Sport Pilot Talk

rsteele · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 108

Ok, it's a grey drizzly November day here in Virginia. I'm bored and want to do something aviation related, but don't have the parts needed to work on my homebuilt and just can't get into the magazines. This forum has been pretty slow, so I'll throw out a question.

For those of you reading this forum but not flying or taking lessons, what's holding you back?

Money for lessons?
Money for a plane?
No access to training?
Just can't commit?
Spouse says your are nuts to fly these little things?
Time?
Other?

Lurkers (I'm a great one in most boards I've ever read) please chime in!

There's been a lot of talk about how hard it is to find training. I'm curious if this is really holding people back, or if it's money, which is what my guess would be.

Cheers,
Ron

vwvectors · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 78 Location: Florida

Although I wuz just flying a less than a week ago . Time is my biggest problem to overcome :- {

rab23us · Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 21

Great post and topic;

My reasons for waiting are;

1.) There is not a place close enough that makes the training available to me.

2.) Not being close enough means that it would take considerably more time to complete because I would have to make extra time to commute almost three hours each way just get a couple of hours every couple of weeks, which means taking an accelerated course and coming home with still nothing to rent for flying. :?

3.) I am currently not in a position to purchase an SLSA/ELSA and there is nothing to rent here so it means money down the drain.

What I am hoping for is that the local FBO/Flight school gets some LSA's into their fleet and the costs are about where most other's are right now, and that means for me is going to the airport a couple times a week after work and on saturdays when possible getting training completed and having something to rent. :lol:

CTflyer · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 3:01 pm Post subject:

Excellent topic!

In a nutshell, I've run out of money and patience.

After $5000 and 35 hours (inc. 5 hrs post solo) toward PPL, my local FBO lost its cfi's and insurance (due to one of the cfi's). Told me I'd need another 35 hours (at $115/hr) to checkride if I find another cfi. FBO isn't interested in sport pilot training or buying an LSA. Thus, I can't afford lessons at the local FBO.

Only sport lessons are three hours away (Danbury CT) - at $115/hr plus $40/hr cfi. I can't afford to drive that distance and have no renter LSA here at home.

After the $5K for lessons, I can't afford to buy, insure, and maintain a 152 for PPL, which is the only affordable plane I could have bought before the FBO merry-go-round. But the 152 isn't LSA qualified. No local LSA to rent, can't afford to buy an LSA, so why get a sport ticket?

Interesting to consider that if the C152 were flyable by sport pilots, and my FBO hadn't written off the sport pilot idea when I started two years ago, I'd already be a pilot and own an airplane!

You guys who own planes are *very* fortunate.

Tom

Cub flyer · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 333

One thing to remember. Most flight schools that are cheap or train in older airplanes don't have websites.

Get a local sectional and look for any small airports. Take a drive and visit each. See what's going on in person. There may be a local school you have overlooked. Visit local EAA chapter. Might find a lead there. Any air museaums around? Some have a flying club.

Everyone seems to be looking to the 152. Personally I always liked the 150 better. I'd take a 67 to 70 150. they are available all over the place less than 25 K. Cheaper overhaul costs, cheaper airframe, lighter airframe, less plastic and fiberglass parts than the later ones. flat steel gear legs, 12 V electrical system.

Aeronca Chief's seem to be the best deals in older LSA airplanes right now.

Try going to Barnstormers.com and searching for everything from 15K to 25 K and see what comes up. Under 20,000 gets into the real oddball stuff and junk. but once in a while something pops up.

Rev. Ken · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 10

I'm not training now due to surgery on my right wrist. I won't have it back to full use before spring. I also don't have any money due to being out of work due to the surgery. One big mess. As for what Cub Flyer said about small airports not being on the web, I checked out the local airport and found out they train sport pilots and don't have a web site. When I get better and get my certificate I plan on building a Zenith CH 701.

CTflyer · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:21 am Post subject:

Cub - there are seventeen airports (and airfields) within 3 hours of me. Only one (Danbury CT) has an LSA and teaches sport pilots. Really amazing there's so little interest in LSA except from people who are already PPL and want another plane to fly. I started out in 2005 with enough money to buy a 150/152 and get a sport ticket. The local fbo ripped us all off and put that dream on hold.

Ken - don't wait for that wrist to heal! Once you get a $100, you can get up in the air with a cfi and just get more comfortable living in a 3-D world. Maybe even get some hours logged. And I'd bet that where you live, if you hang out at a local field, you can find someone to take you up if you just share costs.

Also, a flakey wrist is no excuse for not doing your ground work. There's still an FAA sport pilot written exam to prepare for, plus (I assume) a written pre-solo exam about your local field, emergency procedures, etc.

Tom

rsteele · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 108

Ken, be sure to check out the Matronics Zenith list. I'd subscribe now so when you do start building you will be comfortable with all the new concepts involved in plane building.

And get started on ground school. All you really need for a start is an internet connection.

Ron

Rev. Ken · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 10

CT Flyer, that $100 is what's hard to come by right now.

rsteel, do you have any websites you can tell me about for ground school training?

I appreciate your responses, we had a dusting of snow today so no flying.

Ken

CTflyer · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:45 am Post subject:

Believe me, I know the money problem feeling.

Here's a website that'll get you started in "ground training" for free:

http://www.faa-ground-school.com/private-pilot-lessons.aspx

There are many others, but I was involved in the testing of this one and feel it's pretty high quality. Note that some areas (night flying, for example) aren't needed if you're going for sport pilot.

Also, go find a couple cfi's and talk with them about your goals. Who have you talked with so far? I've got a good (small and personal) email list you might light to join in you're just "thinking" about taking lessons.

Tom

rsteele · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 108

I like this one because it's easy to use when you just have a couple of minutes.
You will need the testing supplement pages for the questions that reference it.
I haven't looked because it got it from a different source, but all that info should be online somewhere. The supplement has runway diagrams, sectional snippets, weather diagrams etc that are used in the test. This site is for private pilots so things like airspace limits are different, but 90% of the questions overlap.

If you $50 to spare you can get the sport pilot course on DVD from ASA. It has the supplements and sport pilot material that isn't in the private pilot web sights. I've found the ASA material pretty good, and it's far cheaper than the King School material. Maybe you get what you pay for, I've never actually used the King School material, but it's hard to believe its worth several times the price of the ASA stuff.

http://www.exams4pilots.org/

SkySteve · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject:

I used the King School DVD ground school. And, like they advertise, I passed my written exam after one weekend and got 98%. They have an excellent system where you learn one little thing, then add another little thing to it, and so on until you have mastered and understand all the material. After the King School, the written exam seemed easy.