Aviation Post

[Joshtupps]

Good morning/afternoon/evening Ladies/Gentlemen,

I've noticed a few of you around have an interest in aviation!  I too have a keen interest, so I thought I would start a thread for anything related to the wonderful world above the clouds.  It will give us all a chance to share photos, videos, stories and maybe even opportunities with our fellow BOTL.

 

I'll start the proceedings with a photo of myself a few years ago now, having just completed my MECIR on the Diamond DA42!

 

 

I look forward to seeing where this takes us!

 

Tupps,

[chris12381]

I was always interested in aviation even at a very early age.

Since I had such an interest in aviation, I was very lucky to live in the US which is extremely friendly to aviation.  Compared to pretty much every other country on earth, it's cheap and affordable to learn to fly and own an aircraft.  

I soloed on my 16th birthday.  For a time, I was allowed to fly a plane alone but didn't yet have my drivers license so had to have my dad drop me off and pick me up at the airport.  I got my pilot license on my 17th birthday.  Quickly got my multi-engine and instrument ratings.  Working on my rotor-craft right now.  

I work in the aviation industry.  I manage two airports.  I own a 1977 Piper Turbo Arrow.  My girlfriend and I use it to visit friends and family in California.  It certainly beats driving.  The owners manual for the Piper Turbo Arrow specifically states it is equipped with a "cigar lighter" so I routinely enjoy a enroute cigar on flights over 30 minutes in length.  Frankly, once at cruise altitude, the autopilot is set and the music is playing, it's pretty boring so a cigar just seems natural.  I also volunteer for an organization called Pilots N Paws which transports animals that have been rescued or have been adopted.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Australian Shepherd, "Havana" also enjoys flying.  She's been flying with me since she was a puppy.  She wears hearing protection as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As part of my job, I get a chance to fly some interesting airplanes.  A few months ago, I hopped a ride on an Extra 300.  Pulled about 6Gs in this photo.  

Later this year (assuming the laws remain the same), I'm planning on flying the plane across the Florida Straights to Havana. 

 

[luv2fly]

When I was a kid, we could visit the flight deck enroute.  I was hooked.  Got my pilots license when I was 18 and eventually became an instructor and flew some charter.  Once I had the hours I went to the airline.  

One of the best times I had was flying a C337 from Nashville, TN to Spearfish, SD when in college.  Did a flyby of Mt. Rushmore.  Hung out in Deadwood with some friends.  Did several long distance but that was the best.  That was when flying was fun and not a job!

Don't fly anymore but still keep my eye to the sky.

 

[LordAnubis]

How expensive is a the flying hobby in the states? I mean if someone wanted to learn, buy a plane, land at airports, store a plane etc, how much is one looking at? Thousands? 100s of thousands? Millions? Ball park figure, obviously there will be a price range.

[chris12381]

3 hours ago, LordAnubis said:

How expensive is a the flying hobby in the states? I mean if someone wanted to learn, buy a plane, land at airports, store a plane etc, how much is one looking at? Thousands? 100s of thousands? Millions? Ball park figure, obviously there will be a price range.

Learning to flying is a straightforward answer.  As of right now, it's probably gonna cost you around $8,000-12,000 to get your pilots license depending on where you get your license.  The price of fuel, type of aircraft and instructor can vary widely by location in the US and by airport.  Not necessarily "cheap", but the cost is "cheap" relative to other locales.

The rest of your question is loaded.  Most airports in the US, while owned by local governments earn money to pay for the operation of the airport via the leases of the businesses at the airport, sale of fuel and the rent from airplanes based on the airport.  Capital projects are paid for via grants from the Federal Government funded via airline ticket taxes and fuel taxes.  Landing fees are not common at non-airline airports.  

You could buy a perfectly safe and respectable used 2 seat Cessna 152 for $18,000.  Keep it at a small airport for $50 a month and pay $3.50 a gallon and never pay anything to land at an airport.  Or I could buy a brand new, 4 seat Cirrus SR22 for $650,000 (with a parachute for the whole airplane in case something goes wrong), keep it at the airport I manage in California for $650 a month (with a 3 year waiting list for hangar), pay $4.50 a gallon at my airport all the way up to $8.00 a gallon at a major international airport and pay $300 to land at the same international airport.  

 

 

[LordAnubis]

Ahh cool. I did not realise there was such a base bottom price to be had. Thanks for the info

[Ryan]

Not a pilot myself but my niece had her first solo flight on her 16th birthday, as soon as it was legal.

She grew up in Botswana and just finished her degree in engineering in Perth.

Now 23, she's currently flying a 1930s de Havilland Tiger Moth from Crete to Capetown with her dad as part of a vintage air-rally.

They packed up the plane in Botswana, had it shipped to Bristol, UK, put it back together and flew it over to Crete last month. Last I heard they were in Ethiopia.

Here's their plane.

 

The PIX is from her nickname "Pixie".

Here's some news on her trip.

http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201609289070/events/mechanical-engineering-student-embarks-vintage-air-rally-greece-africa

I first heard they had crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan on BBC World Service when they were detained in Gambella.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38095316

Which was somewhat worrying, but from what I know of Africa, it wasn't that they didn't have the necessary papers, just they hadn't yet paid the correct amount to the proper authorities..

I think it's pretty cool stuff and a great experience for her. 

 

[LordAnubis]

That is pretty awesome mate! She coulda stopped off at Mali

[Duxnutz]

Aviation is cool and i love talking to people who enjoy it as a hobby. It's also the only 'professional job' I've ever known, and whilst doing it for a living kinda kills the fun of it somewhat, it's still taken me to some cool places and good times. 

I've done bush flying in old Cessnas, charter flying in old turboprops, watched the world become ultra small sitting in a 777 across the pacific and now my daily driver is a 737. I'd love to get back to my roots and go flying in a piston single again! 

Would love to catch up with any of you if we can swing it! 

 

[Ryan]

7 hours ago, LordAnubis said:

That is pretty awesome mate! She coulda stopped off at Mali

Slight bit of a detour there!

[Joshtupps]

Great to have so many replies with photos and stories!  It certainly is a fantastic career and one in which I have met many incredible people.  I started gliding at age 16 with the cadet force in the UK, and followed on through to joining the military.  However due to the military budget spending cuts in early 2011, my job was pulled from under me.  I was however lucky enough to be taken in by an airline and trained in commercial aviation over a year or so in Adelaide!  I had plenty of opportunity to sample the fine wines and beaches in the area!  I am now happily settled in Asia with a commercial job flying heavy metal, and loving every second of it!  

I am always happy to chat with and learn from fellow aviators!  If any of you have any stories of moments that very quickly humbled you in the aircraft, it would be great if we could share them here!  They certainly make for good reading whilst working your way through a beautiful Cuban!

 

Tupps.

 

 

[Duxnutz]

@Joshtupps I take it your at Cathay. A certain part of me wishes I'd have gone there (job offer) back close to a decade ago. Certainly a great storied airline and way to see the world. Flown with a few 'A scale' retirees who found their way back to Aus Aviation, some who flew the jumbo freighter and are amongst some of the sharpest and yet chilled out guys to share a flight deck with.

Like any pilot I have plenty of bar stories to go round, some of which aren't fit for the Internet. Here's something from nearly two decades ago (holy crap), but I can remember it like yesterday....

Back in the day I did my flying training in Sydney and after three years of study I'd finally finished my course as a newly minted Commercial Pilot, with Multi Instrument and an instructor rating. Our instructors taught us that aviation is like a well; slowly your well will accumulate experience and throughout your career you will have to draw from that well occasionally but right now your well is more damp than wet (don't know jack basically). I was pretty young, naive and thought because I had a license I was pretty good. 

Unable to get any work in Sydney, I drove the equivalent of Florida to Chicago up to the Northern Territory (outback) chasing a flying job. I stopped at every aerodrome with planes parked at it. Eventually while holed up at a backpackers I got the call to drive out to an indigenous community and meet up with the pilot there whose job I was to take as he was moving onto the company's twin engine planes. If you've ever been Sydney, you'll know it's a big city, so rolling into a town of a couple hundred people in the middle of nowhere was quite daunting. 

After a few flights with a company pilot I was unleashed with my own 210 to commence charter flying. I'll never forget my first day on the job. I was to fly into a bigger town with a plane load of folks, wait for a few hours then drop off the passengers at various aboriginal communities. The 210 I was in had no GPS and being pretty green (285hrs) I was highly nervous about dead reckoning my way deep into Arnhem Land. I'd been taught to navigate this way and was comfortable with it but here in the outback you can fly over largely featureless terrain for hours on end. 

Passengers loaded up I set off in the stinking heat, struggling to climb up to the cooler air up at altitude. I followed the VOR radial corresponding to my track out as far as I could, regularly scanning the ground to see if anything looked similar to the time estimates on my WAC chart on where I should be. At 9500ft I could see quite far in each direction but the lack of features to 100% fix my position really made me uneasy. 

Eventually we came up to the time estimate for the destination. Zilch. Nadda. Not even a house or two, or anything resembling a town and landing strip. I knew I had enough fuel to circle for 15-20 minutes then I'd have to track south and fly until picking up a beacon (NDB) at another aboriginal community and pick up some fuel to make it home. The concern must have been evident on my face as I circled, frantically trying to figure out where in the heck I was. 

Aboriginal people I eventually learnt had a lot more time flying in these planes than I did and often mirror your actions; if your nervous as the pilot, then they sure as heck will be too....

After circling for a few minutes, now convinced I was lost (and was definitely going to lose my job before I'd even really started) a friendly older lady in the back tapped me on the shoulder and pointed vaguely out to the left. Eventually it became clear she was pointing at a small hill and that the airstrip was just on the other side of the hill. We were only a couple miles right of course but there was lots of little hills that resembled the one with the runway behind it. 

Thank god for that lady.....

*Apologies for the long winded story but it's a reality check that scared the crap out of me and to be ever mindful it's ok to ask for help and use all resources at your disposal. 

[TheBaron]

Very cool thread. Thanks for sharing guys.

[Joshtupps]

@Duxnutz you would be correct in your assumption!  It's certainly a great way to see the world.  Some of those A scale guys are still around, most of them legends amongst us young chaps.  Is that a shorts 360 I see in one of your photos!?  Haven't seen one of those around for a very long time, what a workhorse!

Tupps

[foursite12]

Been around aviation most of my life, primarily due to my dad being a pilot (got his private at 16, flew F4U Corsairs and F9 Panthers for the Marines post WWII and in Korea). After that, he owned and flew a variety of private aircraft (C-172, Piper Comanche and a couple of C-310s) throughout my and my siblings' childhood and well into our 20s. Flew us all over the US, mainland Mexico and Baja California as we were growing up in the 60s and 70s. It was a tremendous experience. Although I soloed and did several XCs, I never completed the license process; law school happened and I knew that staying current would be the great limiting factor if I wasn't going to be flying for a living. As a young lawyer, I did work for a small start-up regional carrier in the midwest following deregulation and represented them in Washington, acquiring landing slots at O'Hare following the PATCO mess, as well as airport leases around the midwest and aircraft as they grew (including 10 or 12 of the Shorts 360 mentioned by Tupps above, as well as Embraer Bandeirante and Brasilia) and they eventually became one of the early acquisitions by American Airlines to form American Eagle.

Incidentally, I was in Oshkosh last weekend to watch my daughter's college volleyball team play, and decided to revisit the EAA museum.  I hadn't been in several years; it's really well-done. If you're ever up that way, whether for the Fly-In or for other reasons, be sure to take a few extra hours for a stop.  Right now there is a loaned exhibit of WWII bomber "Nose Art" that's pretty cool.

 

[Coolio]

On 11/27/2016 at 11:19 PM, Duxnutz said:

Aviation is cool and i love talking to people who enjoy it as a hobby. It's also the only 'professional job' I've ever known, and whilst doing it for a living kinda kills the fun of it somewhat, it's still taken me to some cool places and good times. 

I've done bush flying in old Cessnas, charter flying in old turboprops, watched the world become ultra small sitting in a 777 across the pacific and now my daily driver is a 737. I'd love to get back to my roots and go flying in a piston single again! 

Would love to catch up with any of you if we can swing it! 

 

Nice photos Dux!

I took that 777 sim you're sitting in for a birl once. Mike M. (back when he was a 777 CCPT) told me to be wary of over flaring, so of course i bounced it so hard he nearly fell off his seat!  

[Coolio]

On 11/26/2016 at 3:20 PM, chris12381 said:

I was always interested in aviation even at a very early age.

Since I had such an interest in aviation, I was very lucky to live in the US which is extremely friendly to aviation.  Compared to pretty much every other country on earth, it's cheap and affordable to learn to fly and own an aircraft.  

I soloed on my 16th birthday.  For a time, I was allowed to fly a plane alone but didn't yet have my drivers license so had to have my dad drop me off and pick me up at the airport.  I got my pilot license on my 17th birthday.  Quickly got my multi-engine and instrument ratings.  Working on my rotor-craft right now.  

I work in the aviation industry.  I manage two airports.  I own a 1977 Piper Turbo Arrow.  My girlfriend and I use it to visit friends and family in California.  It certainly beats driving.  The owners manual for the Piper Turbo Arrow specifically states it is equipped with a "cigar lighter" so I routinely enjoy a enroute cigar on flights over 30 minutes in length.  Frankly, once at cruise altitude, the autopilot is set and the music is playing, it's pretty boring so a cigar just seems natural.  I also volunteer for an organization called Pilots N Paws which transports animals that have been rescued or have been adopted.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Australian Shepherd, "Havana" also enjoys flying.  She's been flying with me since she was a puppy.  She wears hearing protection as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As part of my job, I get a chance to fly some interesting airplanes.  A few months ago, I hopped a ride on an Extra 300.  Pulled about 6Gs in this photo.  

Later this year (assuming the laws remain the same), I'm planning on flying the plane across the Florida Straights to Havana. 

 

Love the 'Mutt Muffs!' I've taken my mutt flying a couple of times and he loves it as well. 

[Coolio]

Great flying thread Tupps!

I've been in a syndicate that owns recreational category a/c (under 600kg MTOW in Oz) here in SE Qld for a few years now. Have taken Smithy up for a couple of flights and he only squealed once or twice!  SE Qld is a beaut place to fly as the weather is generally awesome. Had always wanted to fly in the airlines but in a moment of stupidity when I was in my early 20's, broke my back rolling a car while not wearing a seatbelt. Had the opportunity prior to that of working as an instructor and charter pilot for a couple of years, so can't complain too much!    

Now I plan Duxnutz's 737 flights here in Oz. Whenever I see he's operating one of the flights I'm planning, I try extra hard to route him right through the rough stuff 

I'm in Fort Lauderdale next March doing the FAA Dispatcher rating, and would be keen to catch up with any Florida based flying members who might be keen to take me for a spin! 

 

Moreton Island just to the east of Brisbane.

 

 

Taking Owsta for a fly the day after last years Havanathon.

 

If you look real hard you can see El Pres bass fishing down there. 

[jwr0201]

On November 26, 2016 at 7:50 AM, LordAnubis said:

How expensive is a the flying hobby in the states? I mean if someone wanted to learn, buy a plane, land at airports, store a plane etc, how much is one looking at? Thousands? 100s of thousands? Millions? Ball park figure, obviously there will be a price range.

Lowest way to go in flying power is a sport pilot license, which requires only 20 hours minimum flight time.  Standard private pilot license requires 40 hours.  The rub is that very few certificated aircraft qualify for the sport category due to weight limitations.  One good bet is an older Ercoupe.  Have to watch and be sure to get the correct model and do a weight & balance to be sure you are legal.  They can be had fro 15 to 20 grand US.  Fuel consumption is miserly at something around 4 gph.  They are old and slow, but a ball to fly!

[jwr0201]

A few photos of a couple of favorite toys.  One is a Phoebus C 17 meter and the other is a Standard Cirrus 15 meter.  Both are earlier glass composite sailplanes with wonderful flying habbits.  When the kid is out of college, I have my eye on another!  This is the first flight of our new to us Phoebus.  We had just returned from picking it up in Shreveport, LA and drove straight back to ZPH in FL.  After a few hours of sleep and a shower, time to have a test flight.  I drew the short straw and was the first up.  Crosswind gusts of around 17 knots were uncomfortable, but not a dealbreaker.  After getting off tow, flight went well.  Unfortunately, one of the three partners crashed the Phoebus (not me!).  The Cirrus was the next glider, a real performer that climbed like a homesick angel!  Real stick and rudder flying without an engine.  Easy to log 3-5 hours on a good day.  You can see how basic the cockpit is!  This is a ball!  

 

[El Presidente]

Brilliant 

....and as a claustrophobe...I hate flying!

[DWC]

I'm in the maintenance side of aviation. (A&P)  I started years ago in the Air Force working on the U2.  When I got out, I spent a good amount of time working for a regional airline which was a whole lot of fun. (turbo props)     Then I got into the corporate world.   Now I work on a variety of mid size twin engine jets and a couple of helos for a corporate flight department. (Falcon 2000's & 7X, Global Express, Hawker 4000, etc.)

 Airplanes are pretty cool but my heart is with the helo's.   (S76 Master Tech)

 Here's a shot of our Sikorsky S92 that we used to operate. (I think it's doing offshore oil duty now.)   We still have a couple of S76's but they're not as impressive as this beast.

 

         -Dan

[jwr0201]

Dan - now that is COOL!  Helos definitely have that WOW factor!  

[Joshtupps]

@DWC I know exactly what you mean.  My old man started flying helicopters when he was 20 offshore on the rigs in the North Sea.  He was lucky enough to find himself flying the brother of one of the mot iconic helicopters ever built, the Huey.  He flew the twin engine, stretched version, the 212 but what a machine that thing is.  I will never forget the sound of the twin rotor "thwacking" through the air when I used to go and watch him come back from the rigs as a kid.  Despite now flying a much larger machine than my dad ever has, he still reminds me that I can't honestly say I've flown a real machine until I've flown a helicopter....so that's next on my list.  Anyone that is interested in the history of flying the Huey, the book "Chickenhawk" is an incredible read, it chronicles the life of a Huey pilot in Vietnam.....very eye opening.

It's still the best looking helicopter in my opinion!

 

@jwr0201 I also have a soft spot for gliding.  I was lucky enough to be offered a gliding scholarship with the Air Force cadets, and eventually soloed on my 16th birthday!  I was invited back after that to become a staff cadet and junior instructor, and that's how I spent my weekends for the next 3 years!  We flew a Grob G103a Twin II (that the military dubbed the Viking T1) off a winch launch out of RAF Kenley in the South East UK.  It was an airfield from which Douglas Bader spent many years flying before his terrible accident in the slow roll at Woodley.

Here's a snap of one of my early trips, taken by my old man!

 

Tupps.

[Duxnutz]

On 29 November 2016 at 9:58 AM, Coolio said:

Nice photos Dux!

I took that 777 sim you're sitting in for a birl once. Mike M. (back when he was a 777 CCPT) told me to be wary of over flaring, so of course i bounced it so hard he nearly fell off his seat!  

Thanks! I'm beginning to feel old...  

I do miss auto throttles these days! Ever had a burn of the 737? 

We're overdue for a catchup mate.