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  1. TexasAviation

    Retractable confidence

    So as I've been saving up money and dreaming about buying my first plane, I've realized a retractable fits my mission the best. I'd love the speed for cross countries and can afford the added maintenance. Plus I plan on getting my IR shortly after I buy it, which should help with the insurance...
  2. TexasAviation

    Dallas Area: Rowlett/Rockwall CFI

    If you're willing to drive a bit to save some money, Majors Flying Club in Greenville could be an option. It's about a 40-minute drive from Rockwall. http://majorsflyingclub.org/?q=airplanes I'm a club member and fly the Archer pretty frequently. It was just $85/hour wet on last month's bill...
  3. TexasAviation

    Buy a plane or get instrument rating first?

    Sort of. He's the president of the flying club I rent the plane from (a volunteer position), so he doesn't benefit personally from my rental of the plane. But the club does. And if I picked him as my CFII, he'd benefit from that, obviously. But I'm more interested in this as a general...
  4. TexasAviation

    Buy a plane or get instrument rating first?

    Which would you do first: buy an airplane, or get your instrument rating? I've had my PPL for a little over a year and have been saving up for a plane. My thought is that I'll buy a plane and then do my instrument training in it. I figured that would make me more comfortable with my aircraft...
  5. TexasAviation

    Best car to sit at the airport

    I think he meant the Miata engine being in the front. Mister Two is definitely a mid-engine car. I bet a pro driver would find an early MR2 and early Miata pretty evenly matched on the track. I've always liked driving the Mazda more than the Toyota, personally ... but I'm biased. I've owned...
  6. TexasAviation

    Best car to sit at the airport

    Right now, I keep an old '94 Mazda Miata parked at the airport in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's a pretty place to fly to (about a 90 minute flight from my home base) and it's nice to have a fun sports car to drive around the hills there any time I want. Plus old Miatas are so cheap, it doesn't...
  7. TexasAviation

    Big Airline push to Privatize ATC - User Fees

    Let's do it the libertarian way. Close the tower at JFK airport and declare a CTAF frequency. See how long it takes the airlines to pony up the funds to re-open it and/or build their own private tower. :) (I jest. A little.)
  8. TexasAviation

    Oh, THIS Shouldn't Be Happening

    You made the right call. Good job! That's exactly what the runup is for. I wouldn't take off with one mag. Other pilots might, but it's their life on the line, not mine. I'm all about reducing risk.
  9. TexasAviation

    Is owning an airplane worth it?

    Ding ding ding! That's the kind of advice I was looking for. I hadn't thought in terms of an airplane-to-net-worth ratio before. I was thinking more about the operating costs, which will be a much bigger number over time and keep me from investing that chunk of my income every year. But having...
  10. TexasAviation

    Is owning an airplane worth it?

    I'm 35 and have retirement savings already. My house is paid off, I max out my Roth IRA every year and invest some into regular ol' Vanguard index funds (not retirement funds) on top of that. So my retirement will be OK regardless. It's more a matter of knowing that the purchase/operation of an...
  11. TexasAviation

    Is owning an airplane worth it?

    I recently started seriously saving for a plane. I've socked away about $20k in the past few months into my airplane savings fund. My plan is to save up around $60k to buy a $40k plane with a $20k reserve fund remaining ... hopefully within the next year or so. The emotional side of my brain is...
  12. TexasAviation

    EFD - Houston Ellington

    That's what I was thinking. The Bravo shelf is at 2,000 feet, so I figured the low TPAs are there to comfortably squeeze both piston and turbine aircraft underneath the Bravo. But what is the radar freq. for? I'm not familiar with what that means.
  13. TexasAviation

    EFD - Houston Ellington

    I'm thinking about flying to Ellington Field in Houston this weekend. I'd be taking my wife for a getaway and visit at NASA, which I haven't done in years. This would be my second time in the Houston Class B. My first trip was to Bush Intercontinental a couple of months ago, which was really...
  14. TexasAviation

    Is training harder then the real thing??

    It gets a whole lot easier with time. Before I soloed, I struggled with just flying the airplane around the pattern. It felt impossible at the time to juggle so many things at once — the radio calls, lowering the flaps at the right times, hitting the right airspeeds, not to mention the final...
  15. TexasAviation

    pilot on AA flight passes away.

    How often does this happen?
  16. TexasAviation

    IAH pireps?

    Thanks for the input, guys. I ended up having a fairly uneventful flight. The controller even said it was perfect timing because nobody else was landing at Intercontinental at the time. It was super quiet. They switched me to the runway that runs right by the FBO, too, so even taxiing was a...
  17. TexasAviation

    IAH pireps?

    Yes, because I want the experience. All my plans might be moot, though. I'm still a VFR pilot, and weather is looking iffy tomorrow.
  18. TexasAviation

    IAH pireps?

    1. My meeting is at Hilton Houston North, right next to IAH. And 2. I want to land at the big airport for the experience. In other words, follow my normal procedure :) I've got good habits for all those things. Not worried about any of that, except for the rapid-fire instructions on the...
  19. TexasAviation

    Need Some Advice Re New Co-Ownership and Insurance

    This is exactly why I don't do partnerships, ever. Too much potential for drama. They say the only ship that doesn't sail is a partnership, and I think there's some truth to that. It sounds like money changed hands before your agreement was finalized, too, which is even scarier. Am I...
  20. TexasAviation

    IAH pireps?

    If weather cooperates, I'm going to fly to Bush Intercontinental (IAH) in Houston next week. It'll be my first time landing at a Class B airport. I'm planning to use Landmark Aviation and already called ahead to get their fees. I'm very comfortable on the radio and use flight following...
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