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Jack Tyler
Posts: 1380
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:49 pm
Location: Prescott AZ
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Post by Jack Tyler »

Jon, I'm a bit late in adding this as I only ran across your Intro today.

FWIW one of the best things that serendipitously happened to me when I began flight training was learning to fly from an airport on the very edge of a Class B. In addition, SPG is only 5 miles from the busiest USCG Air Station in the U.S....AND there are 8 airports, grass field to Tampa International, just within the land perimeter of Tampa Bay.

And - wait for it - as a bonus, 3 of the 4 approaches at SPG are over the water.

Here, take a look: http://www.stpete.org/airport/

And altho' it seems to have dropped off significantly in the last decade, Tampa Bay used to be one of those areas where masses of international students would come to learn to fly in the USA's cheap airspace. It was an international experience both on the ground and in the air.

I can't think of a single disadvantage to that kind of location for a student (tho' the learning curve can seem a bit ambitious) and it will subsequently help you have zero reservations about flying in or near controlled airspace. No matter how comfortable the setting, what a disadvantage it would be to 'learn aviation' at a small county airport in Parched Fork, Kansas, distant from active airspace.
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
Flyboyz
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 10:19 am
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Hang in there John V

Post by Flyboyz »

Just hang in there......
i went through a similar ride.......i joined a flight school referred by my colleague.. after 3 classes, my CFI tells that 65hours is average to earn a sport pilot cert, imagine how long thats going 2 take.... having fear for the costs involved(for 65 hrs) i switched to another school, the owner made all kinds of promises, after joining and having cose to 9 hrs, the school started limiting my hours, i wasn't given the chance to fly often, they say, if i get 4-5 times a week of the CFI's time, the CFI is getting tired it seems, i know sounded very strange to me as well.... after that i was told that the plane had a minor issue, so couldn't fly for a week... then a week later, when i asked for some time, the landing gear of the aircraft was damaged and was initially told, it would take a week or so to get it back.... its been more than 3 weeks in total, no flying....... but i'm hoping to get back to flying soon....
oops, doesn't look like i was addressing your issue, rather, expressing my frustration with the flight schools....... :-)
Cheers
Flyboy
Jon V
Posts: 156
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:10 am
Location: Dallas...

Post by Jon V »

Thanks Flyboy...venting is good some times.

Jack, that looks like a great airport to learn... I bet you learned to judge your pattern turns quite well.

FWIW, I think I'm going to go back over to Four Winds/Aero Country and see if the winds have calmed down enough to fly their Legend Cub. Not sure if I will or not really but it should be an interesting transition and tailwheel experience can't hurt.
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piclsa08
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 2:41 pm

Training

Post by piclsa08 »

um nevermind
Last edited by piclsa08 on Mon Jun 06, 2011 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jack Tyler
Posts: 1380
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:49 pm
Location: Prescott AZ
Contact:

Post by Jack Tyler »

"Jack, that looks like a great airport to learn..."

Here's one of the best parts: When we flew out to the Bahamas as a family, the small/modest resort we stayed at (used to be owned by Sporty's) had a runway that literally ended right in the water. Watching all the other planes land W-A-Y long showed us how comfortable we'd become doing an over-water approach and putting the wheels on the numbers.

Amazing how much good fun is to be had by just flying around the pea patch...
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
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