Leaderboard

People are suggesting you should have a level of confidence commensurate with your experience. In aviation overconfidence can be deadly. Also, nobody here is trying to run you off. They are trying to give you advice that will improve the chances of you being around here for a good long time.

I'm still on the other side of this... I bought my Mooney, flew 5 hours dual on the first day, 5 hours solo the next couple of days and then loaded up the family and started going places. Next think I know I'm approaching 1000 hours and nearly have my US Map filled in. I had lunch this week with @SkyTrekker earlier this week. He doesn't even have a private certificate yet. But jumped in his E and flew from Waco to Austin, landing at the big airport, KAUS. After a nice lunch of Torchy's Tacos, he was back in the air heading back to Waco. He was obviously solo as required for a student pilot. I also notice that most if not all of the Mooney tragedies that are listed on these pages, are of high time pilots. Experience and time in type is certainly important and valuable. But the FAA has signed you off to carry passengers and go places. Go... just be careful.

General life advice: Don't insert yourself between your spouse and her family. Let her deal with them. Its between you and your spouse if you fly somewhere together, not you and her and your in-laws. And ultimately its up to her if she wants to get in the plane with you or not, everything considered including her tolerance for a long car drive vs her decision to defer to her parents. She's a grown up, neither dad or husband should make the decision for her. You're a grown up too, you can fly down and meet her there if she wants to drive herself. Reading all ten pages, its clear some people aren't interested in our itty-bitty-GA planes, some people don't even like the big ones. I generally try to let people make their own decisions about flying with me and make sure they want to be there. Coaxing is not an effective means of persuasion in this case. As for the comments on relative inexperience, I suppose it depends on the actual weather day of the flight and the routing, etc. I will say in the first few years after having my pilots license (and even now), I liked flying with other pilots. Even though I was PIC and fully competent flying the plane itself, talking things through with another more experienced pilot, even if not an instructor, really helped me improve my flying, catch bad habits, and prevent errors. Its different flying with another pilot than "taking care of" a passenger. I don't know who I am to talk here. My mother was my first passenger when I was 17 years old and the ink was still wet on my license. My dad treats airplanes as "contraptions" and though he was willing to fund some of my flying, there was no way he was getting in an airplane with me. Last year, though, he was coaxed in with Byron flying and an aerial tour of his favorite fishing lake, so I supposed it took getting him a pilot with 10,000 hours of experience and fishing to get him in the plane, but its unlikely that it will happen again.

As Don Maxwell once said "I can teach an ape to land a Mooney". What is most difficult to impart is good decision making, especially to some who have had some success in one form or another during their (usually short) lives to date. Listen to the old timers like Gus who have racked up the hours yet are still a student to aviation and be appreciative of some of the free wisdom and advice you may receive here. No one is trying to beat you up or disparage you, but rather encourage you to continue to learn and cautiously so that it can be added to your experience and properly cloud your decision making.

As @gsxrpilot mentioned above, this week I combined my first Class C solo experience with a trip to Austin to connect with Paul and discuss different approaches to panel upgrades (as well as hearing more about Mooney formation flying...very cool!) I still have another few hours of requirements before I'm clear to take my PPL practical test. Then I intend to turn my focus to IFR training, but not before I sign up for the MAPA PPP. Looking forward to learning the finer points of flying my 1970 E. I wonder when their 2018 schedule will be published. Can anyone tell me how many days the program lasts? I'm in a situation similar to @Skates97, as I doubt my teenage step-son's father will be excited about him flying with my wife and me anytime soon. I figure I'll keep developing skills and experience and having successful flights until everyone is comfortable with the idea. I do look forward to that first trip with the three of us, though. For that matter, I am really looking forward to the first trip with just my wife and me! Shouldn't be too long now.

That doesn’t really address the issue, does it? How do you KNOW 100% you’ve got nothing to hide? Most pilots who bust some airspace don’t KNOW they did it, or they wouldn’t have busted it! In discussing the probable cause requirement with an experienced senior deputy friend once, he told me “l can justify probable cause to stop anyone, anytime.” He wasn’t joking. Didn’t matter what you were doing or were thought, he’s an expert and has a badge. Anyone who isn’t as well is facing a stacked deck. As far as “if one has nothing to hide, just submit,” that is anyone’s prerogative. Go ahead. In some cases, that’s probably the wisest course. It’s situational, and there is no ONE answer for every situation from traffic stop/ramp check/Terry stop to “you fit the description”, “CI tip” or “mine if we come in and take a look around.” As for me, the “nothing to hide so just submit” approach - applied generally - would sure undo a lot of hard work and sacrifice for people who established the rights we have and the many since who sacrificed to preserve them. The rules are there for a reason; I’ll use and respect them, and expect those enforcing them do the same...including the rules that are my rights.

Kickoff is in half an hour. It's Gus' 4th season here, and didn't start auspiciously losing to last year's champion in our second game. But we've soundly defeated two No. 1 teams in three weeks, and are about to play one of them again. Here's to our defensive line keping the Dawgs penned up like before! War Eagle! I'm flying tomorrow just for the hell of it, let's hope iit's a happy flight. You may now resume the regularly scheduled discussion . . . . .

I don't know anything about you other than what you have posted in this thread. After reading your responses in the thread I can understand the apprehension of the in-laws. Mixed in with the responses about experience is some great advice on dealing with "meddling in-laws" which you do not seem to be interested in because they don't line up with what you want to hear. Good luck in your future endeavors.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way... What I see most are saying is to be conservative and careful. You have been successful in the business world, congratulations. (Many of us have been as well) You think very highly of yourself which no doubt has served you well in the business world. Some of the comments you have made, including how you talked to your mother in law, would suggest that you have much to learn still in spite of your success early in life. There have been a number of pilots that have met an untimely end because they were overconfident. Granted there are some that were young and bold and managed to survive. The problem is that they were the exception, and most of us are not the exception. Speaking of tool boxes, I have technicians that work for me that have boxes and tools worth more than some people's houses, but that doesn't mean I would want to fly with them. In fact while I would trust them to do any maintenance or repairs on my vehicles, I wouldn't be comfortable with them driving me around in a car, I've seen how they drive.

Ive been lucky, at best, average intelligence and a 2 year degree. I went to the regionals then a freight co, then got the 4yr online degree then the economy got right and got picked up at a major. Now, the job is rather easy, get the plane from a to B to C without messing up, get paid good and go home. I would say most people work way harder to make that kind of money. But being a pilot is like being pregnant, everyone congratulates you but never asked how many times you got screwed to get there. 1. it is definitely a lifetime shortage for the next few years, dont waste time, though. Sooner is better. 2. get a commercial instrument multi, then the CFI and get ATP mins... FAST. civilian is faster. pay it back with the ridiculous bonuses the regionals are offering. 3. 4 year degree is still a requirement for a major. Do it online at ERAU while flying for the regionals, when you get the 2 years jet time to upgrade, the 4-yr degree is yours and now jet PIC, you become a candidate for the majors. That is my story, again, I went from high school dropout in Oklahoma to pilot, he can too.

Had breakfast with my family this morning. Flew to Lake Tahoe. Did some mountain flying with an instructor. Ate lunch. Flew home. Picked up my son from school and was home in time for dinner. Mooneys are awesome!

We easily can see why long distance Mooney flight is awesome. I see why my love affair is strong on shorter flights as well, see this week. Saturday needed to get to Georgetown flight 28 minutes drive time 2:00 hours Sunday took nephew to Virginia Tech rt flight 2:40 drive time 15 hours. Thursday to a client Georgetown 1 hour rt drive time 4 hours. Today to Baltimore 28 minutes drive time 1:45 times two. Even though these are shorter hops our time savings are drastic. MOONEYS are absolutely awesome. Time saved so far this week 19+ hours.

I've been flying behind a Stratux ( a homemade-equivalent version of the Stratus) for about two years now, just before they were getting popular. Since then, the Raspberry Pi has released a new version, the SDRs have been upgraded multiple generations, and new things such as AHRS have been released so I retired my old unit and decided to start anew. I mainly did a little "show and tell" for the local EAA newsletter but I thought I'd share here, too. I've got a Samsung Tab A, utilizing DroidEFB. I like to think of it as a "Lite" version of Foreflight, with most of the cool features, W&B, E6B, flightplan export, IFR approach plates with live tracking, etc etc etc. I'm not an Apple/Foreflight fanboy, and as presiding cabinet member of the CB club, it does me well for most of my flying. Stratux- $155 Tablet- $230 RAM Mount Setup- $75 DroidEFB- $70/yr Photo taken on the way to the Mooney Summit:

15 years as a highly qualified aerospace engineer, I will tell you flat out, though it is true that good pilots understand their systems (though there are some counter examples of amazing stick and rudder pilots who are completely mechanically inept)... there are many many people who understand systems better than any pilot and yet would make a terrible pilots. They are two different skill sets. And despite my engineering qualifications, I'd rather pay some to rack my car than do it myself, but my husband seems to enjoy continuously having our cars disassembled so I suppose it works out. I try not to think about what our household tool box is worth, let alone get engaged in a pissing contest over it... Good aeronautical decision making and good mechanical aptitude are two discrete skills sets, that may be related and both make good pilots, but they are different. Don't get overconfident in this area.

Before you start instrument training, take a little time and get to know your plane, how it handles, power settings, landing in different winds. Fly to a bunch of airports, say everything on the sectional within an hour or so, because they are all different . . . The MAPA PPP is one weekend, Friday morning through Sunday lunch. You will have 16 hours' classroom training and 4 hours with a CFII in your plane. It will count as completing a stage of FAA Wings and as a Flight Review. The certificate is handsome, but the notebook of solid information is worth it's weight in logbook endorsements. It's almost time for me to go again, to sharpen up those areas I've not been working on / using lately (it will also count as an IPC). Nothing like spending some quality time with serious Mooney pilots and experienced Mooney instructors!

The avionics shop custom fabricated this piece of aluminum and then powder coated it. Less than $200 If I remember correctly.

I would suggest that Maxwell can teach an ape to land a Mooney, but it would take a pretty sharp ape to land one well. I've been flying my plane 17 years and still don't consider myself able to land it really well. Or maybe I just not as sharp and most apes.

I just asked about the 2018 PPP schedule last week. Here are the dates/locations. February 9-11, 2018 - Palm Coast, FL April 13-15, 2018 - Henderson, NV June , 2018 - TBD (possibly in Fort Worth, TX) September 7-9, 2018 - Manchester, NH October 5-7, 2018 - Owensboro, KY Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Every time I think we're done beating a dead horse... ...we find a new horse. Sigh.

The fact you started the thread at least either confirms your concern over your own your skills at this point or for a rallying cry to support your own ego. Either way, you asked. And quite honestly, in my 30 years of GA flying, the ones who listen to the advice, at least understand this activity has inherent risks and offset those risks with continuous training and taking the activity seriously. Many of those who have responded are not 100 hour freshly minted PPs. There is some serious experience on this board ranging from military, career professionals and high time GAers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Nobody here has told you to be afraid of flying. They've told you to be afraid of yourself.

You're your own worst enemy. Especially when it comes to aviation. Your business skills and car maintenance skills aren't worth a damn if you put a smoking hole in the ground with your plane.

Me, too, Paul. I had about 60 Cessna hours when I started Mooney transitioning. Fifteen hours later, I flew my wife to the other side of WV for lunch. Three days later, we flew from WV to NC for her dad's birthday. Neither of us felt unsafe, the CFI / CFII / MEI who handled my transition didn't think it was unsafe; in fact, he saw us off on our lunch run across the state, smiling and waving like a proud papa. @NJMac, get your transition training done, pay attention! and go fly. Join MAPA and take the PPP program as soon as possible. My thinking about that (a month after completing the required dual): I had been taught how to fly; I had then been taught how to fly the Mooney. MAPA would teach me how to fly my Mooney the right way, and going sooner would be fewer bad habits to unlearn. www.mooneypilots.com

Help him with what he wants, but don't force him to drink water. He really has to really obsessed with flying to get a career in it. There's nothing wrong with not knowing what to do. I'm 26 and still confused.

There’s a reason “do you know how fast you were going” is such a common line (my personal favorite response is to look confused and blurt out “um, I thought YOU knew?!” Mixed results so far). Anyone who falls for the “just a couple questions and we’ll have this all cleared up” routine should watch an episode or two of the old Columbo TV show. I know a pilot who’d busted a presidential TFR and was walking through parking enroute to the field diner when a city police patrol car pulled up, lights flashing. Cop: “Did you just land?” Pilot: “Yes” Cop: “Did you just fly from X airport (name redacted to protect innocent)?” Pilot: “Yes” After some radio chatter, the pilot found himself on the receiving end of a suspension. This was a few years back, perhaps the outcome would be different today. I would like to think so. Some people I know would’ve answered “I wish, these airplanes are cool, know where I can get a ride?” Others would’ve dodged, and maybe some of us would’ve flat out said “sorry, I’m not sure whether l have to answer that, l would like some legal help.” It’s a judgment call. It’s important to remember you are being questioned for a reason, it’s not a social visit. If you’re not being detained, you can leave; if you’re being detained, you have a right to counsel. Even in court you could defer testifying from memory in favor of referring to documents you don’t have in front of you, so why volunteer anything where any inconsistency in your answers, even honest ones, could result in a “gotcha”—or create a belief you’ve made a false statement. No reason to be a jerk, but the truth is most people do themselves in. Why hang yourself?

I prefer the LC2 and LC3 connectors. They are 0.625” long while many of the amazon ones are twice the length. They are what my avionics shop use. Larry

This is important !

One advantage of long, slow descents is that you don't have to do steep turns in the pattern to bleed off excess energy.

Wow that's awesome. You have skills, knowledge, and communication abilities. I nominate you for President of the CB club !

Not exactly a joke, but this seems like a fitting place to post this. This past weekend I flew into Wood County OH airport. Toledo approach asked me to report the airport in sight. It was all I could do to keep myself from responding "Mooney 1TF has Wood."

Paul's picture of his panel shows he's eastbound at FL250 with 25,000 dialed in the altitude box. The only way he's going down is coming out of FL270, which looking at his Flight Aware records I've not found one flight he's done that high. Few autopilots will hold within 100' at FL250 as the air is pretty thin. I guess I would do a bit more detective work before implying a regular poster here is distorting his documented aircraft performance. The one thing I've found about airplanes (and muscle cars, snowmobiles, boats and motorcycles) is there is always someone faster than you, no matter how fast YOU (or I) am. That said, the 252 model designation came from Roy Lopresto getting 252 MPH out of the air frame after his mods (219 knots), being the same concept in the models "201" and "231", obviously at WOT. Seeing 200 knots TAS in a 252 should not be a big deal. The "BOOK" numbers on my Rocket show I should see well over 220 knots TAS, which I've never seen. Paul clearly posted a "real life" flight running at his normal cruise settings. Not sure where the heart burn is coming from? Tom

My Mooney will get better mileage than most people’s cars. It will go 160 miles and hour burning 8 & a half gallons. There isn’t another certificated airplane that can do that. In no other airplane can a 0360 produce that kind of speed unless it’s experimental. And it was built 5 decades ago. I love my Mooney all right.

10 pages in... I'm most amazed by... The number of people that have the same or similar experience of taking someone else’s precious cargo for a flight... Blended families... split-up families... nieces and nephews... friend's kids... charitable flights... Done properly...? some people actually look forward to going for an airplane ride. Others will put up with the airplane ride to go somewhere distant and interesting. Some will never go further than a ride from the tie-down to the fuel pumps. Many just want to go once... Demonstrated skills of responsibility go a long way... We have a few people around here with automotive tech skills. Garage owners, to Car dealerships, to commercial specialty truck builders. Responsible for the lifestyles of a few people to a few thousand people... even the best keep learning... going a long ways to pick up the next rating, license or attend a weekend training event... you get to learn a lot just by talking with other Mooney pilots... It is amazing what comes up in conversation... Transition training PPP And MAPA membership Mooney fly-ins formation flying Side thought... I just left my daughter's car at a local garage, that looked a lot like NJMac's.... my third fuel pump this year... (three different cars) Back on topic... What all of this probably has in common with NJMac's situation... Trust in you as a person, and as a pilot. trust in your skill as a driver, and as a pilot. (We have a few race car drivers here as well...) trust in your decision making, and as a pilot. (Decision making skills... hey Mom...I selected your daughter... and she said yes) If family is knowledgeable ... They already know you and have faith in you. If you have flying skills, you have demonstrated them for a long period of time... If you have flying decision skills, you have demonstrated them over the long period as well... Ever discuss the weather with family before getting in the car? (I'm not a big fan of driving through thunderstorms...) It is really interesting to see how Aviation brings family together in many cases.... a common bond. Many of us have said My Dad had/has a Mooney... One item of responsibility that hasn't been mentioned... Insurance. Select the proper amount for your situation. Nothing like waking up in a hospital, knowing you have coverage... How long have you been married? How many kids do you have? You can't rush greatness... have a great Saturday!!! Best regards, -a-

I’m shooting for that one as well because it’s a short hop and I have a bfr due next Oct anyways. Maybe I’ll see you there! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The title of this is family pressures. I asked for pointers to overcoming objections and if this was normal. I didnt ask anyone if I had enough time or experience in the creation of this thread. If looking for past experiences is a rallying cry for my ego, then color me surprised. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

LOL - sorry bout that !!!! All I know is that I'm supposed to root for the DUCKS and keep the bills paid ! haha I stand corrected. I worked in the Auto Industry for 15 yrs in Tool Engineering and flew to Detroit regularly... There, it was always Michigan vs Michigan State. (I got those wrong too if it lessens my offense any)

I had under 60 hours in Cherokees when I got my Mooney. Insurance required 10 dual and 5 solo before flying passengers. It took about 7-8 dual before I felt comfortable in the Mooney and the 5 hours of solo were great for just getting more of a feel for the plane. I would not have been comfortable carrying passengers prior to that transition training. I love flying others around but there is still something special about being alone up in the air to me. As soon as I was done with my required transition training my wife and son started flying with me. The first few flights were just burger runs in the 30-200 mi range, no time constraints, no pressure to get anywhere, and one of them involved going the opposite direction to a different airport because the weather didn't look good at our original destination. (It was cool to go to lunch a couple hundred miles away) A month later and we were making long cross countries of 300-800nm, however it wasn't until we had made a number of those that my step-daughter's dad felt comfortable letting her fly with us. I will say again what many others have said. Take your time, get your transition training, make a few flights where there are no time constraints and if you don't think it looks good one direction just find an airport where the weather is good and head there. Flying into different airports is great training, I still like to find ones I haven't been to and go just for the experience of navigating to a new place and landing somewhere that I don't know any of the landmarks. Before you know it you will be flying your wife all over the place and seeing a lot more of the family. There is no rush, you have time, and with a Mooney you have more time than most people.

I used to have a news crawler in the bittom of my computer at work. Just seeing all of the crashes let me kniw when Oshkosh was approaching . . . But I'd still like to fly up one day . . . But never solo, too many planes too close togehter, and I still remember the antics around me going into SnF on a year that was IMC from the souther edge of the Appalachians to about 40nm from Lakeland.

Lee, You might take that fire breathing monster to JD at SWTA and have it checked out. If you smell fuel, it is leaking it or has leaked it, and it wont fix itself. It could be something very simple like an O ring for the fuel selector, or it could be a fitting on the fuel pump coming loose. In any event, it shouldnt be too hard to trace and rectify before it becomes a bigger issue.

Advice is worth what you pay for it! 3. Yes, a 4 year college degree is absolutely mandatory for access to all the "major" airlines (the ones that pay that minimum wage you mention). Some people will tell you "I know a guy" that did without. But those are few and far between (and you sometimes find out that "the guy" is the nephew of the chief pilot or something"), this is about the odds, and the odds say go to college. As Byron mentioned you don't have to go to college right away, but will have to eventually, and it only gets harder and more expensive when you get older. I used to be on all these annoying pilot wife forums and I feel like that was the number one thing holding many of their husbands back in miserable regional jobs and they were like "well i don't want my husband to go to college, he's barely at home as it is, and we need to buy a house we can't pay his tuition!" Those problems are solved if you do things in the more responsible order which is school->profession->family. However, things can be done differently, its just harder. Byron touts the version of his online degree, but it was expensive in a lot of ways -- for instance, he missed an airline hiring window in the years he did not have a degree but was otherwise qualified for major airline jobs, also ERAU online is WAY more expensive than your local In-State-U that you could go to at the same time you work on your initial aviation ratings. It was what it was, but it wasn't optimal. 1. yes, there's a shortage for low paying regional airline jobs. And that's driving up wages, which I think is really really good. For major airlines (the ones you mention pay like UPS), there are still 8 qualified applicants for 1 opening; the military will still be producing pilots to fill these high paying slots; and the average age of a new hire at a major is 39 years old, so you should still plan for a 20 year career BEFORE that job that does not look as good. 3. there's no right answer. Do you think your kid would do well in the military -- does he like to follow orders, is he ok moving once every 3 years, is he athletically fit, does he value his hair? If so, especially considering it sounds like he's not very directed right now, maybe he should consider enlisting for a few years - it will give him some direction, focus, and good experience. I think a lot of people would benefit from that experience and he can sort out what he wants to do with his life. He could take advantage of military flying clubs and get his licenses on his days off, etc. Pilot slots, though, go to officers, which requires a college degree. So go to college and do ROTC, for example. Or go to college and then do OCS. He can still explore his flying interest while in college -- Georgia Tech, where I went, had a very reasonably priced flying club, many students became CFI's by their sophomore year and were instructing on the side their junior year. I imagine the same thing can be done at a local FBO or flight school in proximity to college. There are also aviation colleges, but if it were me I would not pay ERAU's ridiculous aviation prices to get an "aviation" degree that is worthless to do anything else, when you can get an accounting or engineering or something else degree if you decide a career in aviation is not for you, while getting all the same time-building aviation experience for probably cheaper. But that's me. I am really glad your kid enjoyed his intro flight, but one intro flight does not a career in aviation make, its just a good start. Get him some flying lessons, let him consider further. Have him talk to pilots. Even when you "make it" at an airline, its lots of days away especially in the summer and holidays, until you are super senior (think your late 50's), that's not for every family, every wife, every parent, etc. There is still uncertainty. Not everyone wants a professional spouse, but given the cycling of the aviation industry a second income is essential to pilot families. This does not work for everyone. My own experience was I learned to fly at 17, and did a lot of soul searching and realized I wanted it as a passionate hobby. Not a career. My career was aerospace engineering, mission control, project management, and now lawyering. We all change over time. I have 5 brothers, not a one of them had any form of direction at 17, it works itself out.

We keep our baby at L36 tucked under the Sacramento Charlie airspace. We've driven up to see my stepson who was attending Oregon State in Eugene. A I-5 interstate drive that takes you the winding way past Mt Shasta. A 9 hour drive ... each way ! I decided to show my new wife (of 1.5 years) how cool GA and especially our Mooney really is for those not-so-long-trips. We got to the airport at 0830 on a Saturday, off the ground by 0915, 1 hr 50 min flight time (right next to Mt Shasta - cool pics at 12k alt), wheels down and tied down by 1130. kids picked us up, had a cool lunch and hung out with them for a while. back to the airport and off the deck by 1545, landed at L36 and at the hanger door and out of the plane by 1800. All that in the same 9 hours that it would have taken to just drive up there. I love my Mooney! ...and to think I was looking for a twin when a friend suggested a Mooney!

I think its likely to see cargo and maybe corporate jets to go single piloted IFR (abandon the 12.5K rule) before airliners. 1 - There will never be a pilot shortage at a major airline. There will be a shortage of pilots willing to work for fast food wages...or even PAY to work. 2 - Civilian training is faster but not superior to military flight training. It will always be competitive to get INTO the military. The military doesn't treat their mid-grade officers well which is why there is a shortage of experienced mid-grade officer pilots. If primarily interested in flying go AirGuard first before going regular active duty. A military pilot with 1500-2000 hrs of tactical fighter time is more competitive for a job at a major airline than a regional airline pilot with 10,000 hours as a first officer. 3. 4 year degree required for American, Delta, United, Fedex, UPS and currently SWA. Alaska and Hawaiian are the only two legacy airlines that MAY hire you without a degree but you will likely be a coming from a foreign airline or ACMI carrier like Atlas to get hired. The big hiring boom will last for 10-15 years and then expect a period of stagnation. The mandatory retirement numbers are pretty staggering over the next 5-10 years. I would expect every military pilot that leaves and every CURRENT regional airline pilot to be able to eventually move to a major inside 10 years. A pilot just starting as regional first officer in the late 2020s will likely be at the regional for 10+ years and without a degree..permanently. Regional airlines understand they are a stepping stone to a major which gives them leverage to treat their pilots pretty poorly. My advice to your son if he wants to be a pro pilot. Get his certificates and hours as fast as possible and get on with a regional and expect to stay there until he completes a degree. Get a degree that he can use to pay the bills if he loses his medical. I've heard engineering pays well at the entry level. Good luck!

That is hysterical! I can't speak for getting into flying for a career. I wanted to go active duty Air Force and fly but political changes in the early-mid 90's meant you had to be at the Academy to get a pilot slot and I was ROTC. Fast forward and I finally started flying when I was 43. At this point I make more than I could if I was flying for a living so I will work my 8ish-5 M-F job and fly when I want, where I want, and with who I want. I will second what Byron said about getting the online degree. For my new position at work they wanted an accounting degree. So, I went back and picked up where I had left off 25 years earlier (that was going to be a Bio-Engineering degree). I needed a couple credits to finish an AA and then did the online thing with Colorado State finishing up the last two years in 18 months. There are a lot of schools that have adopted online programs. With some discipline it is very doable, but I would check around because while many of the programs are very similar, the tuition costs vary greatly.

I'm glad I found aviation later instead of making it a career. If he's passionate about it, getting his CFI/II before college and going for a 4 year STEM degree will give him side income while he studies, meet the requirement for the majors, and a fall back if it's not his thing or there's an incident that precludes him from continuing in the field.

+1 for the Mooney PPP course. Best course to learn how to respect, and not be scared of, your airplane. Lots of stalls. Lots of practice at solving problems requiring "aviate - navigate - communicate" approaches. "Oops - you just lost the engine. Good thing you are in gliding distance to that airfield close by. Show me how you will set up the aircraft, glide to an appropriate approach point, conduct the approach, and land safely."

One thing that I gained and it is big deal for me is the GPSS steering. Before I had to turn the HSI needle every time my GTN told me to do so. Now it’s hands off. I tried different approaches, holding patterns, procedure turns and it just works perfect. It figures out on its own the entry to the holding pattern and makes all,the turns very smoothly.

Totally worth it. I had similar (almost stuck in Mexico once). Sent back to skytec and they repaired it for $250 and also fixed some other stuff they found. Been great since going on 6 years. -Robert

In an issue of Flight Training magazine they talk about mnemonicswhen an engine died he used:(F)irewall everything(U)ndercarriage up(C)heck which engine failed(K)ill itand the second word(M)ags check(E)lectrics check.In the article the plane was full of parachutists that all bailed shortly after the pilot shouted the mnemonic!

"Soft brake"? That can be air trapped in the line, or it can be a lack of fluid. Lack of fluid may affect both sides. If it's air, you need to bleed the brakes...pretty much like brakes on an old tractor. Fluid is best added from below at the brake calpher. I use a big syringe, but there are lots of options. If you're sure there's no air in the line you can just top off the reservoir.

These pictures should be considered cruel and unusual punishment!!! Beautiful...