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New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 11:00 am
by TenSeven
Hi everyone.

I'm a 57 y/o retired Firefighter and lifelong Aviation enthusiast.

25 years ago I was a Student Pilot working towards my PPL. Unfortunately, my training came to a close before I earned my ticket. The major factor that led to me quitting was a long, drawn out, training schedule that lasted well over a year (I've read that it is the number one reason students drop out of flight training). My instructor and I could not keep a consistently jiving schedule. Sometimes I flew once a month, and a chunk of that time would often be spent going back over the stuff from last months single flight. I began to dread the 'long and lonely' drive to the Airport. Instead of getting a different instructor, like I should have (my instructor was a friend of mine), I trudged on way too long, became frustrated, and quit. Still a bummer for me to think about and I vowed, not if, but when, I pursued a Pilots License again, it would be under completely different circumstances.

Fast forward 25 years, I still love Aviation. I'm the guy looking up at the plane in the distance when someone is trying to have a conversation with me. My wife and I have spent the entire week at Osh enough times that it has become a 'family event' for relatives to come together. The EAA grounds are like home to me and AirVenture is my favorite playground (my usual m.o. is to leave at 6am and return in time for dinner, my wife happily hangs out with her relatives).

For years I've been itching to have the experience of homebuilding an airplane and then flying it. After a 3 year recovery from serious injuries I sustained while on duty (which ended my Firefighting career), I'm ready to pursue my long awaited passion.

Sport Pilot is exactly the type of flying I plan on doing.

Glad to be here,


Mike

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 11:30 am
by Wm.Ince
Welcome aboard Mike! :D

For your intentions, this is a fun and interesting place to be.

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 11:57 am
by HAPPYDAN
Hi Mike -
And welcome to the forum. My story parallels yours, and that's where I am right now, only I started just 4 years ago. I have no sure fire answer to your (our) dilemma. I am now seriously considering EAA's new Sport Pilot Academy (see my thread under "Training"), as I am now reaching my third iteration of "I give up". It is frustrating, as I have the time and money to do this, but scheduling the one and only LSA and CFI qualified in it in this area has become problematic. Flying only 1 hour every two or three weeks just doesn't cut it. So let me know what you come up with and good luck!

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 12:09 pm
by FastEddieB
Welcome!

Where are you located?

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 2:40 pm
by TenSeven
Thanks everyone, nice place you have here.

I live near SanDiego.

HappyDan, I too am considering the new EAA SportPilot Academy. Check out my post in that same thread.

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 3:09 pm
by Half Fast
Welcome! Glad you're here.

I turned 55 this summer and I'm hoping to retire in a few years. I started working on my SP ticket earlier this summer and still have a ways to go yet, but I'm learning.

Keep us posted on your path and progress. Lots of good folks here and you'll get some great advice. Also some crappy advice. The fun is trying to figure out which is which. :)

Help yourself to a donut and some coffee, pull up a chair, and join in!

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 3:52 pm
by TenSeven
HAPPYDAN wrote:Hi Mike -
And welcome to the forum. My story parallels yours, and that's where I am right now, only I started just 4 years ago. I have no sure fire answer to your (our) dilemma. I am now seriously considering EAA's new Sport Pilot Academy (see my thread under "Training"), as I am now reaching my third iteration of "I give up". It is frustrating, as I have the time and money to do this, but scheduling the one and only LSA and CFI qualified in it in this area has become problematic. Flying only 1 hour every two or three weeks just doesn't cut it. So let me know what you come up with and good luck!
One thing I like is the idea of going thru an Academy with other like minded students.

I'm a self taught drummer. A couple of drummer buddies and I consider ourselves decent drummers, not great, but decent. My buddies enrolled in a week long Drum Camp where you do nothing but eat, sleep and breath drumming along with a group of other drummer students. When they came back from completing that drum camp they both said how incredible of an experience it was to just 'live and breath' nothing but drumming and do it with 10 of they're new best friends. Both said the amount they learned and the skills they developed far exceeded any other learning environment they've been in, and when I saw them play I was seriously blown away.

Both you and I haven't had very good experiences on our own but I bet it would be allot different in an Academy like the EAA is putting on.

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:26 pm
by TenSeven
eyeflygps wrote:Another drummer here. Been drumming for 57 years.
Nice!

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:53 pm
by TenSeven
eyeflygps wrote:Had a set of Rogers, then Sonor, then Roland electronic kit. I finally sold everything and hung it up a few years ago. My son has a Recording Custom Yamaha set.
Nice. My first kit was a Roland I bought from a stuntman up in LA that needed the money :) My last was a Sonor, still got it.

After I was injured at work I had to lay off the drums for a solid year, still don't play as much as I used to. Learned to play guitar when I couldn't play the drums. Now I'm focused back on Aviation :)

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:47 pm
by drseti
Of course you guys know what they call someone who hangs around with musicians, don't you?

Right, a drummer.

Let me invite you to check out the Flying Musicians Association, flyingmusicians.org. a great bunch of guys and gals scattered all over the globe, who share the twin passions of music and aviation. You'll run into an impromptu subset of the group informally jamming at just about any fly-in, on a strange assortment of instruments in a wide variety of styles.

And BTW, welcome aboard, Mike.

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:13 pm
by drseti
Might it be that's because a drummer doesn't have to be all that good to get money for nothing and chicks for free? ;)

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:52 pm
by TenSeven
No worries, we're all musicians, and after all, it's the music that matters

.......ok, the chicks too :)


Anyhoo, back to Aviation.......

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 4:22 pm
by drseti
eyeflygps wrote:What is your beef with drummers?
Absolutely none. My son started off as a drummer. He's now a major hip-hop producer in Berlin, doing a lot of TV music all over Europe. And I'm very proud of him. :)

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 5:35 pm
by Half Fast
Guitar player here. Now if only a bass player would show up....

There's nothing wrong with drummers, but at least with a drum machine you only have to punch the rhythm into it once. :)

Re: New to Sport Pilot Talk

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 9:13 pm
by TenSeven
Still waiting for keyboard to show up and were good.

Who's gonna sing? :)