Sport Pilot Talk

... I can't pass a physical so even a Private Pilot is out to the question... If you held a class III in last 10 that makes you a Basic Med candidate. Congrats on your new experience. In 1980-86 as an enlisted AMMO troop in the Air Force, I tried to finish college so I could go fly A-10's. No Joy. ...

Just go in with confidence. Have a cross country planned very well, using your method you used on your Private Pilot one you already did. Show knowledge of knowing your fuel consumption during climb, cruise, and descent and have a plan for how long you will spend in each. Don't forget you'll need to...

I'm with Dan on revoking CFI's for attitude :D Now if we could just get the cost of hearing aids down! That clown comparing them to TV's really irks me. There was an old "crusty" CFI at the FBO. He didn't really even teach anymore but hung around because his wife was the lady behind the c...

... And by the way, that is quite the machine. Isn’t there one at the US Army Aviation Museum, Ft. Rucker, Alabama?... Thanks for the kind words. An yes...a YHO-3BR is in the museum at Rucker and gave me the idea for a "WARBIRD" paintjob. The Army had 5 for testing in late 50's. The price...

..That is one awesome helicopter bryancobb!... Thank you so much sir for your kind words. I owned it during a time I made $20.00 per hour as a structural steel draftsman. Aviation can be done on pennies if you do it the right way. The guy who owns it today is just as passionate about the ship as I ...

In the next 2 years, I will be buying a Piper Tomahawk for between $15k and $25k and getting my daughter's Private License in it. After her checkride on her 17th birthday, my goal will be to sell it for the same amount I paid, including taxes. I will gamble and fly it without insurance. I don't have...

I even bought an airworthy Brantly B-2B helicopter for $25k. I fixed it up, spending $12k on parts and 1000 hours of labor. I flew it 300 hours over 7 years and sold it for $55,000. Let's see, now... divide your $18,000 profit by your 1000 hours of labor, and that means you're making $18 an hour. N...

Lemme see if'n I can knock this conversation back to the middle of the road and maybe we can smile at each other. Aviation CAN be enjoyed on a budget. Buy a Tomahawk for $18k and enjoy 100MPH cruising. Buy and restore an old Taylorcraft, Cub, or Champ and for well below $20k, become an excellent tai...

I don't think KATL should allow ultralights. LOL! I agree. 15 or 20 years ago, there was a fairly large "Big-Boyz-Toys" event at McCollum in Kennesaw. We (ultralight folks) arranged for a long single-file flyover down the runway on our way in to land. It was like MOLASSES !!! The whole ev...

...assumed that you could trailer your ship down to SNF... To me :) Trailering an aircraft is about pushing your car everywhere instead of driving it. I DO intend to make two Florida trips in the Mini. One to Trenton to the Mosquito fly-in and to SNF. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this new ge...

NOW IT HAS A GAUGE. As I said in the original post, the original fuel sight tube works great....... It only works great if you actually LOOK at it during your preflight checklist. :mrgreen: I'm familiar with light piston helicopters and the very first item on my Rotorway 162F Checklist was: 1. Veri...

Thanks for sharing Bryan. Does your Mini 500 not have a fuel gauge? This is another reason that we have and should use our checklists. I'll bet that "fuel quantity" is on your checklist. It's on mine. I know many of you think you are "too cool" to whip out a checklist but it cou...

Hey Folks, Although my little 520# helicopter is not an LSA, I am about to tell a recent story about what happened to me...that DOES APPLY to sport pilots in several ways. It will best fit into the category of "I Learned About Flying From That 2018," stealing the title from the popular ser...

In the mid 90's, I went to Sun-N-Fun and there was a WWI-type Experimental that had a Harley engine on it. The builder chose to install the gearbox too. He would takeoff in low gear and climb steeply. Then he'd reduce his angle of climb and shift. He changed gears 2 or 3 times in the same fashion as...

The DPE said, "You can do it in B's Flightstar if you want to. How long has it been since you flew a Flightstar?" I replied, "It's been 5 or 6 years and I only have a few hours in one, but let's do it. I'm being evaluated on teaching, not flying." The 1.5 hour ride went well.