Appleseed said:In reply to BoxheadTim :
That's why you build your own. The experimental section of Barnstormers is berkin' dangerous.
^^^ This
I subscribed to both Kit Planes & Sport Pilot for years.
The RV series of aircraft are the finest GA flying machines ever conceived - fight me :)
The only trouble is - which one???...I pondered, no agonized, over that question for years...I wound up with the RV 6A but I could argue with the convincingness of a Manhattan Law Firm partner for any of them.
In reply to RX Reven' :
No right from me. All the Vans line is awesome. When I was a college kid I hung out at the local air field and a guy built several RV-4's, what an impressive plane. Dollar for dollar I still don't know if you can beat that one. Every mode they have is awesome though.
In reply to New York Nick :
I changed my mind, the RV-4 is the finest GA flying machine every conceived 
For those that don't know...
RV-3 Single Seat - Tail Dragger
RV-4 Two Seat - Tandem -Tail Dragger
RV-6 Two Seat - Side by Side - Tail Dragger
RV-6A - Two Seat - Side by Side - Tricycle Gear
There are many other RV series aircraft...LSA compliant, four seater, etc.
It all started with the RV-3 which was an all metal version of the Playboy and went on to be world renowned for it's speed, maneuverability, short field capability, safety record, kit quality, builder support, and doing all of that while looking really cool:
They said that Aristotle was "best at nothing but second best at everything"...the RV's are like that, they get an A+ in nothing but an A in everything!!!
bgkast said:In reply to BoxheadTim :
In before BoxheadTim's what plane thread!
Surely you mean "what obscure plane with unobtanium parts that's most likely going to create a big hole in the scenery" thread.
If you're looking for some great, mainly general aviation content on youtube check out FlightChops. He just completed a build of an RV-4 but he also has a series on what it took for him to get his ifr. His channel has a really broad scope (taildraggers, floatplanes, ifr flying, aerobatics, a bit of heli stuff etc.) and will probably lead you to a few other good channels as well. All of it is well shot and put together.
I just got my license in the mail a week ago, so it's freshy fresh. Here's what I did:
-Accelerated course in Alaska
-Took the FAA written test up there
-Took ground school online in January
I liked the accelerated course because i was flying everyday, no time to forget things. I however wish i had taken the knowledge test beforehand, i felt behind on that side of things and it was very intense/stressful. Alaska was good because there's a big flying community and i had no other distractions. Immersion was good. The nutjob conspiracy theorists everywhere got f*cking old fast though, had to put up with that. Flying around Alaska was super cool, glaciers, Denali, rivers, et cetera. It's a surprisingly busy airspace, Anchorage has a special classification because there's so many damned planes. I ran into terrain and weather that REALLY dictated if i was flying or not. I'll be taking a CFI to get more training here in Los Angeles just to get used to the airspace.
The cost, all in, was around $15k. It's expensive, but i don't regret it. It's a cool community of people, and the sense of freedom flying around VFR in GA airspace is just awesome. I pulled the trigger when i thought... what if I don't do it?
914Driver said:... and take good care of your ground crew. It's tough hitch hiking with a big wicker basket and a mile of dacron!
Is that where the knowledge of fine wine that RX Revin mentioned comes in? :)
Back in the day my grandpa won a Piper Cub in a poker game (!!!!) and taught himself how to fly it. I don't recommend that route.
slefain said:Back in the day my grandpa won a Piper Cub in a poker game (!!!!) and taught himself how to fly it. I don't recommend that route.
As they say...
Piper Cub - just barely fast enough to kill you.
Back in the day I went for a private pilot license. Ran out of money after logging 10 hours. Frustrating.
They either didn't have sport back then or I didn't know about it. We're talking about being old enough that I had to call with a corded telephone to get weather specs before I logged a flightplan with a pen and paper.
Sport pilot came around in the early 2000's, maybe 2002 or 03? I had a friend that was diagnosed with crohn's disease about that time and he had an issue with one of the medications he had to take that was a private pilot disqualifier. He sold his Dakota and let his medical lapse. He bought something that fit the sport plane recipe. He used to fly down from Nashville for the winters, as a sport pilot you can't go more than 100 miles from your base IIRC so I haven't seen his new toy.
Edit: I got curious and found the Sport program was finalized in 2004, I remember the couple years of them asking for opinions and input. I also didn't find the 100 mile limit anywhere, it might have been something that was discussed and not implemented.
The conclusion I've come to is that the only way I'd seriously consider getting a license so I could fly semi-regularly is if I hit it rich somehow.
Not that you can't do it on a tight budget, but having the money sounds like it would make it a lot easier.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:Back in the day I went for a private pilot license. Ran out of money after logging 10 hours. Frustrating.
They either didn't have sport back then or I didn't know about it. We're talking about being old enough that I had to call with a corded telephone to get weather specs before I logged a flightplan with a pen and paper.
Yup. This is me. I went to college instead.
In reply to Colin Wood :
An old joke about "What makes an airplane fly?"
People will start trying to explain with Bernoulli's Principle.
Nope.
The answer is "Money"
Money is what makes an airplane fly
In reply to Colin Wood :
Yeah, my impression is that it goes from motorsport budgeting ("how much does it cost - a buck more than you have") to "a few thousand more than you have".
Still tempting, though.
Colin Wood said:The conclusion I've come to is that the only way I'd seriously consider getting a license so I could fly semi-regularly is if I hit it rich somehow.
Not that you can't do it on a tight budget, but having the money sounds like it would make it a lot easier.
If you just want to "fly". It can be done pretty cheaply (e.g. powered parachutes, paragliders, gliders). If you want traditional private aviation flight, that bumps up the price.
If you live on or near a lot of open land, you could get into the air pretty cheap. Just be aware, some of the cheap flying comes with limitation you really want to pay attention to!
Light Sport has limitations I can live with. Two people, under XXX horsepower - speed etc. Older pilots that could no longer pass the physical got into it (no physical required). The prices sky rocketed! Like the 1970s when folks bought a Chevette to save money but got AC and stuff the goal was lost. Same in LS planes.
Colin, go to a gliderport for a flight just so you can say you flew once for the fun of it.
;~ )
Things I have flown:
I really should get a pilot's license.
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:Things I have flown:
- 737-400
- MD-80
- Pitts S2B
- Piper Cub
- Fouga Magister
- Cessna 172
- Airbus EC145
I really should get a pilot's license.
Ok, you can’t just casually leave that sitting there. Simulators? Real thing? I have a whole hour in the left seat of a Cessna 150!
You'll need to log in to post.
