I want to get my Pilots licence, any pilots?

[boydsdodge]

On my list of things to do is get my Pilots licence, any pilots that would care to offer up some tips on aircraft and sites for gaining some info before getting in too deep?

[Alaskan_TA]

I have some time in pal's planes, but nothing that counts since they were not official instructors.

The key point is that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.

[4Cruizn]

I think that would be cool also.  I was thinking about that as well. 

[71gogreen]

its alot of work ,its alot of fun ,and it will cost at around 3,000.00 to 5,000.00 to get a private pilots license. if your 18 years old go into the air force or navy or fly a helicopter in the army.if your in a good fianacial way buy your own plane and co-op the cost with a pilot who has an IFR license. 

[74BlueFish]

Hey Boyd,
I've been flying a few years, Unlimited  aerobatic competion this last year.  I fly a Pitts S-1-11,  don't recommend it for beginners.

You should try to fly 3  times a week, 2 at the minimum. If you fly once a week it will take a year to get your licence, and you and your instructor will forget what they taught you every week.  They will make you redo the stuff from last week and you won't progress as fast as you should.   A US licence is 40 hours minimum, with 20 dual and 20 solo.  Budget for 50 hours to be realistic.  I would go to the airport that is closest to you as long as it's not a big commerical airport.  Being close won't be as discouraging when your instructor is a no show or the weather turns bad.

I have over 1200 hours and 24 years flying aerobatic airplanes, but I never fly in the clouds. Don't have instrument rating.    Remember to be safe and don't exceed your experence level.  It's better to be stuck somewhere away from home overnite than to be dead   trying to fly in bad weather

[JH27N0B]

I am a pilot, CFI all that stuff.  Best advice I can give is to try to fly often, at least once or twice a week so you can make progress.  I've had students over the years who only fly every couple or 3 weeks, and they take a lot more flying hours before they build competence.
Spend time when you aren't at the airport studying and thinking about your lessons.  Even though you can't log the time, Microsoft flight simulator can be a great self study tool.
Shop for a good instructor too.  Try to find references.  Some instructors are just building time to move on to flying bigger airplanes and really don't like instructing.

[528 Hemi Cuda]

I agree with all of the posters. My husband is a private pilot also. He has done a lot of things in his life but by far the most enjoyable thing he has done is learn to fly.  I am not a pilot but do go up with him. We bought a Piper 140 and he learned to fly in it. After he had over 200 hours he bought a Velocity which is an experimental airplane.  The Velocity is super fast and flies over 200mph.  About 4 years ago he lost his medical because he had to have stints put in his arteries due to blockage. That was one of the saddest days for him losing his medical. He has tried to get his medical back but the FAA will not let him have it back. Of course now they have the Sport Pilot class but he turned in his medical which is what he was supposed to do and now he is at the mercy of the FAA. So, he built Blofish and now he flys low on the ground instead of in the air.
My advice is go for it. Do it now while you still can. Get a good instructor and fly as much as you can to keep current. My husband probably flew at least 4 or 5 times a week and sometimes a lot more.  Good luck
Pink Ice   

[aris_unlimited]

Just keep in mind that flying planes can be dangerous and make sure to respect them or it will come back to bite you at the least opportune time.

We had a plane crash a block away from my house (in a rural area). It didn't hit any other houses or the school next door, thank god. But I got there in time to watch both the instructor and the student die. I later learned that the student had internal bleeding from the wreck and we couldn't have saved him anyways, never found out more about the teacher but she was wedged in the plane pretty good and it would've been difficult to get her out without causing further trauma.

[Geoff1200]

I flew years ago and didn't renew my medical as I knew if you surrender/fail medical it's hell getting it back.My first flight training was with the base flying club while in the Navy. Training was military like and affordable. My second re-birth into flying (25 year spread) I found a school with an advanced simulator which was unlimited time as a student. It was a HUGE help in gaining profeciency. Best advice I can give is pursue your passion/dream and find a CFI you are comfortable with. I fired the first 2 mainly due to personality differences.

[acudanut]

I tried it and ran out of money.  I had 20 hours in a 172. I sure miss it.  My brothers have more money than I do and got their license's.  My Brother in law owns 2 planes and works for Garmin.  Some day when I win the Lottery I will own a WWII Corsair.

[priderocks]

I got my license after college in the Midwest, but never used it since. I had a cool instructor, which I think is important to the whole experience. He would reach over and shut the engine off and make me put the plane down in a corn field.

Of equal importance is where you fly. I assume you will be doing this for fun. I learned in an area of the country relatively unpopulated, and flying around to small uncontrolled strips was a blast. I would never fly where I live now (Orange County, CA). There is so much traffic from TV choppers, police choppers, private pilots cruising up and down the coast, Marine choppers from Pendleton, plus traffic from SNA that it is way too stressful.

I told all my kids this after they got their drivers licenses- the most dangerous pilot is the 100-hour pilot, who thinks, "hey, this isn't so hard. I think I got this figured out."
Keep that in mind if you go for it.

I also recommend reading the book "Fate is the Hunter", by Ernest Gann, before you start your lessons.

[acudanut]

  " I got my license after college in the Midwest, but never used it since. I had a cool instructor, which I think is important to the whole experience. He would reach over and shut the engine off and make me put the plane down in a corn field "
 Okay, I'll be the first to raise the BS flag.  1. It could damage the plane.  2. You might not not be able to fly it back out.  3. You would be paying the farmer for damage to his crops since it was not a real emergency.
  On the flip side, I had similiar training, but never actually landed it...He would start the plane back up and just wanted to know how I would handle the real emergency.

[priderocks]

acadunut, yeah, the thought of not being able to get out did occur to me, but like a dumb recruit, I figured the instructor knew what he was doing. It was surprisingly easy. And duh, the corn had been harvested, so it was actually more like a dirt field landing.

Did you think I landed a plane into six foot corn stalks and survived to tell about it?