Random Griz Aviation Musings

[number9]

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.

My in-laws live a couple of miles from the Katama airfield, so I run by there every few days to work out. I've done a couple (literally 2) hours in a Citabria there, it was pretty fun! There are definitely some incredible places to fly down around the Cape.

I think I could swing $ to go twice a week out of Hanscom, but I'll need to be judicious about work time to go twice a week. The thought of instrument flying scares me - though that's probably a healthy attitude to have at the start?

My ultimate goal is to get a rotary wing PPL, I think.

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

I mean you could fly over and pick me up, but it might take a while.. ?

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.

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!

Thanks for both of these posts - I wouldn't have thought about the CFI shortage/turnover or the length at which you can schedule out into the future. Glad to know I wasn't off base about trying to do too much too soon. What do most people do w.r.t. ground school: get it done first, or get it done at the same time as flying?

 

[Griz882]

Not really aviation connected but, what am I looking at here…someone who needs to visit the mechanic or an overly zealous retired Safety O? ?

 

[ea6bflyr]

Not really aviation connected but, what am I looking at here…someone who needs to visit the mechanic or an overly zealous retired Safety O? ?

View attachment 35660

Parking brake is broken? I’m sure the chocks are there for a reason….maybe a prior lesson learned.

 

[number9]

Not Scout work, all Huey slicks. But not short of action. BLACK CAT 21 by Bob Ford. I read it specificly because most of what I was learning from my friends was Cobras and Gunships. Excellent. Good descriptions of getting quals and learning from senior CWOs (he was commissioned) while flying combat daily.

Started Black Cat 2-1.. finished it a couple of days later. Absolutely outstanding recommendation, thank you! Just as good as Chickenhawk and Low Level Hell. I'll check out @Griz882's recommendations next.

 

[Gatordev]

What do most people do w.r.t. ground school: get it done first, or get it done at the same time as flying?

I honestly don't know. It was probably c. 1992 when I did my ground school, so it's been a minute.

I don't know if this is still a thing in some sort or fashion, but I did my ground school at my high school during community night school. My instructor (retired AF pilot) taught it every couple of months and he would let me just drop in during certain parts when my schedule allowed. He knew I had plenty of time before I needed to be complete since I would have to wait until I was 17 to actually get my license (which I ended up not getting until I was 19 due to school).

I'm guessing some schools probably do something similar, but Chuck may know better than I.

 

[Griz882]

I honestly don't know. It was probably c. 1992 when I did my ground school, so it's been a minute.

I don't know if this is still a thing in some sort or fashion, but I did my ground school at my high school during community night school. My instructor (retired AF pilot) taught it every couple of months and he would let me just drop in during certain parts when my schedule allowed. He knew I had plenty of time before I needed to be complete since I would have to wait until I was 17 to actually get my license (which I ended up not getting until I was 19 due to school).

I'm guessing some schools probably do something similar, but Chuck may know better than I.

That’s a great recommendation! I took a look here in NoVA and see that the adult education program offers the same thing. I never would have thought of that.

 

[ChuckMK23]

So I'm down on Cape Cod this weekend, cleaning out my late father's home before putting it on the market. Going through his papers I found a letter to my dad from the then CO of HT-18, on the occasion of my winging. (Framed, on his office wall) Was this common in CNATRA land? Im guessing every parent of my winging class received an identical, but hand signed letter....

 

[ChuckMK23]

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.

@number9 +1 on Griz's advice.

if you are just pursuing your Private Pilot rating, go the "Part 61" route and avoid dedicated Part 141 schools if you can - you will receive your training more quickly and less expensively. Also if you can self manage your training all the better - cheaper and more efficient.

Your first task should be to obtain a FAA Third Class medical certificate - and immediatly after, prepare for and take the FAA Private Pilot knowledge test (aka "the written"). So many online resources for this that are paid and free. (e.g., Sporty's, Gleim, MIT Open CourseWare from the MIT Aero Club school offered every year). Dont confuse your efforts to pass the test (75% or better) with being assured that this is all the knowledge you need. The two objectives are best achieved separetly. The test is designed to be passed by a motivated 17 year old with a 100 IQ.

Your Private Pilot Training is best achieved by breaking it down into 4 phases: Pre Solo, Cross Country, Night & Instruments, and Checkride Prep. I keep a formal progress tracker against the Part 61 Aeronautical Experience requirements - that my students update after every flight and we review in brief and debrief - it really drives the "what are we doing today?" planning.



Find a CFI and an airplane with good availability - don't worry too much if its a Cessna or Piper or something else. Your Private should come in at around $10-12 K even with these crazy fuel prices.

Most of the materials you need are in the FAA.gov - see Handbook section.

 

[ChuckMK23]

That’s a great recommendation! I took a look here in NoVA and see that the adult education program offers the same thing. I never would have thought of that.

MIT Open Courseware does this with their Private Pilot ground school - all the video recordings of classes and slides are posted online - using this with free test prep question bank from Sporty's Study Buddy has been a great solution for a number of my students over the years. I simply give the endorsement to take the written...

 

[jmcquate]

Is the night stiff new? My instructor took me up at night, but I don't think it was required. He took me out over lake Erie, turned the cockpit lights down and had me try to fly straight and level for a minute. After a minute he turned the lights back up and I was in a descending left hand turn........lesson learned. Also, do you still need to get an FCC ticket?

 

[ChuckMK23]

Is the night stiff new? My instructor took me up at night, but I don't think it was required. He took me out over lake Erie, turned the cockpit lights down and had me try to fly straight and level for a minute. After a minute he turned the lights back up and I was in a descending left hand turn........lesson learned. Also, do you still need to get an FCC ticket?

No FCC license required as a condition to operate in the US.

Night requirements are not new but provisions are documented to permit excluding night training. But you will have an airman certificate with a limitation that says day only...

 

[hlg6016]

So I'm down on Cape Cod this weekend, cleaning out my late father's home before putting it on the market. Going through his papers I found a letter to my dad from the then CO of HT-18, on the occasion of my winging. (Framed, on his office wall) Was this common in CNATRA land? Im guessing every parent of my winging class received an identical, but hand signed letter....

View attachment 35661

That's a nice pat on the back for any parent. How is that Cape traffic treating you?

 

[Griz882]

That's a nice pat on the back for any parent. How is that Cape traffic treating you?

Yeah…and where on the Cape? Did you grow up there?

 

[hlg6016]

I'm up in Revere actually, I try to avoid Rte 3 at all costs on a holiday

 

[Griz882]

I'm up in Revere actually, I try to avoid Rte 3 at all costs on a holiday

I used to struggle past the “jug handle” every morning on my old drive to the old Navy Yard! My wife is from Waltham.

I wonder where @ChuckMK23 place is…maybe a summer shack purchase?