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On Sat, 21 May 2005 12:36:37 -0400, "John Gaquin"
wrote: Get a place to live, and find some kind of simple job. You apparently won't need the money, but you will need something to keep you occupied in your non-flying time. You shouldn't fly all the time - you need breaks to allow the knowledge to settle in. Fly about 3 times a week, and hang around the field some of the other time, but not all the time. You'll learn a lot there, too. Evidently he brings his own job with him. It would be a great system. I have twice taken a week of intensive training, two lessons a day, and it was really punishing for me (I started flying at 68). I think three 90-minute lessons a week would be ideal. As for hanging about the airport, that suggests choosing a small one. -- all the best, Dan Ford email (put Cubdriver in subject line) Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com the blog: www.danford.net In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com |
#2
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I think that John has hit the major points here and would also agree with
those who suggest taildraggers but personally would prefer a Citabria 7eca as you can sit and solo from the front seat, they are honest and spin well and can do simple loops and rolls. They will teach you to use your feet. It may take you longer to solo but your total dual time should end up being about the same as a trike. To me cost would be a big factor and would suggest that you consider whether the airport has landing fees which can add up quickly if doing circuits. At busy airports you may spend significant amounts of time in the holding bay or on long taxis (google hobbs vs tach time) and your circuits will tend to be bigger which means fewer landings per hour. Bigger/busier airports may mean that you must fly some distance to get to the practice area. The other factor that can add up to a big difference is whether the school charges for ground briefing time. Some schools have good book and video libraries for student use. I would also want good internet access while training, especially if you are doing the ground school by self study, and of course you need to access r.a.s. I would favor a small towered airport with a school like John suggests that also does taildragger and acro. In the final analysis the quality of the instructors is the most important and as each of us has unique learning styles you may want to go on a road trip. Start in the cheap and cavu foothills east of the west coast range and try several different places till you find one that clicks for you. Consider the total sales taxes. Many airports have camping or cheap accomodation available near by which can also make a big difference in the total cost. Never pay in advance. Good luck and have fun. "John Gaquin" wrote in message ... wrote in message . Hi folks, If you want to learn to fly .... . So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where would you go? . Conduct a search, as you are doing. Use other methods as well, although at the moment I don't know quite what to suggest. The net will give you the broadest reach in the shortest time. The point is this: Find yourself a small airport in a rural or semi rural area, with a little flight school thats been around for years, with at least a couple of old coots who have been flying 45 years or so doing some teaching. Latch on to one of these guys - they've got more aviation in their blood than you'll ever find in a book. Get a place to live, and find some kind of simple job. You apparently won't need the money, but you will need something to keep you occupied in your non-flying time. You shouldn't fly all the time - you need breaks to allow the knowledge to settle in. Fly about 3 times a week, and hang around the field some of the other time, but not all the time. You'll learn a lot there, too. The school should have some sort of common area - a lounge, or a front porch in nice weather - where the regulars hang around and talk flying, even when they're not scheduled. Furniture should be some old overstuffed chairs and an old sofa, cast off from someone's house, and there has to be a real coffeepot - not a machine. Check to see if at least some of the instructors hang around and shoot the bull when they're finished, or if they pack up and bolt right away. Its easy enough to find an "Aviation Academy" that's all stainless steel and glass, with a legion of anal 23 year-old instructors who can recite the FARs and the POH verbatim and debate airspace arcana all day. What you need to find is a flying school, where you can learn to be an aviator - no one can teach you, they just guide you in the right direction until it clicks. You have to pick it up yourself. Once you've got that, you can pick up all the rest either from a short stint at a production school, or by reading books. Don't cut yourself short on this. The difference is between absorbing it or simply learning it, and the value inherent in the fomer won't be apparent for several years. Good luck. |
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On Tue, 24 May 2005 09:43:52 GMT, "private"
wrote: I would favor a small towered airport with a school like John suggests that also does taildragger and acro. Well, that's Chandler AZ. (Don't try this in the summer, which extends from March through October.) -- all the best, Dan Ford email (put Cubdriver in subject line) Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com the blog: www.danford.net In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com |
#4
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Snipped for brevity . . .
So, lets hear it! You don't say where you live now. The USA is not automatically your best choice - especially with all of their restrictions for training aliens right now (and in the USA you don't necessarily have to look like ET to qualify as an alien Do you want to fly wheels/floats/amphibs/skis? You don't say. I also prefer small town airports to big metros. Why? What experience do you have in either to qualify you to make that distinction? A PP-ASEL should be able to take you anywhere, and rereading your original post, it sounds as though you are looking for a licence that will allow that. I also prefer small town airports to big metros You don't "usually" find the best instructors in small towns. I'm not attempting to push you in any direction - I'm merely suggesting that you delay your final decision and keep asking all of the right questions. Good luck to you - I hope that you find exactly what you need. Anything less than the best training can kill you - take the time and find the best - it isn't a race - it's the start of a good habit that you can build on. You are embarking on a great adventure and you won't regret it. Keep us posted, Tony -- Tony Roberts PP-ASEL VFR OTT Night Cessna 172H C-GICE In article . com, wrote: Hi folks, If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly? I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere (preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am 25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K. So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where would you go? Alaska? Seattle area? I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros. So, lets hear it! -- Tony Roberts PP-ASEL VFR OTT Night Cessna 172H C-GICE |
#5
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Hi everyone. Thanks for the responses. Keep them coming if you can.
Tony, you asked some good questions. I am in South Texas right on the border at Mexico in a town called Brownsville. Might have to look that up on the map. Land here is flat as far as the eye can see and usually windy around 15-20mph at this time of the year. At first, I originally said that I'd like to learn at a small airport so I wouldn't have to worry about THINKING too much (radio, traffic, etc) like I would at a busy airport. I wanted to focus on the basics, get the feel of the plane and spend as much time as possible on that. However, as some of you already pointed out, it may be best to just jump into a busy airport and start getting accustomed to the radio chatter, flight congestion, etc. I've spent enough time in this corrupted dusty booming city and I need to get out while I can (it's one of those cities that end up swallowing you if you don't leave while you can. Too many boomerang kids here). I once went on a Super cub flight with a friend and we had to land at a small dirt strip in the middle of nowhere due to an engine problem. Bad location! Landed right into the middle of a drug smuggling operation. Luckily (or is it unlucky?), my pilot knew one of the guys and he warned us to get out of there as soon as possible. Another thing: I am kind of concerned about working with the radio because I was born with hearing loss and I am afraid I may not be able to communicate efficiently. I understand the TV and Radio, but whispers are difficult (and I understand this is part of the medical?). I know deaf pilots can fly, so at least I can do SOME flying. I'll have to discuss this with the school, wherever I decide to fly. Absolutely can't wait to learn! Thanks for all the feedback (and I will keep lurking and responding when appropriate). |
#6
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wrote Another thing: I am kind of concerned about working with the radio because I was born with hearing loss and I am afraid I may not be able to communicate efficiently. I find I hear best of all with headsets on, with all of the extraneous noise blocked out. It gives me the freedom to turn up my own volume as loud as I want. Active noise cancellation might well be a very good thing for you. Most people's hearing loss is in the upper frequency range, so you have to be able to use the rest (mid and low range) to hear the communications. Blocking out all (read most) of those low frequency sounds will clean up what you are needing (mid and low) to help you make the best of what you have left. Being born with hearing loss may have left you with a different kind of loss than what I have described, so if that is the case, . . . . "Never mind!" g |
#7
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#8
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wrote)
[snip] OTOH, if I had six months to indulge my wanderlust, I might try to move around a little, and I would definitely spend some time around the Rocky Mountain states, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, or Montana. I don't think you can really understand America unless you spend some time out West. Reading this thread ...Midwest really is Fly-Over Land. Not one plug! Tough to compete with warm winters and mountains - unless 10,000 (sometimes frozen) lakes sound fun? Boundary Waters Canoe Area? Lake Superior? GREEN fields? Plus all the Norwegians, Swedes, Germans, Danes, and Finns you can shake a stick at? http://www.airandspacemagazine.com/ASM/Mag/Latest.html Our local airport (ANE) Anoka County-Blaine is on the cover - Class D though ....radio. Montblack |
#9
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If your time is limited, make sure that you go somewhere that has more
than one aircraft and instructor available. However, compare prices. I like flight schools because of the redundant equipment and flexible scheduling, but they can be pretty expensive (though maybe cheap to you now with the U.S. dollar in the tank). If you are going to use your skills in Europe, I think that it would be important to develop your radio skills, so learning in a towered environment would be good. I did my PPL training at a Class C airport and have never had "mike fright" as a result. Weather in the U.S. varies hugely, so avoid the north and Great Lakes area in the winter, and avoid the south in the summer, Florida during hurricane season. California probably has uniformly the best weather, but inland CA can be extremely hot in summer and foggy in winter, and the coastal areas can have days of marine fog. New Mexico/Arizona have superb fall weather. On the other hand, learning how to make weather no/go decisions is also an important skill... |
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