Sport Pilot Talk

Hi,

Muswell Hill here in Charleston, SC. Started flying in 1993, and did about 30 hours in a 150 en route to a PPL. Life intervened and now almost 20 years later I am aching to get back in the sky and want to get a SP ticket, only problem is there are no flight schools near where I live. Anyway, thought I would say Hi!

Hi! I live in North Carolina between Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

Welcome to the forums, Mr. Hill. Glad to have you back in the aviation community -- I believe you will find Sport Pilot to be an ideal avenue. If there are no LSA flight schools near you, I invite you to consider coming up to Lock Haven PA for an extended vacation, and a few weeks of intensive training.

drseti wrote:Welcome to the forums, Mr. Hill. Glad to have you back in the aviation community -- I believe you will find Sport Pilot to be an ideal avenue. If there are no LSA flight schools near you, I invite you to consider coming up to Lock Haven PA for an extended vacation, and a few weeks of intensive training.

If I can't find anything local, I may just look into a trip to PA! Do you think it possible to do all the training for a SP ticket in 2 weeks?

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!!!

Muswell Hill wrote:Do you think it possible to do all the training for a SP ticket in 2 weeks?

Possible, but honestly, not really practical. I like to see my students learn at a more leisurely pace, so they won't saturate, fatigue, or get information overload. After all, the goal is not just to get licensed, but to become the world's safest, most competent pilot!

The programs with which I've had greatest success are those where the training is broken up into two 3-week modules, separated by a break of a couple of weeks. The first 3-week period is pre-solo training, three flight lessons a week with homework assignments during all non-flying days, and culminating in that significant landmark, the first supervised solo flight. Then, I have my students take a break from flying, and study for the written exam. After they've aced that, we start the three weeks of post-solo training, also three flight lessons a week with study assignments on non-flying days, consisting of cross-country flights, advanced maneuvers, and preparation for the checkride. With such a schedule, you won't burn out or regress, and will end up enjoying the training rather than just completing it.

drseti wrote:

Muswell Hill wrote:Do you think it possible to do all the training for a SP ticket in 2 weeks?

Possible, but honestly, not really practical. I like to see my students learn at a more leisurely pace, so they won't saturate, fatigue, or get information overload. After all, the goal is not just to get licensed, but to become the world's safest, most competent pilot!

The programs with which I've had greatest success are those where the training is broken up into two 3-week modules, separated by a break of a couple of weeks. The first 3-week period is pre-solo training, three flight lessons a week with homework assignments during all non-flying days, and culminating in that significant landmark, the first supervised solo flight. Then, I have my students take a break from flying, and study for the written exam. After they've aced that, we start the three weeks of post-solo training, also three flight lessons a week with study assignments on non-flying days, consisting of cross-country flights, advanced maneuvers, and preparation for the checkride. With such a schedule, you won't burn out or regress, and will end up enjoying the training rather than just completing it.

Thanks for the advice. BTW what are you a Professor in? I am an Assistant Professor down here in SC...

Muswell Hill wrote:BTW what are you a Professor in? I am an Assistant Professor down here in SC...

Emeritus now, but primarily an engineer. Taught electronics, aeronautics, and physics in California and Pennsylvania for 3 1/2 decades. Retired 4 years ago, and then started a flight school, primarily because I'm a dismal failure at this retirement thing!

So, what do you teach? Any interest in becoming a CFI?

drseti wrote:

Muswell Hill wrote:BTW what are you a Professor in? I am an Assistant Professor down here in SC...

Emeritus now, but primarily an engineer. Taught electronics, aeronautics, and physics in California and Pennsylvania for 3 1/2 decades. Retired 4 years ago, and then started a flight school, primarily because I'm a dismal failure at this retirement thing!

So, what do you teach? Any interest in becoming a CFI?

I teach in the Cardiovascular Perfusion program, life support for cardiac surgery. CFI sounds like a nice idea as I enjoy good old fashioned teaching, but I think I should take it one step at a time! SP ticket first!!