Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
OUCH.!!!
(sorry, not funny but could not help laughing...)I have set myself on fire a few times while welding but never burned myself in that specific location.
Author doing research in need of pro advice
- Thread starter jadenapa
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OUCH.!!!
(sorry, not funny but could not help laughing...)I have set myself on fire a few times while welding but never burned myself in that specific location.
MauleSkinner
Touchdown! Greaser!
I think maybe a little too close.
Kristin
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First time I flew a Twin Comanche I had never been in one before and there was no one to check me out in it. As I was currently flying Navajos at the time ad I didn't think it too scary of a proposition to fly a Twinkie. Read the manual, understood the system as I had flown single Comanches, and just did it. I didn't break it.
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Bob Gardner
Please have someone with aviation credentials review those portions of your text that deal with the aircraft, flying, and procedures in general. I developed a relatioship with Marcia Muller after gently chiding her about some real clangers back when her protagonist, Sharon McCone , was learning to fly. Marcia even put me into one of her books (Both Ends of the Night) as an airport manager.
Bob Gardner
Bob Gardner
Wow. This got my creative juices flowing - is it possible to BUILD a plane that one can fly legally? I don't need no details (right now), but is it possible?
Twi
Hi Kristin, so my character is a commercial pilot on an airline - I plan to use one that was operating at that time (probably AA). I'm not looking to be a hundred percent accurate historically - it is a work of fiction after all. What I'm after here is a plane this guy is flying in his spare time - this aircraft is not commercial, it's what he flies for a hobby (he doesn't have a great marriage, you see)
He is "parking" it (I'm really sorry for the choice of words at this moment, but I'll get it right for the book, I promise) in a hangar near his home in Santa Barbara. Is there anything you'd say would be fundamentally wrong with this scenario?
Chip Sylverne
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Quit with the negative waves, man.
Of the working ATP's I know who own, one has a Citabria and and an Archer, one has a Lancair, and one a Grumman Tiger.
Does your guy have money, other than his pilot's salary?
Does your guy have money, other than his pilot's salary?
Hahaha. Well, I can tell you as much that my character won't have time to kill before a flight by taking a jog to Martha's Vineyard (or anywhere else for that matter - Disneyland? LOL). He will fly with his daughter on "adventure flights" and alienate his wife by ding so.. eek. I'm probably telling too much. But this was a fun read even for a total rookieJust please don't make it a repeat of this lovely glurge, shamelessly reposted from @Let'sgoflying! 's post here: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/can-i-make-myself-finish-this-book.96855/
Very good advice. I am currently in the UK and with little experience or options to fly out to Cali atm. But might reach out to some of the local airports anyways - THANKS
Nope, not a pilot (yet). HA it's something I'm intrigued by but unfortunately no clue here. Headwinds/tail winds don't tell me much
What I'm mostly after is a plane to fly out of Santa Barbara to SF.
He hadn't flown it before but wasn't worried? Who flies a plane with no instruction or check out ride?
That was my question - if it is common for pilots to casually fly an aircraft they never flew before?
YES
A big-ish inheritance. That's the beauty of fiction. Citabria & Grumman Tiger look interesting. Would these planes fly from Santa Barbara to SF?This sounds
This looks like what I'm after. Gee so many models, I need to look them up in more detail. Thank you for your advice
Two things. "Twinkie" is for sure something that would sound great, I'll look up the plane. Second - the doggo in your pic looks almost too comfy - that's life
I would need to know something about the character to reply meaningfully. Clothes fit the (person). Or, as we say around here, what's the mission? A pilot just trying to get back to their aviation roots? LA based pilot travelling north to see the kids when the ex has full custody? Single person with a dog and a penchant for adventure in their time off, stumbling into romance along the way?
BTW, if the final chapter includes a wedding under a gazebo, I refuse to offer advice.
HAHAH this made me reconsider the outline!! Without revealing too much, the mission is quite simple. My man has a mediocre marriage but an awesome relationship with his daughter (pre-teen). He loves to spend time "in the air", it's the only place where he feels at peace. He takes his kid on "adventure flights", watching the sunset or flying at night, observing the twinkling cities below them.
But I'm afraid there is no gazebo wedding involved
Chip Sylverne
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Quit with the negative waves, man.
YES
Tiger, sure. Citabria yes, but it's more a fun than traveling machine.
Lancair, you betcha. Sleek, fast, comfortable. More like a Porsche. It's a meticulously built airplane he bought from an old mechanic friend who likes building perfect airplanes more than flying them, and had a bespoke interior installed that fit's like a Saville Row suit.
I mean, if he's a rich guy....
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Greg Bockelman
Jaden, this bunch would write the book for you if you would let them. LOL
It just dawned on me that the commercial pilot in your story might want to make a distinction between nautical miles and statute miles.
Stan Cooper
Pattern Altitude
One of my neighbors, a retired United 747-400 captain who loves to fly GA airplanes has owned a Luscombe Silvair, a Lake amphibian, a turbo Cessna 337 Riley Rocket, a normally aspirated Cessna 210, and a Cessna 172 over the years. All but the 337 were single engine. Scott Crossfield had a 210. If I were writing the novel, I think the pilot would be flying a 210.
Yes. Totally a thing. There is a whole subforum here called "Home Builders and Sport Pilots"...
To learn more about it, I would start with an organization called the "Experimental Aircraft Association" or EAA: https://www.eaa.org/eaa/aircraft-building
Maybe your character would like an "RV", or a "Kitfox"? (Not sure what would've been around in the 80's.). A lot of home-built airplanes are two-seaters, but not all. It takes gobs and gobs of time and effort to build a plane (time spent in the garage/hangar escaping the boring marriage maybe?). Some would say it is the ultimate expression of a passion for aviation.
JuggyJet
Pre-takeoff checklist
But I'm afraid there is no gazebo wedding involved
Whew! That is why I often skim the last chapter before I buy a book.
I fly for an airline, and own a twin engine Piper Seneca II. Flying for work is not “always” enjoyable, but flying my own airplane is. In fact, when the airline industry was in crisis, flying my airplane reminded me that flying still can be fun. Flying GA is relaxing and therapeutic, indeed.
And yes, Piper Seneca (so can most other airplanes) can fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. Flying to Santa Barbara for Sunday Brunch at the Elephant Bar was one of my favorite things to do in the 80s.
My other airline pilot friends and colleagues own: Cessna: 172, 180, 182; Beechcraft: Bonanza, Debonaire, Baron; Piper: Cherokee, Arrow, Seneca; Citabria; Aero L-39; and Mig 16. They were all in existence in the 80s.
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Drake the Outlaw
You bet. I'm still flying the airplane I finished 19 years ago and am building another airplane. There is a whole branch of aviation dedicated to building your own aircraft.
Kristin
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Twi
Hi Kristin, so my character is a commercial pilot on an airline - I plan to use one that was operating at that time (probably AA). I'm not looking to be a hundred percent accurate historically - it is a work of fiction after all. What I'm after here is a plane this guy is flying in his spare time - this aircraft is not commercial, it's what he flies for a hobby (he doesn't have a great marriage, you see)
Nothing fundamentally wrong. Is he using the airplane to commute to his flying job? Santa Barbara might be a bit pricey for an airline pilot unless he is older and senior. Airline pilots often like to get fairly fair out of the rat race and can often be found in the Sierra foothill towns or more out of the way coastal towns, though it is plausible to set them almost anywhere. If you have questions you want answered less publicly, my email is kristin at the aviatrix dot com or PM me here.
ktup-flyer
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Cessna 195!
SoCal RV Flyer
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SoCal RV Flyer
How 'bout a Bellanca Super Viking? Wooden wing, 160 knots and a range of more than 900 nm. Love those little fairings for the main gear that house the landing lights.
Oh yeah! Check out Van's aircraft for a whole roster of Experimental aircraft kits. Many other kit manufacturers out there but Van's can boast that more than 10,000 of their aircraft have been built and flown. Here's mine...a Van's RV-9A. The build took about 22 months in my two-car garage, then about five months of final assembly in the hangar. Proudly performing $100 breakfast runs since Feb. 2016.
Oh yeah! Check out Van's aircraft for a whole roster of Experimental aircraft kits. Many other kit manufacturers out there but Van's can boast that more than 10,000 of their aircraft have been built and flown. Here's mine...a Van's RV-9A. The build took about 22 months in my two-car garage, then about five months of final assembly in the hangar. Proudly performing $100 breakfast runs since Feb. 2016.
timrb
Pre-takeoff checklist
Something I don't think has been mentioned yet...
Since you are in the UK you may not be aware that it would be unusual for a small general aviation airplane to land at San Francisco International airport (SFO). More likely a GA pilot headed that way would choose to land at San Carlos (SQL) a few miles south and take a taxi into the city.
Tim
MarkH
Line Up and Wait
I am currently writing a fiction novel and doing some research. One of my characters is a commercial pilot based on the west coast. When he's not working, he is flying his small aircraft and often flies up to 300-400 miles. I was hoping to get some advice from professional pilots, specifically:
- As a professional pilot, what type/manufacturer/model of a plane would you choose to own? Price does not matter, but it should say "I'm a pro pilot who loves flying" and not "I'm a show-off"
- It should be an older model (can be "vintage") - the story is taking place in the 1980s
- Ideally, it would seat 2 incl. the pilot
- How far would this plane fly? Would he have to stop halfway and refuel or easily fly up to 400 miles on a full tank?
Please keep in mind that I know absolutely nothing about planes or piloting one
If I were writing a professional pilot in the 80s, I would go with:
Single, no family, has some money:
Bellanca Viking
Mooney M20J
Smart, no kids (may be married), old enough to have spent 3-5 years building:
Thorp T18
If it's late 80s (87-89), then an RV-4
No kids, flying something flashy, old enough to have spent 3-5 years building:
Rutan Quickie Q2/Q200 (Late 80s)
Rutan VariEZe (Early 80s)
Has a family:
Cessna 182
Piper Cherokee 6
Generally Broke/Early in Career:
Cessna 150
Grumman Yankee
Ummm, his bad. I'll tell him!
Hi Stan, why would you choose the Cessna 210? Any particular reason?
Matthew
Touchdown! Greaser!
And remember to mention the large wristwatch.
Exactly what I was thinking. BUILDING a plane requires a real passion (or a good paycheck)
I'm leaning towards this at the moment, but I really need it to fly 2 people. Another user suggested the EAA too, I'm checking them out and doing some more research on home-built planes. Never heard of it before this and it sounds super exciting. Thank you!
Exactly what I was thinking. BUILDING a plane requires a real passion (or a good paycheck)
Consider a Long EZ. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutan_Long-EZ The kit was introduced in 1976 and the first one flew in 1979. It would fit well with your 1980s setting, it seats two people, and it's a very cool, unique aircraft.
It was designed by Burt Rutan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Rutan . Burt is himself a unique and cool character and might make a neat cameo appearance for your book.
Stan Cooper
Pattern Altitude
The later (mid-seventies and newer) C-210s provide a fast, stable, reliable ride that's roomy, has great handling, and an enviable safety record. There are also turbocharged (T210) and pressurized (P210) versions as well as an STC'd turboprop mod (P210 Silver Eagle). In spite of the fact that my current airplane is low wing, I like high wing airplanes because of ease of entry/exit, downward visibility, and freedom to move around under the wing in the hangar.
My opinion is just one of many worthy suggestions offered up in this thread.
Dana
Final Approach
As others have said above, yes... there are many thousands of homebuilt airplanes flying, to the point that they're a significant percentage of the general aviation fleet nowadays. Also, most of those homebuilts are on their second or third owner, so even if your hero didn't build his airplane, it may well be a plane built by somebody else. Homebuilts can include WWI replicas, ultralights, 1930s inspired biplanes, modern aerobatic planes (what non pilots call "stunt planes", fast sleek traveling machines, and anything in between.
If it's a rental, no, as the renter would require a checkout. But for privately owned planes, it's quite possible, and of course necessary in a single seater (I've owned four).
Stingray Don
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Stingray Don
Cessna Skymaster. Very capable plane. Period correct. Very unusual design to make the character and plane more interesting. Most importantly - high wing!
Guys, I so want to thank everyone for your replies, I am so surprised by the amount & the detail of your replies and so humbled and overwhelmed (seriously - this is not even my Pulitzer prize acceptance speech!!) You all have been so friendly AND knowledgeable that I now have a good idea of what I’d like to write and I will let you know once I publish my book. I hope I won’t let you down and that I’ll get my pilot license one day.
You all have been so friendly AND knowledgeable that I now have a good idea of what I’d like to write and I will let you know once I publish my book. I hope I won’t let you down and that I’ll get my pilot license one day.Thank you Stan. Your insight is very much appreciated. And thank you for taking the time :£
Unless, the pilot is flying out of SFO, and the employer is willing to let the pilot park in either the company hangar or on the side. Then the commute Santa Barbara to SFO works.