"Just for fun" training?

gkainz

gkainz

Final Approach
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Feb 23, 2005
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Arvada, CO
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Display name:
Greg Kainz
What other training/ratings have you done or dreamed of doing? Things that I really would like to do, in no particular order, are:

  • seaplane
  • tailwheel
  • acro
  • formation
  • instrument - Edit-Strike this - I'm now convinced that IR is NOT fun! It's serious business!

[edit]some vB tags are not enabled?[/edit]
 
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Personally I'd take instrument out of the "Just for fun" category and in the "extremely valuable to have if I ever intend to fly regularly more than 20 miles from my home airport" category.

All of the others, tho, I'd like to do sometime. :)
 
gkainz said:
o seaplane
o tailwheel
o acro
o formation
o instrument
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Seaplane is great. Although I haven't pursued a rating, a buddy used to have a Lake Amphibian (before it exploded on the ramp) and it was a hoot to go chase alligators in. Acro is fun, but surprisingly demanding physically. I also like formation, and not just because you can get some great pictures. It really adds to the camaraderie. Instrument is NOT a "just for fun" thing. It's useful and demands continuous attention afterward.

Tailwheel would be my first choice, tho. It changed my (flying) life and I'll never be the same.
 
Greebo said:
Personally I'd take instrument out of the "Just for fun" category and in the "extremely valuable to have if I ever intend to fly regularly more than 20 miles from my home airport" category.

All of the others, tho, I'd like to do sometime. :)
Click to expand...

Greg is listed as out of Arvada Co. Out there, as nearly as I could tell, IR is a "just for fun" rating. Unless you have turbo, or pressurized, etc.

OTOH, mountain flying, which we east coasters consider "just for fun" is mandatory out there.

Mountain flight training in my "just for fun". I have family in CO and we grab a plane and a CFI every time we are out. It is so cool to look at the Rockies from above (on a day with updrafts).

Jim G

P.S. ALL training is "just for fun" for those of us who cannot get paid to fly. Probably for most of those who can as well.
 
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I had a ton of fun getting my Instrument Rating. I had much more fun than my private pilot. It is a lot of work, but it's the most fun I've had flying.
 
I'd love to do seaplane, glider, and balloon.

I'm trying to finish commercial (wanted to finish a year ago... now that I'm out looking for work it's a great time to do it, but I need the weather & plane to cooperate). Multi will be next.

Some aerobatics, too.
 
I thought the seaplane rating was the most fun so far. The tailwheel endorsement introduced me to some new and very valuable flying skills as all new ratings and endorsements do.
 
Nobody mentioned helicopter... Take an intro lesson and be prepared to become instantly addicted to rotorcraft! Serious fun to fly.
 
jdwatson said:
I had a ton of fun getting my Instrument Rating. I had much more fun than my private pilot. It is a lot of work, but it's the most fun I've had flying.
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I'm with you JD. The IR is IMO the most fun and the most work. I guess I associate fun with gratification, and breaking out at 200ft and seeing the rabbit is just about the best feeling one can have.
Bill M.
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Nobody mentioned helicopter... Take an intro lesson and be prepared to become instantly addicted to rotorcraft! Serious fun to fly.
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Bob,
I'm seriously afraid of doing an intro lesson in helicopters...I know I would get the bug and I just can't see how to stretch the time and money budget to feed the flying habit then! So, for now, I'll have to wait.
I considered helicopter pilot as a second or third ... ok, fourth to be honest, career, but after researching, I've determined that if I spend half my income for the next 12 to 24 months on training, I could end up qualified to potentially earn half my current income some day... doesn't stack up to be a real winning business plan when presented to my lovely, patient and wise wife. But, sure sounds like fun!
Greg
 
gkainz said:
Bob,
I'm seriously afraid of doing an intro lesson in helicopters...I know I would get the bug and I just can't see how to stretch the time and money budget to feed the flying habit then! So, for now, I'll have to wait.
I considered helicopter pilot as a second or third ... ok, fourth to be honest, career, but after researching, I've determined that if I spend half my income for the next 12 to 24 months on training, I could end up qualified to potentially earn half my current income some day... doesn't stack up to be a real winning business plan when presented to my lovely, patient and wise wife. But, sure sounds like fun!
Greg
Click to expand...

Greg -

I can't speak to the career part. Many of the professional pilots I know were trained in the military. Certainly to get a commercial in RH is real expensive, particularly if you want instrument.

I was speaking to the fun part (since that was what the thread is about). You can keep the cost down the way we did, by forming a partnership to own the helicopter ( a low hours R22). We figure our cost including the manditory rebuild at 2200 hours/10 years is around $80/hr with today's fuel costs. That's a whole lot better than the $250/hour the local flight school charges.

Bob
 
How bad is getting a commercial in a helicopter (say, with instrument) coming from a similar certification on airplanes?

Is there a big additional time requirement, or is it really just learning to fly the copter up to standards?
 
RotaryWingBob said:
We figure our cost including the manditory rebuild at 2200 hours/10 years is around $80/hr with today's fuel costs.
Bob
Click to expand...

Bob... stop! :p I'm going to have to stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I can't hear you! $80/hr is less than what I pay for a cessna! So now, "the blue pill or the red pill?"
;)
 
Hi Gang,
Great to be here.
I've always wanted to get a glider rating. I've had some great glider rides. One time I went for a ride at an airport next to a lake. There were trees between the lake and the airport. At the end of the ride the pilot dove for the lake. We leveled off below the tree line, then popped over the trees to a landing on the airport. Woo Hoo. There is a club here that does winch tows at Torrey Pines. I got to go on one of those once. The sight is near a cliff next to the ocean. Lift is from the on-shore breeze deflected by the cliff. Great views, lot of mansions in the area.
Next time my CFI is due I want to renew by getting my CFIG. I've been saying that for years but this time I'm going to do it!
John
 
John,
Doesn't the Torrey Pines launch go right over Black's Beach? :-)
 
MSmith said:
How bad is getting a commercial in a helicopter (say, with instrument) coming from a similar certification on airplanes?

Is there a big additional time requirement, or is it really just learning to fly the copter up to standards?
Click to expand...

Not having commercial or IR in rotorcraft, my knowledge about these rating is second hand, so maybe someone else with more experience can chime in...

The commercial seems to me to be pretty much like it is in airplanes (different tasks, of course, but similar difficulty wise) -- the PTS calls for some additional maneuvers, and the tolerances are less. One interesting oddity is that cross country for PP-RH is defined to be 25 NM (as opposed to 50 NM in other aircraft). For commercial, it's redefined back to the usual 50 NM. I have no clue why.

IR is something else. One of my partners in the R22 is ATP and IR in both RH and AMEL, and we've talked about this. A huge difference is that properly trimmed airplanes pretty much fly themselves. Helicopters do not (they are basically unstable). His view is that single pilot IFR without a sophisticated autopilot is virtually impossible -- it's just too much workload. The difference is underscored by the fact that the PP does not require instrument training as part of the aeronautical experience (although commerecial requirer 10 hours in "an aircraft" -- not necessarily a helicopter, I guess) The PTS does not require demonstrating flying under the hood for either rating.

Actually, my point was that it's expensive to get the advanced rating and especially to get into turbine aircraft.

True happiness, though, is when you call the tower and ask to depart from a taxiway, and they say ok and clear you. :dance:


Bob
 
I did my tailwheel and an acro course for fun. I was hooked and now teach both. I would love to get my glider rating and seaplane rating sometime as well.
 
I did tailwheel and acro together (still doing acro) and love them both. It was as exciting getting my tailwheel endorsement as it was getting my private.

I'd love to try gliders someday. I may have to fit that in as a one-week adventure at some point. Hope I don't get addicted.

Balloons -- I've had a hot air balloon ride, and while it was pleasant, it wasn't nearly as much fun as flying in a plane. I didn't have the urge to learn how to pilot it. But others may feel differently.
 
gkainz said:
Bob... stop! :p I'm going to have to stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I can't hear you! $80/hr is less than what I pay for a cessna! So now, "the blue pill or the red pill?"
;)
Click to expand...

:) A brand new R22 costs a little less than a 172. Ours had 300 hours and change on it and cost us $150K. Routine maintenance is roughly what you would have on a non-complex airplane, the only difference is that a 100 hr inspection is required. Fuel usage is similar as well -- I use 10 GPH for flight planning, but get better than that in real life.

Now take your fingers out of those ears! As a friend of mine outs it: airplanes are for going places, helicopters are for having fun ;)
 
I have a 1 hr glider ride certificate sitting on my desk for Boulder, CO that I have to use before it expires. I'm looking forward to it - just have to carve out a chunk of spare time soon!
Greg
 
gkainz said:
John,
Doesn't the Torrey Pines launch go right over Black's Beach? :-)
Click to expand...

Ah, Black's Beach, where in my younger days I learned that playing a competitive game of beach volleyball is painful without support.

But it was worth it. :D
 
gkainz said:
Bob,
I'm seriously afraid of doing an intro lesson in helicopters...I know I would get the bug and I just can't see how to stretch the time and money budget to feed the flying habit then! So, for now, I'll have to wait.
I considered helicopter pilot as a second or third ... ok, fourth to be honest, career, but after researching, I've determined that if I spend half my income for the next 12 to 24 months on training, I could end up qualified to potentially earn half my current income some day... doesn't stack up to be a real winning business plan when presented to my lovely, patient and wise wife. But, sure sounds like fun!
Greg
Click to expand...

Greg,

You can add-on a private helicopter rating in as little as 25 hours of flight. I just finished up a private add-on last week and she did it in 27 hours and 2 weeks. Last summer I did several commercial add-ons that averaged 17 days and the minimum 35 hours of flight. Now that would be a way to spend a vacation!

Laurie :blueplane:
 
Laurie said:
Greg,

You can add-on a private helicopter rating in as little as 25 hours of flight. I just finished up a private add-on last week and she did it in 27 hours and 2 weeks. Last summer I did several commercial add-ons that averaged 17 days and the minimum 35 hours of flight. Now that would be a way to spend a vacation!

Laurie :blueplane:
Click to expand...


Hey Laurie!!

I'm going to have to plan to come out to see you again and get that add-on :)
Now just to get up the nerve to even get into a helicopter. :eek:
 
Carol said:
Hey Laurie!!

I'm going to have to plan to come out to see you again and get that add-on :)
Now just to get up the nerve to even get into a helicopter. :eek:
Click to expand...

Hi Carol!

Yes you do! It really is addictive, so be warned!
 
grattonja said:
P.S. ALL training is "just for fun" for those of us who cannot get paid to fly. Probably for most of those who can as well.
Click to expand...


AMEN to that Jim. Also agree on what has been said about instrument rating. I'm really in the early stages of getting that going but thinking of the WX and getting stuck on a long XC does not excite me. It does however motivate me to keep working towards the instrument. I think its a must if you actually want to fly long distances.

For fun? I definitely want to do spin training. I think it will only help me as a pilot to become better and safer.
 
gkainz said:
What other training/ratings have you done or dreamed of doing? Things that I really would like to do, in no particular order, are:


  • seaplane
  • tailwheel
  • acro
  • formation
  • instrument - Edit-Strike this - I'm now convinced that IR is NOT fun! It's serious business!
Click to expand...


In terms of pure fun, the seaplane rating (one I don't have yet) seems tops to me. Unless you have easy access to a seaplane and/or some actual need for water landing, chances are you'll have more fun getting than having this rating.


I'd say that tailwheel and formation training would vie for second. I found formation flight a lot more intense, but a real blast. If you're an adrenaline junkie this is almost as good as acro. The TW endorsement OTOH, will teach you to be a better pilot in many ways as well as opening the door for owning and/or flying a lot of types you otherwise can't be PIC in. If you like to be challenged but don't crave a fast heart rate, this would be a good choice.


Acro is something almost everyone has to warm up to. At first you are likely to find that it doesn't take long to change your complexion to a pale shade of green, but with more exposure you can tolerate more and more. I think you do have to keep at it fairly regularly to build and maintain a tolerance. It does provide a rush that your other choices don't so it can be very addicting if you're into that sort of thing. Also, my personal perception is that you will learn acro a lot faster if you have a fair amount of stick time in a variety of airplanes. That's not to say that a low time pilot shouldn't pursue acrobatics, just that they should expect it to be harder at that point than it would be later in their flying career. I also think that TW training is a good pre-requisite for acro. Not only will the heightened perception of aircraft handling be useful, the vast majority of acrobatic aircraft are of conventional gear.


You didn't include the glider rating for some reason and I think you should definitely add it to your list. With a PPL, you can probably solo a glider in a fairly short time and the glider add-on doesn't take much longer beyond solo if you fly often. And that brings us to the downside, soaring consumes a lot of time per flight hour. If your spare time is measured in minutes per week, you might have to put this off for a while.
 
I added the Seaplane Rating. Where is everyone else at?




























































See, I can do it too. :D
 
wow ... another "Dia de la Muertos" but fun! In the gap between now and then, I've only managed to renew my medical and get current in ASEL once again. And I'm darn tickled with that!
 
Tailwheel
Glider
Seaplane


Probably in that order. And SERE training! :D
 
jdwatson said:
I had a ton of fun getting my Instrument Rating. I had much more fun than my private pilot. It is a lot of work, but it's the most fun I've had flying.
Click to expand...

Agreed!

I'll always remember solo... but, right up there is the first long IMC XC -- I entered the clouds 300' above the runway and popped out 300' AGL to a Class B runway ILS three hours later!
 
gkainz said:
What other training/ratings have you done or dreamed of doing? Things that I really would like to do, in no particular order, are:

  • seaplane
  • tailwheel
  • acro
  • formation
  • instrument - Edit-Strike this - I'm now convinced that IR is NOT fun! It's serious business!

[edit]some vB tags are not enabled?[/edit]
Click to expand...

Wow - When this thread was first posted, I hadn't done any of them (okay, I had done some instrument lessons but was far from being rated), and now I've done all of the above (lessons, unfortunately, not ratings). :goofy:
 
The seaplane thing is definitely on my list, and I would love to do more aerobatics. And if I had the dough and the time, I'd love to get my multi just so I could get checked out in a DC-3. :D

I've been pretty lucky when it comes to trying out new things: won 1/2 hr of aerobatics dual in a raffle, got to fly two C140 (one on skis!) just because of my interest in the type (and got some citabria time as an offshoot of that), and my tailwheel add-on in a Champ was made possible only by winding up in the right place for a few weeks.

I've found that even a little taste of something new and different is very good for you, and I never feel bad about spending a little time and money on things like that instead of investing it in the usual thing. Had a lot of fun and learned a lot flying a J3, WACO, and the Ford Tri-Motor.

Right now, the "serious fun" goal for me is the PP-glider... amazing how much fun and skill-enhancing I got last season for so little money!! My season is delayed this year as we work on the 2-33, but that delay has allowed me to rack up a lot of time learning about aircraft maintenance (those certs are also on my "someday" list, and this resto will count towards that).
And of course, the upside to being "stuck" at the home 'drome all day when the glider club is flying is that I am more likely to be there when one of the guys is looking for company for a little hop in something else. That's how I got my insignificant but very enjoyable stick time in the RV-4, Breezy, Aeronca L3, and Grumman Tiger, as well as the local Champ. Might even get up in the Citabria towplane this season (didn't quite work out last year).

Anyway, I advise those of you who are on a narrow track, but often think of taking a detour, to just go for it! Sample stuff, put yourselves in new situations. It's good for you. :)
 
rottydaddy said:
The seaplane thing is definitely on my list,
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Wow, necropoisting at its finest.... The seaplane rating is fun, and a great substitute for a flight review. However, unless you plan to buy a seaplane, the vast majority of people will never fly one again. I've held one for years and only used it a couple of time, and now I have to get a MES rating since it looks like I'll have a Twin Otter on amphibs at my disposal.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Wow - When this thread was first posted, I hadn't done any of them (okay, I had done some instrument lessons but was far from being rated), and now I've done all of the above (lessons, unfortunately, not ratings). :goofy:
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Interestingly I also have completed the list since my 2005 post. I became a commercial ASES pilot with a whopping 5 hours in my logbook under the ASES column and have now accumulated almost 10 hours total ASES time.

And as predicted, I haven't flown a seaplane since the summer I got the rating although I came close to joining a group purchase of a LSA on floats. Next for me will either be ATP (multi) or CFI although helicopters keep tugging at my flying spirits as well.
 
id like to do some formation training.

maybe single engine ATP for my next flight review.
 
gkainz said:
What other training/ratings have you done or dreamed of doing? Things that I really would like to do, in no particular order, are:

  • seaplane
  • tailwheel
  • acro
  • formation
  • instrument - Edit-Strike this - I'm now convinced that IR is NOT fun! It's serious business!
[edit]some vB tags are not enabled?[/edit]
Click to expand...

The most bang for the buck and a quick, fun fix that will be useful for the rest of a pilot's life, is spin recovery then some intro acro as even 60 minutes is a great value.

For fun and max change of pace it's seaplane ops and rating. The others will make you a better pilot too. Get'em all...
 
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