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236,881 Views | 1441 Replies | Last: 24 days ago by Stat Monitor Repairman
average_joker
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AG
Congrats! Three touch and goes at Coulter Field in 2010; I wore a red Boeing T-shirt I got from a factory tour when I was 12. I remember how quiet it was in the plane.
Now I make a living doing it, and I still love talking about it.
JimmyHouston
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Bought the Citab ('75 7KCAB with a IO-320) from a Dallas guy going through a divorce for 43k in 2006. And sold the plane in 2013 to a guy in Washington state for 46k.

It was a super fun plane to fly and fully acrobatic. For a while this particular airplane was used as an acro trainer, but to be honest that it not really my cup of tea.

I would say the plane was 8/10 both inside and out at the time of purchase
BoerneGator
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Thanks. Just trying to get a feel for what the market is like for a two-place tail dragger. Plans to buy one in early '18.
Moy
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Congratulations! What a great feeling it is!
DallasAggies01
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I've gotten to the point that I want to finally get my pilot's license. My Grandad, Dad and Uncle all have or had their PPL.

I do have a couple questions for y'all. I live in Chicago now and wondered what you think about training during the winter. Might I miss time in the air due to icing conditions? Also I know learning to fly in Airspace such as Chicago's will have it's pluses and minuses. What do y'all think about training out of a commercial airport such as Midway?

Thanks
average_joker
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It can be done, but you'll waste a lot of time (read money) at first while your instructor repositions you to a place where you can actually learn.

DuPage is a good spot.
DallasAggies01
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I understand the time to get to a training space but wondered if learning to fly in and out of Midway may out weigh the faults.

My idea of flying for the immediate term would be flying commercial to hobby then renting to fly to Bay City, New Braunfels, Dallas, or Odessa.
fire09
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Learning in congested airspace has a lot of advantages and in my opinion will make you a much more competent pilot. Your biggest time suck will be sitting on the ground at Midway waiting to get out. Pick a place you can train 3+ days a week from an accessibility perspective.
DallasAggies01
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fire09 said:

Learning in congested airspace has a lot of advantages and in my opinion will make you a much more competent pilot. Your biggest time suck will be sitting on the ground at Midway waiting to get out. Pick a place you can train 3+ days a week from an accessibility perspective.


Thanks fire. My dad has told me same thing about competency. I live near downtown Chicago so the closest airports are midway or O'hare. I'm leaning towards midway and I will go talk to different instructors at other airports.
average_joker
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Go to Executive or DuPage. You will still have experience flying in very busy airspace.
Arctic Ag
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DallasAggies01 said:

I've gotten to the point that I want to finally get my pilot's license. My Grandad, Dad and Uncle all have or had their PPL.

I do have a couple questions for y'all. I live in Chicago now and wondered what you think about training during the winter. Might I miss time in the air due to icing conditions? Also I know learning to fly in Airspace such as Chicago's will have it's pluses and minuses. What do y'all think about training out of a commercial airport such as Midway?

Thanks
I learned at a quasi busy towered airport up here in AK and flew several trips into ANC airspace during my training and I'm glad I did it. I am way more comfortable and confident on the radio and whilst talking with ATC because of it. I have several friends that learned at an unrestricted airport and have avoided large airspace at all costs. Guess who they call when they want to go to ANC? And they have their own planes too.

As for the winter, it's great flying if the weather cooperates. I had more issues keeping the plane clean on the ground from snow and frost than Anything. If you can find a hangar, use it. Otherwise get a good set of wing covers, engine cover, tail covers, and windscreen cover and an engine heater.

If you're that close to lots of airspace and traffic you should be able to call the local FSS and get weather briefings with up to date pilot reports concerning any icing conditions to make your go-no go decisions for each flight. You already pay the Feds you might as well make them earn their $$$
Arctic Ag
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Keep your eyes on barnstormer.com if you're waiting for the right deal. Tons of planes on there
SabineAg
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I've been learning in a more remote area, unfortunately the winter has been pretty solid over here in WV so I haven't wanted to fly in these conditions. (done with instruction, solo flights from here on out) Learning to fly out here is really easy as far as traffic communication goes. Maybe encounter one, seldom two planes in a flight.

That being said, I plan to travel to an area with higher traffic such as Columbus or Pittsburgh and take a go up with an instructor there a few times to get comfortable with that.

My advice is to just sign up, start flying as much as you can, and trust that the instructor isn't going to put you in a situation that you can't handle. If you do that, the learning curve shortens dramatically.
DallasAggies01
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Thanks for all the comments guy. All very good to insight to take in.
average_joker
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If you're still feeling iffy about coms, go get your instrument ticket. That will really up your radio game.
DallasAggies01
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Have any of y'all used the online ground school that Sporty's offers?
CenterHillAg
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90% of the time I'm flying I don't have a radio, but I use flight following whenever I'm traveling in my 182. Talking to the controllers and listening to the other traffic is a good confidence builder, and I feel comfortable making whatever request I need while going through controlled airspace. During slow times, Houston will let me fly direct through their airspace, which is a huge time saver when heading anywhere North or East from here.

I'm not familiar with the Sportys ground school but it's probably good, I used their commercial prep app and it was helpful. I used a Gleim ground school book on my private, I highly recommend it.
Arctic Ag
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DallasAggies01 said:

Have any of y'all used the online ground school that Sporty's offers?
Yes. My advice is use another company. The only thing Spoty's is good at is marketing.

Try Gleim, King Schools or MZeroA before sportys
DallasAggies01
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Thanks. I will check them out.
CanyonAg77
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Want to be jealous? Daughter starts this on Wednesday. Will be at Randolph, not CAB.


DallasAggies01
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That's awesome. Congrats to her. I think I remember from another thread that she had to delay after being in an accident.
CanyonAg77
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Thanks, and yes, drunk hit her truck nearly head on, May 13, 2016. She should have been at this point in late May 2016. But she's here now, so, yea!
CharlieBrown17
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Been waiting to post on this thread, figured my first solo flight was a good time to join in the party
texrover91
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Congrats!

I'll get there one day but I might be old and senile when I do - wife is not a big fan. Plus my uncle cracked up his Stearman last month so she's got plenty of Ammo.
CharlieBrown17
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It's easier to convince the wife when you're getting paid to do it
src94
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Got my certification in 2003. Accumulated nearly 300 hrs so far, but I haven't flown in nearly 2 yrs. Life gets in the way, but I plan to start back up again soon. Don't give up!
CanyonAg77
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CharlieBrown17 said:

Been waiting to post on this thread, figured my first solo flight was a good time to join in the party
Congrats! Got dunked, did you? What T-6 squadron are you with, BTW?
CharlieBrown17
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I wish.

Solo'ed the mighty DA-20 today
CanyonAg77
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Ahhh. Enjoying beautiful downtown Pueblo, are you? It always cracked me up that the contractor out there is Doss aviation, given the OB connection with the other Doss.

Somewhere I have the photos of daughter after her DA-20 solo. Her IP insisted on taking them, and made sure she was holding her booster cushions that she sat on to fly it.
CharlieBrown17
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I took my hero shot with the plane today too

Might as well
CanyonAg77
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Hey, my first solo was a Cessna 152 on the Fourth of July, 1984. If I had had a digital camera, I would have 1,000 photos of the event.
fire09
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Congrats on the shirt clip. What school are you flying with?
CanyonAg77
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fire09 said:

Congrats on the shirt clip. What school are you flying with?
He's with Doss Aviation.

I'm not kidding.

http://www.dossaviation.com/usaf-ift
fire09
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Oh wow that actually exists. Cool they have a Diamond, those are fun planes.
84HartAg
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Can't believe I am just seeing this thread.

I've been tossing out hints for TexAgs to get an aviation board since I first started taking lessons in 2011.

I came to the dance late in life, just shy of turning 49. I took my introductory flight in May of 2011, Passed the written in June of 2011, soloed in July of 2011, bought a C-150 in August of 2011, got my PP ticket in Oct of 2011. Bought a 1967 C-182 in December of 2011. I've racked up over 800 hours now, most of which were XC trips in the 182.

Passed written Instrument in Feb of 2013. Drug my feet but passed my Instrument check-ride just before the written was about to expire in Feb of 2015. Do this! Opens up your options to fly when it's not quite IFR, improves your communication skills with ATC, makes you a better pilot overall. I never would file a flight plan until after I got my instrument ticket. I started filing almost every XC flight after that, even in VFR conditions.

Passed the commercial written and I was just too busy to seal the deal, as well as scheduling conflicts with instructors and flight examiners. Had to let the written expire, so I'll have to take that again.

Working my way toward getting CFI ticket.

Sold the 182 in April this year. Still have the 150, will use it for a trainer if and when I get my CFI.

About to have access to a 1957 C-182, it is out of annual and the owners are still working some bugs out of it. Hopefully soon, I've been missing my 182 for XC trips.

I regret not pursuing aviation sooner in life. I never dreamed I would find something I was so passionate about at almost 50 years old. If so I'm sure I would have pursued a career in aviation. Have thought about it even at this stage of life,,,,, Spray Pilot, Airline Pilot, Corporate Pilot,,, something! But at this stage of the game (56 years old, retiring from my day job in less than a year) I think CFI is probably going to be how I go forward, and possibly pick up a few little gigs along the way.

TexAgs Pilots,,,, WE NEED TO LOBBY FOR AN AVIATION BOARD!
 
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