Its official, I'm getting back into flying.....

[Nickathome]

After 13 years, I've decided to get back into flying. I've been missing it alot lately, and living near a small airport didn't help all those years of not doing it. So with the encouragement of my kids, I'm going to do it. The company I work for has a club with their own plane and I can fly for a few penny's cheaper this way vs going it alone and relying on an FBO.

Any other pilots out there among the MV comuunity?

[djester]

Great idea, you'll never regret it. I've been a pilot for almost 50 years, but sold my airplane last year because of heart surgery. Really miss it!

I'm fortunate, however, by having a bunch of friends with old WWII trainers - T6, Stearman - plus a Citation jet, and I can fly with them about anytime I want. Still not the same.

Always found you can't remember your troubles when you are in an airplane.

Dave

[Nickathome]

Yep, I remember feeling like I was the King of the world when I would fly. A great feeling, and you just can't stop looking at the land features I don't care how often you fly.

I went up with the president of the club (funny cause he's half my age) about a month ago and it was alot of fun. It all came back like riding a bike. He let me land the thing and it felt good that I remembered how. I just gotta take some navigational refreshers, get a biennial under my belt, and get up to date on any changes that I need to be aware of but that shouldn't take too long.......Can't wait to be able to take my kids for a ride. So far their only experiences with flying have been on jets to Disney world, and to their aunt's house in Georgia.

[djester]

I envy your opportunity. It will tax your brain, but be fun while doing it.

I have an instrument and multi-engine ratings and always enjoyed the re-current training. Have fun!

Dave

[Nickathome]

Oh yeah, no doubt I will have to do some studying up on some of the boring stuff, but it'll be worth it. I pulled some of my old manuals out last night to brush up on a few things. Alot of the airspace designations, etc has changed, so I have to get current with that. One thing I'm going to stick with though is the old school, look at the map, plan from the page navigation and not buy into the GPS craze. The kid who took me flying had a fancy GPS attached to the yoke and relied alot on that. I told him if his batteries ever died mid flight he'd better know the basics. He nodded, bu I can bet he's never even seen a whiz wheel, much less used one!

[djester]

I've had the same thoughts. Wonder if anyone can still fly on needle, ball and airspeed? GPS makes flying so easy, it is hard to keep those old skills, especially when it comes to spacial orientation.

Dave

[Lifer]

It's been a very long time since I last held a stick in my hands. I was taking elementary instruction in a Piper J-2 Cub, and the only instruments were the ball/tube attitude indicator, an altimeter, and a compass. There was no airspeed indicator, and the fuel guage consisted of a piece of wire threaded through a hole in the gas cap and stuck to a cork inside the tank. If you could see the whole wire, the tank was full. If the bent-over end was down to the cap, you'd be wise to look for a suitable landing area "now." I never got a license because I failed the physical, but I loved every minute of my time in the sky.
About 20 years ago, I got to "fly" an O-2 under the close supervision of the AF pilot who was giving me a demo ride to the missile range. At that time, I discovered I preferred a stick to a yoke, but I didn't cause the Major's pucker factor to increase.

[greencom]

My wife got her private license back in 1990, we bought a Cessna 150 for her to take lessons in, after a couple of years we traded it for a much older 172 Skyhawk with two more seats, wow what a great old plane that was, over 900 hours of flying with no major breakages. I was laid off in 1999 so the plane had to go, I really couldn't afford it even while I was working so it was for the better. I got my job back after a year or so but plane ownership was for someone with more bucks than me. I took some lessons but failed my medical but I fly with my better half in a rented plane when we get a bit of cash together.
Greencom

[HingsingM37]

Nick,
Definetly do it. I have always wanted to earn my license but never got around to it. I am a decent right seat guy and can land and work the radios if necessary but I never got around to taking "formal" lessons. Good luck I am envious. I have not been up in an airplane for over a year,. Closest I have been to an FBO lately is getting 100LL for the M.
Lifer, my buddy has a Vietnam Vet O2 #68-10862. I love to fly in that airplane. I never knew much about the FAC's in Nam until he got that aircraft. He has a little Purple Heart painted on the horizontal where an AK47 round pierced it Ck out www.huey.org under O2A for a description of the damage.
I believe there was a movie a while back "Bat 21", but they used Super Skymasters instead of the real O2's.
Anybody see the Oshkosh documentary on PBS running this month?

[Nickathome]

David;

I'm definitely doing it, I'm almost a member of our club, just have to finish up some formal paperwork, then cut them a check.

I've had my license since 91, so its not as if I'm finishing up something I started, I'm just getting back into something I got away from. When the kids came along it got a little tough to justify spending the money on flying so it faded away, but was always in the back of my mind that I'd someday like to get back into it.,

[HingsingM37]

Nick,
All this time I never knew you flew.
PS. Send me a pic of your wiper motor installation as I will be doing that soon
I meant to say straight Skymasters in my above post. The Super was the O2 if memory serves me... Thats what I get for doing my posts at 0530 The past 5 years I have learned more about MV's and forgot airplane stuff. I can't retain it all as I get older

[Nickathome]

David;

Yep, started taking lessons in a 2 seat Eipper Quicksilver ultralight of all things back in the spring of 88. A guy at work was into ultralights and when I mentioned I'd like to try that, asked me if I wanted to take lessons from the guy he learned from. I said sure. The airport was just over the bridge in NJ so I started taking lessons. It was all informal, no real rules to follow with those things since you don't need a license to fly one. The guy I learned with was a good teacher, but he wasn't the friendliest guy. He boned me after I told him I was going on vacation in July of that year.

I had about ten hours of dual with the ultralight instructor when I went to Florida for a week with my cousin. After I got back I went to resume my instruction and I found out the guy had uprooted his business from the airport I frequented, and took his plane to north Jersey some place. I was pretty pissed. I mean he didn't walk and take money from me or anything, but the way he just left without informing any of his students was pretty underhanded. At that point I got disgusted and forgot about ultralights altogether. I went to a local airshow the next summer (89), saw a sign advertizing lessons on the FBO office door, inquired, then started the ball rolling again. I had experience in the ultralight and was able to solo with only 13 hours in a piper Tomahawk. Got the license in April of 91, and flew pretty steady until about 96, then started to lose interest. Once my oldest son was born in Dec of 98, I had all but put flying on the back burner.

Yeah I'll have to get out and take some photo's of the wiper setup. Real easy setup. I wired the power right to one of the batteries, then up along the right wisde of the cab top frame to the wipers. Used some little tie wraps to hold the wiring in place. A real easy but clean setup. Haven't really used the wipers as I don't take the truck out in the rain, but will if we ever get any more snow. I have heard these wipers won't work too well in heavy snow but anything is better than what I had.

[djester]

Speaking of Skymasters, I owned one at one time, took it in for an annual and they found a spar crack by the right boom. Was told by the mechanics that there was no known fix except to buy a whole new wing and have it installed.

Only problem was that the wing cost more than the airplane was worth! Basically, I was told to throw it away. Talk about a shock!

In the end, we worked with the factory and found a way to remove some skin and make a repair that the FAA approved. Still cost a ton, but made the airplane airworthy.

Considering they were used in 'Nam with rockets under the wing, no one could ever figured out how that crack could happen in GA use.

Loved the airplane and always felt very safe in it. Lost an engine in cruise and all it did was slow down. Strangest thing about the airplane was that you had to watch the tach on takeoff to make sure you had both engines working.

Dave

[Nickathome]

At least if you lost an engine in a Skymaster there was no tendency for the plane to want to yaw one way or the other. Must have been a good feeling to know you could just fly as usual only a little slower. With a twin with engines in the normal location, you would have to cross conrtol and play with throttles I'm sure to keep the plane flying properly.

[djester]

That's true, no asymmetrical thrust, therefore no VMC (minimum controllable airspeed) like in a conventional twin. Losing an engine is a non-event, compared to most twins. In most GA twins, few pilots are competent to keep an airplane straight and level if an engine is lost shortly after takeoff (including me). My rule, unless well above VMC, was to pull the other engine and land straight ahead.

The beautiful thing about the Skymaster was that wasn't a concern. You might have to land straight ahead, but you didn't worry about being upside down.

Dave