Will Samurai Husky Solo?

[carl]

Awesome , Looks like the blue dinning room in the White-house.  

 

Sam - good picture,my money is still on may 12 th as a solo day. 

[N601RX]

Have you considered that perhaps the flight school is just stringing you along and milking you for all the hrs they can charge for?  I'm having a hard time believing that a 172 and a sr20 rent for the same amount. It's usually twice as much. If after 15 hrs your still struggling to land and not getting any better you need to ask for a different instructor.  Are there any local instructors not associated with the flight school who have a plane and instruct in it?  The local CFI at our airport rents his 150 for $35hr plus the cost of auto fuel so around $45 hr total.  He charges $25 for instruction. I believe all of his students have soled in the 8-12 hr range.  It really sounds to me this school is looking after their best interest, not yours. 

[bonal]

+1

[Marauder]

6 hours ago, Marauder said:  

 

Great recommendation Carl.

 

A group of us had lunch yesterday with the Parrot Wizard aka Stinky Pants aka 201er. Too bad you couldn't make it out.

 

Was this at orange county yesterday?  I was there with my mooney and did not get the invite....please put me on the list.....I saw an old C model like mine fly in...blue and white I think...

It certainly was at Orange County. The blue and white Mooney belongs to Rob (I think call sign "takac"). It would have been great to meet you! 201er (aka Stinky Pants) Alan Fox (aka Sanford), Rob, Don M and guests were there. Rob is the inventor of the auto lean unit he has approved for Mooneys.

[glafaille]

I think Sam is not concerned about the high cost, is very impressed by the Cirrus and all it's "whiz bang" gear, and likes that particular airport because it is close to where he lives.  He seems unconcerned that he will end up paying several times more for his PPL under these conditions and doesn't care that it will take MUCH longer.

If he was concerned with these things he would have switched long ago.

He is in a different frame of mind than most of us.  

The flight school seems very successful at lightening the wallets of the well heeled Silicone Valley folks in the are that have an interest in aviation.

Perhaps a football style pool.  How many hobbs hours to get his PPL and how much did it cost?

[TWinter]

4 minutes ago, Marauder said:

It certainly was at Orange County. The blue and white Mooney belongs to Rob (I think call sign "takac"). It would have been great to meet you! 201er (aka Stinky Pants) Alan Fox (aka Sanford), Rob, Don M and guests were there. Rob is the inventor of the auto lean unit he has approved for Mooneys.

You all have that look, "Trust me, I'm a pilot".

[Marauder]

6 hours ago, Marauder said:  

 

Great recommendation Carl.

 

A group of us had lunch yesterday with the Parrot Wizard aka Stinky Pants aka 201er. Too bad you couldn't make it out.

 

Was this at orange county yesterday?  I was there with my mooney and did not get the invite....please put me on the list.....I saw an old C model like mine fly in...blue and white I think...

Jim -- send 201er a PM with your email and he will sign you up for the NJ Mooney Pilots Group on Yahoo. We normally send emails for our fly-ins. Really sorry we missed you.

[Samurai Husky]

Man people take things to literally; He wasn't actually yelling at me. It was more an expression of color than reality. I dont want to give the wrong impression that i am being verbally abused. I actually mess with him quite a bit, after every bad landing i look at him and say 'did you pack your heart medication?' I dont know, its a running gag i have going. 

About the cost. Before i chose this CFI, i called 10 other CFI's, some were not taking on new students, some never returned my request, some had another job and so the hours conflicted with my own. This was one of the few full time CFI's that had flexible hours and was actually responsive. He was also highly rated by other people as well as able to instruct in other rating. 

The CFI is not in charge of the cost of the plane. He can teach out of 3 other clubs, but all of the clubs have the exact same pricing structure and to use those places i would need to join their club and pay their dues. It just didnt seem to be worth it to pay another $80+/m with $2000 down and a 1yr commit to join another club that only has 4 planes. I think my club said there are more 172's joining the fleet in may. I will see if those start getting rented out. All planes are rented out as wet, HOWEVER, what I have learned is that not all planes can be used as trainers. So yes, the club has 44 planes, and like 10 172's, but only 3 of those 172's have trainer designation, so they are always booked. The one that isnt always booked is the g1000 version which rents at the same price as the Cirrus. So yes, there are cheaper 172's to rend, IF you can get on the schedule. At this point me my life, saving $40/hr isnt worth not being able to fly for weeks at a time.

On another note; about 2 lessons ago when i asked about switching to a different plane, i told him my plans about buying a plane some time after PPL. After we got past the whole 'sorry cant fit the dogs in the back seat of a Cirrus' thing and I told him that I wanted a Mooney or a 182. His opinion was to make up my mind, because if i plan on getting a 182, then i should switch to the 172 now. If i planned on getting a Mooney then i should stay in the Cirrus. He has time in both and said my transition would be easier going from a low wing to a low wing. So thats the advice i have been operating on since i wanted a Mooney first and the T182RG as a backup plan.

Money does play a factor in all of this, but really, the cost difference is very negotiable. Every club that i have called they all said the same thing. To get my private pilot I am looking at about 25-30k; Would I rather pay 15? hell yea. I might make good money, but I am a frugal SOB, if i can save some money I will.

On technique, i wanted to learn slips instead of crabbing. The reason being is that i have a very hard time identifying my direction of movement. If i were somewhere else like Phoenix, or Florida, where there are cities with grid layouts where i can judge my relative direction to a nearby road, then i think it would be a lot easier. I completely understand the principals, and for the most part, 'think' i am doing it right. But with out the visual confirmation i feel like i am not lined up right. Its not until i am almost on the ground that i can identify,,, ohhh look at that my plane is pointed at 30 but im traveling 310.... cool. Then we touch down and go flying off the runway (color not literally!!!)  because i havent learned to 'kick' the plane over using the rudder. 

If people are willing to actually help me, i will go out and buy a few gopros. I really dont want to spend money on go pro's since they are constantly coming out with new ones, but if the board is willing to make the time investment, i am willing to make the financial investment.

Just a question, when was the last time or has anyone actually flowing in the bay area before? I know there is one member that has. Just currious, because after putting in the hours i have put in, i dont think any student pilot is qualified to fly in this area with some of the solo times posted, unless they grew up flying and so had a major head start. 

[glafaille]

My gosh Sam!  $25,000 to $30,000 for a private pilots license?  That is insane!  You would be better off taking a week or two off from work and going to a real flight school in some other part of the country and going at it 8 hrs a day.  You could be finished in 2 weeks and do it for 1/2 as much.  I've seen the PPL license advertised for less than $7,000.

$25,000 should be enough for a PPL and an instrument rating.

[bonal]

I said this on the other thread which I imposed a self ban but since this topic I feel compelled to repeat my suggestion I don't know where home is but any South Bay Area town ain't that far from Livermore by car. Check out Attitude Aviation they have a great operation and LVK has great weather and most windy days the wind blows right down RWY25 it's long and wide. All the comments you have made make me think this is an instructor issue. I'm sure he can fly great but the student / instructor fit is probably the most important aspect of a students success. Trying to land on a 60x2400 ft strip with strong crosswinds in a Cirrus is NOT a good program for early training. You mentioned if you hit the wall you would try something different, well sir from all I have read you have indeed hit it.

[Samurai Husky]

and people call me a troll...

[bonal]

Just now, Samurai Husky said:

and people call me a troll...

I don't know if that was directed at me and as for my recommendation I am not affiliated with AA I just had a great experience with them. Every post I have made is with sincere hope that you are successful and I think all have only tried making suggestions to help you 

[Samurai Husky]

Just now, bonal said:

I don't know if that was directed at me and as for my recommendation I am not affiliated with AA I just had a great experience with them. Every post I have made is with sincere hope that you are successful and I think all have only tried making suggestions to help you 

Sorry, it was directed at mynameisnobody..... 

I guess if you have him blocked you wouldnt see his post below mine.

[bonal]

No worries and that's just nobody being nobody. Like or not he calls it the way he see's it

[Godfather]

I think a single GoPro or similar (~$150) pointed forward showing the the controls, panel, and view ahead would be a good investment. Not necessarily for posting online but to review when you get home.

[Marauder]

4 minutes ago, Marauder said: It certainly was at Orange County. The blue and white Mooney belongs to Rob (I think call sign "takac"). It would have been great to meet you! 201er (aka Stinky Pants) Alan Fox (aka Sanford), Rob, Don M and guests were there. Rob is the inventor of the auto lean unit he has approved for Mooneys.

You all have that look, "Trust me, I'm a pilot".

Ironically, the majority of the time we spent talking about how to be better Cheap Bast$&ds. We must have spent 20 minutes helping 201er decide whether to add a quart of oil before his next scheduled oil change (within an hour or so). No kidding!

[carl]

Oh my, Milpitas is almost next door

1 hour ago, bonal said:

Attitude Aviation

 to Livermore. I would check it out. Bonel's a pilot! He knows.

[Samurai Husky]

I contacted a different club out in livermore. By joining their club you become part owner/operator of the planes, so its a little more forgiving when it comes to use (and cost); 

I'm waiting on their responce. BTW, they also have a 77' J....

I figure since my current instructor isnt available on the weekends, i shouldnt have a problem explaining supplemental training. 

[cnoe]

My gosh Sam!  $25,000 to $30,000 for a private pilots license?  That is insane!

I blame Yetti for my being sucked back into this conversation. After enduring an intensive 12-step program for internet addiction I'd managed to avoid reading the original post (What should I get?) but now I'm posting on THIS thread. I obviously have my own issues.

But I have to say that around here $30K will get you 150 hours in a newer C172 with a top-notch professional instructor. And if you can't pass a checkride after 150 hours of quality dual instruction you weren't meant to be a pilot.

One more thing, I'd avoid training in a PA36, unless of course you're going for the crop-duster rating. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[Samurai Husky]

45 minutes ago, cnoe said:

I blame Yetti for my being sucked back into this conversation. After enduring an intensive 12-step program for internet addiction I'd managed to avoid reading the original post (What should I get?) but now I'm posting on THIS thread. I obviously have my own issues.

But I have to say that around here $30K will get you 150 hours in a newer C172 with a top-notch professional instructor. And if you can't pass a checkride after 150 hours of quality dual instruction you weren't meant to be a pilot.

One more thing, I'd avoid training in a PA36, unless of course you're going for the crop-duster rating. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Oppse!!!! sorry, 25-30k was for everything. Including IFR and complex and muti engine!!!!

PPL is closer to 18k; My bad! I am probably about 6-8k into it as is. I didnt add up all of the books i bought; ground schools, etc. 

The low end CFI's are $60/hr high end are $125; This is the bay area after all, I think the guy at the apple store makes $30/hr......(j/k)

LOL, miss quoted the plane...  sorry, so many new planes to keep track of...

I meant PA28  my bad.

[Guest]

I hope he solos soon, then you guys can teach him the finer points of LoP ops, taking off with flaps and correct ratios for Cam Guard.

Clarence

[bradp]

Do this...

PLL in a trainer

Follow on high performance and complex

IR in high performance / complex 

ME in something with two engines

Buy whatever floats your flotsam.  

 

If if you want commentary on videos this forum will provide endless commentary.  :-)

[jclemens]

Last time I checked an SR20 was a training aircraft, you'll be fine.

[carl]

well with the change in the pricing 

 then i would change my recommendation and  say just keep on keepin on.

 

but write  in the flight club scheduling board 

 SOLO MAY 12 . 

let everyone know .

fly with any instructor . 

 

[Samurai Husky]

LOL might not have a choice. Just heard back from 2 different clubs

" The problem we're having lately is with getting instructors.  All of our instructors are pretty busy and currently none are taking on new students.  You can sometimes guilt an instructor into taking you on if you see him face-to-face at one of our monthly meetings. "

"Sorry to inform you, but we are not currently taking on members seeking their Private Pilot License. We suggest you try the following clubs"...... The clubs they list are the ones I just contacted.