After 14 Years, I Started Flying Again

[Geaux4it]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

 

[williepete]

Any other pilots out there?

Welcome back! Flying is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

I'm a retired pilot. Flew for over 30 years but still keep my hand in the game helping out at a training center in full motion, level D simulators.

 

[Ringel05]

I thought this was a pot thread...........

 

[Geaux4it]

Any other pilots out there?

Welcome back! Flying is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

I'm a retired pilot. Flew for over 30 years but still keep my hand in the game helping out at a training center in full motion, level D simulators.

Awesome support you're providing. BTW- Love the F-4. I have many hours backseat in the F-4J and the QF-4. I was a photo chase photographer and have kept a few videos of the flights with the action redacted, edited out. One of may favorites is an FA/18 on our wing going into NAS Point Mugu and some F-16's dropping 500# dumb bombs during testing on the Sea Range. Seems our slow movers were were taking small arms fire over Iraq dropping leaflets. So, engineers devised a way to convert a 500# dumb bomb to dispense leaflets. Our job was to fly off the port side ~100' below the fighters from Nellis. Listen for the tone, then split S and follow the bomb after release to dispense of a massive toilet paper roll to simulate leaflets. What a ride, heavy g recoveries, burner back up to 30K then do it 4 more times

Ending with a 6g break

I used to be 6' but after that flight, more like 5'10" lol

-Geaux

 

[2aguy]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

Do your arms get tired?

 

[Gracie]

I wish I could fly.

 

[Geaux4it]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

Do your arms get tired?

Only when the wind is on the nose

-Geaux

 

[Geaux4it]

I wish I could fly.

Never a better time to start

-Geaux

 

[Wyatt earp]

I just went two weeks ago to a local flying club meeting, I am kind of interested in learning to fly and it sounds pretty reasonable, $240 a month for dues, $40 an hr for flight instructor, $80 hour to use a plane, $10 an hour for ground School..

Or does it to you guys?

.

 

[IsaacNewton]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

I've used Microsoft Flight Simulator for the past 15 years and also was a member of an online squad that recreated WW2 missions in the Pacific. We used ded reckoning calculations in all our flights as the flight simulators we used were the entire world and used real latitudes and longitudes.

What are you flying now?

 

[miketx]

Here I am flying in my taxi, taking tips and gettin' stoned...

 

[Geaux4it]

I just went two weeks ago to a local flying club meeting, I am kind of interested in learning to fly and it sounds pretty reasonable, $240 a month for dues, $40 an hr for flight instructor, $80 hour to use a plane, $10 an hour for ground School..

Or does it to you guys?

.

Congrats!

The dues are kind of high but I see you have no buy in. If you want to compare, the local club here has a $4500 buy in, $115 dues/month and $60/hr WET for C-172 with IFR certification. Compared to straight up rental at local Flight School for same type aircraft at $130/hr. I'm currently just straight up renting at the $130/hr WET rate in a nice 1976 C-172 with moving map and Garmin 430 GPS. But will likely join the club in the near future.

Let me know if I can help answer any questions as you research your options

-Geaux

 

[Geaux4it]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

I've used Microsoft Flight Simulator for the past 15 years and also was a member of an online squad that recreated WW2 missions in the Pacific. We used ded reckoning calculations in all our flights as the flight simulators we used were the entire world and used real latitudes and longitudes.

What are you flying now?

I am flying a C-172 but previously owned a 1970 Mooney M20C. Really enjoyed getting my taildragger endorsement years ago as well in a Citabria that was a blast to fly.

-Geaux

 

[IsaacNewton]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

I've used Microsoft Flight Simulator for the past 15 years and also was a member of an online squad that recreated WW2 missions in the Pacific. We used ded reckoning calculations in all our flights as the flight simulators we used were the entire world and used real latitudes and longitudes.

What are you flying now?

I am flying a C-172 but previously owned a 1970 Mooney M20C. Really enjoyed getting my taildragger endorsement years ago as well in a Citabria that was a blast to fly.

-Geaux

You are getting recertified? Do they still require you to understand and fly using VORs and ADF? Or is it all GPS now? And I imagine a C-172 is quite the step back from the jets.

 

[HenryBHough]

Most fun were hours in N24085, a T-Craft BL-65 (Lyco) that stalled at 38 MPH. Don't bother looking it up - it was sold many times since I was part-owner and has been deregistered for years. May have been damaged or destroyed - haven't been able to find out. Bent wire fuel gauge. Plugs that looked like they belonged in lawnmower. Stick? Nope. Yoke? Nope. Steering wheels! No radios. No lights. Nothing electric at all. Mag compass (questionable), Needle/Ball/Airspeed, Even a tach that sometimes worked.

Breezy afternoons take it out alongside the freeway, nose into the wind and watch the traffic stop as dads dragged kids out of the cars to "watch the airplane fly backwards". Island hopping was tricky - you wanted altitude for the overwater parts but fuel consumption in a climb was more slurp than sip. Easy to find yourself with a couple of quarts left upon arrival though stats said there should have been a couple of gallons.

This is a different BL-65 but very similar.

With shared ownership, $4/hour wet. Even had in-flight insurance paid for out of that.

At the same time, $7/hour for a (Cessna) 170A, also wet.

You guess what year.

 

[Moonglow]

I thought this was a pot thread...........

It was just another aviary recovery story..

 

[jon_berzerk]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

i plan to get back in it

still too busy

 

[jon_berzerk]

Any other pilots out there?

Oh man, what a joy. Flying was very addictive for me and I had to put it down for 14 years. Being retired now, I spent a couple days driving into Nashville getting current again.

Life is good

-Geaux
========

I've used Microsoft Flight Simulator for the past 15 years and also was a member of an online squad that recreated WW2 missions in the Pacific. We used ded reckoning calculations in all our flights as the flight simulators we used were the entire world and used real latitudes and longitudes.

What are you flying now?

I am flying a C-172 but previously owned a 1970 Mooney M20C. Really enjoyed getting my taildragger endorsement years ago as well in a Citabria that was a blast to fly.

-Geaux

i flew Cessna 150 170 172 172 XP and Piper warrior arrow and lance

with some twin time

i loved it

 

[williepete]

I just went two weeks ago to a local flying club meeting, I am kind of interested in learning to fly and it sounds pretty reasonable, $240 a month for dues, $40 an hr for flight instructor, $80 hour to use a plane, $10 an hour for ground School..

Or does it to you guys?

Join for a year and get started. If the bug bites, you'll never look back. You can always make more money. Yesterday's sky will won't be here again.

If you get started, keep us posted on your progress. Some of us may be close enough to drive over and watch you solo. That day can't be measured in dollars.

When you're up there by yourself for the first time....
There's no way to describe it with words. You'll own something private for the rest of your life.

And you'll never be the same.

 

[jon_berzerk]

I just went two weeks ago to a local flying club meeting, I am kind of interested in learning to fly and it sounds pretty reasonable, $240 a month for dues, $40 an hr for flight instructor, $80 hour to use a plane, $10 an hour for ground School..

Or does it to you guys?

Join for a year and get started. If the bug bites, you'll never look back. You can always make more money. Yesterday's sky will won't be here again.

If you get started, keep us posted on your progress. Some of us may be close enough to drive over and watch you solo. That day can't be measured in dollars.

When you're up there by yourself for the first time....
There's no way to describe it with words. You'll own something private for the rest of your life.

And you'll never be the same.

i was at a private fly in breakfast several years ago

and a guy had one of these with a stol kit

it was amazing watching this guy take off

really impressive