FAQ's, Miscellaneous Ramblings and a Few Rants

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association ("AOPA") is a great source of information about lots of things, including flight training, insurance and $$money$$--loans, scholarships etc.  Read all about it here:  http://flighttraining.aopa.org/

I only have time (money etc.) to fly about once a week (once a month, once every six months etc etc.), can I learn to fly?  YES!  The more often you can fly the quicker you'll learn, but the most important thing is to GET STARTED!  Don't wait for that magic day when you have time or can afford it, the kids are grown up, whatever--it never comes.  That day is NOW!  Life ain't no rehearsal.  This is the real thing--GO FOR IT!

Do I have to be really, really smart or an athlete with Super Vision and Really Fast Reflexes?  No, nO and NO!!!

I'm not a kid anymore, can I still do it?  Hey, NONE of us are kids anymore, ha ha!

What about Guaranteed Courses?  Do you have GUARANTEED COURSES? Yes, of course!  Pay in advance,  fly a minimum of twice a week, keep up with your ground studies and get all the instruction you need--no matter how much--at no additional cost for the instruction.  Is there a catch?  Of course there's a catch.  Teaching people to fly is FUN, but it ain't no charity!  Here's the deal:  You gotta fly at least twice a week--less than that your retention falls off.  Do that and ALL flight and ground instruction, 5 hours or 500 hours--no limit--is included in the Course price.  If you still need more instruction it's ALL FREE!  The catch?  If your total Flight time exceeds the standard Course length, you pay for the additional aircraft flight time, but NOT for the ground or flight instuction.  ANYONE can learn to fly--I guarantee it!  Look--I've been doing this for 35 years.  If I didn't KNOW you could do it, I wouldn't offer it--this is how I pay the bills. 

How long does it REALLY take to learn to fly?  Tired of all the double talk?  Here's the facts:  The national average is more than 70 hours over a period of about a year.  Of course we're all good looking and above average, so you'll do it lots quicker, right?  Hah!  Notice that my Guaranteed Private Pilot Course requires you to fly at least twice a week.  If you fly twice a week you'll complete the course in about three months--not a year--three months or less.  That's the key to becoming proficient quickly and reducing the number of hours you'll need.  Forget those 35-hour courses you see advertised.  Bunch of Baloney!  Nothing more than a marketing ploy designed to suck you in--the old bait and switch!  Yes, I've trained lots of pilots in those 35-hour courses, and some actually completed the course in 35 hours, but the truth is you'll probably need at least 50 hours, more if you take a year to do it.  You'll probably need about 30 hours of flight instruction, at least 10 hours of solo flight (the minimum required by 14 CFR Part 61--hey, it's the law!), plus at least 15 hours of pre- and post-flight ground instruction to be both safe and proficient.  That's assuming you keep at it, fly as often as possible and is the realistic TRUTH!  The 35-hour courses just don't provide enough time for you to become both safe and proficient--STUPID and UNREALISTIC.  Can you do it in 35 or 40 hours?  Yes, but probably not with any degree of proficiency and certainly not if you take a year to do it.  Be realistic:  You want to be safe and proficient.  If you fly once or twice a week you can figure about 50 hours.  But, you're not gonna stop flying then, anyway.  You've just begun!  You want to be confident, safe and proficient.  Wouldn't let your spouse and kids fly with someone who could just barely fly, would you?  Now you know the truth about this stuff, makes my Guarnateed Private Pilot Course look like a pretty good deal, eh?  No lie!

Got a buddy who's thinking about learning to fly, too?  Let me tell you about a great way for the two of you learn to fly together, have some good fun and save some serious buck$$ while you're at it.  I call it the Buddy System (pretty clever and original, eh?).  While you fly from the front seat of my 180hp Cessna 172 your buddy rides along, watching and listening.  (S)He learns while you do.  Then, you trade seats, (s)he flies while you observe.  This is a terrific way to learn and not only doesn't cost anything extra, I'll give you a nice discount if you and your buddy sign up together.  Can't beat that!  See my Pilot Training page for more info.

Aren't taildraggers harder to fly than nosedraggers?  The short answer is NO.  You CAN do it.  In fact, if you want to learn how to fly well, not just kinda, you need to learn in a taildragger.  Yes, I know there's lotsa taildragger macho baloney out there, but the fact is if you can't fly a taildragger you're probably pretty marginal.  Anybody can do it.  But you gotta DO IT!  And it takes training.

Light Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot

What follows may be getting a bit far afield and may not belong on this page, so you may want to skip ahead.  Maybe I'm just an old reprobate, stick-in-the-mud who can't keep up with the times, so take it with a grain of salt or whatever its worth--this is purely my own opinion, c'est la vie (or guerre?), non?  Here goes:

What about Light Sport?  What are the differences between Sport Pilots and Private Pilots, Light Sport Aircraft and Standard Category Aircraft?  Can't you save a lot of money by learning how to fly in a Light Sport aircraft--they say it only takes 20 hours! 

Lots of interest in Light Sport  these days (Or is it Sport Light?  Never can get that straight--early onset Alzheimer's?  Hope not!).  In fact, a lot of people are very excited and think LSA will revitalize low-budget fun flying.  I hope they're right!  I loves cheap flyin'!  Cessna just announced their entry into the LSA wars, so they're taking it seriously, too.  In fact, Cessna also announced they'll be introducing a whole new line of airplanes, so looks like interesting times ahead!  Good!  As for differences between Sport Pilots vs. Private Pilots and LS Aircraft vs. Standard Category aircraft, there are many, in fact its a pretty complex subject.  For more info see http://www.sportpilot.org/learn/final_rule_synopsis.html. 

First, Sport Pilots vs. Private Pilots.  FAA requirements specify what you need to do to get a Pilot Certificate and then, once you're a pilot, what airplanes you can fly, where and when.  The most important things are 1) Sport Pilots can only fly Light Sport Aircraft, which have lots of restrictions on size, performance and use--a VERY big restriction--and 2) you don't need to pass a medical exam to fly Light Sport Aircraft--if you have a current driver's license you're good to go.  Good.  No one has ever been able to establish a link between pilot performance or safety and medical exams anyway.  Still, if you know you have a medical "deficiency" or have failed a FAA medical exam you are not eligible to fly Light Sport Aircraft, or any other aircraft.  Glider pilots don't need medicals, either--or a driver's license.  In fact, you can solo a glider at age 14!

What about training costs--are they lower for SP?  Good question!  Let's talk about the cost of training, the instruction you need to learn to fly safely.  Training costs first, then we'll talk about the cost of the airplanes.

If you can learn to fly LSA in only 20 hours won't you save a bunch of money? 

It's true the training required by the FAA is somewhat less, mostly having to do with learning to fly in busier airspace, night flying and reduced solo time required  before you can get your license, so that reduces the training required and should save you some money. 

Trouble is, those are things you need to know. 

The reduced solo flight requirement is the biggest part of the difference in the advertised (as opposed to the real) cost.  Required solo flight training is the biggest difference between 40-hour PPL courses and the 35-hour courses, too.  Listen closely, because nobody else is going to tell you this:  Flying solo in a training environment is an important part of your flying education and shouldn't be dismissed lightly, whether we're talking SP or those 35-hour PP courses.  You need the supervised solo experience before you can safely fly on your own and start carrying passengers.  You don't get it (the FAA doesn't require it) in those 20-hour SP or 35-hour PP courses.  Stupid and dangerous.  All we're talking about here is getting a little solo flight experience under the supervision of your flight instructor before you can legally fly on your own or carry passengers.  Doesn't that sound like a sensible thing to do?  Learning to fly is all about getting experience, not just checking boxes on an FAA list.  That's why almost no one learns in the minimum time specified by the feds, regardless of what their rules say.  It's about common sense and safety.

Why would you want to skip ANY of that stuff, anyway?  It's important!

Here's the biggest lie:  If you look a little closer, beyond the advertising, except for the solo flight requirements you still have to do nearly all the same things for a SP license as for a Private Pilot certificate (all good stuff), but in less time!  Can't be done!  There is nothing magic about the way LSA's fly--they're still ariplanes!

But, seriously, what about those LS Aircraft?  Are they really cheaper to fly?  Again, maybe.

Since aircraft purchase price is the most significant part of the cost of flying, what do these LSA cost?  Are they cheaper to buy? 

Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no. 

Several aircraft already certificated in the Standard Category (Piper J-3 Cubs, some Luscombes, Aeronca Champs, Taylorcrafts, Ercoupes etc.) also qualify as Light Sport Aircraft.  You can buy some of them for pretty reasonable prices, maybe as little as $15-$20K or even less.  GO FOR IT!  I highly recommend buying your own simple, cheap airplane as a good way to save money, maybe even make a little $$ when you sell it and have lots of good, cheap fun. 

But there are NO cheap NEW airplanes, LSA or otherwise--that's the big hurdle lots of folks are hoping LSA will jump.  Ainna gonna happen!  Yes, there are lots of new LSA's coming on the market, but they're not cheap, unless you consider more than $100K cheap!  (In which case I'd like to have a chat with you about a really terrific economic opportunity!) 

Many LSA are imported from Europe, where all this LSA stuff really started.  Some are very interesting, technologically advanced and high-performance for the power--though FAA rules place many restrictions on performance for LSA in the U.S.  I've had some nice chats with LS folks about costs.  Although some are advertised for around $80K (and that's the bare naked no tires or motor teaser price--the real price is probably $100K or more), many are $130K-$150K or more!  Don't know about you, but $80K and up is a lot of money to me.  There's hardly an airplane been made that can't be had for $80K or (way) less used.  In fact, you can buy several new US aircaft (Taylorcrafts, Champs etc.) that are certificated in the Standard Category--meaning none of the restrictions placed on LSA--for about the same price.  Why aren't they getting the attention LSA are?

So much for LSA saving you money.  Hah! 

About those SP restrictions:  You want to be able to fly in any kind of airspace, don't you?  Night?  Faster, more capable airplanes?  Take your friends and family along?  If you already are or become a Private Pilot you can fly Light Sport Aircraft any time without further ado--no additional certification required, no limitations, no restrictions, nada, zip, zero, nuthin'.  If you become a SP and then decide you really do want to fly something with a little more zip, big enough to take family or friends along, fly in busier airspace, at night etc., you have to upgrade to PPL.  No can do as SP.  The little bit of additional training required to become a Private Pilot is all Good Stuff that will only make you more capable, safer and more proficient, with none of the restrictions on the airplanes you can fly, how or when.  But why make it a two step process?  That won't save you any money!  Who wants to be halfapilot anyway? 

Bottom Line:  I love cheap flyin', but most of this SP stuff is just deceptive advertising.  I really can't think of any good reason for being a Sport Pilot.  Listen!!  Training is the most valuable part of flying--get all you can!  Be a ratings collector!  You will never stop learning to fly--don't even think about trying to skimp to save a couple bucks.  It don't work!  Want to fly Light Sport Aircraft?  Sure, me, too--been flyin' 'em for years!  But Sport Pilot?  No, don't think so, thanks for asking.  Just sounds like marketing nonsense to me.   Sorry if I rained on your parade, but that's the way I sees it. 

BTW, whatever happened to all those "Recreational" pilots?  Ever met one?  Me, either.  Isn't RP a lot like SP?  Hmmm.

Had enough?  Ah, but there's more!  LSA/SP offers the first real hope in over a generation for good cheap, fun flyin'.  I loves cheap, fun flyin'!  And you thought I was just another foot and knuckle-dragging whiner!  Not so!  Nobody has manufactured a viable training airplane since Cessna quit building 152's way back in the 80's.  Now, most 150's and 152's are clapped-out, high-time old dogs long overdue for Sun City.  Worse, they're not big enough inside for today's average 200+ pounders to fit.  I'm hoping against hope that Cessna, Piper or somebody else will take advantage of the greatly simplified LSA certification rules to start building a 2-place airplane with room enough for two of today's-sized real people to fit with real elbow room, 200 pounds of bags, enough power to climb 800+ fpm, 300+ nm range with ample reserves, is aerobatic, has tricycle landing gear, a low wing and a bubble canopy, solid-state semi-IFR panel (think Dynon) with a moving-map GPS/com and basic ILS capability (like VAL INS 422) that sells for about $50K, brand new.  Just another fantasy?  Maybe not.  I still believe there is a big market out there for good, cheap airplanes.  They'd have to be built in big-enough numbers to amortize costs and to squeeze enough small profit to make it worthwhile.  Will Cessna do it?  Maybe.  Piper, Beech or some foreign manufacturer?  Cessna is wedded to high wings, so no bubble canopies for them.  Beech has just gone though a Wall Street-style buyout and Piper has been on the ropes for years, so I'm not too hopeful for them--HOLD IT!!  STOP THE PRESSES!!!  Piper has just announced a nice looking new LSA!  Sorry, but it ain't cheap, starting at about $130K, sigh...  And its not built in the USA...  But aren't these the days of off-shoring (sho' 'nuff--isn't all manufacturing?)?  What's to keep a new startup or foreign manufacturer from building my dream airplane in China, Mexico, eastern Europe or the Philipines, and sell them as very simple to finish kits to us Americanos?  I think all it takes is faith enough in the market to give it a shot.  Maybe some of those entrepeneurial Russians with their pools of unused talent will figure out a way, or somebody in India or Taiwan.  If there's any hope, LSA is it, so keep those fingers crossed.  And as for SP, yes, they're on the right track, but let's skip the phony marketing baloney, OK?

Good news!  

Van's Aircraft is building an E-LSA  (meaning Experimental Light Sport) aircraft--the RV-12.  My hangar neighbor Dan is building one right now!  He sez they can be built in about 650 hours (wow!), not the 2000-4000 most homebuilts take.  And the cost should come in at about $65K! Wow again!  Of course, you have to build it, and since they're Experimental they can't be used by commercial operators (like flight schools) but at least you can finally own a brand new airplane for about the same price as a nice car.  This is the best news in a long, long time.  Now all we need is for (1) Van's to put them into production (but that would raise the price so probably not so good), and (2) the FAA needs to change the rules so Experimental airplanes can be used for "commercial" training purposes.   Actually, if you build or buy an Experimental airplane you CAN pay someone to teach you how to fly it.  It's just that flying schools can't OWN the Experiemental airplane and then use it for "commercial" purposes like flight instruction.  Say what?  Yeah, that's right.  If you own it, no problemo.  But if I own it its gotta be a charity operation--which ain't never gonna happen, even if I am a really nice guy.  I gotta pay bills, too, dontcha know!  Maybe some day the feds will get outa the way, but for now...

Enough on that! 

Gee, Jerry, Wild Blue Aviation is practically a one man operation.  And your rates are WAAAAY lower than anybody else.  How do you do it?  How come you don't have a pretty secretary, a glass palace, a bunch of 18 year old, 200 hour flight instructors working for $10/hr (no offense--I was 18 and had 200 hours once), a bookkeeper and high prices?  Answer:  Flying is supposed to be fun--that's why I'm here.  I loves to FLY!  And I love teaching people how to fly!  If I was trying to make money or get an airline job I wouldn't be doing this.  Leave that stuff to those other folks who think flying is a BUSINESS.  Hey!  I don't want my flying to become WORK.  I put my emphasis on having FUN and FLYING, not making money or trying to impress people with a lot of BS.

Can women be REAL pilots?  What a dumb question!  Believe it or not, some people are still living in caves and ask this question--even women!  If you're a woman and looking for a career in aviation, you've got lots of advantages over men--it's true.  I'm not talking because you're nicer to look at and smell better, either.  The female persuasion has lots of advantages in the cockpit and women make great Flight Instructors, too!  TRUE!  Just ask the FAA.  Plus, there ain't no better life nowhere.  You CAN do it.  Of course you can.  What a dumb question.  Sorry I brought it up.  But don't go away yet!  Women in Aviation is an organization dedicated to the advancement of women in, you guessed it, Aviation!  Check out their web site www.wai.org.  Among other things, they' ve given away more than $3million in scholarships.  Maybe they have some $$$ for YOU!

Speaking of women pilots, here's a couple of web sites with lots of great stuff you ladies might enjoy:  Girls With Wings http://www.girlswithwings.com (for all you big and little girl pilots) and the Chick Fighter Pilots Association http://www.fighterchicks.com (we're talkin' REAL fighter pilots here, sweet young ladies whose idea of a good time is a knife fight in a phone booth--don't mess with these girls--they sure ain't no camo-paint Cessna flyin' wannabees)--these girls rock!

TAILDRAGGERS?  How come so many TAILDRAGGERS?  And CLASSIC AIRCRAFT, WARBIRDS, FORMATION FLYING and AEROBATICS, too?  What's the deal?  Well, you want to be a complete pilot and have some FUN, too, don't you?  It's a big aviation world with lots of interesting things to fly.  Some have tailwheels!  Some are older than you and even older than me!  Some fly upside down and inside out!  Formation flying with your (properly trained) buddies is lots of FUN!  Sad to say, but lots of old airplanes are nicer flying than new ones and WARBIRDS may be the most fun of all.  Really!  Hear me now and believe me later--try 'em out for yourself.  There's a whole world of cool airplanes out there not made by Cessna, Piper or Beech.  Some are even made in some a them furrin' countries!  AND, fact is you'll never really learn to handle a crosswind takeoff or landing unless you train in a taildragger.  Having Said All That, nosewheels offer many advantages and only a few disadvantages, so forget the macho stuff.  In fact, one of my favorite airplanes is the good ol' Aircoupe--one of the best flying, best performing, most fun airplanes ever made.  Stand by, I'll be getting one soon!  But if you don't learn to fly taildraggers you're closing the door on lots of great airplanes.  PLUS, the sky is a 4-dimensional place.  Try putting the blue side down and flush that old blood from your brain.  Flying is FUN!  More different kinds of airplanes and more different kinds of flying are MORE FUN!

WOW!  This flying is EXPENSIVE!  Yes, it is.  It's addictive, too.  Want to save some money?  Pay in advance and get a 20%! discount--no phony "club," no "membership" joining fees, no dues, no baloney. Yes, you really can fly for as little as $80/hr. Take a look around--I've got the best airplanes at the best rates available anywhere!  But I'll let you in on a little secet:  Want to save real money?  BUY YOUR OWN AIRPLANE!  But aren't they expensive?  If you buy the Space Shuttle or a 747, sure!  But you don't need a 747 or a jet or a twin or a Bonanza or anything fancy.  You just need a simple, easy to maintain, cheap to fly FUN airplane!  But aren't old airplanes unreliable?  That's why we have the FAA--so airplanes will be absolutely stone dead reliable and SAFE.  These are airplanes, not old beater cars! 

Here's how to save some serious money: 

Find yourself a good, simple, cheap used airplane (like a Cessna 140 or 150, Aircoupe, Aeronca Champ etc.), buddy up with an A&P mechanic (like me) who'll help you learn how to do most maintenance yourself and fly for not much more than the price of gas!  In fact, you might even make a little $$ when time comes to sell! 

Find an airplane that needs a little TLC, put a shine on it, fly the pants off it and have GOOD CHEAP FUN! 

Do the math:  Lots of airplanes only burn five or six gallons per hour.  Even if gas hits $6 (it's about $5 now--May 2010), you can fly for only $30 or $35 per hour!  Why pay $100/hour or more? 

Be smart, watch for good deals, get a nice simple cheap airplane and fly for almost nuthin'!  Airplanes aren't cars--most used airplanes are going UP in value. They don't depreciate like a car.  You don't need a glass panel super gee whiz IFR flight director retractable gear constant speed prop autopilot multi-engine jet to have real FUN flying.  Just the opposite.  Cheaper airplanes are MORE fun than complex, expensive airplanes.  Like my friend Bud Granley says, "What's the hurry?  Slow down and enjoy the FLYIN'!"  And save a bunch of money, too.  Maybe even make a little $$ while you're at it.  How do you think I got into this horse tradin' biz, anyway?

Can I use my own airplane for training?  You betcha!  Even if its an "Experimental" airplane, like a homebuilt or Nanchang or Yak.  Sounds like a smart idea to me.