I got started

[tboehm]

Well i'm a long way from flying in alaska but I started my ground school and had my first flight!!! Been wanting to do it for alot of years and said that it was only real regret so I made the decision just to do it. Was suppose to have my second air lesson yesterday but mother nature said no, maybe I was lucky with it being the 13th. When we were putting the plane away we saw a new cessna 206 land in a 15 knot cross wind with the down wind wheel touching first and the plane at a serious bank and then not use ground aileron and I swear he almost flipped it!!!:eek: Wish me luck:rolleyes:

[markopolo50]

Flight school

Well, good luck, you are doing exactly what I would like to be doing also. Keep us informed on your progress and you will be an inspiration. I am sure all of the pilots on this forum can give lots of pointers. The bush pilots have lots of skills. I am still amazed with the "landing strip" that my pilot landed the Super Cub on for my first moose hunt. Of course that was after buzzing it to chase off two nice bull caribou. I want one of those Super Cubs!!!! Mark

[algonquin]

Good luck with your lessons and don't let things like 13's bother you. I remember keeping count of forced land in the Army and worrying as I got close to 13, then when I hit 14 I figured all was well and stopped counting.
X/W landing are another area that have caused more problems for new pilots then they need. Almost every T/O & LDG are X/W and there is only one right way to do each, Just do it right from the begining- for touch down point you nose with your feet and hold the centerline with your hand, and the word of wisdom from a friend forty + years ago- keep flying the plane until it stops then one more min. for good measure.
You'll remember your first flights for ever so above all- Have Fun.

[Terry]

Congrats

First I will say congrats. Second, welcome to the most expensive addiction you probably will ever have. Third, take amount of money you plan to spend and at least triple it. Don't be in a hurry to get your ticket and fly as often as possible(a private pilot license is a license to learn). Every flight you will learn something either about you, your plane or both. Alot of instructors these days dont teach how to use a rudder, so remember every turn starts and ends with the rudder, cessna 150's, 152's and 172's almost land them selfs. Someday you might want to fly a taildragger and would hate to have to relearn to fly the correct way, like i did at 175 hours. It is possible to have the ball not leave the center on every turn. Good luck and keep the rubber side down.

Terry

[Grizzly 1]

Grizzly 1

Well i'm a long way from flying in alaska but I started my ground school and had my first flight!!! Been wanting to do it for alot of years and said that it was only real regret so I made the decision just to do it. Was suppose to have my second air lesson yesterday but mother nature said no, maybe I was lucky with it being the 13th. When we were putting the plane away we saw a new cessna 206 land in a 15 knot cross wind with the down wind wheel touching first and the plane at a serious bank and then not use ground aileron and I swear he almost flipped it!!!:eek: Wish me luck:rolleyes:

Not to worry about Friday the 13th. I waited eight months in order to solo out on a Friday the 13th, way back in April of 1956. Since then, about 20,000 safe flying hours are behind me, with more than 18,600 of those in the Alaska bush. Don't worry about superstitions . . . ever! Worry only about flying the airplane. And stay on all the controls until after the engine has been shut down and the prop has stopped turning.

Good luck with your flying. I know you'll always love it. And, all of these replies are correct: keep the rubber side down. To that, let me add: keep blue side up - - - - - and, maintain thy airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee.

Mort Mason

[907FlyFisher]

That's cool...Congrats!! I'm in the process of attaining my private too. I actually completed my 1st solo XC yesterday, EDF-TKA-IYS-EDF. Things went well even with it being quite a bit busier than it has been the past few weeks. That's what happens when you get a nice day on a Sat. during the winter in Alaska. Like someone said earlier you will learn something on every flight and every flight is just that much more experience attained. Good luck and enjoy

BTW...Where is Hubert, NC? I was born and raised in NC. Lived in Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Banner Elk before coming to Alaska 11 years ago. Most of my family still lives in NC.

[tboehm]

thanks to everyone

BTW...Where is Hubert, NC? I was born and raised in NC. Lived in Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Banner Elk before coming to Alaska 11 years ago. Most of my family still lives in NC.

Flyfisher - Hubert is like a suburb of Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune.

I appreciate the all of the advice and vote of confidence. The Friday the 13th was a really nothing more than a joke with reference to the guy that almost wrecked. I will say that I learned something just watch him and see first hand what NOT TO DO!!

Thanks again...

[AkPacer]

Good luck and have fun. Learning to fly has been to date the most gratifying thing i have accomplished. From the first flight, to the first solo, to the day you prove to your examiner you deserve that license.......each one of these milestones makes the journey well worth the work.

[tboehm]

2.5 hrs

Well things are starting off well and interesting. The airport we have is a non-controlled with only 1 runway and it seems the winter weather is going to make things interesting for me. We have had a continual crosswind. My flight Thursday got cancelled due to wind and we went up for my 3rd flight Friday morning. Of course there was the crosswinds, and at the end of the taxi my insturctor tells me that he wants me to try the take off with him as back up:eek::eek::eek: I asked him if he was crazy but he said I had to start sometime. Well, it didn't go to well and he helped ALOT but after we were up we did alot of slow flying w&w/o out flaps with the stall warning going off. I did much better and was a little more comfortable. Thanks for all of the words of encouragement!!

[cguerrant]

I am almost ready for my private practical exam, I started flying twenty years ago got about 20 hrs and for one reason and then another never got around to getting my license. I am so close to getting them again it is just amazing but for almost twenty years every time i saw an airplane i wished i was up there. Flying is definately not a bug that goes away so stay with it and get your private license at least or you will definately be sorry you didn't

[tboehm]

5 hours

You'll have to bare with me but I get so excited that I just have to share, hope everyone doesn't mind. We finally had a day with little wind today and I preformed my first takeoff with no assistance. Did some complete stalls and a few other things. Working on the landing as well but I need all kinds of help with that. We have ground school twice a week and that stinks.

[jim in anchorage]

You'll have to bare with me but I get so excited that I just have to share, hope everyone doesn't mind. We finally had a day with little wind today and I preformed my first takeoff with no assistance. Did some complete stalls and a few other things. Working on the landing as well but I need all kinds of help with that. We have ground school twice a week and that stinks.

Try to find a instructor who you will think will stick around. Most CFIs are low time kids looking to move on,and when you get a new one you will have to demonstrate the same old maneuver's over and over again[I have 7 CFI signatures in my student logbook]. The best instructor to have is a retired pilot working part-time for something to do. They will not unnecessary jack up your dual time to build there own hours,and may stick around to your ck ride. Buy a GPS,and learn how to use it. Great on short and long XC[don't let your instuctor know! VOR all the way,sir] Good luck and keep the shiny side up.

[tboehm]

thank for the input

I appreciate all of the input. I think that the advice has been great. I believe that I may have been fortunate and yes my instructor is young but I think that he will be around for a while. He had a little over 700 hours and is doing a good job as far as I can tell. The weather has been lousy and kept me from flying for a week. I'm certain be alaskan standard it wasn't but for someone with low hours and the schools safety requirements it just kept me grounded on my flying days. I hit 8 hours on my last flight and landed the plane for the first time on my own. It wasn't pretty but the shiny side was up Next lesson we are suppose to work on mostly takeoffs and landings.

[Rovingarcher]

Keep an eye out...

For a deer with tire tracks across her butt.When I was doing touch and go's in Paine field (Wa) I had a doe run across in front of me.I had just enough time to lift the plane,but till this day I swear there is a doe with Good year tracks across her butt

[Grizzly 1]

Grizzly 1

Flyfisher - Hubert is like a suburb of Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune.

I appreciate the all of the advice and vote of confidence. The Friday the 13th was a really nothing more than a joke with reference to the guy that almost wrecked. I will say that I learned something just watch him and see first hand what NOT TO DO!!


Thanks again...

That's right: what NOT to do! That C-206 driver should have kept the upwind wing DOWN, and applied a dab of opposite rudder: forward slip, actually.

Good luck with the flying!

Mort