Private pilot license?

Anyone here got their private pilot license? Is it worth it? It seems like a fun hobby and would also would be nice to be able to fly myself down to Florida from Atlanta.

In a word, yes. I don't have mine but I know lots of people who do. If you have the time to learn and maintain its a great thing. Once in school I had an exam and afterwards one of my classmates grabbed 6 of us and we got in his plane and flew from Sacramento to the Golden Gate Bridge just to let off some steam. Once you get your fixed wing if you want to keep going you could also get your heli license.

I started off in GA and would recommend to anyone to try it out. If you plan on flying more than once a month or doing serious commuting I highly suggest doing your instrument rating as well. Pretty much every VFR pilot I know has ended up in IMC by accident and they all swore they would get their IFR after the experience.

 

 

Obviously, I love flying, but it's not really a hobby I recommend doing half assed. If you commit, treat your training seriously because it will one day save your life.

I started off in GA and would recommend to anyone to try it out. If you plan on flying more than once a month or doing serious commuting I highly suggest doing your instrument rating as well. Pretty much every VFR pilot I know has ended up in IMC by accident and they all swore they would get their IFR after the experience.

 

 

Obviously, I love flying, but it's not really a hobby I recommend doing half assed. If you commit, treat your training seriously because it will one day save your life.

 

Yeah if I decide to do it I would definitely do instrument rating as well. I figure I will go for a discovery flight when I get a chance and see if it's something I want to get in to, but seems like it would be fun.

Yeah if I decide to do it I would definitely do instrument rating as well. I figure I will go for a discovery flight when I get a chance and see if it's something I want to get in to, but seems like it would be fun.

 

I recommend doing the flight as early in the morning as possible. Not sure how warm it is where you are but odds are if it's warm and bumpy you will not enjoy your first flight. But if you can get some smooth air and have pleasant temps you'll be hooked.

 

Enjoy!

It's also not like learning how to sail or how to ride a motorcycle in that it's not something you can leave for a few weeks and pick up where you left off. Among the things that will save your life, currency in flying is right up there with skill and experience which means you need time AND money to be safe. Maintaining currency can easily become the biggest problem. Unlike cars, bikes, or boats, flying is a thinking man's game that demands 100% of your attention on top of the athleticism. It's not like it appears in the movies.

 

As I mentioned in an older thread, aviation isn't so much inherently dangerous as it is tragically unforgiving of error. But ... the bigger the risks, the bigger the rewards.

About 3/4 done with my fixed wing. Definitely a fun hobby. Flight school by me went away so hard to complete my final 1/4 and too busy in life right now but will finish up at some point. Dad has been a private pilot for 20 years and loves it. Heli license is definitely on my list as well when life settles down and daughter gets older.

Anyone here got their private pilot license? Is it worth it? It seems like a fun hobby and would also would be nice to be able to fly myself down to Florida from Atlanta.

 

Absolutely.

 

I got my PPL in December, working on my instrument as we speak. Purchased my first plane two months ago and have loved every moment of it. The world becomes much smaller once you have your license. If my wife and I want to go to grab lobster rolls, we can fly up to Maine for lunch in a little over an hour and a half from New Jersey, if we want to go to Montauk to the beach it's 45min.

 

...and then you can have other types of fun aside from getting from point A to point B...

 

I flight instructed for about 5 years (still have my rating but dont practice that anymore) and now Im doing test flying. It is a fantastically fun and can be fantastically frustrating at the same time. Im going to give you the same advice I give everyone who wants to start out.

1) Take an intro/exploratory flight(or flights) before you decide to start training. It can cost alot of coin to get your ratings (15-20k+ is not unheard of for just a private pilot)

2) Find a flight instructor you like. Not everyone's teaching style or personality works with everyone else. I never took offense if a student wanted to work with someone else and any professional instructor shouldn't be either. You will be sharing a small cockpit with this person for an extended period of time so make sure you like them.

3) The more time you take off between flights the more review flights you will do. Keep at it, it is amazing how rusty you can get with little disuse.

4) As others have said, Get your instrument rating! It is great training and can save your life some day.

5) Ask questions, its going to happen where something wont make sense to you, ask until you understand it. You are paying your flight instructor for 1 on 1 training they should be able to get you to understand a concept. Its a lot easier to answer questions than it is to fix problems after the fact.

6) Finally have fun, there is no other hobby or profession like it. Make sure you dont get burned out and have fun with it.

Feel free to ask any questions you have.

Thanks for the feedback.

I trained for my rotorcraft license, about to go for my first solo and found out my old instructor died in a helicopter accident. I couldn't bring myself to fly again. After you see someone so skilled die in the same type craft they were teaching you in you its very difficult to fly with confidence again. I'd love to pick it up again but only when I'm 100% confident in having the nerves to let it become second nature again and not be second guessing every move. In short, anything that unstable is going to be a lot of fun and very dangerous. Even in experienced hands.

I trained for my rotorcraft license, about to go for my first solo and found out my old instructor died in a helicopter accident. I couldn't bring myself to fly again. After you see someone so skilled die in the same type craft they were teaching you in you its very difficult to fly with confidence again. I'd love to pick it up again but only when I'm 100% confident in having the nerves to let it become second nature again and not be second guessing every move. In short, anything that unstable is going to be a lot of fun and very dangerous. Even in experienced hands.

I had a similar experience when I was going through my fixed wing training (multi engine) where I couldn't go flying one evening as work came up so I told a friend that he could take my launch time as I wasn't going to be able to use it and go on his night cross country for his lesson. Long story short he went on the same route I was planning on going my and they hit a flock of geese and bent the elevator nearly vertical, they went from 130kts to 0 in about 7seconds and plummeted into a lake they didn't survive . It took me a long damn time to get over it,the first month I barely even tried it because I couldn't shake the fact that I felt responsible for his death by giving him my time. Then it changed to an "that should have been me" feeling. After some time I would think I was good to go and schedule a flight then cancel it as I struggled with it. The worst was talking to his parents.

Not gonna lie it was really tough but it's the nature of this hobby/field you know there is some danger in it and shit can and does go wrong some times. I still think about Adam and Annette every time I fly.

thats awful, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm happy your flying again though. It's an amazing thing to be able to do.

I had a similar experience when I was going through my fixed wing training (multi engine) where I couldn't go flying one evening as work came up so I told a friend that he could take my launch time as I wasn't going to be able to use it and go on his night cross country for his lesson. Long story short he went on the same route I was planning on going my and they hit a flock of geese and bent the elevator nearly vertical, they went from 130kts to 0 in about 7seconds and plummeted into a lake they didn't survive . It took me a long damn time to get over it,the first month I barely even tried it because I couldn't shake the fact that I felt responsible for his death by giving him my time. Then it changed to an "that should have been me" feeling. After some time I would think I was good to go and schedule a flight then cancel it as I struggled with it. The worst was talking to his parents.

Not gonna lie it was really tough but it's the nature of this hobby/field you know there is some danger in it and shit can and does go wrong some times. I still think about Adam and Annette every time I fly.

 

I would do it! Aside from the time benefits and being able to travel more freely, some of the prettiest things/sights I have ever seen have been from flying. Notably when we (my family) flew from Miami to Key West VFR at 1,000 feet above the ocean the entire way. Sunsets are so beautiful too.

Most of my pics are on my computer at home, but I found a few to share.

Yes, I enjoy it quite a bit. Working on going to a pitts and getting into aerobatics. just don't have the time lately.

I have my private pilots license. Cost me just slightly above 30k but I required a lot of training in very complicated international airports (home base)... With that said, no better feeling to be with a girl in your Ferrari, drive up to a Cessna and ask where do you want to go? Flying will shape you and create a new identity for you. You will be more sharp, disciplined and understand what risks are worth taking and which are not (pre flight etc). I only have my ppl single engine, with no intention of doing ifr. I prefer to fly in high pressure perfect conditions, but flying through the clouds is really something else.