set you back and cost money. Pick a place for training that has a stable CFI corps. That means finding young guys not wanting to move up to the airlines or older guys who are truly dedicated to training in General Aviation. My preference would be for a retired or semi retired guy that is instructing for the love of aviation.
Hell yeah! Unfortunately, I’m on the West coast. ?
I’m probably moving to Colorado next year…so closer.
Like Wink said, figuring out a consistent instructor will be helpful. A base club can be more stable because a lot of times it's retirees that are the CFIs. Don't expect them all to be former military pilots, though. I flew with one at Jax that was a retired P-3 FE.
Availability will be another issue. Whatever scheduling system the place has, ask to look at it so you can see how far out you have to schedule/plan to get both a CFI and a plane. Planes may be more available than CFIs, and both may be unavailable on weekends.
I would plan on flying no less than once a week, as Skybert said, it can cost you more money in the long run if you do it infrequently. That doesn't mean if something comes up you'll forget everything in a week, but initial muscle memory and consistency are EXTREMELY helpful, no matter how many hours you have. I would also recommend not doing two days in a row, at least initially. Figure out your mental stamina, which will increase after your first few flights.
Grizz mentioned ground school. Personally, I'd recommend doing some flying first before doing dedicated ground school. It will help in applying the concepts in the class. You'll get short pieces of ground instruction during every lesson, but it won't be the official ground school training.
Lastly, remember to have fun!
Availability will be another issue. Whatever scheduling system the place has, ask to look at it so you can see how far out you have to schedule/plan to get both a CFI and a plane. Planes may be more available than CFIs, and both may be unavailable on weekends.
I would plan on flying no less than once a week, as Skybert said, it can cost you more money in the long run if you do it infrequently. That doesn't mean if something comes up you'll forget everything in a week, but initial muscle memory and consistency are EXTREMELY helpful, no matter how many hours you have. I would also recommend not doing two days in a row, at least initially. Figure out your mental stamina, which will increase after your first few flights.
Grizz mentioned ground school. Personally, I'd recommend doing some flying first before doing dedicated ground school. It will help in applying the concepts in the class. You'll get short pieces of ground instruction during every lesson, but it won't be the official ground school training.
Lastly, remember to have fun!