Pilot_Guy

I was curious to know how many here have a pilot license(fixed or rotary).

I received my PPL when I was 22 and have around 250 hours(150's, SkyHawks, and a Piper J-5)

Unfortunately and regrettably I have never continued in full scale aviation or accomplished much other than a few cross countries.
I haven't flown in over 6 years[] I get depressed when I think about the time I have wasted not flying and it's such a shame.
I am starting to get back my enthusiasm to once again fly, and actually do more than I ever have in full scale aviation.

Anyone here that are or thinking of being a pilot?..

onehot69stepside

id love to get my rotary license... just dont have over $80k

FILE IFR

There are many of us here.

RCU has a 'Full Scale' area for posting.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_255/tt.htm

warpnine

I was told when I was 7 years old that I "could never be a pilot" due to color blindness. Then when I was 18, I got Type 1 diabetes which also precludes ever getting any license (heck, they'll just barely let me drive a car) - so RC and computer sims are it for me!

I wonder if this hobby will ever evolve to "remotely piloted vehicles" - rather than "externally controlled vehicles" that we all use now? That would be closer to actual full sized flying. Imagine flying your RC helicopter across town while you sat in your living room, or like some of the videos on YouTube were riding in a car. Lots of possibilities with currently available technology!

Must be a blast to really fly anything full sized!

Cheers,
Dave

chaser2440

I'm A full size crewchief Few hundred hours sitting sideways in a blackhawk and a few more hours spent fixing them not sure what is worse the big one or the little ones

MMike1

I'm not a pilot but I do work in the heli industry. I used to work for Bell....now I work for a small company that makes after-market accessories.

homeunt

My Feedback: (3)

11 hours, sat in Bell Jet Ranger helicopter with an instructor
and flew under the instructions.

Then the Gaseprice forced me into this hobby.
I think with 180 for an hour flight.
is quite unreasonable..
Back then it was 224..

I'm never getting my PPL like that unless if i get a million off lottery ticket

Pilot_Guy

I don't know how young you are, but enlist in the Army as an warrant officer then learn to fly military helicopters is what to do.
It would be free and you would basically be set as far as getting a civilian job flying or working on Helicopters.
I wish I took that option when I was young enough, but I am to old now(32)...:-(.

homeunt

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks Eric but 2 reasons that makes me unavailable for that job:
1. I'm live in Canada
2. Canadian Forces has a very limited # of rotary flight vehicles

Then I'm looking forward for Physics/Aviation course at university

bing44

My Feedback: (1)

At 225 pounds I am more than a full size pilot.

My father and uncle were ATC specialists, and I have been flying one way or another since I was three, but didn't get my license until 1985. I now live on an airpark and fly an experimental I built called a Harmon Rocket II http://www.harmonrocket.com/ . I also built, flew, and sold an RV6, owned an RV4 and Piper Pacer. I usually use it around here locally, but also have flown as far as Wisconsin, and have relatives in NV and AZ that I and the wife fly to see on vacations.

Pilot_Guy

I live near Fort Drum military base here in USA and they have around 300 helicopters on base at all times lol.. BlackHawks, Apache, Cobra 1's Super Cobras, and the old Huey's fly over my place ALL THE TIME.. Sometimes I can feel the rotor beets as they fly over..

About 12 years ago I had a Cobra set down across the road in a open field from my place.. Something happened so they had to land it fast... That was kinda cool to see a Cobra practically in my yard lol.

I will never fly in a Heli though... Just to many things to go wrong and then you just drop.. lol.

Pilot_Guy

I was licensed at 22 years old, but wasted many years not flying which sucks.. I could of been really good by now.

have2fly

There is an amazing amount of full size pilots involved in RC modeling wether it is fixed wing or heli. I work in a hobby shop for 12 years when I was just a young man, and had alot of pilots contribute huge sums out of there wallets for the pleasure of RC flying. As for myself I have been flying fixed wing for 6 years now and have worked myself into a medevac job flying a Kingair B200. As for the hobby side of life, I recently got back into RC helicopters one year ago, and I have a Walkera 22E and a Shark 450 in my basement hangar, and loving every minute of it. ( even if my wife thinks I'am nuts).
Happy flying, Alan

funflier

actually you can
Think sport pilot
self certified medical
much the same as for glider

lets see as I can remember.
I got my solo in 63 and had to wait many years (Vietnam called and I liked it there so I stayed for 39 months) till I was 22 to take my test. Actually it was funny to me as I had over 400 legal hours (father owned 2 planes) and had soloed on skis and floats and complex long before I even took my flight test. My FAA check pilot had never even flown in the plane I used for my flight test, My own TriPacer PA 20 on floats and wheels that I had recovered the wings on and just got signed off about 2 months before.
I think I have probably about 12,000 + hours now (I no longer count) in both Experimantal aircraft (ex EAA member also), conventional aircraft, amd ultralight, none on multi engine though, but did have float and ski and complex ratings at one time. I had a TaylorCraft on floats on Lake Shasta in Calif for nearly 15 years and now its flying back in Alaska (where I bought it and flew it to Calif).
Took 30 hours in a Robinson many years ago and was about ready for my written and flight test but the restrictions on renting one to fly were just a little to restrictive so gave it up, not being able to fly more then 60 miles from the field without a instructor even if you were licensed were a little too much and if you had to land due to a emergency it was your $$ to get the heli back to the home base airport, think trucking it! This was about the only school that gave Heli instruction at that time so they called the shots.
Have started construction of 8 experimental Aircraft of my own, 4 from scratch in the last 35 years 6 I completed and 7 are still flying (I hope).
Still fly a totally rebuilt Aeronca I have owned for nearly 20 years (second one) and parter with one of my daughters in my "old" Cessna 177 fixed gear Cardinal (probably one of the most beautiful fixed gear high wing planes ever built). Unfortunatly due to health reasons (total Laryngectomee) I am FAA legal wise unable to legally fly it... (FAA knows more about medicine then any medical specialist on earth) [>:] but the sky is a big place and it's pretty hard to run into anything up there... as my father used to put it. I think he said that to me when I was about 11 and let me fly our "new" Stinson for nearly 5 hours all the way from San Bernadino to Half Moon Bay, Calif in the 50s, flew all the way up at about 4000 feet AGL about where Interstate 5 is now, then crossed over the mountains and up the coast from Santa Cruz, all from charts on my own.
I flew all the way only with input on what to scan for on instruments and pay attention to the landmarks and where to land "just in case" at all times. Did a perfect pattern Half Moon Bay and got to "cross the fence" before dad took over. I was totally hooked! We landed within 15 min of my estimated ETA. We had very little weather info that was accurate at that time. And flight plans were non existent. One of the most best memorably flying days of my life. Ok besides running into a mountain in Alaska...[]. Flying was a lot different then and much relaxed and I think enjoyable to . Different time and a different world.
I have taught all 5 of my daughters to fly much as my father taught me and all 5 went on to get Licensed and 3 are instrument rated. (4 have there own planes) One was Heli rated but she also let her rating lapse due to costs of rental.
Well it could have been worse cost wise, and as one daughter put it "We could all have wanted to go to Stanford and become doctors".....[]. Does this mean they let me off easy??

AmirS

full sized air traffic controller

DumbDawg

My Feedback: (3)

I'm not growing anymore... does that count as a full sized pilot??? lol

happy heli'n

Empty Wallet

That makes you what, 28??
What are you depressed about? Your still young yet.
Get off your butt and go get your medical updated. Get a little air time and go back to ground school for your instrument/commercial ticket.
You will be "good" in no time.
And whats better, is then you can go get a job at your local airfield in your spare time flying air taxi, fall foliage tours, and puke flights.
The neet part is you get PAID to fly!

Pilot_Guy

Nah, I Got my PPL at 22 then flew(rented) planes for a number of years after. I gave it up and tried racing dirt cars for a while and now I'm 34..
Just having a little relapse that I haven't turned into a pro pilot at my age... It was what I was born to do and I let it slip by... oh well lol.

Empty Wallet

But thats the point.
You are giving it up at the finish line.
I dont mean to give you a hard time but you are so close.
One more step and you wont ever have to "pay" to fly again.

MMike1

Unrelated........

I'm currently at Heli-expo in Anaheim right now.

Honestly it's kinda lame comapared to last year.........

Eagle Single #7...........I have a personal attachment to those doors.......