and I am currently training for the SP cert. I am in SoCal, flying out of KAPV in the Mojave Desert. I am flying an Aeronca Champ, circa 1946 (with a build date of 9/11/1946). This is the only plane available around my area that fits the LSA catagory, and I have come to love it. I am currently at about 18 hrs dual, 4 solo. I have my xc training and xc solo still to do, then on to the checkride. I have a blog about the training, full or errors and misunderstandings, that tracks my training. Read at your own peril. http://photoshots4u.com/blog/
Dave Harding
1946 Aeronca Champ
Hi, I am Dave
Moderator: drseti
Dave - welcome to the madness!
Believe me, I really envy you training in that Aeronca. I maintain a 1937 Aeronca Chief prototype at the New England Air Museum. What a great plane. Does your Champ have the McDowell pull starter?
Great blog - very interesting to read all the hoops you've had to go through so far. And I hear you on the "I can take off but I can't land". Felt that many times myself. Had to chuckle when I saw those two pictures, one the $100,000 new LSA, the other that beautiful Champ. Guess which one I'd choose!
Come to think of it - what's your CFI say about the "two full stop landings" required on your cross country?
Fly safe.
Tom
Believe me, I really envy you training in that Aeronca. I maintain a 1937 Aeronca Chief prototype at the New England Air Museum. What a great plane. Does your Champ have the McDowell pull starter?
Great blog - very interesting to read all the hoops you've had to go through so far. And I hear you on the "I can take off but I can't land". Felt that many times myself. Had to chuckle when I saw those two pictures, one the $100,000 new LSA, the other that beautiful Champ. Guess which one I'd choose!
Come to think of it - what's your CFI say about the "two full stop landings" required on your cross country?
Fly safe.
Tom
I love the Champ
Initially, I was really looking forward to training in one of the new LSA's with all the gadgets. I thought that the taildraggers were "ungainly" and down right funny looking. But, I have realized the error of my ways, and now think the tri-gear planes are the funny-looking ones!
No pull start on the Champ. You prop it like in the old movies. No electrical system at all. No radio, no nothin'. Asked about a portable radio for my xcountry, the answer was that the Champ has the old style mag wires and there is so much noise that the radio is next to useless.
As far as my CFI, he says 2 different airports other than my base. But another one says 1 plus my base. It is unclear in the regs. The flight school is simply an FBO with aircraft to rent and a collection of CFI's that train independently. They have never trained an SP before. The way I went about it was to read up on the regs for the CFI requirements and found that any old CFI can train the SP class. And they had a Champ, which fit the LSA requirements. I then went to the CFI of my choice and we discussed training me for SP. So, this is all new both to him and to me.
My CFI is an unusual one. He has thousands of hours, has flown over 200 types(!) and has never flown commercially. All his hours are from pleasure, and training. Plus, this was a pastime for him. His regular job was with Boeing (or one of those) doing work on fighters, things like making single place aircraft into 2 place trainers and the labor side of new systems for the aircraft. He is the EAA tech rep for this area, and if you build a plane, he is the one you go to when it is ready to fly, and he will fly it for the first time to make sure it flys...
As far as the Champ as a trainer, I think I am getting excellent results. Just the taildragger part will allow me a much larger pool of LSA aircraft to fly, and a lot of really neat ones at that. The Champ is also a "rudder" airplane, if you are not co-ordinated, it is readily apparent, so while flying it is "harder", it really makes you into a potentially better pilot. I have no doubt that if and when I fly a new fancy tri-gear LSA, it will be a piece of cake. Love the Champ.
No pull start on the Champ. You prop it like in the old movies. No electrical system at all. No radio, no nothin'. Asked about a portable radio for my xcountry, the answer was that the Champ has the old style mag wires and there is so much noise that the radio is next to useless.
As far as my CFI, he says 2 different airports other than my base. But another one says 1 plus my base. It is unclear in the regs. The flight school is simply an FBO with aircraft to rent and a collection of CFI's that train independently. They have never trained an SP before. The way I went about it was to read up on the regs for the CFI requirements and found that any old CFI can train the SP class. And they had a Champ, which fit the LSA requirements. I then went to the CFI of my choice and we discussed training me for SP. So, this is all new both to him and to me.
My CFI is an unusual one. He has thousands of hours, has flown over 200 types(!) and has never flown commercially. All his hours are from pleasure, and training. Plus, this was a pastime for him. His regular job was with Boeing (or one of those) doing work on fighters, things like making single place aircraft into 2 place trainers and the labor side of new systems for the aircraft. He is the EAA tech rep for this area, and if you build a plane, he is the one you go to when it is ready to fly, and he will fly it for the first time to make sure it flys...
As far as the Champ as a trainer, I think I am getting excellent results. Just the taildragger part will allow me a much larger pool of LSA aircraft to fly, and a lot of really neat ones at that. The Champ is also a "rudder" airplane, if you are not co-ordinated, it is readily apparent, so while flying it is "harder", it really makes you into a potentially better pilot. I have no doubt that if and when I fly a new fancy tri-gear LSA, it will be a piece of cake. Love the Champ.
Dave Harding
1946 Aeronca Champ
1946 Aeronca Champ
Personally I think you are really lucky to have that CFI who teaches because he loves it. There are also some who are teaching just to rack up hours toward their commercial license, and who don't really want to teach at all. You've found a winner - and I sure wish I could find one like that around here.
By the way, I've heard from some folks here, as well as other student pilot sites, that learning to fly a taildragger is slightly more difficult than a tricycle gear plane, but it sure prepares you better for handling a plane on the ground, especially with sensitivity to winds. Again, I envy you!
As you start your xc work, maybe start another topic in Hangar Talk. Or maybe just a link to your blog updates? And congrats on getting those landings. I found that setting up the speed and gradual descent (C152) before final, plus keeping the threshold numbers "centered", did the trick.
Except for a sudden gust when I was about 10 feet above the asphalt ... but that's another story.
Thanks. Fly safe.
Tom
By the way, I've heard from some folks here, as well as other student pilot sites, that learning to fly a taildragger is slightly more difficult than a tricycle gear plane, but it sure prepares you better for handling a plane on the ground, especially with sensitivity to winds. Again, I envy you!
As you start your xc work, maybe start another topic in Hangar Talk. Or maybe just a link to your blog updates? And congrats on getting those landings. I found that setting up the speed and gradual descent (C152) before final, plus keeping the threshold numbers "centered", did the trick.
Except for a sudden gust when I was about 10 feet above the asphalt ... but that's another story.
Thanks. Fly safe.
Tom
