Waste to pay for private pilot's license?

[Swanee]

I'm not sure if it's still around, but there was a glider club near Pensacola that had a great group of people.

Coastal Soaring is still around, they moved to Elsanor Airport (about 15-20 minutes west of their old location) because the owner at Coastal was raking them over the coals with fees and charges. FWIW I'm still a member there. It's a really good club and has a diverse mix of aviators from all types of backgrounds.


Edit: I also hear that because the club operates so close to the entry point for course rules back to Whiting that we have some Letter of Agreement comm procedures that apparently make the studs' helmet fire even bigger.

 

[MIDNJAC]

you may not have any money to do something like.... use your commissioning loan to buy a Sammy's employee a car.

please tell me you know someone that did this

 

[FrankTheTank]

Waste of cash.. Some rides.. Sure but a license... No way..

Fwiw, 1 ride in a 152, no PPL, winged in '96, now Boeing 757 Captain.

 

[zippy]

please tell me you know someone that did this

I'm pretty sure my Marine Onwing paid for a full semester of community college to a Sammy's the Friday night after he selected jets. There were $20s everywhere...

 

[ryan1234]

please tell me you know someone that did this

Actually yes... sort of... about 4 years ago when we had our initial in-brief at Pensacola, our commander warned us specifically against such things as one of the young 2nd Lts in a class ahead of us became very "emotionally distraught" after his "girlfriend" (from Sammy's) had just left him for another Lt after he (the first one) had bought her a car with his USAA loan. I'm not sure what kind of car (or if it came with a car seat), or how much - just that he had signed the title over to her and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Unfortunately, I was never able to meet this chap to verify the authenticity of the story or even buy the poor fellow a lap dance in the hopes he would find a new girlfriend.

 

[nukon]

Coastal Soaring is still around, they moved to Elsanor Airport (about 15-20 minutes west of their old location) because the owner at Coastal was raking them over the coals with fees and charges. FWIW I'm still a member there. It's a really good club and has a diverse mix of aviators from all types of backgrounds.


Edit: I also hear that because the club operates so close to the entry point for course rules back to Whiting that we have some Letter of Agreement comm procedures that apparently make the studs' helmet fire even bigger.

Aye, it does.

"WARNING: Elsanor airport is located approximately 1.5 nm southwest of the Chicken Ranch. A glider flying club operates VFR seven days a week up to the cloud bases. Not all of the gliders use a Mode C transponder; however, all have operable two-way VHF radios and monitor a common frequency of 122.9 MHz. Additionally, glider pilots will inform Pensacola TRACON of their activity prior to launch. T-6B crews inbound on course rules should self-announce their position on 122.9 MHz to monitor for any glider activity in the vicinity of the Chicken Ranch:

“Elsanor traffic, (call sign) approaching Chicken Ranch from the west/south at (Altitude)."

 

[Gatordev]

Ugh. It was already a challenge to get a stud to be able get ATIS, call on area common, join CR (at the proper interval and wing distance) and then call TRACOM, all at 190 knots. And now there's another step, at 250+. Yuck.

 

[Randy Daytona]

I was fortunate enough to get a USMC pilot contract and I report to TBS this August. I was wondering if anyone could give some thoughts on whether it would be worth it to get a private pilot's license on my own this summer as I'll have a good deal of free time. Thanks.

What I neglected to mention was those who have some prior flight time can get some better grades early in the syllabus with the benefit of flight time compared to those who have never been in airplane before.

Also, if you have substantial time between primary and advanced (if you go helo), you may want to see if you can get stashed at a reserve helo squadron for a few months and get some stick time hovering and such. If you can hover on Fam 1 (Contact 1, whatever), you are definitely ahead of the power curve.

 

[Scerio]

Aye, it does.

"WARNING: Elsanor airport is located approximately 1.5 nm southwest of the Chicken Ranch. A glider flying club operates VFR seven days a week up to the cloud bases. Not all of the gliders use a Mode C transponder; however, all have operable two-way VHF radios and monitor a common frequency of 122.9 MHz. Additionally, glider pilots will inform Pensacola TRACON of their activity prior to launch. T-6B crews inbound on course rules should self-announce their position on 122.9 MHz to monitor for any glider activity in the vicinity of the Chicken Ranch:

“Elsanor traffic, (call sign) approaching Chicken Ranch from the west/south at (Altitude)."

Last year there was an ANPRM for removal of the Transponder exception for gliders, though I am not sure what has become of it. It might change some things with the club being so close to a relatively busy Class C:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-06-16/pdf/2015-14818.pdf

 

[Slax]

I will never forget my first solo at P cola in 1980. I asked a buddy something about getting lost. He said just put the needle on the nose. I had no idea what he was talking about.

 

[Swanee]

Last year there was an ANPRM for removal of the Transponder exception for gliders, though I am not sure what has become of it. It might change some things with the club being so close to a relatively busy Class C:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-06-16/pdf/2015-14818.pdf

A lot of sailplanes don't have certificated electrical systems. No sailplane has a generator. Transponders require power- something that has to be stored in batteries- which are hit or miss for duration. It's going to ground a lot of sailplanes if they HAVE to carry a transponder as the process to get an electrical system certificated when the original manufacturer/designer no longer exists is not an easy one.

It wouldn't change anything in the club. The guys who has transponders still use them, the guys that don't, well, they don't (all of the club owned airplanes have them). It's not a big deal- make your radio call and look outside for the traffic. They don't want to get hit either so you can guarantee that they'll be up on the freq and say something when you check in.

 

[aviatorchick77]

For what its worth, my two cents would be to take at least one lesson and make sure flying is something you like. I have my PPL and instrument but I know for a fact that civilian training is like comparing apples to oranges when comparing it to military flight school.

 

[Scerio]

A lot of sailplanes don't have certificated electrical systems. No sailplane has a generator. Transponders require power- something that has to be stored in batteries- which are hit or miss for duration. It's going to ground a lot of sailplanes if they HAVE to carry a transponder as the process to get an electrical system certificated when the original manufacturer/designer no longer exists is not an easy one.

It wouldn't change anything in the club. The guys who has transponders still use them, the guys that don't, well, they don't (all of the club owned airplanes have them). It's not a big deal- make your radio call and look outside for the traffic. They don't want to get hit either so you can guarantee that they'll be up on the freq and say something when you check in.

Yes - I am aware. "My club" was in debate about getting transponders installed, but I have not been active with them as time/money does not permit, so I am out of the loop. Last I do recall was the tow plane would have an assigned squawk and the local controlling agency would get a phone call making them aware of operations. Half the airport is under a Bravo to 4,000, so we have to be cognizant of that being mostly windsock children and having good Summer lift. Maybe the whole process will be delayed till ADS-B comes into full effect, and I think the FAA would know that compliance would be an obvious issue. But the result is the same, for the same reason - its still a game of you can see me, I cannot see you.

I want to continue my zero engine add-on again. Besides the aerobatics I have done, that was the most fun I have had flying something. I especially enjoyed riding a thermal at the edge of a stall, feeling and controlling the glider through that region. Lots of fun.

 

[Swanee]

Besides the aerobatics I have done, that was the most fun I have had flying something. I especially enjoyed riding a thermal at the edge of a stall, feeling and controlling the glider through that region. Lots of fun.

It is by far the most fun flying I have done. If you can get on the ridge and bomb around at close to VNE while at about 50-100ft AGL, it's awesome. I also like cross country flying, being outside of the glide range of your home airport and pressing on is a great challenge and a lot of fun. And at the end of the day it's all about your skill as to whether you stay up or not (as long as there is lift, of course).