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wrighthenry

Pre-takeoff checklist
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wrighthenry
So I am a long time lurker here and just making my first post. The title says it all. I have 12 hours and am on my second instructor who I really enjoy flying with. We are flying a very nice warrior ( nice p&i, 430, 396) and the last three lessons have been a lot of fun with a lot of progression. So much so that I was scheduled to solo tomorrow.

Unfortunately I just got a call from my CFI that another student had trouble with a crosswind landing on a long cross country and bent the plane pretty good. He is ok but it looks like the plane is totaled. So on the eve of my solo I have no aircraft and it looks like it will be at least a few weeks before we will have another one to fly.

I know stuff happens and thank goodness the pilot is ok. Just wanted to vent to some people who can understand and relate!


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We had a similar situation with only one DA20 during my primary training. The plane went out of service a couple times for 2-3 weeks each and it was very frustrating as a student. It is the perfect time to start banging out your ground school and possibly even take your written exam. I was able to find one other school in the DC area that had a DA20 and rented it for an hour with a different instructor just to stay somewhat fresh. I imagine that you wont have any problem doing something similar with a Warrior.
 
Just be glad it wasn't you that broke the airplane. :)

I felt bad when I left the flight school yesterday. When I got there they had two airworthy Cherokees. When I left they had zero. Neither was my fault (I found a broken yoke on one during preflight, the nose gear strut blew a seal on the other and my CFI said it wasn't my landings that did it), but I still felt bad.

So my CFI will be gone for another couple of weeks, meaning my own solo will probably be pushed back. There's another CFI I like flying with too, but the lack of continuity just burns Hobbs time. You're right, it gets frustrating. I figure it gives me an opportunity to practice patience as well as studying knowledge test items and memorizing flows & checklists.
 
Don't despair so quickly, sometime planes come available for use.
 
I can sympathize with you. Our club only has 3 planes. One is a Cherokee Six that is not for student pilots (adjustable prop and freaking fast) a 2005 Cessna Skyhawk SP (which is down because - well it's a Cessna) and is having fuel issues (it doesn't know when it's only half full it goes from full to empty indicated even with fresh fuel) and the 1978 Piper Warrior. Fortunately I'm only competing with one other student for it. (I think I'm getting it more since I'm closer to the end!)
 
Somehow Cherokee 6 and freaking fast don't seem to go together:rolleyes:
 
Faster then the Piper Warrior :)
 
I know how you feel, but at others have said, be glad it wasn't you that bent the plane.

I started lessons in a 172. After several weeks, that plane was down for maintenance for weeks. So we moved to a Cherokee. I soloed and did all my training in that Cherokee. Then I was getting ready for the checkride when the owners sold the plane. I was so frustrated! So close. I had to practice and take a checkride in a 152.

So I know how you feel. I hope you get back flying soon.
 
Thanks for the support. I know flight training is full of obstacles. If it was easy, everyone would do it, right? I have toyed around with the idea of going back and flying with my old CFI but I don't think I will. I had 9 hours with him and didn't land the plane unassisted one time (152). With my current CFI, I am ready to solo after just 3 lessons. Flying is a lot more fun when I feel like I am progressing like I do with my current CFI. Here's hoping we find an alternate plane soon.


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Boy, I was jumping in and out of every plane my flight school had available as a student including a 172RG and a 182 and flew with every instructor there; whatever was available when I needed to fly (I combined lessons with commuting to an island).
 
Unfortunately I fly out of a small town and small airport where the warrior was the only plane available for instruction.


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wrighthenry said:
So I am a long time lurker here and just making my first post.
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Welcome to the POA-- and yes, that is highly frustrating. :mad2: I hope it's fixed and you're able to continue very soon.
 
wright,

If I haven't discovered anything else about flying, I've learned that it is a lesson in patience. Fortunately, learning patience is a necessary ingredient for safe flying.

If you are sure you will be out of the sky for several weeks or more, as I was a number of times during my PPL learning process, I would suggest buying a few good books about flying to keep your head into it. I would recommend "The Killing Zone," "Barnstormer," and "The Spirit of St. Louis." Although it is much more philosophical and thus does not appeal to everyone, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" is a good one.

Reading books about flying worked very well for me. At one point I had a SEVEN WEEK delay. Keep your head in flying and be persistent. You'll get there!
 
If that was the only plane and it's down, I would try to start working with your instructor and a simulator on instrument flying procedures, especially learning all the features and functions of the 430w. Have you downloaded the sim and such from Garmin? You should have a solid enough foundation by now that stepping over to IR stuff should be ok until you get a plane back.
 
Great idea Henning. I hadn't thought about getting the 430 sim but it would make sense to really learn it in our down time so I will be comfortable with it when I start my cross country's. My CFI does a ground school one night a week (for free!) so I will definitely go ahead and knock out the written soon.

The closest flight school to me is about 40 min away and they are a Cessna pilot center. If I went there while I waited on the warrior to be fixed/replaced would they work with me on what I have already done, or would they want to start over using their syllabus? I just hate the thought of being out of the air for so long and would like to get some instruction if it's not a waste of $$$.


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Wrighthenry, you are hooked. Find another pilot or pilot student and buy a 172. Hey no kidding. See "Captain Jason's leaseback advice" for the pitfalls, however.
 
wrighthenry said:
Great idea Henning. I hadn't thought about getting the 430 sim but it would make sense to really learn it in our down time so I will be comfortable with it when I start my cross country's. My CFI does a ground school one night a week (for free!) so I will definitely go ahead and knock out the written soon.

The closest flight school to me is about 40 min away and they are a Cessna pilot center. If I went there while I waited on the warrior to be fixed/replaced would they work with me on what I have already done, or would they want to start over using their syllabus? I just hate the thought of being out of the air for so long and would like to get some instruction if it's not a waste of $$$.


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If they're any good they'll work with you' It'll take an hour or two transitioning to the 172 and showing your new CFI to solo you if you were about to solo when the plane got crashed. You could also see about your CFI getting on their plane if you want. Personally I'd take the opportunity to meet another instructor. I think I benefited greatly from flying everything with anyone, everybody's got something.
 
wrighthenry said:
...If I went there while I waited on the warrior to be fixed/replaced would they work with me on what I have already done, or would they want to start over using their syllabus? I just hate the thought of being out of the air for so long and would like to get some instruction if it's not a waste of $$$.
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I don't know their exact methods - but expect this: You'll need time to get used to a new CFI, and a new airplane. Your new CFI will need time to get used to you and determine your level of training. The CFI will have to go through your logbook and figure out what you've already been taught, then will probably have to quickly go over some of that again to make sure he understands how well you actually learned it. There will be overlap, but you shouldn't necessarily have to repeat the whole thing. You'll have to judge how long your Warrior will be down vs what you'll gain by going somewhere else while you wait. Then, what happens when the Warrior comes back? Will you jump back to that flight school? It's a tough break, but try to make the best of it. Getting sim time is a good idea. Bug your CFI - there may be options.
 
bbchien said:
Wrighthenry, you are hooked. Find another pilot or pilot student and buy a 172. Hey no kidding. See "Captain Jason's leaseback advice" for the pitfalls, however.
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He's not completely wrong there Henry, except I would skip the 172. If I was buying with partners (or individually) I'd buy a minimum of a 182 or a Bonanza. Regardless of what you may hear, people buy these planes on a regular basis before they take lesson one and learn to fly in them. It really does work and it is insurable. Buy your last plane first (or at least 7-10 year plane) is the cheapest way to do it.

If I would have known at the beginning what I knew at 100hrs, I would have bought my Travelair before I took a lesson.
 
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Been there, done that. I also live in a small town and trained at an airport with only one rental. A couple days after passing my PP checkride, someone bent it, and it was out of service for months. Before that, I started training at another one-airplane small town school...which closed abruptly and the plane was sold overnight when the old owner became ill.

Is it possible there are similar planes parked at the airport seeing little use? If so, perhaps an owner would be willing to let you train in their airplane. Yes, insurance can be an issue, but sometimes it works out.

If it were me, I'd drive the 40 minutes to the other school. When the aforementioned plane became unavailable for months, I joined a flying club an hour away. Yes, the drive can be a PITA, but I get to fly nice planes and the club is well-run, so it's worth it. I wouldn't worry too much about the difference between the Warrior and the Cessnas. I made the transition (the other way) halfway through training, and it was a big yawn. It took me one flight to become comfortable with the 172. And it won't take long for a CFI to review your logbook and figure out what you need to work on. Ten minutes in the air and he/she will have a pretty good idea where you stand.

And if you have any spare funds available, you can buy a used 150 for the price of a used car, park it at your current airport and continue using your same instructor. Then when you finish, if you want, you can likely sell it for pretty much what you have into it.
 
Henning said:
He's not completely wrong there Henry, except I would skip the 172. If I was buying with partners (or individually) I'd buy a minimum of a 182 or a Bonanza. Regardless of what you may hear, people buy these planes on a regular basis before they take lesson one and learn to fly in them. It really does work and it is insurable. Buy your last plane first (or at least 7-10 year plane) is the cheapest way to do it.

If I would have known at the beginning what I knew at 100hrs, I would have bought my Travelair before I took a lesson.
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Of course I have been dreaming about buying an aircraft in a partnership and have even listed myself on the AOPA partnership page. Would love to get into a 182, archer, or 177. Dream plane is a DA-40 but that is out of reach for the near future. I have a friend in what seems to be a really good cherokee six partnership (5 partners who each average about 20 hours/year) that I am interested in looking into once I got my ticket.

I spend entirely too much time on barnstormers, controller, and trade a plane.
 
Sorry to hear that you lost your ride

My friend just passed his sport pilot checkride in a CTLS and the outfit that trained him and rents the airplanes is quitting that aspect and just going to continue as a Flight Design dealer. So now he has a shiny new license and nothing to fly.

I suggested buying a Luscombe, the 8A is LSA :wink2:
 
wrighthenry said:
Of course I have been dreaming about buying an aircraft in a partnership and have even listed myself on the AOPA partnership page. Would love to get into a 182, archer, or 177. Dream plane is a DA-40 but that is out of reach for the near future. I have a friend in what seems to be a really good cherokee six partnership (5 partners who each average about 20 hours/year) that I am interested in looking into once I got my ticket.

I spend entirely too much time on barnstormers, controller, and trade a plane.
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The 177RG is a great choice in plane, so is the Cherokee Six. This event may be the impetus to look into that a bit earlier.
 
wrighthenry said:
Of course I have been dreaming about buying an aircraft in a partnership and have even listed myself on the AOPA partnership page. Would love to get into a 182, archer, or 177. Dream plane is a DA-40 but that is out of reach for the near future. I have a friend in what seems to be a really good cherokee six partnership (5 partners who each average about 20 hours/year) that I am interested in looking into once I got my ticket.

I spend entirely too much time on barnstormers, controller, and trade a plane.
Click to expand...

You sir are "officially" addicted.... Just to give you a heads up... It is a terminal life addiction too.:yesnod::yesnod::wink2:
 
saracelica said:
I can sympathize with you. Our club only has 3 planes. One is a Cherokee Six that is not for student pilots (adjustable prop and freaking fast) a 2005 Cessna Skyhawk SP (which is down because - well it's a Cessna) and is having fuel issues (it doesn't know when it's only half full it goes from full to empty indicated even with fresh fuel) and the 1978 Piper Warrior. Fortunately I'm only competing with one other student for it. (I think I'm getting it more since I'm closer to the end!)
Click to expand...

And the purpose of the negative Cessna comment is?
 
bbchien said:
Wrighthenry, you are hooked. Find another pilot or pilot student and buy a 172. Hey no kidding. See "Captain Jason's leaseback advice" for the pitfalls, however.
Click to expand...

Or if you can swing it go in by yourself. I agree 100% with the good doctor.
 
Just move to Lincoln. Cherokee 180 here is ready to go and last I checked not bent.
 
DutchessFlier said:
And the purpose of the negative Cessna comment is?
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Settle. Ford drivers make Chevy jokes. John Deere Tractor Owners make fun of Caterpillars, Bronco fans make fun of the Cowboys.

It's a healthy rivalry. Sports fans in one city don't really hate people in another city. Ford drivers don't really hate Chevys.

The guys made a Cessna joke. It's okay. Cessna will survive...well, maybe. Anyway, relax. Nobody is out to trash Cessna. It's a joke.
 
Cessna jokes? Really? What most seem to miss is that Cessnas are built to be extremely rugged........so they can survive bird strikes from the rear :rofl:
 
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