Any pilots here?

[24Carat]

I grew up in a family run FBO and was fueling aircraft, sweeping hangers, grooming aircraft and mowing grass at 11 years old.

Over the years: Flightline management, aircraft moving and storage, Aviation fuels receiving, storage, testing and dispensing. Apprentice A&P. Maintenance of all vehicles and support equipment, in-house plumbing, carpentry, carpet laying, roof sealing, painting, heating and air, airport snow removal, night time security, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Solo'd on my 16th birthday.

Eventually Commercial, Instrument, Multi fixed wing and insurance qualified up through 325 hp Navajo and right seat in the Cheyenne II .

Left seat time in almost all US made light, single and multi-engined piston driven models. If it needed flight tested after maintenance, I did it. Very little tail dragger time.

Enough stick time to be thoroughly humbled trying to fly a Bell Jet Ranger II.

5 years flying Part-135 VFR Air Taxi with the majority of those hours earned flying VFR night Fed cancelled checks runs every Friday and Saturday nights between Huntingburg - Evansville - Indianapolis - Clark County / Jeffersonville.

Anyone need a FBO Manager ?

 

[Leadeye]

Flew for about 25 years, it became one of those things I really didn't need to do anymore and was getting expensive.

 

[Max Volume]

Got my private in high school then instrument, commercial, mult, CFI and advanced and instrument ground instructor. CFI has been expired for a long time. Was a CFI, flew skydivers and banners then single pilot night IFR flying cancelled checks in C-T210's and Aztecs. Left the field in 1990 for a real job after an interview with American Eagle.

I really want to build a four place Bearhawk and have the spars and ribs. I have a special issuance medical which is a thorough PITA. Not sure if I want to continue the build if someday I can't fly it and am hoping the legislation introduced by Rokita and Graves passes. That would eliminate the AME for anything noncommercial, under 6000lbs GW and VFR only. Here is a Bearhawk.

 

[Farmritch]

I got mt seaplane rating this past summer some of the most fun I've had.

 

[IndyUSMC]

Ok our trip to Caribbean recently two youngish, maybe 30 year old pilots were riding down for vacation. Seems like a great career if you can make it.

Part of me really wants to get my private license, but another part of me knows doctors tend to die in plane crashes and maybe it's not a good idea.

It's really pretty easy, you just need to apply yourself and it is not something you can just do every other week. You had the drive to make it through med school, I am sure you would do fine. I find it very enjoyable and a great stress reliever, but it is definitely not cheap.

I do it for a living, and I am a part owner of a plane.

 

[24Carat]

It's really pretty easy, you just need to apply yourself and it is not something you can just do every other week. You had the drive to make it through med school, I am sure you would do fine. I find it very enjoyable and a great stress reliever, but it is definitely not cheap.

I do it for a living, and I am a part owner of a plane.

Do you keep it at the old Terry Airport ?

 

[IndyUSMC]

Do you keep it at the old Terry Airport ?

No, we have it over at Metro.

 

[phred]

I fly HEMS here in Indiana.

 

[avboiler11]

Part 91 Chief Pilot...

 

[vvet762]

Ok our trip to Caribbean recently two youngish, maybe 30 year old pilots were riding down for vacation. Seems like a great career if you can make it.

Part of me really wants to get my private license, but another part of me knows doctors tend to die in plane crashes and maybe it's not a good idea.

Only in V tail Bonanza's. I think the problem with doctors is that they have such extremely responsible positions most of the time that they may think that they can handle anything and under any situation. If you get a private ticket and keep a cool head without the big head you should be fine. People invest in an instrument rating and don't keep current and that is where the problem starts. They simply get in really bad weather and can't get out sometimes because of ego. It's really a lot of fun and you should be able to handle it. Go for it!

 

[vvet762]

I grew up in a family run FBO and was fueling aircraft, sweeping hangers, grooming aircraft and mowing grass at 11 years old.

Over the years: Flightline management, aircraft moving and storage, Aviation fuels receiving, storage, testing and dispensing. Apprentice A&P. Maintenance of all vehicles and support equipment, in-house plumbing, carpentry, carpet laying, roof sealing, painting, heating and air, airport snow removal, night time security, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Solo'd on my 16th birthday.

Eventually Commercial, Instrument, Multi fixed wing and insurance qualified up through 325 hp Navajo and right seat in the Cheyenne II .

Left seat time in almost all US made light, single and multi-engined piston driven models. If it needed flight tested after maintenance, I did it. Very little tail dragger time.

Enough stick time to be thoroughly humbled trying to fly a Bell Jet Ranger II.

5 years flying Part-135 VFR Air Taxi with the majority of those hours earned flying VFR night Fed cancelled checks runs every Friday and Saturday nights between Huntingburg - Evansville - Indianapolis - Clark County / Jeffersonville.

Anyone need a FBO Manager ?

My first Part 135 job was also flying checks four nights a week. Went from Fort Wayne (Smith Field) to Elkhart back to Fort Wayne (Baer Field), Detroit City airport then over Lake Erie to Cleveland Burk Lake Front and back to Smith. Scared myself so many times I lost count. One night we had tornadoes in northern Indiana. When I got my weather briefing from Flight Service and told the briefer my route he actually said "Do you have a death wish?" Made it just fine VFR all the way but I did see lightening hitting the ground on all sides of the flight path on approach to DET. Love those C310's

 

[vvet762]

Got my private in high school then instrument, commercial, mult, CFI and advanced and instrument ground instructor. CFI has been expired for a long time. Was a CFI, flew skydivers and banners then single pilot night IFR flying cancelled checks in C-T210's and Aztecs. Left the field in 1990 for a real job after an interview with American Eagle.

I really want to build a four place Bearhawk and have the spars and ribs. I have a special issuance medical which is a thorough PITA. Not sure if I want to continue the build if someday I can't fly it and am hoping the legislation introduced by Rokita and Graves passes. That would eliminate the AME for anything noncommercial, under 6000lbs GW and VFR only. Here is a Bearhawk.

View attachment 26787

Looks a lot like a Maule. Looks like a good sod strip plane for the back country. Good luck with your build and medical.

 

[vvet762]

Yes, it is an OH-6A (Loach). In the Army, I logged more time in them than the UH-1 (Huey). Our call sign was Thunder, so don't hate on me. Thanks for your service.

Cool. I do have to thank Yellow Scarf. They blew up an NVA ammo cache that we had to secure. Small arms ammo, rockets, gernades etc. that exploded all night long. I was able to bring home an SKS from that cache. Still have it. Thank you for your service, too.

 

[sloughfoot]

Private pilot for 32 years. SEl, MEL, Instrument. I too guit flying after I sold my Seneca.

I didn't fly for almost 20 years until I re-discovered Civil Air Patrol.

Plenty of flying opportunities for pilots and non-pilots. CAP is in the Air Force budget. We have 8 aircraft in Indiana and 550 nationwide. There is a squadron near you.

Google it for more info.