New guy in NE Oklahoma.

[Larry in OK]

Newly minted student pilot going for my Sport Pilot certificate.
I had originally planned to go for PP but as I will be turning 60 later this year getting a medical was looking like a long, expensive and not entirely certain path. After discussing my issues via email with a well know AME I considered my options and just what I wanted to do with a aviation and Sport pilot really suits my wants pretty well.
Found a small outfit that offers Sport Pilot training (as well as Private, tail wheel and aerobatics) within a reasonable drive from home and as of Friday I earned my first official log book entries.
I'll be training in a J3 Cub so will be able to get a tailwheel endorsement along with my Sport certificate.
Flying the Cub was an pretty cool, I had a couple of flights in other newer planes that were great but the Cub struck a chord with me.
Once I've progressed a ways into the training and know for certain I will be able to do this I will be looking to buy a plane. right now I lean towards a Champ or Taylorcraft, maybe even a Cub.

Thanks for having me.

[Wm.Ince]

Welcome to the forum, Larry.
You've come to a good place.

Good luck and have fun.

[drseti]

Welcome aboard, Larry. The Cub is a great choice. Of course, I'm biased. I run a flight school on Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven PA, ancestral home to the Cub.

Fly safely, and have fun.

[JimParker256]

Larry, if I was starting over today, I would do exactly the same thing: get the Light Sport Pilot rating and get it in a tailwheel airplane.

I flew Army helicopters for years, and 120 knots was VNE, but 90 knots was the more "typical" speed, with probably 80% of the time well under 35-40 knots (low level and nap-of-the-earth flight). I did MANY long-distance flights in those helicopters (over 1200 miles), and enjoyed every minute of the "low and slow" style of flying.

Lots of pilots want to go fast and cover vast distances, but that's never been my "fun place" in flying, despite having owned a couple of "high and fast" planes in my past. I thoroughly enjoy my current plane (RANS S-6ES Coyote II E-LSA), and the ferry flight home (Salt Lake City area to NE of Dallas) was incredibly enjoyable, despite fighting 35-45 mph headwinds the whole way.

The plane I owned before this one was a '65 Citabria (one of the early O-200 powered versions), and topped out at 95 mph -- the RANS almost seems "fast" by comparison, at 110-115 mph with the prop optimized for speed. But I have a lot more fun doing STOL takeoffs and landings, and trying to land EXACTLY on the spot I've picked out, so I generally keep the prop optimized for climbing instead of cruising. The lust for "jets" never happened for me... Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Good luck, and remember to have fun along the way!

[3Dreaming]

Larry, good luck with your training.

Of the three airplanes you mentioned the Taylorcraft is the nicest flying of the bunch. I have owned both Taylorcraft and a Cub, and given plenty of instruction in Champs. I learned to fly in a Citabria, which is the Champ's big brother. Another of the vintage airplanes that flies nice is the Luscombe. It would be my second choice after the Taylorcraft. Tom

[Larry in OK]

Thanks for the welcome folks.
Had my 2nd lesson Monday. Starting to get over the jitters and the instinctive butt clenching has calmed way down . I figure as long as the CFi is will to fly with me I can't be doing to bad.

Here is a snap of the Cub I'm training in. I Photoshopped out the numbers for owner privacy.