On 9/18/2015 10:35 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 8:05 AM, Ryan P. wrote:
On 9/18/2015 1:25 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about 28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as it
was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck soup
for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction (other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100 miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

Flying is something that's always been on my "it would be nice" radar,
too. I've thought about what I would do with a license... If my
property up north had enough land to clear out an air strip, that would
be my main use.

Otherwise, its just the "cool" factor of having a license. So in an
emergency, I can be like Randy Quaid in Independence Day... "I'm a
pilot. I can fly." lol


How much does it cost to rent a small plane like that?

Not sure what the going rate is now. Probably $75-$100 per hour
depending on the type of aircraft.

When I was taking lessons back in the mid-90's it cost $25/hr for the
plane and $25/hr for the instructor. Once you solo'd and didn't need a
CFI with you it was only the $25 for the aircraft. Those rates may have
been "special" rates for students taking the course though.

I think the total cost of getting your basic, private ticket is probably
at least double what it was back when I got mine. IIRC, my total cost
was somewhere around $3K which also included weekly ground school classes.



And bread was a nickle a loaf. :-)

On Fri, 18 Sep 2015 07:24:27 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

On Friday, 18 September 2015 10:40:10 UTC-3, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 18 Sep 2015 02:25:53 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:



Every once in a while I get bitten by the "learn to fly" bug. I took
lessons many years ago but never followed through with getting my
license. Life, family, kids, jobs, boats came along and got in the
way, probably just as well. One nice thing about boats is that they
don't fall from the sky when the engine fails. And if you pooch a
docking maneuver the penalty is usually nothing more than a few bumps
and scratches. The thing that sometimes re-ignites my flying passion
however is the thought of being able to fly to the Keys or Bahamas in
an hour or two. On a nice day that would be really cool.

I'd have thought there would be cheap frequent passenger flights between those locations from mainland Florida. For the amount of times you'd actually do it..it would be a lot cheaper.....and then there's the Bermuda Triangle to contend with..

Every time I think about it, I talk to one of the pilots I know and
the cost stops me dead in my tracks.
Owning a plane is ridiculous. You have to rebuild it every couple
years and you can't do any of it yourself (FAA)
They will almost give an old plane away if it is due for a major
overhaul.
The George Washington hatchet joke started in the airplane community.
When you rent, you are just amortizing another guy's maintenance bill.
For the casual user, it is still the only way to go.

BTW the "Bermuda Triangle" BS affects anyone who ventures out into the
Gulf stream and a lot more boaters wash up on the shores of Scotland
than fliers. It is not really that mysterious. You have a tropical
weather area with a pretty swift current and a bunch of pretty small
islands as destinations that are "only this far" on the map. Guess
wrong and the next strop is Africa or Europe.

True North wrote:
On Friday, 18 September 2015 10:40:10 UTC-3, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 18 Sep 2015 02:25:53 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about 28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes) made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction (other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development? There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100 miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

===

Every once in a while I get bitten by the "learn to fly" bug. I took
lessons many years ago but never followed through with getting my
license. Life, family, kids, jobs, boats came along and got in the
way, probably just as well. One nice thing about boats is that they
don't fall from the sky when the engine fails. And if you pooch a
docking maneuver the penalty is usually nothing more than a few bumps
and scratches. The thing that sometimes re-ignites my flying passion
however is the thought of being able to fly to the Keys or Bahamas in
an hour or two. On a nice day that would be really cool.

I'd have thought there would be cheap frequent passenger flights between
those locations from mainland Florida. For the amount of times you'd
actually do it..it would be a lot cheaper.....and then there's the
Bermuda Triangle to contend with..

Flying commercial is not fast for short trips. I live 350 miles from my
kids in Santa Monica. May be a little less tiring, but not much quicker to
fly as drive. 3/4 hour to airport, time to park, then security /check-in
is another 2 hours. 1.4 hour flight. 6.5 hours to drive. Cost is similar
for two people. I live near a GA airport. Friend has a plane. His wife
was in a rehab facility after a seizure down in Bakersfield. 4 hour
drive. He would fly down in about an hour and a half from his house. Was
very convenient.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about 28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes) made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction (other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100 miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

I'll try a few flights with one of my friends and then decide to move on
with the license. At this point I don't have the time for long trips
(days) so flying might be a better choice.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 8:05 AM, Ryan P. wrote:
On 9/18/2015 1:25 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I
think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger
that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about
28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as
it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck
soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people
who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction (other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100
miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I
continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

Flying is something that's always been on my "it would be nice" radar,
too. I've thought about what I would do with a license... If my
property up north had enough land to clear out an air strip, that would
be my main use.

Otherwise, its just the "cool" factor of having a license. So in an
emergency, I can be like Randy Quaid in Independence Day... "I'm a
pilot. I can fly." lol


How much does it cost to rent a small plane like that?

Not sure what the going rate is now. Probably $75-$100 per hour
depending on the type of aircraft.

When I was taking lessons back in the mid-90's it cost $25/hr for the
plane and $25/hr for the instructor. Once you solo'd and didn't need
a CFI with you it was only the $25 for the aircraft. Those rates may
have been "special" rates for students taking the course though.

I think the total cost of getting your basic, private ticket is probably
at least double what it was back when I got mine. IIRC, my total cost
was somewhere around $3K which also included weekly ground school
classes.



That's not bad. Are you on a fixed schedule for the classes and flight
time or is it flexible? It's tough to put a week, or more, aside right now.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 9:39 AM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 18 Sep 2015 02:25:53 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I
think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger
that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about
28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as
it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck
soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people
who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction (other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that
development? There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100
miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I
continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

===

Every once in a while I get bitten by the "learn to fly" bug. I took
lessons many years ago but never followed through with getting my
license. Life, family, kids, jobs, boats came along and got in the
way, probably just as well. One nice thing about boats is that they
don't fall from the sky when the engine fails. And if you pooch a
docking maneuver the penalty is usually nothing more than a few bumps
and scratches. The thing that sometimes re-ignites my flying passion
however is the thought of being able to fly to the Keys or Bahamas in
an hour or two. On a nice day that would be really cool.


As I mentioned before the challenge of learning to fly was really the
driver in my case. Once I had my ticket I began to lose interest.
One issue was that I flew out of a small, uncontrolled (no traffic
control) municipal airport in Plymouth, MA. They usually had a guy
manning a small tower but it is up to the pilots to be vigilant of
other aircraft either approaching or taking off, both visually and via
the radio. Many are students and you really have to pay super
attention to what everyone is doing. Not exactly relaxing. Then, the
larger airports with formal traffic controllers bark out instructions
to you on the radio and you have to make sure you follow them to a tee
and don't miss any. Again, not exactly relaxing.

I found boating to be much more enjoyable. There's a bit of a
challenge when making a voyage to places you haven't been before
but being on the ocean (and going a hell of a lot slower) is nice.



Good point. Something to consider.

On 9/18/2015 9:51 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 8:05 AM, Ryan P. wrote:
On 9/18/2015 1:25 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I
think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger
that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about
28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as
it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck
soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people
who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction (other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100
miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I
continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

Flying is something that's always been on my "it would be nice" radar,
too. I've thought about what I would do with a license... If my
property up north had enough land to clear out an air strip, that would
be my main use.

Otherwise, its just the "cool" factor of having a license. So in an
emergency, I can be like Randy Quaid in Independence Day... "I'm a
pilot. I can fly." lol


How much does it cost to rent a small plane like that?

Not sure what the going rate is now. Probably $75-$100 per hour
depending on the type of aircraft.

When I was taking lessons back in the mid-90's it cost $25/hr for the
plane and $25/hr for the instructor. Once you solo'd and didn't need
a CFI with you it was only the $25 for the aircraft. Those rates may
have been "special" rates for students taking the course though.

I think the total cost of getting your basic, private ticket is probably
at least double what it was back when I got mine. IIRC, my total cost
was somewhere around $3K which also included weekly ground school
classes.



That's not bad. Are you on a fixed schedule for the classes and flight
time or is it flexible? It's tough to put a week, or more, aside right
now.


The school I went to was very flexible. There were no set schedules for
classes or flying. I did it over a six month period, interrupted for 3
months because my wife got sick and required my help at home. However,
it's best to go as regularly as you can once you start otherwise it will
take longer (and cost more) to achieve each milestone of training. If
you only go once a week or less
you will be constantly re-hashing what you accomplished before. You
will continue flying with a CFI until both he and you feel you are ready
to solo. Some people accomplish that very quickly. Flight instruction
is divided into two parts. The first is basically learning how to fly,
land and air traffic protocol. You'll also learn stall recovery,
recovery from unusual attitudes (hated that part), emergency landings,
etc. You'll also learn how to properly communicate on the radio. This
part of instruction leads to your first solo.

The second part of instruction is called "cross country" and focuses on
navigation, flight plans, weather, etc. It will culminate in you flying
a long distance route, landing and taking off from several remote airports.

Then, you are ready for a checkout ride and test by a FAA inspector.
I was nervous as hell at first and was sure he was going to flunk me
after the first 15 minutes. But, at the end he said, "you know the
basics ... keep flying and practice emergency maneuvers". Said I did
"OK". Grumby SOB.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 9:51 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 8:05 AM, Ryan P. wrote:
On 9/18/2015 1:25 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I
think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the
folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger
that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about
28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as
it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck
soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people
who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction
(other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100
miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I
continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

Flying is something that's always been on my "it would be nice"
radar,
too. I've thought about what I would do with a license... If my
property up north had enough land to clear out an air strip, that
would
be my main use.

Otherwise, its just the "cool" factor of having a license. So in an
emergency, I can be like Randy Quaid in Independence Day... "I'm a
pilot. I can fly." lol


How much does it cost to rent a small plane like that?

Not sure what the going rate is now. Probably $75-$100 per hour
depending on the type of aircraft.

When I was taking lessons back in the mid-90's it cost $25/hr for the
plane and $25/hr for the instructor. Once you solo'd and didn't need
a CFI with you it was only the $25 for the aircraft. Those rates may
have been "special" rates for students taking the course though.

I think the total cost of getting your basic, private ticket is
probably
at least double what it was back when I got mine. IIRC, my total cost
was somewhere around $3K which also included weekly ground school
classes.



That's not bad. Are you on a fixed schedule for the classes and flight
time or is it flexible? It's tough to put a week, or more, aside right
now.


The school I went to was very flexible. There were no set schedules
for classes or flying. I did it over a six month period, interrupted
for 3 months because my wife got sick and required my help at home.
However, it's best to go as regularly as you can once you start
otherwise it will take longer (and cost more) to achieve each
milestone of training. If you only go once a week or less
you will be constantly re-hashing what you accomplished before. You
will continue flying with a CFI until both he and you feel you are ready
to solo. Some people accomplish that very quickly. Flight
instruction is divided into two parts. The first is basically
learning how to fly, land and air traffic protocol. You'll also learn
stall recovery, recovery from unusual attitudes (hated that part),
emergency landings, etc. You'll also learn how to properly
communicate on the radio. This part of instruction leads to your
first solo.

The second part of instruction is called "cross country" and focuses on
navigation, flight plans, weather, etc. It will culminate in you
flying a long distance route, landing and taking off from several
remote airports.

Then, you are ready for a checkout ride and test by a FAA inspector.
I was nervous as hell at first and was sure he was going to flunk me
after the first 15 minutes. But, at the end he said, "you know the
basics ... keep flying and practice emergency maneuvers". Said I did
"OK". Grumby SOB.





A lot of great information - thanks! If you had to guess, how many 8
hour days does it take from start to finish? You said it took about
three months with your interruption but how much of that time was spent
training?

On 9/19/2015 10:19 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 9:51 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 8:05 AM, Ryan P. wrote:
On 9/18/2015 1:25 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I
think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the
folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger
that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about
28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as
it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck
soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24 people
who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction
(other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100
miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only $30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I
continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into boating
which I found much more to my liking.

Flying is something that's always been on my "it would be nice"
radar,
too. I've thought about what I would do with a license... If my
property up north had enough land to clear out an air strip, that
would
be my main use.

Otherwise, its just the "cool" factor of having a license. So in an
emergency, I can be like Randy Quaid in Independence Day... "I'm a
pilot. I can fly." lol


How much does it cost to rent a small plane like that?

Not sure what the going rate is now. Probably $75-$100 per hour
depending on the type of aircraft.

When I was taking lessons back in the mid-90's it cost $25/hr for the
plane and $25/hr for the instructor. Once you solo'd and didn't need
a CFI with you it was only the $25 for the aircraft. Those rates may
have been "special" rates for students taking the course though.

I think the total cost of getting your basic, private ticket is
probably
at least double what it was back when I got mine. IIRC, my total cost
was somewhere around $3K which also included weekly ground school
classes.



That's not bad. Are you on a fixed schedule for the classes and flight
time or is it flexible? It's tough to put a week, or more, aside right
now.


The school I went to was very flexible. There were no set schedules
for classes or flying. I did it over a six month period, interrupted
for 3 months because my wife got sick and required my help at home.
However, it's best to go as regularly as you can once you start
otherwise it will take longer (and cost more) to achieve each
milestone of training. If you only go once a week or less
you will be constantly re-hashing what you accomplished before. You
will continue flying with a CFI until both he and you feel you are ready
to solo. Some people accomplish that very quickly. Flight
instruction is divided into two parts. The first is basically
learning how to fly, land and air traffic protocol. You'll also learn
stall recovery, recovery from unusual attitudes (hated that part),
emergency landings, etc. You'll also learn how to properly
communicate on the radio. This part of instruction leads to your
first solo.

The second part of instruction is called "cross country" and focuses on
navigation, flight plans, weather, etc. It will culminate in you
flying a long distance route, landing and taking off from several
remote airports.

Then, you are ready for a checkout ride and test by a FAA inspector.
I was nervous as hell at first and was sure he was going to flunk me
after the first 15 minutes. But, at the end he said, "you know the
basics ... keep flying and practice emergency maneuvers". Said I did
"OK". Grumby SOB.





A lot of great information - thanks! If you had to guess, how many 8
hour days does it take from start to finish? You said it took about
three months with your interruption but how much of that time was spent
training?


I just looked it up since requirements have changed since I took
lessons. There are currently three licenses (beginner) you can go for:

Sport Certificate
Recreational Certificate
Private Pilot Certificate

I am only familiar with the last one because it's what I did. I can't
remember if the Sport or Recreational license were even available at the
time. Both of them require less hours of training per FAA regulations
but have restrictions on what and where you can fly.

The minimum hours of training for the Private Pilot Certificate is
currently:

Total Time: 40 hours minimum which consists of at least:

20 hours minimum of flight training with an instructor on the Private
Pilot areas of operation including:

3 hours of cross country flight training in a single engine airplane;
3 hours of night flight training in a single engine airplane, that
includes at least:

a) 1 cross country flight of over 100 nm total distance; and
b) 10 T/O’s and 10 landings to a full stop with each involving a
flight in the traffic pattern at an airport.

3 hours of flight training by reference to instruments in a single
engine airplane; and
3 hours of flight training in a single engine airplane within the 60
days prior to the practical test.

Solo: 10 hours minimum of solo flying in a single engine airplane on the
Private Pilot areas of operation including:

5 hours of solo cross country flying;
1 solo cross country flight of at least 150nm total distance with full
stop landings at 3 points and one segment of at least 50nm between T/O
and landings; and
3 T/O’s and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating
control tower.

Those are the *minimums* as required by the FAA. Most people take a bit
longer to master everything.

The school I went to had a sign up sheet
and you scheduled time with an instructor and/or aircraft, usually in
one hour blocks. In my case I typically went two days a week when I
could get away from work. I avoided weekends because the airport was
crazy with students from a nearby college who were taking lessons.
The ground school wasn't mandatory but was helpful, so I usually
attended it once a week in the evening also.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/19/2015 10:19 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 9:51 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/18/2015 8:05 AM, Ryan P. wrote:
On 9/18/2015 1:25 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/17/2015 8:16 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/16/2015 8:00 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/15/2015 8:07 PM, Alex wrote:
Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 9/14/2015 8:15 PM, Alex wrote:


The motor on that door had such a high gear reduction I
think it
would
probably lift the front end of a car off the ground with no
problem.
The Harley was close to 900lbs and it lifted it off the
back
of my
truck
like it wasn't even there.

If I remember correctly it took about 3 minutes for the
folding
hanger
door to open halfway.




I can't believe the door didn't fold in half.


It did.


I meant horizontally - from the weight.


No way. The "garage" was actually a 32' by 46' aircraft hanger
that
one of the properties we had in Florida had. The door was about
28'
feet wide and 16 feet high. It folded in half horizontally as
it was
raised.

It had a very heavy duty frame (probably for hurricane codes)
made of
square 4" by 4" steel tubing that ran horizontally and
vertically
every four feet or so. Lifting a 900lb motorcycle was duck
soup for
it to handle. The electric motor didn't even change pitch when
lifting it due to the high gear reduction.

During one of the hurricanes (we were not there) about 24
people
who
lived in the gated community all moved into the hanger
during the
worst of the storm because it was totally brick construction
(other
than the door). From the stories I've heard they had quite a
hurricane party in it with generators sitting outside providing
power.




Nice! Did you have a community landing strip in that
development?
There
are several scattered around FL.

There is a private airstrip in the community although our
house was
not in that section. The hanger on our property was actually
built
for helicopters.


I have always wanted to learn to fly. I have two friends who
are GA
pilots and live in communities like that. There is one about 100
miles
north of me that has home sites on about 3 acres for only
$30K. One
friend has a place there, too. I'm seriously considering
grabbing o
to build on later. It might push me to get a license and a little
plane. He's offered space in his hangar if I want to do it.

I had always dreamed of getting a pilot's license since I was a kid
and finally pursued it when I was in my early 50's. Once I had my
ticket though I began to realize that the fun was the challenge of
learning to fly. I had no purpose for flying other than
recreational
sightseeing and found that it wasn't exactly "relaxing". I
continued to
rent a Cessna or a Warrior for a few years but also got into
boating
which I found much more to my liking.

Flying is something that's always been on my "it would be nice"
radar,
too. I've thought about what I would do with a license... If my
property up north had enough land to clear out an air strip, that
would
be my main use.

Otherwise, its just the "cool" factor of having a license. So
in an
emergency, I can be like Randy Quaid in Independence Day... "I'm a
pilot. I can fly." lol


How much does it cost to rent a small plane like that?

Not sure what the going rate is now. Probably $75-$100 per hour
depending on the type of aircraft.

When I was taking lessons back in the mid-90's it cost $25/hr for
the
plane and $25/hr for the instructor. Once you solo'd and didn't need
a CFI with you it was only the $25 for the aircraft. Those rates may
have been "special" rates for students taking the course though.

I think the total cost of getting your basic, private ticket is
probably
at least double what it was back when I got mine. IIRC, my total
cost
was somewhere around $3K which also included weekly ground school
classes.



That's not bad. Are you on a fixed schedule for the classes and
flight
time or is it flexible? It's tough to put a week, or more, aside
right
now.


The school I went to was very flexible. There were no set schedules
for classes or flying. I did it over a six month period, interrupted
for 3 months because my wife got sick and required my help at home.
However, it's best to go as regularly as you can once you start
otherwise it will take longer (and cost more) to achieve each
milestone of training. If you only go once a week or less
you will be constantly re-hashing what you accomplished before. You
will continue flying with a CFI until both he and you feel you are
ready
to solo. Some people accomplish that very quickly. Flight
instruction is divided into two parts. The first is basically
learning how to fly, land and air traffic protocol. You'll also learn
stall recovery, recovery from unusual attitudes (hated that part),
emergency landings, etc. You'll also learn how to properly
communicate on the radio. This part of instruction leads to your
first solo.

The second part of instruction is called "cross country" and focuses on
navigation, flight plans, weather, etc. It will culminate in you
flying a long distance route, landing and taking off from several
remote airports.

Then, you are ready for a checkout ride and test by a FAA inspector.
I was nervous as hell at first and was sure he was going to flunk me
after the first 15 minutes. But, at the end he said, "you know the
basics ... keep flying and practice emergency maneuvers". Said I did
"OK". Grumby SOB.





A lot of great information - thanks! If you had to guess, how many 8
hour days does it take from start to finish? You said it took about
three months with your interruption but how much of that time was spent
training?


I just looked it up since requirements have changed since I took
lessons. There are currently three licenses (beginner) you can go for:

Sport Certificate
Recreational Certificate
Private Pilot Certificate

I am only familiar with the last one because it's what I did. I can't
remember if the Sport or Recreational license were even available at
the time. Both of them require less hours of training per FAA
regulations but have restrictions on what and where you can fly.

The minimum hours of training for the Private Pilot Certificate is
currently:

Total Time: 40 hours minimum which consists of at least:

20 hours minimum of flight training with an instructor on the Private
Pilot areas of operation including:

3 hours of cross country flight training in a single engine airplane;
3 hours of night flight training in a single engine airplane, that
includes at least:

a) 1 cross country flight of over 100 nm total distance; and
b) 10 T/O’s and 10 landings to a full stop with each involving a
flight in the traffic pattern at an airport.

3 hours of flight training by reference to instruments in a single
engine airplane; and
3 hours of flight training in a single engine airplane within the 60
days prior to the practical test.

Solo: 10 hours minimum of solo flying in a single engine airplane on
the Private Pilot areas of operation including:

5 hours of solo cross country flying;
1 solo cross country flight of at least 150nm total distance with full
stop landings at 3 points and one segment of at least 50nm between T/O
and landings; and
3 T/O’s and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating
control tower.

Those are the *minimums* as required by the FAA. Most people take a
bit longer to master everything.

The school I went to had a sign up sheet
and you scheduled time with an instructor and/or aircraft, usually in
one hour blocks. In my case I typically went two days a week when I
could get away from work. I avoided weekends because the airport was
crazy with students from a nearby college who were taking lessons.
The ground school wasn't mandatory but was helpful, so I usually
attended it once a week in the evening also.



Again, more great information. The flexibility could work for me and
the price is significantly lower than what I expected. I'm going to
look into it further.

Thanks!