I actually...

[Ted]

Flew a plane.

It's been a while. The last logbook entry I have was the acceptance flight for the new owner of the MU2 in September 2020. I've been up once since then (in this same 340) sometime last year, right seat only, doing some MEI work. But my friend asked me if I wanted to go fly with him and then offered the left seat for the go-home leg.

It's been nearly 2 years since I touched the controls of an airplane, and over 4 years since the last time I flew a Twin Cessna (the 414). I've never flown a 340 from the left seat, although with 1,000 hours in 310s and another 250 in the 414, there's nothing special about a 340. It's basically a cross between the two in terms of how it flies. The landing was too flat but the plane was reusable. I flew through a cloud and kept heading and altitude dead on (so screw you, @Mtns2Skies , I still breathe instruments ). Didn't feel rusty at all on flying or radio work. Center/approach kept us too high so there was a typical for me brick descent, done smoothly and controlled. I was happy with how I did.

I really haven't had a desire to fly since selling the MU-2 and shutting down Cloud Nine, and the reality is I still don't. This wasn't logable time for me - I have no medical (or basic med), no flight review, no IPC, and I'm not current in anything with wings, and I'm not going to go out and change any of that. With around 3,300 hours, I really don't care about getting more time in my logbook. While it's not a ton of time, it's enough. But, this was a lot of fun. And riding the BMW (with its baby-airplane-esque-air-cooled boxer engine) just made it a nice day all around. No desire to get back to what I did with Cloud Nine, I'm glad I did those trips but I'm also glad those days are behind me. And as I was thinking about how I'd like to travel, I still am not wanting to switch back from the RV and other ground-based vehicles. But, it does leave me thinking that there may be a place where one day I'll get back into it. When I bought the Aztec I was thinking about a Lancair 360 instead, and the difference was essentially whether I wanted to go down the road of pleasure flying or whether I wanted to do the non-profit work. It's no secret which direction I chose and it was a great ride, but I also always felt like there was that section I never did. So, maybe one day.

But not today, tomorrow, or this year. I already have too many projects in the shop that I need to complete.

 

[Mtns2Skies]

I'm still waiting for the "thinking about a 310" thread.

 

[OkieFlyer]

Way to go, Theodore! Still got it.

 

[RyanB]

I'm still waiting for the "thinking about getting back into flying" thread.

FTFY

 

[Ted]

I'm still waiting for the "thinking about a 310" thread.

Negative. Already thought about a 310. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt (literally), have more hours in 310s than you have in anything.

Let's be honest - aircraft ownership is a pain in the ass. No two ways around it. And I have no desire to get back into that. That's part of why we started building the runway. On our property, something I can legally work on without needing an A&P, basic med or light sport so no needing to deal with that medical stuff.

FTFY

That's not happening, either. Too much in the shop that's frankly more interesting and a higher priority.

 

[jsstevens]

[snip]

Let's be honest - aircraft ownership is a pain in the ass. No two ways around it. And I have no desire to get back into that. That's part of why we started building the runway. On our property, something I can legally work on without needing an A&P, basic med or light sport so no needing to deal with that medical stuff.

The owner of CRAFT (where I did my IR, Comm and multi) after he told me the DA42 was in the shop for its 3rd head gasket in 600 hours said “I hate airplanes. I love flying but I hate airplanes.”

so yeah. Ownership is (reported to be) a pain.

 

[Ted]

The owner of CRAFT (where I did my IR, Comm and multi) after he told me the DA42 was in the shop for its 3rd head gasket in 600 hours said “I hate airplanes. I love flying but I hate airplanes.”

so yeah. Ownership is (reported to be) a pain.

It really doesn't get better as you go up the spectrum, either. Spend 7-8 figures per year on operating your jet? Yeah, it's still a pain. If anything moreso because of complexity of requirements that go around aircraft like that, not to mention the aircraft complexity itself. It's why the larger charter/fractional model has been so successful, that makes all of those things SomeoneElse'sProblem(tm) and they just have to get a plane to you.

 

[steingar]

If I can't recruit number 2 partner mine will be on the market soon. That said I am very different from The Ted. I will miss my airplane sorely, and I will miss flying on every sunny day. I will be a miserable SOB, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

 

[schmookeeg]

With around 3,300 hours, I really don't care about getting more time in my logbook. While it's not a ton of time, it's enough.

That really resonates. I have more and more days like that. The return value on the checks being written seems to diminish more each year, and the steps up are real leaps.

 

[EdFred]

Actually, even though you don't care about the, you can log the time.

 

[Ted]

That said I am very different from The Ted.

I think that's the most correct thing you've ever said, Michael.

That really resonates. I have more and more days like that. The return value on the checks being written seems to diminish more each year, and the steps up are real leaps.

That was part of why I bowed out when I did. I had 3,300 hours, >500 turbine, right around 3k MEL, and I'd managed to spend the last 400+ hours of flight time flying an MU-2 - the plane that when I started flying was my dream one day, and a dream I never thought I'd achieve. Any of the next steps would've been huge leaps financially (and as it was, Cloud Nine was really just barely scraping by to keep the MU-2 in the air), and frankly, I never got "Ooh shiny jet!" syndrome like many do. If anything, I enjoyed flying the piston birds more than the turboprop. I always said the romance of aviation is in piston twins, and I still believe that. But, the MU-2 was a ton of fun, I learned a lot from it, and I'm glad I got the time.

If I ever get back into it, no doubt I will be stepping down, not up. There's more fun there.

Unless I got a job offer that made sense and was good enough to get myself back up on all the legal stuff. But then it would be someone else being financially responsible, and I'd just be the meat in the seat.

Actually, even though you don't care about the, you can log the time.

If only someone would make a flow chart that could be easily referenced...

 

[EdFred]

I think that's the most correct thing you've ever said, Michael.



That was part of why I bowed out when I did. I had 3,300 hours, >500 turbine, right around 3k MEL, and I'd managed to spend the last 400+ hours of flight time flying an MU-2 - the plane that when I started flying was my dream one day, and a dream I never thought I'd achieve. Any of the next steps would've been huge leaps financially (and as it was, Cloud Nine was really just barely scraping by to keep the MU-2 in the air), and frankly, I never got "Ooh shiny jet!" syndrome like many do. If anything, I enjoyed flying the piston birds more than the turboprop. I always said the romance of aviation is in piston twins, and I still believe that. But, the MU-2 was a ton of fun, I learned a lot from it, and I'm glad I got the time.

If I ever get back into it, no doubt I will be stepping down, not up. There's more fun there.

Unless I got a job offer that made sense and was good enough to get myself back up on all the legal stuff. But then it would be someone else being financially responsible, and I'd just be the meat in the seat.



If only someone would make a flow chart that could be easily referenced...

Or an interactive web page!

 

[OkieFlyer]

If I can't recruit number 2 partner mine will be on the market soon. That said I am very different from The Ted. I will miss my airplane sorely, and I will miss flying on every sunny day. I will be a miserable SOB, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

"Will be" ???

 

[CJones]

I'm sitting here 1 year beyond BFR currency and multiple years beyond IFR currency (not even considering proficiency). I'm about to flip the switch on getting back into things. I flew right seat on an Angel Flight with my dad a couple weeks ago where we had quite a bit of actual IMC and typical wx avoidance and routing changes. It was fun to get back into the mix of things. Maybe it's the "operator" side of me that likes to be behind the controls of some sort of equipment which I don't get in my desk job.

 

[Ted]

I'm sitting here 1 year beyond BFR currency and multiple years beyond IFR currency (not even considering proficiency). I'm about to flip the switch on getting back into things. I flew right seat on an Angel Flight with my dad a couple weeks ago where we had quite a bit of actual IMC and typical wx avoidance and routing changes. It was fun to get back into the mix of things. Maybe it's the "operator" side of me that likes to be behind the controls of some sort of equipment which I don't get in my desk job.

Yeah, I agree. It was fun being "in the system" again with all of the normal things that you get when flying IFR, getting forgotten about and being too high and having to do a descent, and trying to do it without the spoilers, without overspeeding or making a rough ride, without being hard on the engines, all those fun smoothness things I enjoyed.

I definitely get that "operator" side. I enjoy operating equipment of varying sorts and the man/machine interface. The more analog the better (mostly). That was one of the other big things I enjoyed about flying, especially as I moved up to more complicated (and complicated to fly) aircraft. Of course I'm the guy who'd ditch the perfectly functioning 6-speed Allison in my RV for a 13-speed Eaton with 40' long cables to actuate it. I'd also want to throw in a C9 while I was at it...

 

[RyanB]

If I can't recruit number 2 partner mine will be on the market soon.

Just can’t afford the Mooney single-handedly anymore?

 

[PaulS]

Nice airplane! Must've been fun. I stopped for over 20 years, and I still kick myself in the ass.

 

[NealRomeoGolf]

@Ted feels about flying about the same as I currently feel about my career.

 

[steingar]

Just can’t afford the Mooney single-handedly anymore?

Nope, I cannot. If I recruit partner number 2 I'll be able to continue and learn the IR.

 

[MauleSkinner]

I can definitely understand the sentiment, Ted…by the time my last flying job ended, my priorities had shifted from many years of “I’ll fly anything” to “I have a family”. I don’t miss the jet flying (my 10 hours a year of sim time is plenty), but I do miss my taildraggers and gliders. If I’m ever in a position to fly again, that’s where I’d go.

 

[Mxfarm]

All I can say Ted, and we've never met and I don't know you, but that's a pretty big smile in that pic.

 

[charheep]

Maybe something simple? Cessna 140 or a Cub type plane. Easy to fix and fly. No electrical system, just stick and rudder

 

[Ted]

I don’t miss the jet flying (my 10 hours a year of sim time is plenty), but I do miss my taildraggers and gliders. If I’m ever in a position to fly again, that’s where I’d go.

I feel similarly. The big fork in my aviation road was back when I bought the Aztec in 2009. I'd been considering it or a Lancair 360. I feel like because I took the path I did, I missed out on a lot of the fun parts that the other path would've offered.

So if I do get back into it, it'll be that direction. If some weird job comes up where my wife and I could both fly a jet as a 2-pilot crew, then I'd go get my medical again and go for that. Although with the kids at the ages they are, that just ends up not being very doable. Have to wait another 5-10 years for that.

Maybe something simple? Cessna 140 or a Cub type plane. Easy to fix and fly. No electrical system, just stick and rudder

140s have an electrical system, granted a pretty basic one. Cub with a C-90 was/is on the short list for something that we could keep on our property when we get the runway finished up here.

However, part of what I didn't enjoy about aircraft ownership was the airport. Even the close one is a 20 minute drive, and it's hard to go for a flight without it taking half a day or more. Granted, in some ways that may be a positive portion, but still.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

what happened to the grass runway out back?

 

[Ted]

what happened to the grass runway out back?

It's still in the plans. But while at the very start of Covid lockdowns I got 25 trees pulled out (with only 1 remaining on the main part of the runway, and some widening required), I still have that one tree to pull, and there's a lot of ground work required. Pulling all those trees left things pretty rough (not that the land was that smooth anyway).

Basically, other things are a higher priority, especially since we're not ready to buy a plane, build a hangar, etc. today. The RV is more or less done, but does have some more projects to finish up on it. The master bath is getting remodeled. The bikes are just minor things remaining. The RX-7, Cobra, and Land Rover Diesel swap are the big priorities, and those need to get done. But since we're in RV season that gets top priority for it to be ready for trips.

If I took the rest of the year off and just worked in my shop, I'd probably get mostly caught up.

 

[charheep]

If I took the rest of the year off and just worked in my shop, I'd probably get mostly caught up.

You mean you would find new projects to do. One finishes, a new one appears by magic...

 

[Ted]

You mean you would find new projects to do. One finishes, a new one appears by magic...

Correct, my point is getting caught up with what I have.

But since I also have things I want to do with some of these projects - like race the damn RX-7 - some of that would actually happen. But my shop is my happy place.

 

[MauleSkinner]

If I took the rest of the year off and just worked in my shop, I'd probably get mostly caught up.

You obviously work faster than me…or at least complete projects that you start.

 

[Ted]

You obviously work faster than me…or at least complete projects that you start.

I'm a pretty efficient worker when I get the time to work on stuff. Also the Cobra and RX-7 are both decently far along.

 

[masloki]

I love the idea of RV travels, bringing a bit of home wherever you go, but I have no patience for RV speeds. But, flying with the kiddos and all that is definitely more complex and RVing has many advantages in that case. Give it a few years, I think you will be posting the ‘thinking about a Velocity Twin with tundra tires,’ after extending the runway to 5000’.

 

[EdFred]

I saw one of those Twin Velocity up close in Sebastian. Man, those look slick.

 

[Ted]

I love the idea of RV travels, bringing a bit of home wherever you go, but I have no patience for RV speeds. But, flying with the kiddos and all that is definitely more complex and RVing has many advantages in that case. Give it a few years, I think you will be posting the ‘thinking about a Velocity Twin with tundra tires,’ after extending the runway to 5000’.

Like anything, it comes to personal preference. We do have some good memories from flying as a family (or the one-on-one flights - my son especially remembers flying with me in the MU-2 on some dog flights and he misses those). We got the memories, got good pictures. But it was always a pain, especially with the kids at the ages we were. A whole lot of loading and unloading. Yes, time saved, but a lot of extra effort.

It's really nice with the RV to be able to load everything in somewhat at our leisure. Yeah, we're going 70 MPH instead of 270 MPH, but at the same time the slower pace can be nice. Now that the kids have gotten better about the longer times in the RV, it's largely nice quality time on the trips. Plus wherever we stop, we've got our house with us.

The trips we do with the RV are things that aren't very possible with a plane, at least not without even greater expense. So for us, it's proven the right thing for the time being. I'm also a road warrior. I enjoy long drives, it's my zen.

 

[Shepherd]

Good on you, Ted.

 

[Terry M - 3CK (Chicago)]

@Ted you are living a dream! Even if different from folks here.

Can I ask - what is your day job? Seemed like the rescue might have been full time but to support a twin, the shop, RVs race cars and a family . . . I want to learn how to do what you do.

 

[Ted]

Seemed like the rescue might have been full time but to support a twin...

This is the biggest misconception about Cloud Nine that I still don't understand why anyone has - and so I'll try (again) to correct it. I was extremely open, repeatedly so, from day one, about the fact that the only reason I started a non-profit was because I couldn't afford to do what I was doing otherwise. I'm a strong believer in "When you give alms, do not let your right hand do what your left hand is doing." I hated talking about it, especially to the media. I hated asking for donations. It was, by far, the worst part of the whole thing for me, but it was what I had to do. I never took a salary - there wasn't money to pay me a salary even if I wanted one.

If I could actually have afforded any of what I did in rescue, then I wouldn't have started a non-profit, and I wouldn't have talked about it, either. I would've just done my thing. But, for some reason, it was something few people understood or believed - even a number of close friends. Don't know why, but it's always been the case.

Everything else, well, there's nothing special about what we do, and I don't talk about it on here. Yes, my wife and I work hard and have good jobs. I'm also good at juggling, which is an important skill set for anyone. Maybe I'm better at it than most, but just like when I was doing non-profit flying, I don't think there's anything special about what I do - it's just that I actually do it.

 

[Brad W]

Maybe something simple? Cessna 140 or a Cub type plane. Easy to fix and fly. No electrical system, just stick and rudder

Reading these comments about high $$ multi-pilots seemingly burnt out for wahtever reason or another....
THIS is exactly where my mind was going too.

I can't relate... don't have huge hours in my logbook and have never owned anything, certainly no big turbine time
but in maybe a tiny little way.....way back in the day, I had jumped straight pretty much from my PPL checkride to IR training, then straight away started working on my multi in a 150HP Apache. Not long after that I got a little time in an Aeronca 7AC Champ, no electrical system, not even a starter or radio...just a magneto system, that's all..... low, slow, and simple.
After the instrument training and checkride and fighting that underpowered Apache...basically being task saturated all the time.... that 7AC was sorta like a hammock under a palm tree....but I didn't know it then.

A few years later... I hadn't been flying much. A time when I had been travelling for work, long hour days, always very busy. I went over to South Bimini with a SCUBA club for a long weekend. When we arrived I was jittery not knowing what to do with myself. Checked in and a little time to kill before dinner....no lock on the hotel room door....no telephones on the island so I couldn't call in to check my voicemails, no TV so I couldn't flip on the news to see what was up in the world.... Didn't know what to do with myself for half an hour or so. I was wondering around probably looking like a junkie.... then I found the hammock out under the palm trees next to the clear blue water.... in about 45 seconds, it was all clear to me.
That Aeronca Champ was kinda like that. Low and slow just felt right in that one. N3692E

 

[Lance F]

This thread is giving me negative vibes. In spite of my 4600 hours over the last 44 years (all part 91) I think I’ll be devastated when I can’t fly anymore. Which will probably be some medical issue like so many other Boomers. Yeah I put $753.52 of avgas in the plane today and that hurt. But I did it to fly up to Churchill Downs tomorrow with Sue to watch a friend’s horse race there and then go to a great restaurant for dinner. Simply couldn’t /wouldn’t do that driving. And by airline forget it. Shortly we’ll take the granddaughters to a Gulf coast beach as we’ve done many times already. This is fun with a 1 ½ hour flight. A 7 hour drive not so much. The list is long.
Yeah I have numerous other projects too and work almost daily in my business. None of those keep me from enjoying the flying .
Just saying.

 

[RyanB]

This thread is giving me negative vibes. In spite of my 4600 hours over the last 44 years (all part 91) I think I’ll be devastated when I can’t fly anymore. Which will probably be some medical issue like so many other Boomers. Yeah I put $753.52 of avgas in the plane today and that hurt. But I did it to fly up to Churchill Downs tomorrow with Sue to watch a friend’s horse race there and then go to a great restaurant for dinner. Simply couldn’t /wouldn’t do that driving. And by airline forget it. Shortly we’ll take the granddaughters to a Gulf coast beach as we’ve done many times already. This is fun with a 1 ½ hour flight. A 7 hour drive not so much. The list is long.
Yeah I have numerous other projects too and work almost daily in my business. None of those keep me from enjoying the flying .
Just saying.

Hang in there, Lance, I’m confident it’ll get better!

 

[masloki]

I saw one of those Twin Velocity up close in Sebastian. Man, those look slick.

What is it….a pair of 360s and 200 knots? That’d do nicely.

 

[Ted]

Reading these comments about high $$ multi-pilots seemingly burnt out for wahtever reason or another....

There's something to that. The bigger and more complex the plane gets, the more of a job it is to keep it going, and the more cost and infrastructure required. Looking at the world of private jets (which I get a 3rd person view into) and ownership and chartering, man, what a pain. Now you get something very unique for it, but... it's a pain.

When things are simple, then things are simple.