I missed the boat back when I was a teen. I had an uncle that was a certified flight instructor who owned his own plane and was the private pilot and aerospace instructor for KU. I could have spent a summer with him and got my license for next to nothing. But as a teenage kid, I couldn't see the purpose for it. I knew I couldn't afford to rent and fly a plane at that time and wasn't interested in flying for a career. One of many decisions you make when you are young and live to regret. I did get to ride in and "control" a DC3 and a Ford Tri-Motor.
Its going to cost you roughly 10k to 20k just to get your private pilot lic in todays economic environment.
If you started today, your looking at maybe 5 to 10 yrs down the road to do what you ultimately want to do.
If you started today, your looking at maybe 5 to 10 yrs down the road to do what you ultimately want to do.
Of course I'm not. Hence why I am asking. Getting a pilots license is of course part of the equation, but learning how to fly is not going to teach me the practical day to day experience of owning an aircraft. I have friends who are aircraft and helicopter pilots, but they work in the commercial world, one flies big delta jets and one flies helicopters for oil companies. They can, and have talked to me all day about flying and getting my license, but know little about owning your own plane, especially a bush plane.
Thats fine, this is a long term goal. If its something that I will find that I enjoy and get a lot of use out of, it would be worth it to me. Many planes, if well kept, appreciate in value. I would theoretically appreciate my assets value if I took up flying as a hobby, which is definitely favorable compared to buying a 40-70k performance car and depreciating it every 5-10 years for the rest of my life.
Yes, it can be a rewarding hobby, however virtually everyone I know that has or had, likens it to having a having an affair with a high maint woman.
The pilots I’ve known said the first thing you do is stop counting costs in dollars and start counting them in AUs—Aeronautical Units—where 1AU=$1,000 US. That’s too rich for my blood.
You might listen to some of Andy Stumpf’s podcasts—he used to be a private pilot, and he talked about how he got into that on a few of them. He may have talked about it on one of his appearances on Jocko’s or Joe Rogan’s podcasts, and I know he had talked about it on at least one of the Full Auto Friday episodes of his Cleared Hot podcast.
IIRC, the short version was that he got in with the founder of a company (CrossFit, maybe?) who kept having to fly places, so he decided to get his own plane. Along with the plane, he needed a pilot, so he ended up paying for Andy to learn how to fly and to get his license so Andy could fly for him.
Obviously, that method won’t work for everybody, but it’s probably going to be a much more attainable route if you can get someone else to foot the bill…
You might listen to some of Andy Stumpf’s podcasts—he used to be a private pilot, and he talked about how he got into that on a few of them. He may have talked about it on one of his appearances on Jocko’s or Joe Rogan’s podcasts, and I know he had talked about it on at least one of the Full Auto Friday episodes of his Cleared Hot podcast.
IIRC, the short version was that he got in with the founder of a company (CrossFit, maybe?) who kept having to fly places, so he decided to get his own plane. Along with the plane, he needed a pilot, so he ended up paying for Andy to learn how to fly and to get his license so Andy could fly for him.
Obviously, that method won’t work for everybody, but it’s probably going to be a much more attainable route if you can get someone else to foot the bill…
Flying is a blast, and there’s really no other feeling of fear like falling out of the sky and learning to recover the plane. You’ve got a considerable amount of time to speculate on your own impending death, and that’s a thrill that is hard to recreate on the ground.
Only advice I’d give is hook up with someone who can let you use their plane to get your hours for cheaper than renting from a a flight school, and then find a plane big enough to carry a family plus gear. You don’t want to underbuy and then be toying with max safety weights for your plane. They seem like suggestions until suddenly, they don’t.
Only advice I’d give is hook up with someone who can let you use their plane to get your hours for cheaper than renting from a a flight school, and then find a plane big enough to carry a family plus gear. You don’t want to underbuy and then be toying with max safety weights for your plane. They seem like suggestions until suddenly, they don’t.
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I believe that there are co-op flying clubs at regional airports you could join.
I used to have a powered parachute and a gyrocopter, but they're just fun toys, not suitable for really going anywhere.
It's fun to think of throwing your dog and pack into the plane and landing in the bush, but keep in mind you're very weather dependent, and there's a lot of regulations around anything that flies (except ultralights but those are very limited).
I'm not real plugged into the bush plane world, but Cubs and Kitfox planes in various configurations are poplular.
It's fun to think of throwing your dog and pack into the plane and landing in the bush, but keep in mind you're very weather dependent, and there's a lot of regulations around anything that flies (except ultralights but those are very limited).
I'm not real plugged into the bush plane world, but Cubs and Kitfox planes in various configurations are poplular.
AMEN!
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