DonMuncy Posted April 3, 2017 Report Share Posted April 3, 2017 Keep us posted as to your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 12 minutes ago, gsengle said: Probably because the instructor owns the light sport Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk He does have a light sport. The plane that I will learn in is a Champ. He also owns a Cessna 172 and a Ercoupe (I think that is how it's typed out). He told me that once you learn how to fly then you can fly a Cessna. The Champ, (I got in today) doesn't have that many instruments. I will go up after Sun and Fun that weekend (22nd and 23rd). Going to have a lot of seminar time this coming weekend at Sun and Fun which I'm excited about. Hopefully I might run into one of you Mooneymen! I'm going to look for a J and ask the owner if I can sit in one. Never been in one!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 11 minutes ago, DonMuncy said: Keep us posted as to your progress. Will do sir!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRM Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 11 hours ago, FloridaPilots said: What do you guys think? Any helpful Feedback would be appreciated! I'm here to stay and learn of all things MOONEY!! Just follow your mission. Mine led me to my E and I have not regretted it. Oh, and hanging around here will help immeasurably. If you do get a Mooney you might as well order one of these now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 (edited) Sounds like a full service training person... 1) Light sport: for the individual that has the goal of learning to fly. A lot of people only want to fly out sight see and come back. 2) Tail wheel: For the individual that likes to add difficulty/challenge to the take-off and landing phases of flight. 3) aerobatics: That tail wheel plane is also capable of some basic aero. things like loops and rolls. (Ask for the details) 4) cross country: The tricycle plane is good for carrying a bunch of people a really long distance. MSers are generally aligned with the fly long distances and carry a few people quickly and efficiently. What you don't see every day is their other planes... there are some open cockpits, a gyrocopter, seaplanes and a few homebuilts... Quite a few around here eat, sleep and work aviation aside from flying their Mooney. Lots of military and ex military, fighter, helicopter and Boeing kind of pilots... Me, I'm just a PP. But, I fly a Mooney! Best regards, -a- Edited April 4, 2017 by carusoam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsxrpilot Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 34 minutes ago, HRM said: If you do get a Mooney you might as well order one of these now. True that! But you're also gonna need one of these. After all, Mooney's are meant to GO places. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 7 hours ago, HRM said: Just follow your mission. Mine led me to my E and I have not regretted it. Oh, and hanging around here will help immeasurably. If you do get a Mooney you might as well order one of these now. Love it!! I will get it when I get my first cert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 11 hours ago, HRM said: Just follow your mission. Mine led me to my E and I have not regretted it. Oh, and hanging around here will help immeasurably. If you do get a Mooney you might as well order one of these now. Hello, What made you pick an E over other models? How did you start out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 I just came up with a valid idea. Instead of me writing everything out, I will bring my GoPro with me every time so we can all pick up something or just laugh at me fumbling away. I will wear it in ground school as well as the flights so I can look it over more than once. Done deal! I know I'm a little ahead of myself but what can you guys tell me about a Mooney 201 J? How do you like it? What is a good price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBDiagMan Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 I see no point in the Sport Pilot cert if your goal is to get your private and move up to a Mooney. If you do go that route MAKE SURE the instructor is a full CFI or those expen$ive hours won't go toward your private or anything else. Malsompaying up front for a rating is risky. Many a flight school operation has done that only to go belly up leaving you with no recourse. Taildragger training will serve you well. I got my private in a Taildragger and flew it quite a while before stepping up to the Mooney. I still own and fly the taildragger in addition to my wonderful Mooney. The added concentration on the ground served me well for the transition and my successful tailwheel hours made my Mooney insurance cheaper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 I just came up with a valid idea. Instead of me writing everything out, I will bring my GoPro with me every time so we can all pick up something or just laugh at me fumbling away. I will wear it in ground school as well as the flights so I can look it over more than once. Done deal! I know I'm a little ahead of myself but what can you guys tell me about a Mooney 201 J? How do you like it? What is a good price? Yeah, just post them on YouTube and send us the link. We'll be on it like a pack of buzzards. As for J question, it is true for all Mooneys. A good price may not be a good deal. Each airplane has been maintained (or not) to the owner's standard. What is a better deal? With the rest of the airframe and avionics the same, a J that has 200 hours on the engine but was overhauled 10 years and flew 2 hours last year or a J that has 1,000 on a 5 year old overhaul and is flying 200 hours per year?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 1 hour ago, Marauder said: Yeah, just post them on YouTube and send us the link. We'll be on it like a pack of buzzards. As for J question, it is true for all Mooneys. A good price may not be a good deal. Each airplane has been maintained (or not) to the owner's standard. What is a better deal? With the rest of the airframe and avionics the same, a J that has 200 hours on the engine but was overhauled 10 years and flew 2 hours last year or a J that has 1,000 on a 5 year old overhaul and is flying 200 hours per year? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro Will do with the You Tube thing With my limited airplane experience I would say the one with 1,000 hours on a 5 year old overhaul and is flying 200 hours per year. The reason I believe is because airplanes aren't meant to sit in a hangar or even worse a tie down outside with the elements. In my location in Florida we are by the water, Corrosion is a big factor here in Florida but so is hangar space I believe, (I could be wrong). If your plane is outside constantly wash the plane to keep dust and the elements off. Don't have to worry about snow too much which I'm grateful for. I lived up north in the past! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 2 hours ago, MBDiagMan said: I see no point in the Sport Pilot cert if your goal is to get your private and move up to a Mooney. If you do go that route MAKE SURE the instructor is a full CFI or those expen$ive hours won't go toward your private or anything else. Malsompaying up front for a rating is risky. Many a flight school operation has done that only to go belly up leaving you with no recourse. Taildragger training will serve you well. I got my private in a Taildragger and flew it quite a while before stepping up to the Mooney. I still own and fly the taildragger in addition to my wonderful Mooney. The added concentration on the ground served me well for the transition and my successful tailwheel hours made my Mooney insurance cheaper. I got that a lot here on this board about the Sport Pilot. I'm going to trust my CFI until I have a reason not to. I'm going to enjoy the extra flight time flying around, this will be my very first experience with a cert so I will be happy but not satisfied. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helodriver20 Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 I agree with everyone about the Sport Pilot license. If goal is PPL, then go for PPL, then Instrument. Now, did I hear correctly that you paid up front? This is a HUGE RED FLAG. Do not ever pay up front. It's ok to purchase small blocks of time (no more than 10 hours), but I can tell you horror story after horror story about people that paid up front. Sometimes companies thru no fault of their own close their doors suddenly. Even a small mom and pop with the owner/cfi. What happens if he/she is no longer able to fly? Be careful. Even the large flight schools no longer do this practice of all up front fees. And remember, the largest flight school in the country went belly up leaving tens of thousands of students in debt with no license. Have a plan. Stick to it. Get a good home study course. John and Martha of King Schools has probably taught everyone something at some time. Welcome to the club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 (edited) A nice way to record your flight.... Look into the app called CloudAhoy. It is a flight data recorder based on the hardware you have in your pocket or iPad... It records and graphs your entire flight. It recognizes various maneuvers you are trying to perform and grades them. If your memory has aged similar to mine, you will appreciate reviewing how well you did and where you should focus efforts the next time... Nobody's memory has aged like mine... Best regrads, -a- Edited April 4, 2017 by carusoam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 6 hours ago, helodriver20 said: I agree with everyone about the Sport Pilot license. If goal is PPL, then go for PPL, then Instrument. Now, did I hear correctly that you paid up front? This is a HUGE RED FLAG. Do not ever pay up front. It's ok to purchase small blocks of time (no more than 10 hours), but I can tell you horror story after horror story about people that paid up front. Sometimes companies thru no fault of their own close their doors suddenly. Even a small mom and pop with the owner/cfi. What happens if he/she is no longer able to fly? Be careful. Even the large flight schools no longer do this practice of all up front fees. And remember, the largest flight school in the country went belly up leaving tens of thousands of students in debt with no license. Have a plan. Stick to it. Get a good home study course. John and Martha of King Schools has probably taught everyone something at some time. Welcome to the club! So, After you guys freaked me out saying to go and check his ratings I did that and here they are: ATP (Airplane Single Engine Land) Commercial (Airplane single engine sea) (Airplane Multi Engine Land) (Glider) Flight Instructor (Airplane Single Engine) (Instrument Airplane) (Expires Aug 2018) Mechanic (Airframe, Powerplant) Everything he told me is true. I'm going to trust him until otherwise proven. Thanks! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helodriver20 Posted April 4, 2017 Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 That's great to hear. I personally didn't ask about his honesty, I was asking about paying for the entire course up front and the sport pilot instead of directly to private. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2017 23 minutes ago, helodriver20 said: That's great to hear. I personally didn't ask about his honesty, I was asking about paying for the entire course up front and the sport pilot instead of directly to private. No worries, I wanted to go the PPL route first but he told me to learn to fly as a sport pilot first....in a tail dragger no less Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRM Posted April 5, 2017 Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 12 hours ago, FloridaPilots said: What made you pick an E over other models? How did you start out? Well, I describe that at length in other threads, but I started out wanting a Mooney. A friend many years ago had one. As I was training in Cessgnats, I lusted after the Mooney. When I finally reached a point in life where I could consider owning a plane, the first one I looked at was a Mooney. It had a gorgeous paint job, but a ratty interior and panel. I then looked at Ercoupes and Aerobats, and although those have great features, they are terribly anemic and so I returned to the ragged Mooney. At that point I had never flown one, so I did so. That was it. WGARA about interior, panel, etc. when the plane flies like a Mooney? I decided that the interior and panel were relatively easy to fix and since they were inside with me, I could make them how I wanted them. During my insurance sentence we flew to Brenham for lunch (there is an incredible diner there). A Piper had just landed and three guys had gotten out. As I taxied towards them they just stared--I mean stared. I asked my instructor "Why are they staring? Was my landing that bad?" He chuckled, "They're not staring at you, they're staring at your Mooney." 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 9 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said: It is certainly not the most efficient way to go about things, but no one is suggesting that it won't benefit you as a pilot to have as wide of exposure to different types of airplanes as is possible during your training. The downside risk, though, is that either your wallet or your enthusiasm will wane as a result before you can accomplish your goals. Educate us, please, regarding the sport pilot curriculum as you go along. Most of us here, myself certainly included, probably have little knowledge of it and it's requirements. Good luck! Jim I'm going the sport pilot route but as my CFI said if it's going to make me a better pilot I'm all for it. From what I know a Sport Pilot is the halfway mark to a PPL. If I have a Sport Pilot license I cannot: *Fly at night *Cannot enter class B C D airspace unless endorsed by a CFI. *Cannot go higher than 10,000 feet. *Cannot fly with more than one passenger. *Cannot go faster than 120 knots. As a Sport Pilot I can *Use a drivers license as a medical (I already have a 3rd class) *Fly only light sport aircraft (Piper J2 and J3, Aeronca Champ, Ercoupe..etc) *20 Hours total which you CAN use towards the PPL (Notice it's the halfway mark to a PPL) 15 Hours Flight Training from a CFI and 5 Hours solo I know some are saying that this is an inefficient way to achieve your PPL. I think of it as a stepping stone to get to where I'm going to be...time will tell. * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 The studies are the same as a PPL, (Written, Checkride..etc) so you won't be learning two different things to confuse you. The written test is 40 questions and I believe you need a 70 to pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbarry Posted April 5, 2017 Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 Congratulations on embarking upon one of the greatest challenges but also one the most rewarding you'll encounter in exercising your freedom-- to fly! It's great to learn of upcoming and goal-minded new aviators like yourself which helps keep aviation strong! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted April 5, 2017 Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 I'm going the sport pilot route but as my CFI said if it's going to make me a better pilot I'm all for it. From what I know a Sport Pilot is the halfway mark to a PPL. If I have a Sport Pilot license I cannot: *Fly at night *Cannot enter class B C D airspace unless endorsed by a CFI. *Cannot go higher than 10,000 feet. *Cannot fly with more than one passenger. *Cannot go faster than 120 knots. As a Sport Pilot I can *Use a drivers license as a medical (I already have a 3rd class) *Fly only light sport aircraft (Piper J2 and J3, Aeronca Champ, Ercoupe..etc) *20 Hours total which you CAN use towards the PPL (Notice it's the halfway mark to a PPL) 15 Hours Flight Training from a CFI and 5 Hours solo I know some are saying that this is an inefficient way to achieve your PPL. I think of it as a stepping stone to get to where I'm going to be...time will tell. * Aren't you also limited to 50 miles distance from your originating airport?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaPilots Posted April 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 44 minutes ago, cbarry said: Congratulations on embarking upon one of the greatest challenges but also one the most rewarding you'll encounter in exercising your freedom-- to fly! It's great to learn of upcoming and goal-minded new aviators like yourself which helps keep aviation strong! Thank you, I appreciate the encouragement! 13 minutes ago, Marauder said: Aren't you also limited to 50 miles distance from your originating airport? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro No restrictions on distance, you can actually fly to the Bahamas if you want: http://www.flyingmag.com/training/learn-fly/sport-or-recreational-pilot-vs-private-pilot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted April 5, 2017 Report Share Posted April 5, 2017 No restrictions on distance, you can actually fly to the Bahamas if you want: http://www.flyingmag.com/training/learn-fly/sport-or-recreational-pilot-vs-private-pilot Wow! I always thought there was a limitation. Other than the plane weight limitation, it would be a decent license for those who fly VFR only. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.