Is it OK to participate even though I'm not a pilot?
- Thread starter KJ7RRV
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). Is it OK to be here?PaulS
Touchdown! Greaser!
Nope…….jk, welcome
Yes it is, welcome aboard!
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Bro do you even lift
of course. non-pilots can post on tuesdays between 4:20 and :69 past the hour.
Klaus M
Pre-takeoff checklist
You found the right place to get your every aviation question answered. No matter what the question you ask you're 'Guaranteed' to get an answer. 
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Hang 4
Actually, you'll get multiple answers as well as answers to questions you never asked.You found the right place to get your every aviation question answered. No matter what the question you ask you're 'Guaranteed' to get an answer.
JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
And you may get your feelings hurt occasionally. Just like a real pilot.
Jokes aside, I’ve found this site to be a wealth of knowledge from a diverse base of folks. I’ve learned a lot here - good and bad, but mostly good!
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
Sure…many here don’t know much and are here to learn….me included.
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N1431A
Tell us about yourself. Is becoming a pilot your goal? How old are you? Etc Etc
Hi! I'm 16 years old. I would like to be a pilot in the future, although I'm not planning to fly as a career. Because of cost, I probably won't start training until some point after college. For now, I have FlightGear on my computer; I've built a yoke for it and I'm working on rudder/brake pedals. I'm also reading through the PHAK; once I'm done with it I'll read the AFH.
Daleandee
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Dale Andee
Have you taken a "Young Eagles" flight? They are free introductory flights given by EAA members. You might also want to take a discovery flight with a local flight instructor if you haven't already done so.
Welcome to the circus ...
Where do you live? There are many opportunities for free and low cost flights to get you addicted to aviation.
dbahn
Pattern Altitude
Welcome here, but start saving as much as you can now to use for your training when the time comes. The most cost effective training is training when you don't run out of funds along the way.
We're running a Young Eagle rally this Wednesday as a favor to the FAA (look, when the FAA asks a favor, I'm not saying no - they're going to owe me big time in the future!) and here's part of an email I just sent to a parent with a son, much like KJ
Let me take off my EAA hat and put on my Civil Air Patrol cap. CAP has 2 different flight programs - gliders and powered, and CAP cadets can apply for either or both. The Air Force has identified both CAP and Junior ROTC as potential pilot resources, so the Air Force is paying for the private pilot program. You would need to join CAP and apply to the program, and be selected. All the instructors are FAA certified flight instructors who are also CAP members. You can get your glider license now (min age is 14) and work on your private pilot (solo at 16, license at 17). You can find squadrons in your area at this link
www.gocivilairpatrol.com
Let me take off my EAA hat and put on my Civil Air Patrol cap. CAP has 2 different flight programs - gliders and powered, and CAP cadets can apply for either or both. The Air Force has identified both CAP and Junior ROTC as potential pilot resources, so the Air Force is paying for the private pilot program. You would need to join CAP and apply to the program, and be selected. All the instructors are FAA certified flight instructors who are also CAP members. You can get your glider license now (min age is 14) and work on your private pilot (solo at 16, license at 17). You can find squadrons in your area at this link
Youth in Cadet Program
www.gocivilairpatrol.com
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jsstevens
Built your own yoke? That sounds pretty interesting. Can you tell us more?
FrankPilot
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FrankPilot
Great site, and you do not even have to be American. Cheers from Melbourne, Australia.
Thank you for the suggestion! I checked and there is no EAA chapter near us. I'm not sure how those flights work; if we're going to be traveling somewhere with a chapter, would it be possible to schedule a flight for while we're in the area?
I'm in Brookings, Oregon, a small town on the coast.
It doesn't look like there's a CAP squadron near us either. Thank you for the suggestion, though!We're running a Young Eagle rally this Wednesday as a favor to the FAA (look, when the FAA asks a favor, I'm not saying no - they're going to owe me big time in the future!) and here's part of an email I just sent to a parent with a son, much like KJ
Let me take off my EAA hat and put on my Civil Air Patrol cap. CAP has 2 different flight programs - gliders and powered, and CAP cadets can apply for either or both. The Air Force has identified both CAP and Junior ROTC as potential pilot resources, so the Air Force is paying for the private pilot program. You would need to join CAP and apply to the program, and be selected. All the instructors are FAA certified flight instructors who are also CAP members. You can get your glider license now (min age is 14) and work on your private pilot (solo at 16, license at 17). You can find squadrons in your area at this link
Youth in Cadet Program
Sure! I based it on a design that another FlightGear user came up with, but with a few changes. https://wiki.flightgear.org/Howto:Build_a_yoke_in_5_minutes#KJ7RRV.27s_version
Despite what people think, the internet is not instantaneous. Sometimes, things get hung up.
If you're traveling, and know where you'll be, check out this website for a Young Eagle rally
yeday.org
#2, look for an EAA chapter where you'll be, contact them, and ask for a Young Eagle flight.
#3 - head over to Jack McNamara Field (KCEC) is at Crescent City, about a 30 min drive from Brookings. Ask around if there are people building or have built their own aircraft. Talk with them. If they are EAA members, they might be interested in offering a Young Eagle flight. Or even getting an EAA chapter started.
#4 - go over to the airfield, ask if there are flight instructors for a Discovery Flight.
#5 - go north to Port of Gold Beach, 30 min in the other direction, again, ask around.
Update: There's an airport in Brookings with a flying club! KBOK! Go there. Be proactive. Learn something. Meet people.
Airnav.com is your friend.
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Grants Pass would be your closest EAA chapter at 2 hours away. Might be worth it for a day trip to do Young Eagles.
Thank you! I am planning to go to the Brookings Flying Club meeting next month, and I'll ask then.
Daleandee
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Dale Andee
I see others have answered this for you. Do it! Then come back and tell the story and post the pics & video ...
Country Flier
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CFL
You'll also get asked, "Why would you ask that?" No matter what you answer, it will be wrong.
But welcome!
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jsstevens
Interesting. Resourceful too.
Klaus M
Pre-takeoff checklist
This just popped up on the FAA website:
What I call the Mother List of Scholarships
FAA https://www.faa.gov/education/grants_and_scholarships/aviation
The NinetyNines https://www.ninety-nines.org/
Women in Aviation https://www.wai.org/
Civil Air Patrol https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/join/youth-in-cadet-program
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Invest Financial Assistance:
CadetInvest
www.gocivilairpatrol.com
EAA Flight Training Scholarships (Youth including post high school)
Application Window 1 Nov 22 - 1 Mar 23
AOPA Flight Training Scholarships (Youth and Adults)
Application Deadline 10 Feb 23 - will be updated for 2024 calendar
AOPA Flight Training Scholarships
www.aopa.org
STEM opportunities:
Many organizations are participating in the Ray Scholarship program - $5,000 to $10,000.
Your odds improve DRASTICALLY for all these scholarships if you already have your student medical and have passed the written exam.
WELCOME! Glad to have you here. Pull up a keyboard and join in!
Young Eagles is a great suggestion, but even if there's not an opportunity near you, see if you can connect with a few local pilots. Lots of private pilots would be happy to take you for a flight with your parents' permission.
If there's an airport near you, you can probably find ways to get involved in aviation by volunteering at events or maybe getting a part-time job. For example, my son worked as a line boy at a local seaplane base while he was in high school. Poke around and see what you can find!
You might (or might not) be aware that medical issues have tripped up many a young aspiring pilot. Childhood maladies and prescriptions, as well as things like booze and recreational pharmaceuticals, can cause problems with an FAA medical that cost years and thousands of dollars to fix. ADHD is probably a very common hurdle that catches young folks all the time, and it's a tough one to get approved.
So, if you're clean and have never had a troublesome prescription or diagnosis, do your very best to keep it that way. In fact, given that you wrote...
...you might consider getting your 3rd class medical exam now. We can fill you in on details for how to proceed. But the great thing is, once you have it, you become eligible to switch to Basic Med which is much easier to maintain, nearly impossible to get revoked, and is adequate for the types of non-professional flying many of us do.
Young Eagles is a great suggestion, but even if there's not an opportunity near you, see if you can connect with a few local pilots. Lots of private pilots would be happy to take you for a flight with your parents' permission.
If there's an airport near you, you can probably find ways to get involved in aviation by volunteering at events or maybe getting a part-time job. For example, my son worked as a line boy at a local seaplane base while he was in high school. Poke around and see what you can find!
You might (or might not) be aware that medical issues have tripped up many a young aspiring pilot. Childhood maladies and prescriptions, as well as things like booze and recreational pharmaceuticals, can cause problems with an FAA medical that cost years and thousands of dollars to fix. ADHD is probably a very common hurdle that catches young folks all the time, and it's a tough one to get approved.
So, if you're clean and have never had a troublesome prescription or diagnosis, do your very best to keep it that way. In fact, given that you wrote...
...you might consider getting your 3rd class medical exam now. We can fill you in on details for how to proceed. But the great thing is, once you have it, you become eligible to switch to Basic Med which is much easier to maintain, nearly impossible to get revoked, and is adequate for the types of non-professional flying many of us do.
Thank you! I'll ask at the flying club's next meeting. I haven't taken any medications other than Claritin and Ibuprofen since I needed antibiotics for an ear infection in kindergarten, and no diagnoses of ongoing conditions other than astigmatism and myopia that are correctable with glasses. I've never consumed any alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs, and I don't intend to in the future. I will look into getting a medical exam; thank you!