Been out of the air for a while.....

[Brian DeMasters]

I'm a low hour pilot who hasn't flown in years.
Some context, 55 years old and received my certificate around 5 years ago. Took a new job, relocated to North Austin TX. and had no time to fly. Time is right to get back in the air. Grandkids scattered all over Texas and I would love to be able to pickup and go watch a grandsons basketball on a Saturday morning without driving 3 hours. Plus I just enjoy flying.
Does it make sense to just find an instructor I'm comfortable with and start flying? 5-10 hours or whatever seems necessary? Or even a high hour pilot who is bored, wants to fly and wants someone to pay expenses. I really don't want to just cram a couple of hours in and be off, I'd rather spend the time (and money) to feel safe and comfortable.
That being said, anyone know any instructors or someone of that ilk in the North Austin, Georgetown area that might fit the bill?
Thanks

 

[Salty]

Any flying will help. The more experienced your copilot, the more you will learn, but flying with any good pilot helps. Fly with an instructor, knock out your flight review, fly with them until you're comfortable and then just fly.

 

[DFH65]

I started flying and flew for five years then took 20+ off. Houses, kids, jobs and all that. Started back up 8 years ago. Flying now more than ever since I co-own a '57 172 with a friend and flying a Champ I have access to.

When I came back I found an instructor and we did a mini-private. Basically just ran through all of the basics but at an accelerated pace. Took just under 7 hours before he cut me loose. I was renting his plane so I felt fairly confident at that point that he was comfortable with my flying.

I will tell you the first three hours were tough for me. I was wondering if I would ever get comfortable like I was before. I had to think about all the things I just used to do without much thought. Then all of a sudden it clicked again. The muscle memory came back and things got much easier.

 

[PaulS]

I'm a low hour pilot who hasn't flown in years.
Some context, 55 years old and received my certificate around 5 years ago. Took a new job, relocated to North Austin TX. and had no time to fly. Time is right to get back in the air. Grandkids scattered all over Texas and I would love to be able to pickup and go watch a grandsons basketball on a Saturday morning without driving 3 hours. Plus I just enjoy flying.
Does it make sense to just find an instructor I'm comfortable with and start flying? 5-10 hours or whatever seems necessary? Or even a high hour pilot who is bored, wants to fly and wants someone to pay expenses. I really don't want to just cram a couple of hours in and be off, I'd rather spend the time (and money) to feel safe and comfortable.
That being said, anyone know any instructors or someone of that ilk in the North Austin, Georgetown area that might fit the bill?
Thanks

I did what you are doing about 4 or 5 years ago now after 25 years off. I'm loving it now, flying from New England to Florida in a week. You are going about it correctly, make sure you are comfortable before you venture on your own. Your instructor will know you are ready before you do, be upfront with the instructor that you want to be comfortable before you boot him to the side. There are a lot of guys who think instructors are out to screw them out of money, so they tend to launch you when they feel you are ready so as to not be accused of milking a client. I told my instructor I was ok with some extra time with him in the right seat.

Make sure you are good for a medical, if you answer yes to any of the questions on your history, seek a consult before the exam.


Best of luck, welcome back.

 

[Lowflynjack]

I'll send you a PM. I've got a friend based in Taylor (T74) who would be great for this. Young instructor and has access to a plane you could rent. Sending you a PM.

 

[Jumpmaster]

You can also look at AOPA’s Rusty Pilot program. A friend of mine with thousand of hours flying for the FBI did it about 6 months ago after probably a 15 year layoff and said it was a very structured way to get comfortable with new (to him) terminology and gasp, a GPS. Once he completed the ground work, he hooked up with a CFI and after a few hours, was singed off ready to go.