[ARCHIVED THREAD] - First Flying Lesson (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 10/15/2006 2:25:18 PM EDT
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I took my first flying lesson today; man what a rush! I rented a Cessna 172; the plane plus instructer fees came to $100 an hour. Not too bad. Anyhow, that's about as much fun as you can get for a c-note. As a child I flew a lot. My dad's last plane was a Cessna 180 but during my childhood he owned 172s, a 150, a Stinson and a crop dusting business. I never did get my license because as soon as I got old enough, my interests changed. Now Pop has been passed away for 8 years and I'm finally in a position where I can spare a little dough and a little time and get my certificate. Ultimately I'd like to buy a Stearman, but pilot's lessons are expensive enough for now. Oh yeah, it's been about 12 years since I flew in a single engine plane. Great stuff, just thought I'd share. |
Maybe throw in a few "Allah Akbar's" for good measure!
 Good visual. |
oh teh spinz!!!! |
I still have the shirt signed by my instructors - I solo'd at 8 hours - I was TERRIFIED and 17 years old! Looking back I had some really crazy ex-mil instructors that really should not have showed a 17 year old the things they did. Over weight? Just extend the envelope and make sure you are balanced ok? Or thee is nothing wrong with a dog "fighting" over the desert with the other instructor pilot in Cessna 206 after you have dropped off your medical evac passenger. Glad I'm still alive.  BTW Primos - spins were one of the funnest things I ever did - as long as I had 5K feet between me and the ground. |
When I was a kid riding with my dad in his Stinson, the motor failed. I don't mean that it got weak or started sputtering, I mean the prop stopped! We set it down in a cattle pasture with rolling hills (and cows!) Pretty intense. |
Were you an F4 pilot? My dad flew them around '73 in Vietnam. Relating to the va thing for flying lessons...I think you can use it for your instrument rating and above but not your priavte. I don't know for sure...just what I heard somewhere. |
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Someday I'd like to do that. Dad flew F-4s in 'Nam... my grandfather (on my mother's side) flew just about all his life. I didn't know him well, and don't know much about what he did, but I think part of it was aerial surveying for the State of Kalifornia. One of the guys here at work recently got his private... he said someday he'll go rent a plane and let me ride along. I'd love to check it out. |
Yep, I shit my pants when the instructor got out and said: "Ok, now do three TNG's by yourself" |
35hrs in here... Yeah, first flight's a unique experience... Especially when (as in my case) your CFI's day job is driving F-16s... He didn't have me do anything dangerous, but he certainly made sure I gained confidence in the aircraft's ability to stay flying.... |
Closest you'll get to that is the military club system... $71 wet with instructor, for a 1976 172M... 172Ps (1982/1983) go for $78... Solo is $51/58 Old, but they work... Of course, you have to be in the service, or a civillian DoD employee... |
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I've flown with friends (who are instructors now) but never really had any formal instruction. Same two guys had Stinsons when I was in college. One of them was STC'd for auto gas, and gas had gotten dirt cheap that year at like $0.85/gal, so we went for a lot of $100 hamburgers for a lot less than $100. Flying is a blast, I hope to get my private and instrument ratings at some point, but it's not a priority right now. |
After flight school, went to VMFAT 101 in Yuma, Arizona to transition to the F-4. The Marine Corps didn't have any dual-control Phantoms, so your first flight in one is really your first flight. You get a few simulators, then one afternoon you do a couple high-speed taxis in the real thing (no afterburners), then early the next morning, you go fly one (with the bravest instuctor in the world sitting behind you in the RIO's seat, with no controls). I couldn't sleep the night before, so I went out to the flight line and remember standing there in the bright moonlight looking at how large the tailpipes were. At dawn, while the air is still calm, we strap in and taxi out. Take the runway, start rolling, scan the engine instruments, select afterburner, BOOM HOLY SHIT I-know-I'm-supposed-to-look-at-the-nozzle-indicators-but-where-the-hell-are-they-the-guy-in-back-is-yelling-to-rotate-Jesus-Christ-and-General-Jackson-I-can't-believe-how-fast-this-is-happening. I rotated it like a trainer, oversped the gear, the flaps blew up automatically before I could even think to move the selector. Went blasting across the highway at the end of the runway doing 350 with the instructor yelling at me to disengage the afterburners and pull the nose up. Finally got caught up and apologized profusely. He said "Everyone does exactly the same thing the first time." Still a vivid memory.  
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Thanks for that!!! 
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Congrats man! I started mine a few years ago but unfortunalty never keep it up due to school coming first. If you can find a private flying club or somesort go there. Here in Pensacola we have Pensacola Navy Flying club. You have to be active or retired military or a family member of either. we have 4 152's, 2 172's, Piper Arrow and a Archer. 152's are about 45/hr Wet. Instruction is about 10/hr. Most of the instructors are past military. My Instructor was retired Air Force, flew C-130's. Great group of guys, most of the time spent was sitting around listening to war stories from all the vet's. Dang now I want to get back into it. |
| I would highly recommend that you make an effort to find an Instructor that can teach you to fly, at least through solo, in a tailwheel airplane if you really want to eventually fly and own a Stearman. The basic pilot skills that you acquire in your early days will be those that you revert to when things go wrong. I am deeply involved with flying and training in a variety of warbirds. The lack of tailwheel and stall/spin training results in many a warbird accident!!!! |
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I would highly recommend that you make an effort to find an Instructor that can teach you to fly, at least through solo, in a tailwheel airplane if you really want to eventually fly and own a Stearman. The basic pilot skills that you acquire in your early days will be those that you revert to when things go wrong. I am deeply involved with flying and training in a variety of warbirds. The lack of tailwheel and stall/spin training results in many a warbird accident!!!! SORRY, clerical error. |
Rule I remember reading was 'Advanced Ratings Only' So you can get your (Instrument, Multi, Commercial, CFI, etc...) on GI Bill funds, but not your initial rating... |
That's what I've been hearing, unfortunately. |
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For instant gratification: Air Combat USA Fighter Pilots USA I've done them both and it is not something you'll ever forget. |
That is correct. You have to have a Class 2 physical (even if you only use it for private), the school has to be approved by the VA, they pay 2/3 of the plane and instructor, and for every $350 they give you it takes one month of GI bill benefits. |
A 152 that handled like an F-16? A week after you soloed you "realized what flying was all about"? Grasshopper, the things you will learn if you stick with it for another few thousand hours. 
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Its a little more cozy. Its actually about the same as my subaru, only not as wide. but it isnt bad and I am 6'0" all leg and I weigh about 160 I need to get the plane on thursday so I can go do more GFRs and T&Gs I basically have a few more lessons till I am just at the perfecting phase of my training. I took my first XC on sunday from KRYY to WOMAC to KAHN then back to KRYY direct. From KRYY to WOMAC was GPS, WOMAC to AHN via VOR. That was a trip as I did Flight following VFR cause I was so close to atlanta's class bravo. Those atlanta center guys are pretty rough, but for good reason. I was having trouble maintaining a consistiant altitude and they kept reminding me of that. AHN back to RYY was fun as we turned off the GPS and all the nav radios and used the map, the DG/Compass 4 Mk I eyeballs and a stopwatch. Landed 4 min late, closed out the flightplan and that was that. First time I had ever flown anywhere other than my training areas when I was doing the flying. I'm at about 34 hours. Soloed at 20, got about 5 PIC time. I love every minute of it. As soon as the PPL is done, I am going IFR next then on to commercial then CFI and becomming a club instructor. Good luck on your next flight!! |
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Weather permitting, I should be soloing for the first time this Sunday in N75558, a Cessna 172N. Of course, this being Western Washington, I'm sure that the weather will be shitty. 26.5 hours. Trying to work flying into a normal M-F 0800-1700 work schedule, being in the ANG and having a CFI in another Reserve branch drilling on different weekends than me makes it more interesting. As for the VA thing, any certificate / rating above Private at a FAR Part 141 school. Exactly how much is paid, I do not yet know. After getting my PPASEL, I'll be enrolling in a Part 141 to get my Instrument, Commercial, CFI, Multi-Engine, etc. Kinda nice having both my Active MGIB & Reserve MGIB and a few other bennies. Now for some Cessna porn:   N75558 - Scheduled for my 1st Solo this weekend.  N6094F  N5254E - My favorite bird. She looks rough and needs paint, but flies like a dream. I did a falling-leaf stall in her from 4000' down to 3000'. Really interesting maneuver.  N4530E  What it's all about! Mount Ranier in the background, about 40 NM away. |