How many pilots out there?

[fastbuick]

Private Pilot - SEL here as well with A&P and IA for 26 years working in general aviation maintaining everything from Cessna 150's to business jets. The most rewarding time of my career was the 8 years I spent working for a business jet factory service center. I now work for a university maintaining a flight training fleet and small jet corporate fleet. I get to fly doing maintenance flights of the training fleet which is 10-20 hours per year for free, couldn't afford to fly if I had to pay for aircraft rentals on my own.

 

[mx757]

I'm a private pilot 30 years and A&P Mechanic for a airline.
I'm deaf,& left arm Amputee. I fly VFR / non tower airport / uncontrolled air space. I have 3rd class medical and SODA (Statement Of Demonstrated Ability) I own my own Cessna 172 and have hundreds of skydives. I haven't skydive recently. Airplane eats my money.

 

[arvidj]

How many of you fly out there? Any light sport licenses?

PP SEL Instrument Rating

Belong to a flying club. About 65 members and 6 Cessna's ... 2 172's, 2 182's and 2 210's.

 

[mslisaj]

Private SEL, Instrument Airplane
Own a Cessna Hawk XPII for the past 29 years.

Lisa

 

[mx757]

Flew the Hawk XPII from St. Louis to Cleveland nice plane. It was back when I was renting aircraft. FBO later sold the aircraft..

 

[mslisaj]

I've put 2000 hours on this airplane myself. Flown it all over the western US. I have to admit the big engine has made flying it real safe and fun........

Lisa

 

[babzog]

How many of you fly out there? Any light sport licenses?

Got my PPL and night rating back in 2000. Haven't been up in 6 years now... I miss it.

 

[ZRX61]

FLY??? Are you mad! Do you know some of the yahoo's who work on those things!

oh wait....

 

[bczygan]

My MXL:
http://www.sportpilot.info/sp/MXL/

Landing at 57D:

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My MX Super:
http://www.sportpilot.info/sp/Super/

(Former Owner)

 

[Lugnut64052]

Figure about 35-60 hours of flying time. I'd say 50 hours is a good bet. Our FBO charges $79/hr for the Skyhawk wet, and $25/hr per instructor, or $5200 for the flying/instruction time. It's actually less since not all hours require an instructor (ie, your solo time), but there is ground work as well which is instructor only

How long it takes all depends on how long you want to spend at it, I think a couple hours a week is the way to go and that's what I was doing. But there are places which will stuff everything in 2 weeks. Some people take years.

Interesting. I got my single engine land about 25 years ago and that's about what the local FBO was charging back then.

Haven't flown for a long time, but I sure miss it. I recently spent a couple of days in the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. Man, what a place. It's like Nirvana for aviation romantics.

 

[Muttly]

I'm a commercial pilot, however I'm only rated in lighter than air free balloons.

 

[B-36]

FLY??? Are you mad! Do you know some of the yahoo's who work on those things!

oh wait....

Nice Tigercat!

 

[jrmylmach1]

I have a U.S. ATP license and a Japanese ATP license. Started out instructing at a school in Florida, then to the regionals on the CRJ, then to a fractional flying the Citation X, then overseas to ANA flying the 767-300ER.

I love this job but hate the distance from the family. Just had my 10 days off for the month and got back to Tokyo last night. Already miss the family and can't wait for February 14th so I can go home again.

 

[toolsd]

Flew these:

Flew these:

Now an airline guy. Flown Saab 340's, Boeing 727's, 737's, 757's, 767's, McDonnel Douglas MD-80's and got a little time as an engineer on a Lockheed L-1011 (too young to get to fly it...).

Here's my plane next to dad's:

Want to build a Pietenpol, complete with a model a engine. Have the engine here, going to start rebuilding it soon.

This desire to build a plane is largely what got this whole shop obsession started.

Tools, the old Navy callsign.

 

[taskins]

AH-64D.....childhood dream come true thanks to our great nation!!

 

[Iluke]

I'm a homebuilder. Built a Kitfox years ago, plan to build a RV-7 soon. That's why I'm building my garage in the first place. So I have a space to build the RV-7.

 

[BMacD]

Just a lurker here for the most part,
I am a Helo Pilot in the Canadian Air Force, currently converting onto the CH124 Sea King, have flown the B206 Jet Ranger and B412 Outlaw for helos, also have time CH156 Harvard 2, awesome tandem ejection seat turbo prop to cruise around in. Also have my PPL and Glider license from before I joined, flown 150's, 152, 172, 172 on floats, Slingsby T-67 firefly, and L19 Birddog which we use for glider tow planes....
I think that covers most of it...

 

[MMW]

Started out crop dusting,ferrying aircraft,towing gliders,hauling dead bodies,banner towing anything to get flight time.
Fly red belly B737's now, just back from being weathered in in Albany NY for 3 days. Good to be back in south Texas where it's 30 degrees with a chance of freezing rain and snow. Brrrrrrrrrrr!
Have a fork tailed doctor killer, more commonly known as a Beech Bonanza.
It's been a fun ride.

 

[sonexer]

Private Pilot SEL with Tailwheel Endorsement.

The plane I had the most fun flying was the Luscombe 8A I received my Tailwheel Endorsement in.

 

[OklahomaHotRod]

My day job...

 

[Stillboardin]

Not a pilot, but you guys who have flown 767 and 747 have touched many of the things I have designed.
I am a Flight Deck Design Engineer and have spent much of my career designing all aspects of the Flight Deck for large twin aisle aircraft for Boeing.

 

[sellersrodshop]

i don't fly either, but do collect, restore & reproduce WWII flight jackets & gear. heres a navy M-445A & USAAF B-3 high altitude shearling jackets that i reproduced using patterns made from disassembled original pieces. i altered the sizes to fit so i can actually use these during the winter months.

 

[Shadowdog500]

CFII.

Flying since mid 80s. Instructing since mid 90s.

Chris

 

[Wingnut65]

Private Pilot - SEL, but like others, haven't flown in 10+ years.

Wow, this is great to see others that have a special air about the. Like they say, aviators are just plane crazy. I agree fully.

My dad rebuilt a Tr-Pacer when I was in elementary school and I was hooked. We were rebuilding his C-172 and my Navion when he passed away. My twins were still babies and I had to sell both. Now I have a 3-car garage that can fit an RV-7 with the wings on. But a Sonnex would be more towards the budget. Until that time, I keep hitting Sun-N-Fun to kick the tires, dream and drool.

---------------
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always want to be."
-- Leonardo DaVinci

 

[Jeff]

Rotary, all SAR.

 

[akousticplyr]

Flew F-14's in the Navy when active duty. Now I'm a Navy Reserve flight instructor in Pensacola for Training AirWing 6.

Commercial and instrument multi engine on the civilian side. I work as a Navy contract flight simulator instructor for my day job.

 

[FLYNAVY]

Got my civilian commercial/IR tickets about 10 yrs ago, and have been flying ever since, though didn't fly a whole lot while I was in college. Currently an active duty Navy Hornet pilot.

 

[ZRX61]

I thought the USN had "Aviators"?

 

[copterdoctor]

just got my private rotary last month... only took my 5 or 6 years. lol
will probably take me another few years to get my commercial and CFII... then thinking about starting a small flight school...

I'm an A&P as my day job...hope to be flying full time by the time I'm 35ish... 31 now...

 

[chassell]

SEL Instrument Commercial. Haven't flown in several years...got too busy with kids and other pursuits, but still miss it. Owned a share in a 172 and later a Piper Arrow. Wondering how many pilots also ride motorcycles. Seems I always knew a lot that did...someone told me it "scratched the same itch". The leaning/banking perhaps?

 

[BMacD]

I also ride, use to be sportbikes but riding a Victory Jackpot now!

 

[copterdoctor]

SEL Instrument Commercial. Haven't flown in several years...got too busy with kids and other pursuits, but still miss it. Owned a share in a 172 and later a Piper Arrow. Wondering how many pilots also ride motorcycles. Seems I always knew a lot that did...someone told me it "scratched the same itch". The leaning/banking perhaps?

it's the same "living on the edge" personality.. most pilots, and motorcycle riders, are type A, I think so at least....

 

[chassell]

it's the same "living on the edge" personality.. most pilots, and motorcycle riders, are type A, I think so at least....

Agreed about that. Done a bit of amateur m/c roadracing and tried to approach it with the same precision (chancing an occaisional risky maneuver I suppose...)

 

[ArizonaFJ]

ATP-SEL, SES, MEL. A&P, IA.
I flew 135 for two or three years but then got away from flying about twelve years ago. Tried to get back into it a year ago just as a private pilot but a) realized (again) how expensive it is and b) how boring it is to fly to the next airport for a hamburger.
Like motorcycling, flying is a fun means to and end but to just go out and run around in circles? Not so exciting.

 

[Nighttrain]

just got my private rotary last month... only took my 5 or 6 years. lol
will probably take me another few years to get my commercial and CFII... then thinking about starting a small flight school...

I'm an A&P as my day job...hope to be flying full time by the time I'm 35ish... 31 now...

Congrats on your rotor wing licence I don't think I will ever fly a fixed wing again.

 

[FLYNAVY]

I thought the USN had "Aviators"?

Touche.....

As for bikes, never really have had an interest in them.....I'm more of a German sports car kind of guy....e30 M3 currently resides in my garage, as well as a little V8 powered 190e MB

 

[falconflyer04]

I do fly also... got my PPL 3 years ago! I now have about ~100hours...
Unfortunately I don't have as much time and money to go fly more because of school and work! I guess that's life!

 

[jatow]

Over 11 years in business jets, freight-dog and instruction prior to that. 16+ years since I've had a "real" job!

 

[ZRX61]

Touche.....

I guess ya seen the videos these guys put out?

 

[FLYNAVY]

I guess ya seen the videos these guys put out?

Yeah, when I was in advanced jet school, one of my IP's had been in that squadron previously. Lot's of shennanigans from the sounds of it