Aviation Goals for 2020

FormerHangie

FormerHangie

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FormerHangie
What are your aviation goals for this upcoming year?

Mine is very simple, I'd like to get far enough along in skydive training to where the instructor releases me. At the place I've been going so far, that would require one more tandem and at least three jumps where the instructor holds on for the entire free fall. I have a lot of stuff going on this year and it may be later in the year before I can do this.
 
I'd like to get some primary and instrument students and eventually become a DPE...

Adding a glider rating and CFI-Gyroplane would be nice, too...
 
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FormerHangie said:
What are your aviation goals for this upcoming year?

Mine is very simple, I'd like to get far enough along in skydive training to where the instructor releases me. At the place I've been going so far, that would require one more tandem and at least three jumps where the instructor holds on for the entire free fall. I have a lot of stuff going on this year and it may be later in the year before I can do this.
Click to expand...

Deliberately jumping out of a perfectly good airplane while it is airborne shouldn't qualify as "aviating". ;)
Just sayin'
 
Instrument rating. Not sure how reasonable the goal is until I know when I am moving back to the US and what my work load will be.
 
GRG55 said:
Deliberately jumping out of a perfectly good airplane while it is airborne shouldn't qualify as "aviating". ;)
Just sayin'
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Maybe he doesn’t have much confidence in his pilot skills ;-)
Which brings up my goals:
Never get in an aircraft when the pilot is wearing a parachute and never get in a boat if the captain is wearing a life preserver.


Tom
 
Goal for 2020...making to one PoA get together. Somewhere. Anywhere.

(came awful close to the Dallas get together tonight; but it's New Year week and I won't be back in Texas on business until next week :( )
 
Probably overhauling an O320, got 4 brand new Lycoming cylinder kits on the shelf already.
 
snglecoil said:
@FormerHangie anybody ever tell you “That wasn’t flying! That was falling....with style.”
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That's a pretty good description of the freefall portion of the jump. Of course, some have more style than others.


GRG55 said:
Deliberately jumping out of a perfectly good airplane while it is airborne shouldn't qualify as "aviating". ;)
Just sayin'
Click to expand...

Well then, does paragliding qualify as aviating? Hang gliding? What about riding in an airliner? I assume that flying the airliner qualifies. What about riding in a GA airplane when you're not the pilot?
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Maybe he doesn’t have much confidence in his pilot skills ;-)
Which brings up my goals:
Never get in an aircraft when the pilot is wearing a parachute and never get in a boat if the captain is wearing a life preserver.
Tom
Click to expand...

Im actually looking forward to getting in a plane with a pilot wearing a parachute...a friend bought a Christen Eagle last summer.

My cfi is a big parachute guy and was always bugging me to go. I'd like to try it, but the idea of getting strapped to another dude kind of turns me off. He brought the jump plane in for service one day... a hilariously rough looking early 182.....don't think I'd ride in it without a parachute.
 
Jim K said:
Im actually looking forward to getting in a plane with a pilot wearing a parachute...a friend bought a Christen Eagle last summer.

My cfi is a big parachute guy and was always bugging me to go. I'd like to try it, but the idea of getting strapped to another dude kind of turns me off. He brought the jump plane in for service one day... a hilariously rough looking early 182.....don't think I'd ride in it without a parachute.
Click to expand...

Way back when I was in school, I did a few jumps at a drop zone that used Cessna 180s, and a Beaver. I never advanced far enough to jump out of the Beaver. but man, those 180s looked beat. The place that I went to last summer has a pretty nice Caravan. The interior gets a little banged up from people moving around in it, but the airframe is in as good of shape as any airliner I've ever flown in.

As far as being strapped to another dude, I'll have to say that I was never so happy to be that close to another guy as I was when riding up to do the tandems.

If that's too offputting, you could do an AFF, but that's a lot more training (and money). The DZ that I've been going to does something different, in that your first two jumps are tandems, and if you pass both of them, you go through ground school, and for your next jump, you go with your own rig and one instructor, who holds onto you until you deploy your parachute.
 
My goals are simple. Fly more. I moved to Atlanta recently and have not had much luck/taken the initiative in trying to find another club to join. I really do not want to rent from flight schools, but might have to go that route just to stay current. I haven't flown since I moved back in August.
 
Retire, become CFI for retirement job. [Realistic]
Buy a HondaJet to fly between my mansions. [Somewhat less realistic]
 
FormerHangie said:
...
If that's too offputting, you could do an AFF, but that's a lot more training (and money). The DZ that I've been going to does something different, in that your first two jumps are tandems, and if you pass both of them, you go through ground school, and for your next jump, you go with your own rig and one instructor, who holds onto you until you deploy your parachute.
Click to expand...

I didn't know that was a thing. Interesting. I always figured the personal space thing is probably the least off your worries when you actually jump out of an airplane, so I figured I'd get over it if I make up my mind to go.

So, I HATE those drop towers at amusement parks. Would I similarly hate parachute jumping or is or totally different? Meanwhile I love motorcycles, roller coasters, fast boats, airplanes, etc. It's just those damn drop towers.
 
Fly more... 50 plus is my goal.

I want to add at least two new states, which means longer X/C trips.

I want to do more planning and actually going places, rather than just burning gas looking at the same things I've seen dozens of times. Even if it's just another deserted airport in the middle of nowhere. Already planning trips to visit family members on both sides that we don't see often.
 
Fly at least 50 hours. Maybe even land at Alton Bay this winter. Get back in instrument currency (just expired) and find a way to keep it without needing a safety pilot every 6 months. (Coastal areas have more flyable IFR conditions in the summer than we do here.) Fly more Pilots and Paws missions. Get back to Block Island with my bicycle. Take a day trip to Provincetown.

Not too ambitious, I'll admit. But way more flying than I've been doing since moving here.
 
Add CFI/CFII. Get paid to fly more. Fly CAP missions.

Possibility of a transatlantic flight in a Mooney if my friend decides to upgrade the plane and bring it over
 
Jim K said:
I didn't know that was a thing. Interesting. I always figured the personal space thing is probably the least off your worries when you actually jump out of an airplane, so I figured I'd get over it if I make up my mind to go.

So, I HATE those drop towers at amusement parks. Would I similarly hate parachute jumping or is or totally different? Meanwhile I love motorcycles, roller coasters, fast boats, airplanes, etc. It's just those damn drop towers.
Click to expand...

The personal space thing isn't much of an issue. You don't get strapped to your instructor until you're in the plane, and you're kind of loosely connected until you're near jump altitude. On the ride down it's not an issue.

I've never done a drop tower so I can't give you a direct comparison. You're way above the ground and you won't get that sensation of the ground rushing up at you, and since you go out of the airplane in a semi-prone position you don't get so much of that stomach in the mouth feeling you'd get from a seated drop. You may do a couple of practice landing flares while under canopy, and that will give you a feeling of going to zero g for a second or two. If that sort of thing bothers you, you may want to flex your abs a little to reduce that sensation.
 
Start back flying for fun outside of work. Right now I have the goal of just two hours a month. That will at least give me around 40 hours for the year if I include work.
 
For me in 2020

AMEL add on (private, non instrument)
First PoA meetup (Rough River possibly)
PIC >30 hours
first international flight - Seattle to Calgary in August
>5 hours instrument training
 
Finish commercial early 2020. CFI by late 2020. Dream about being some kind of professional pilot. Tail wheel...glider...
 
FormerHangie said:
The DZ that I've been going to does something different, in that your first two jumps are tandems, and if you pass both of them, you go through ground school
Click to expand...

How does one fail a tandem jump.??

I am imagining failing would involve going splat....:hairraise:
 
GRG55 said:
Goal for 2020...making to one PoA get together. Somewhere. Anywhere.
(came awful close to the Dallas get together tonight; but it's New Year week and I won't be back in Texas on business until next week :( )
Click to expand...

I'll still be in Dallas next week... Arlington specifically. Give me a PM when you get in.

My goals:
-- Meet more pilots (see above)
-- Fly more IFR
-- Go to Oshkosh
-- Get tailwheel endorsement
 
Fly at least once.

Not sure this will happen; but it's a good goal to have.
 
Zeldman said:
How does one fail a tandem jump.??

I am imagining failing would involve going splat....:hairraise:
Click to expand...

:D

Nothing so serious. You have a set of tasks to complete. For my second tandem jump, these were the freefall tasks:
Get into the correct position in the door
Give the hand signal for exit (instructor takes you out the door)
Achieve a stable arch position
Check altimeter
Perform a practice deployment handle throw
Check altimeter
Perform a second practice handle throw
Check altimeter
On command, make a 180 degree turn to the left
Check altimeter
On command, make a 180 turn to the right
Check altimeter
On command, track ( go from a stable arch to the tracking body position, this moves you forward relative to the ground) for five seconds
Check altimeter
Maintain a stable arch, checking your altimeter every five seconds
At 6000 feet, maintain a visual lock on the altimeter
At 5500 feet, wave off and pull the deployment handle

Then, once the parachute is deployed, the instructor will release the steering toggles and hand them to you. Then you start the canopy tasks;
Do three full landing flares
Check altimeter
Make a 90 degree turn to the left
Make a 90 degree turn to the right
The instructor will direct you to the holding area, steer the parachute to that location
Maintain the holding pattern to 1000 AGL
Fly the downwind leg, instructor will direct you to where you should turn base
Fly the base leg, instructor will direct you to where you should turn final
Fly the final
As you approach the ground, lift up your legs, and at your instructor's direction perform the landing flare

Tandems perform sliding landings rather than on their feet.

Edit: If you don't do all or nearly all of these, you have to repeat that jump until you do.

Oh, yeah, and if you want to hear the word "altimeter" pronounced like Catherine does every time you type it, watch this video:
 
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Reach 1500 hours
Get more instrument time. I always come up with excuses not to do it, usually weather related. Convective activity, ace forecast, rain. Definitely need to get a little more into the weather.
 
FormerHangie said:
:D

Nothing so serious. You have a set of tasks to complete. For my second tandem jump, these were the freefall tasks:
Get into the correct position in the door
Give the hand signal for exit (instructor takes you out the door)
Achieve a stable arch position
Check altimeter
Perform a practice deployment handle throw
Check altimeter
Perform a second practice handle throw
Check altimeter
On command, make a 180 degree turn to the left
Check altimeter
On command, make a 180 turn to the right
Check altimeter
On command, track ( go from a stable arch to the tracking body position, this moves you forward relative to the ground) for five seconds
Check altimeter
Maintain a stable arch, checking your altimeter every five seconds
At 6000 feet, maintain a visual lock on the altimeter
At 5500 feet, wave off and pull the deployment handle

Then, once the parachute is deployed, the instructor will release the steering toggles and hand them to you. Then you start the canopy tasks;
Do three full landing flares
Check altimeter
Make a 90 degree turn to the left
Make a 90 degree turn to the right
The instructor will direct you to the holding area, steer the parachute to that location
Maintain the holding pattern to 1000 AGL
Fly the downwind leg, instructor will direct you to where you should turn base
Fly the base leg, instructor will direct you to where you should turn final
Fly the final
As you approach the ground, lift up your legs, and at your instructor's direction perform the landing flare

Tandems perform sliding landings rather than on their feet.

Oh, yeah, and if you want to hear the word "altimeter" pronounced like Catherine does every time you type it, watch this video:
Click to expand...

Ok, that makes sense..

I was thinking the pink slip would look like.... student did not to attach his harness to instructors harness. Failure. :lol::lol:
 
Ronbonjovi said:
My goals are simple. Fly more. I moved to Atlanta recently and have not had much luck/taken the initiative in trying to find another club to join. I really do not want to rent from flight schools, but might have to go that route just to stay current. I haven't flown since I moved back in August.
Click to expand...

Have you seen this one at RYY:


A co-worker is wrapping up on his PPL. I told him about this one as well. He talked to them and said they are planning on getting another plane so they can add more members.

They have a 182RG, a 172M and a 172M Super Hawk (180 hp).

Or are you looking more for a partnership-club (equity / non-equity)? Those pop-up from time-to-time and often go fast. There is a group working on getting a SR22 over at PDK.
 
Fly a lot more. Due to many other things consuming my time in 2019 I didn't fly much; 43.8 hours. I would like to break 100 again.

Now that I'm in a co-ownership on a SR22 I may finally take a looong trip out for a get-together with some aviation friends from the Purple Board in Vale, OR (near Boise, ID). That would crank up my hours for the year, plus add several more states to my flying map.

Get back to traveling more via flying private. Already have a trip planned for February. Another one in March is in the works, as well as talking about a trip to upstate NY to see some relatives in August.

Plus doing more Angel Flight missions. I was doing 8-10 a year, and many of those were doubles, i.e. making two legs into one. I already have two planned for January, so off to a good start.
 
I've had three on the queue for a while now: Buy an RV-6a. Fly the Arrow TX-to-PR without ending up in the drink. Fly the fam to the Central Cali coast in the summer.

If I can get at least one done this year that would be amazing. All three would be astounding though unlikely. I've been talking about it for far too long and life always keeps getting in the way. Hoping these goals might keep me engaged, especially the transition to EAB, which I view as inevitable considering my frustrations with certified ownership in the last couple of years.
 
wayne said:
Have you seen this one at RYY:


A co-worker is wrapping up on his PPL. I told him about this one as well. He talked to them and said they are planning on getting another plane so they can add more members.

They have a 182RG, a 172M and a 172M Super Hawk (180 hp).

Or are you looking more for a partnership-club (equity / non-equity)? Those pop-up from time-to-time and often go fast. There is a group working on getting a SR22 over at PDK.
Click to expand...

That kind of club is exactly what I am looking for. I've gone through all the ones I could find on google and AOPA, never saw this one. A partnership would be ideal, but realistically that is a few years down the road for me. Just got into a new house so that will have to wait.
 
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