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So I just passed the written for my PPL, which is probably not that big of an accomplishment, but I've been psyching myself out about it forever so it's a huge relief. I was a little nervous because I was driving to the testing place and as I passed by SJC, a 787 came right overhead on final (my first 787 sighting!) and I figured that had to be basically the same as a black cat crossing my path, but it didn't appear to be on fire so I guess it doesn't really count. Anyway, now I just need to get ready for the check ride. I've got ~48 hours total, but still have a bit to work on, plus I haven't flown in awhile due to moving and work, so I'll probably be at 60-65 hours when I'm done. Hoping to get it done in the next 3 or so months. Tuxedo Gin fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 20:39
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 01:13 |
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I'm based out of KRHV, where do you fly out of? SJC?
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Aug 13, 2013 22:59
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The Slaughter posted:I'm based out of KRHV, where do you fly out of? SJC? Well I had been flying out of KLVK but I wasn't getting along with my instructor and I moved back down to San Jose anyway so was looking at schools at KRHV. I decided to go with Aerodynamic since I've only flown tailwheel planes and they've got lots of them. I haven't flown with them yet - just got a little help with some ground topics which helped me pass the written today. I'm hoping to get back in the air real soon, maybe this weekend.
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Aug 13, 2013 23:19
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ah, cool. I think I'm probably gonna become a part time instructor at squadron 2 at some point but I haven't bothered yet and I'm rarely in town anyway, I don't know anything about Aerodynamic but I sent you an AIM, if i'm in town and you're getting close to checkride and want to grab a coffee and have my quiz you or something I'm game 
The Slaughter fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 23:22
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The US DOJ is filing an anti-trust suit against American and US Airways over the proposed merger, citing the consolidation of service as being bad for travelers. Oh, NOW this is a bad thing. Dumbass government. Where was this when Delta/Northwest, United/Continental, and Southwest/AirTran all tied the knot? Hasn't the UA/CO merger been a nightmare so far? ProFootballGuy posted:Excellent! I'm sure I'm still in the phase of not knowing what I don't know, but stall training is great and I'd love to get more in-depth with spins and other bad situations. Assuming the pants-making GBS threads is fun and not of the "holy gently caress we're going to die" variety. My first spin involved the CFI getting overzealous demonstrating a Power-On to Imminent. He took it to Full and beyond, to where we were pointing straight down at a sewage treatment plant when it was done. I was a nervous* kid anyway, so while it didn't SCARE me, it wasn't something I liked. Your results will vary. *Nervous=paranoid about getting airsick. CBJSprague24 fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Aug 13, 2013 |
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Aug 13, 2013 23:39
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CBJSprague24 posted:Hasn't the UA/CO merger been a nightmare so far? Not as bad as awe/llc, who are sill not flying together and trying to merge yet again.
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Aug 14, 2013 01:08
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ProFootballGuy posted:True. So far, fear hasn't entered my mind when flying. I've been a lifelong aviation nut and only now at age 29 do I have the money to pursue becoming a pilot. I love taking everything in, learning how to react to situations, and executing. I was in the same boat. I was in the plane with the instructor at night and we hit a patch of wind shear at 300'AGL. I kept adding power, got into max climb, and just waited to get out of it. After we landed, the instructor said "good job. Good decision on the power and not freaking out about the sink rate." I asked what would have happened if we hadn't left the wind shear in time. "Well, with the airplane in that configuration, we would have hit the ground as softly as we were able, which is the best you can hope for when you're not trying for it." So yeah. Airmanship and good training for good reflexes and you'll always do the right thing, even when that thing is crash.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:59
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The Ferret King posted:How'd you get out of the 250kt limit under 10k ft? Operational necessity? That'd be my claim. Isnt the limit enforced below 50? I cant keep count on how many approaches I have flown with a 330 dive up until FL50 where I lvl off to decel to 220 to make my descent planning :p Mikojan fucked around with this message at 12:02 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 12:00
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Because I'm such a bad rear end rules don't apply to me. (The 250 below 10 is aUS reg, so nm if you're flying somewhere else)
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Aug 14, 2013 12:46
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UPS A300 crashed on approach to Birmingham this morning. They say accidents happen in threes so I guess Asiana was 1 southwest was 2 and this is 3? http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/us/alabama-cargo-plane-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
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Aug 14, 2013 14:43
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Mikojan posted:Isnt the limit enforced below 50? Rules are different in North America compared to Europe...very different. For one, transition altitude is 18,000 feet, whereas in Europe, as you know, it is much lower than that; as low as 3000 feet.
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Aug 15, 2013 09:13
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I think I've met the GA pilot that everyone hates the most. "Every time I do a checkride, I ask the instructor how many hours he has. These kids barely ever have any hours. Then I tell him that I've got more hours than that just flying with ice on the wings! My checkrides only ever take 15 minutes." "I don't lower the landing gear until the last second before touching down. I squeak it out perfectly every time. It saves gas." "One time I was landing in a 40-knot crosswind, and a barrel flew across the runway, barely missing me. My instructor runs out, asking what the hell I was doing flying in this weather. I told him that he taught me how to fly in a crosswind, but not how to dodge barrels " ... "Landing in a crosswind like that is easy, you just give it more power, that's all!" All of his stories revolve around him being a jerk, wrong, or down-right dangerous, and he thinks we're all impressed by his bravado every time he tells them. But since he's my mother in-laws boyfriend, we're supposed to be nice.
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Aug 15, 2013 17:15
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Yeah, he is a huge idiot, and when he gets killed I hope no one else is aboard or in his way.
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Aug 15, 2013 17:23
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Animal posted:Yeah, he is a huge idiot, and when he gets killed I hope no one else is aboard or in his way. Fortunately he is too broke to fly any time soon. But it's one of those cases of he's flown so many hours over so many years, plenty of things have gone wrong but he's always pulled it out so far that he thinks that he's above rules and best practices. I'm just curious, is he just a jerk anomaly, or is there a measurable portion of the GA community that is like this?
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Aug 15, 2013 18:01
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Yeah you see more of it in GA than in professional flying, be it Part 135 or Part 121. The last guy I encountered with that attitude crashed in a Cessna 185. CFIT in IMC conditions, without talking to any controllers. Three kids onboard. Got me a few questions from the NTSB (I was one of the people who saw him take off for his last time.) http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137118
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Aug 15, 2013 18:04
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Animal posted:Yeah you see more of it in GA than in professional flying, be it Part 135 or Part 121. The last guy I encountered with that attitude crashed in a Cessna 185. CFIT in IMC conditions, without talking to any controllers. Three kids onboard. Got me a few questions from the NTSB (I was one of the people who saw him take off for his last time.) That's horrible. That's one thing I like about being in military aviation is that while we have our fair share of idiots that particular brand of idiot tends to get weeded out early on...not always but its a lot less common then what little I've seen of GA.
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Aug 15, 2013 18:15
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vulturesrow posted:That's horrible. That's one thing I like about being in military aviation is that while we have our fair share of idiots that particular brand of idiot tends to get weeded out early on...not always but its a lot less common then what little I've seen of GA. Oh god, don't get me started on military pilots. Most of them are OK but about 10% of them are egotistical assholes who make your life a living hell every time you fly with them. No, I'm not going to call you "sir" and yes doing a "tactical break" on takeoff makes you look like an rear end in a top hat.
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Aug 15, 2013 21:00
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KodiakRS posted:Oh god, don't get me started on military pilots. Most of them are OK but about 10% of them are egotistical assholes who make your life a living hell every time you fly with them. No, I'm not going to call you "sir" and yes doing a "tactical break" on takeoff makes you look like an rear end in a top hat. Are you talking about former military pilots that are flying commercial now?
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Aug 15, 2013 21:07
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vulturesrow posted:Are you talking about former military pilots that are flying commercial now? Yes. Mostly Air Force but a few Navy guys as well. I only know one former Marine but he's a great guy to fly with. He's also certifiably insane, but I assume that's because he used to be a helo guy.
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Aug 15, 2013 21:15
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Can we update the OP? Captain Apollo, CFI
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Aug 15, 2013 21:16
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KodiakRS posted:Yes. Mostly Air Force but a few Navy guys as well. I only know one former Marine but he's a great guy to fly with. He's also certifiably insane, but I assume that's because he used to be a helo guy. There's your problem right there. 
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Aug 15, 2013 21:19
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KodiakRS posted:Oh god, don't get me started on military pilots. Most of them are OK but about 10% of them are egotistical assholes who make your life a living hell every time you fly with them. Can we add "people who think they're military pilots" to the list of assholes too? They're pretty easy to spot, since they tend to fly homebuilts adorned with WW2 era markings (while wearing flight suits), they insist on flying everywhere in formation, and they have to enter every traffic pattern in an overhead break, regardless of how busy the airport might be with people flying normal patterns.
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Aug 15, 2013 21:42
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Captain Apollo posted:Can we update the OP? God help us all. Congratulations
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Aug 15, 2013 22:51
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KodiakRS posted:Yes. Mostly Air Force but a few Navy guys as well. I only know one former Marine but he's a great guy to fly with. He's also certifiably insane, but I assume that's because he used to be a helo guy. As the brother of a Marine Aviator, I'm pretty sure "certifiably insane" is a requirement.
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Aug 16, 2013 00:11
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Captain Apollo posted:Can we update the OP? Oh dear lord... Seriously though, congratulations!
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Aug 16, 2013 00:29
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Probably been covered dozens of times in this thread, but what's the real story for career-changing into flying, at age 29+? My PPL training (as nascent as it is) has only confirmed my love for aviation. I have a successful IT career, earning $150k+/year, but I hate it and I spend every day trying to strategize a way out. I'm funding my training with what I make today. Going forward, I really don't care about pay, I've been there/done that. I just want to go to work enjoying what I'm doing, and flying is it. Any tips?
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Aug 16, 2013 01:31
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ProFootballGuy posted:Probably been covered dozens of times in this thread, but what's the real story for career-changing into flying, at age 29+? My PPL training (as nascent as it is) has only confirmed my love for aviation. If you ask me, I'd say you would have to have a dent in your head to leave what sounds like a high-paying job to work in aviation. Here's my advice; you clearly love to fly, don't spoil your love by making a career out of it. Flying never really stops being fun, but all the drudgery that goes into being a professional pilot can make it pretty unbearable in spite of that. It isn't just the pay that sucks; the job can take a pretty serious toll on personal relationships at the same time. If you're married or have children, I would say that making the jump is pretty much a no-go (unless you don't like your wife). With your income, keep it a hobby; buy your own airplane...buy a share of an airplane. That way, you can fly and keep it completely fun. At very least, you'll be able to choose when and where you get to fly. MrChips fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Aug 16, 2013 |
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Aug 16, 2013 01:51
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MrChips posted:If you ask me, I'd say you would have to have a dent in your head to leave what sounds like a high-paying job to work in aviation.
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Aug 16, 2013 02:17
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MrChips posted:If you ask me, I'd say you would have to have a dent in your head to leave what sounds like a high-paying job to work in aviation. Listen to this man. For the love of GOD, listen to this man! I have loved aviation all my life, ever since my 12th birthday I KNEW I was going to be a pilot. I spent over a decade and literally hundreds of thousands of dollars chasing a career as a professional in aviation. In the two and a half years that I have been an airline pilot my dream has turned into a nightmare. My quality of life has become non existent. I sleep in my own bed maybe 5 nights a month. My circadian rhythm is so far out of whack that I'm constantly tired. I have zero social life, and have spent many hours sitting in a cockpit listening to a captain frantically trying to keep his family from falling apart during a 30 minute turn. When I was hired my company looked like THE place to be yet in the 2 years since then we've been through a bankruptcy and are about to go through a merger, or maybe not. I seriously have no idea where I will be living, who I will be working for, or if I'll even have a job 3 months from now. I make about 30K a year. You say you don't care about money but have you really thought about what you'd lose giving up $120k a year? tl;dr In a little over 2 years this career has driven me to the point of walking out on a childhood dream and a $200,000 investment. YMMV but if you have another way to fly, do that instead.
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Aug 16, 2013 02:22
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MrChips posted:You clearly love to fly, don't spoil your love by making a career out of it. Needs to be in the OP
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Aug 16, 2013 02:28
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KodiakRS posted:Listen to this man. For the love of GOD, listen to this man! I have loved aviation all my life, ever since my 12th birthday I KNEW I was going to be a pilot. I spent over a decade and literally hundreds of thousands of dollars chasing a career as a professional in aviation. In the two and a half years that I have been an airline pilot my dream has turned into a nightmare. My quality of life has become non existent. I sleep in my own bed maybe 5 nights a month. My circadian rhythm is so far out of whack that I'm constantly tired. I have zero social life, and have spent many hours sitting in a cockpit listening to a captain frantically trying to keep his family from falling apart during a 30 minute turn. When I was hired my company looked like THE place to be yet in the 2 years since then we've been through a bankruptcy and are about to go through a merger, or maybe not. I seriously have no idea where I will be living, who I will be working for, or if I'll even have a job 3 months from now. I make about 30K a year. You say you don't care about money but have you really thought about what you'd lose giving up $120k a year? Glad to hear these stories! It's not all sunshine-and-roses on the other side, though. I do get to sleep with my girlfriend every night, but I'm always "on call" for lovely work situations. And there's literally nothing I enjoy about my job; my entire existence is geared around making sure I boost my credentials to get the next promotion or being able to jump ship to a higher position at another company. At what point have I truly *liked* what I've done? Never. I've never gotten one iota of enjoyment out of my work. And that sucks. I spend most of my life working, and there's gotta be a better way.
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Aug 16, 2013 02:34
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My experience as a pilot has not been as negative. And it "only" cost under $40k. But yes, you do sacrifice a lot. In my case I am now on my second year in a regional, making around $40k. My situation is not as dire as Kodiak's, but the truth is that luck plays a big role on whether you have a good enjoyable career or not. My advice is to stick to your job but on the side work your way up to CFI like Apollo just did. Instead of buying shiny toys like the BMW, buy a small reliable aircraft, or share ownership of one. Fly as much as you can, do instruction, and then a few years down the road make a decision on whether to abandon your current career or not. You can have the best of both world. Do you work in IT, on something that would allow you to do freelance or a flexible telecommute? I flew with a captain who is a mobile app programmer, so while he is flying to his commute, sitting around the airport, or even during flights, he'll whip his laptop out and get some work done to supplement his income. I haven't finished my degree and I am considering changing it to something IT related that will allow me to do just this. I'd have to do it from an online school. Anyone has any advice for me?
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Aug 16, 2013 03:02
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ProFootballGuy posted:You're right, but my career saps my life out of me one day at a time. It pays well, but I'm questioning whether waking up every day for a career I'm good at, but can't stand is worth the "nice" apartment and BMW. I seriously get depressed seeing myself doing this for the next 20-30 years, and would like to pursue something I truly enjoy. A career at a poor aviation company will be no different. It will suck the life out of you all the same. In a perfect world, if i were in that situation I would try to cut my hours in half, fly on the side, and enjoy life to the dullest. This is coming from someone at a major that has been very lucky in his career.
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Aug 16, 2013 03:06
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ProFootballGuy posted:It How much money do you have saved up? If you can spare $100,000 for flight training, maybe try going the helicopter route. It's a big investment, but has lots of advantages. Helicopter CFI jobs, while harder to get than fixed wing, tend to pay pretty decently. Jobs in the 1,000 hour range pay very well. You get to go home almost every night, since you don't have to fly long distance too often. You get to land on mountains and in valleys. You can see a lot more outside. Flying low altitude is normal practice. You don't have to do traffic patterns or use runways. You can hover, either near the ground or up in the air. And you get to study rotary wing aerodynamics, which are like airplane aerodynamics but more confusing. My life got dramatically better after I became a helicopter pilot. You may want to look into it.
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Aug 16, 2013 03:40
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ProFootballGuy posted:You're right, but my career saps my life out of me one day at a time. It pays well, but I'm questioning whether waking up every day for a career I'm good at, but can't stand is worth the "nice" apartment and BMW. I seriously get depressed seeing myself doing this for the next 20-30 years, and would like to pursue something I truly enjoy. You might say that, but being a pilot literally saps the life out of you. As Kodiak said, my circadian rhythm is so screwed up that unless I look at my phone or calendar, I pretty much can't tell you what day of the week it is...wake-ups as early as 2 am do that to you after a while. Consider that this kind of irregular schedule has been proven over and over again scientifically to be very detrimental to your long-term health as well; I have no numbers to back it up, but anecdotally, if you've been a pilot for your career and you live into your 70s, it is the same as living into your 90s for an average person. Oh, if you have a significant other, they'll hate 2 am wake-ups as well because you're pretty much guaranteed to wake them up as well, to say nothing of the days when they need you emotionally or sexually and you're just not there (even if you're physically there). Many of your non-aviation friends will drift away from you; on the one hand it does show you who your friends truly are, but it is still a very painful experience nonetheless. As for pay, that complicates things even further. Sure, you can say you'll be able to live on $30k per year, but if you've grown accustomed to your current lifestyle, it's going to be a hell of a shock...and that's before we get to the significant other thing again, and the fact that $30k is unrealistic to expect for your first or even second job. Imagine telling your friends/girlfriend/wife that "I'd love to go to Mexico for a week of vacation but I/we just can't afford it." I am lucky (sort of) in that my aviation job gives me fifteen days off per month and I earn a wage that isn't completely insulting, but at the same time I still work a second job on my off days just so I can live reasonably comfortably...and this is after nearly ten years in the industry. I can't afford to buy my own place in spite of that, even if I completely cut out the luxuries I afford myself (a used BMW, plus thinking of buying a motorbike). I am also in a "golden trap", as it were...I can't afford to move up to the airlines as it would be a huge pay cut for at least three to five years, plus a big increase in the number of hours/days I work too, which kills off the second job in the process. The only way out and up for me is to either leave the industry and drive a mining truck up in Fort McMurray for triple the pay I make now, or go overseas to fly (loving lol at that option, and the other one too). If it sounds like we're trying to dissuade you, we are. The industry preys on the passion and enthusiasm of people like you (and the rest of us, for that matter) to keep pay and working conditions miserably low; don't fall into the trap too.
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Aug 16, 2013 04:02
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Dang MrChips, that post  Do I even want to ask who you fly for?
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Aug 16, 2013 04:14
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The past few posts sums up what a lot of people both online and face to face told me about the harsh realities of commercial aviation. It's basically why I ultimately decided to not try going for CPL a few years ago when I was strongly considering giving it a go. Unfortunately, it meant not flying at all aside from the 2 discovery flights I did a few years ago. I can't afford to fly for fun at the moment.
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Aug 16, 2013 04:25
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The commercial pilot route seems to be a pretty rough route that a lot of people jump into because they love flying. Personally I'm not particularly interested in flying heavy metal and just pressing buttons up in the flight levels. I'm much happier hand flying and scooting about at low level and dropping into short strips. If you're making good money at the moment, I'd suggest, getting through your ppl. Do a complex course, a tailwheel course and some aerobatics. see what you like and could see yourself doing. Then perhaps get an aircraft that you could really enjoy. I've met a lot of great people in the GA scene and a few unpleasant ones. It has been more of an expense than I expected, but I'm really pleased that I've taken the route I have.
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Aug 16, 2013 10:03
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Captain Apollo posted:Can we update the OP? Yes, yes I can. Congrats Apollo! Also, I don't always respond when I update the OP, esp when I do it from my phone but rest assured I'm pretty good about keeping up. If you need an update tha tI missed, just post again or PM me.
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Aug 16, 2013 14:05
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 01:13 |
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I love flying but flying professionally can sap a lot of the fun out of it. I would recommend it to absolutely noone and think if you leave a 150k a year job that you don't like you need your head checked out. My sister commented to me on how many gray hairs I already have and I just turned 28... No bueno.
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Aug 16, 2013 14:11
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