Anyone here a private pilot?

[manlymatt83]

About to solo! Getting pretty excited.

 

[Hugo Drax]

I just started taking lessons! I'm pretty excited about it. Here's me in front of the Cessna 172S I'm learning on...

http://i.imgur.com/zKZmMR0.jpg

Anyone else here have their license? How long did it take you? What are you doing with it now? Glad you got it?

Yes. Wait till your first solo LOL one day you will show up and your instructor will tell you on the spot okay here are the keys :biggrin::biggrin:

Also always file a VFR flight plan, even though it is not required it is a good habit and I always do it.

Also never force a flight, some people will fly even though you have marginal weather just because you had it scheduled for the day. It is better to abort and try another day. Too many people get bold and complacent and thats where the troubles begin.

100 dollar hamburgers, they will happen ask your instructor. :biggrin:

 

[Hugo Drax]

I flew a Cessna 150 once as part of an introductory flight the local airfield was offering for $50. It's a very expensive hobby to get into though. Especially with the price of avgas being what it is. I wouldn't mind getting a recreational pilot's license. In Canada, it's a step down from the PPL and training is not as rigorous. Gives you enough to fly ultralights safely. Lessons still aren't cheap though.



I know Prepar3d is supposedly a modified version of FS X. Looks like they've upgraded the rendering engine to support DirectX 11. Wonder if they fixed the CPU issues. FSX really likes high clock speeds. Relic of the Pentium 4 days. It can run like a sick dog even on modern hardware because of that.

X-Plane is an alternative, but I found it a bit obtuse. Even it's starting to look a bit dated. It really loves beefy system specs too. Their recommended requirements are basically all the CPUs and VRAM you can throw at it.

I use the FAA Approved X plane to practice failure situations. X Plane is what you want. I have a dedicated setup for X-plane.

 

[manlymatt83]

Can you do spins and stalls in x-plane? There's a sim at my school but flying pattern is difficult. You can't really turn around and see point abeam or the 45 degrees for turn to base, for example.

 

[manlymatt83]

My CFI is an aerobatics pilot and is going to take me up to teach me spin recovery per my request. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Hugo Drax]

You can, but its nothing like really experiencing the effect in an actual plane. Also a decent X-plane setup will run you about 5-9K (Cessna 172)

But its worth it if you want to keep yourself sharp.

 

[John Connor]

I know Prepar3d is supposedly a modified version of FS X. Looks like they've upgraded the rendering engine to support DirectX 11. Wonder if they fixed the CPU issues. FSX really likes high clock speeds. Relic of the Pentium 4 days. It can run like a sick dog even on modern hardware because of that.

X-Plane is an alternative, but I found it a bit obtuse. Even it's starting to look a bit dated. It really loves beefy system specs too. Their recommended requirements are basically all the CPUs and VRAM you can throw at it.

Yes, FS is a very CPU orientated game. I know from what I read on Flightsim.com that even today's hardware still isn't enough for FSX. This is especially true with all the addons and really complex aircraft. I have FSX Deluxe, but my main sim is FS2004 since I have about 52 GB invested in it.

Prepar3d is based on FSX and although I haven't touched it I guess a lot of FSX aircraft, gauges, etc can be ported to Prepar3D. Lockheed is the maker of Prepar3D and apparently pilots use it to learn things. I read you can even get credits. It's the only FAA approved computer sim. I really don't see a diffrence between Prepar3D and FS2004 other than the way it renders with the GPU more than MS's sims and the graphic looks.

I love my gauges I have in FS2004 and I made Area 51 where Janet, and many black project aircraft including UFOs fly in and out of KXTA. So it's kinda hard for me to use FSX. I like the PMDG 737NGX for FSX though. Very feature rich. More so than the PMDG 737NG in FS2004.

I have flown in the live VATSIM which is a multiplayer environment with people acting as ATC. The rules are based on international standards. For some reason, taxing is the hardest thing for me. Especially at unfamiliar airports.

My two main aircraft that I fly are the Raptor F-22 and the Boeing 737NG. Sometimes the B2 bomber and the F-1117A. If I go long haul I pull the F-22 out of the hanger and climb up to around 45,000' and cruse and mach 2. LOL

Here's my F-22 landing on the south end of my own created Area-51, KXTA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SQpIEyR81I

The cockpit is retrofitted with gauges for utility and I left some that resemble the real jet. It's unfortunate that the Dev for the F-22 didn't make the gauges like I would have liked, otherwise I would have kept them. Yes, that is a SANDEL ST3400. LOL http://www.sandel.com/sandel-avionics-products/item/fixed-wing/st3400-3-ati-taws-rmi

 

[John Connor]

I use the FAA Approved X plane to practice failure situations. X Plane is what you want. I have a dedicated setup for X-plane.

I thought Prepar3D was the only approved sim?

 

[skyking]

My CFI is an aerobatics pilot and is going to take me up to teach me spin recovery per my request. I'm looking forward to it.

good times :thumbsup:
What is the aircraft you guys will use?
If it is a spam can, see if he will teach you a falling leaf trimmed at best glide, and show you a hands-off spin recovery at the same trim. It's all good.
The leaf is great for coordination. The hands off spin recovery is a testament to the aircraft's flying properties.
In the 150's we'd trim for 65 MPH, and then pull the nose up and kick rudder to get the plane over and into the spin.
Throttle to idle, feet on the floor and let go the wheel.
Nose falls through and then nose comes up steady with about 2G due to that 65 MPH trim.
You need to take over when it gets level or it will pull up and do it again

 

[Hugo Drax]

I thought Prepar3D was the only approved sim?

Nope xplane professional with the PFC controls for 10k you have yourself an entry level FAA certified setup at home.

Check out the FAA approved turnkey systems.

https://www.flypfc.com

 

[manlymatt83]

As a student pilot, should I get more than just liability coverage in a renters policy? Physical damage insurance seems high... should I wait until I have my license for that?

 

[Markbnj]

There's a sim at my school but flying pattern is difficult. You can't really turn around and see point abeam or the 45 degrees for turn to base, for example.

This is the main thing that limits me in FSX, and I always have a hard time getting the pattern turns right. I end up trying to fly them based on heading and distance with limited sight checks, but it just doesn't work very well. An Occulus Rift in this use case would be awesome .

 

[Markbnj]

My two main aircraft that I fly are the Raptor F-22 and the Boeing 737NG. Sometimes the B2 bomber and the F-1117A. If I go long haul I pull the F-22 out of the hanger and climb up to around 45,000' and cruse and mach 2. LOL

I find the steam edition of FSX runs quite well on my i3770 with a GTX660. But I like the backcountry and floatplane stuff, and usually use plan-g to create a flight plan between two short strips or floatplane bases in some backwater part of the world, flying the Goose, Beaver, one of the Maules or a Cessna 172. Lots less ground and air traffic so probably explains why it runs smoothly for me.

 

[Griffinhart]

I just started taking lessons! I'm pretty excited about it. Here's me in front of the Cessna 172S I'm learning on...

http://i.imgur.com/zKZmMR0.jpg

Anyone else here have their license? How long did it take you? What are you doing with it now? Glad you got it?

I got my ticket about 18 years ago. I learned on a Cesna 172. I got my training done in about 60 hours. Unfortunately, it's been about 10 years since I've used it. It got too spendy. Every now and then I think about getting caught up, but it really is expensive these days. An all day trip to Martha's Vinyard used to cost me about $200. Today it would cost me around $600. (rental aircraft)

 

[Griffinhart]

I'm going once per week. Out of Hanscom actually!

I flew out of Eagle-East Aviation in Lawrence, MA (LWM)

 

[Griffinhart]

Wait until your long cross country. That was fun. Lawrence to Springfield to Keene back to Lawrence.

Landing at larger airports was fun too. MHT and Portland Maine. Ok, their no Logan, but taxiing in a 172 between two passenger gets is always interesting.

Unfortunately, I never finished my IFR cert. I was about 5 hours away before I ran out of cash. (job losses can suck) That first time dropping out of the clouds and seeing the MHT landing lights was simply awesome.

 

[rudder]

My CFI is an aerobatics pilot and is going to take me up to teach me spin recovery per my request. I'm looking forward to it.

That's good. Every student should experience spin training.

 

[skyking]

That's good. Every student should experience spin training.

Amen to that.

 

[manlymatt83]

I got my ticket about 18 years ago. I learned on a Cesna 172. I got my training done in about 60 hours. Unfortunately, it's been about 10 years since I've used it. It got too spendy. Every now and then I think about getting caught up, but it really is expensive these days. An all day trip to Martha's Vinyard used to cost me about $200. Today it would cost me around $600. (rental aircraft)

You in Boston? We should go some time...

 

[manlymatt83]

I flew out of Eagle-East Aviation in Lawrence, MA (LWM)

I like KLWM better than KBED tbh. I've been doing more and more of my training out of Lawrence. I think I may solo there in the end....

Did KLWM to KBEV the other day. That was short...

 

[manlymatt83]

Wait until your long cross country. That was fun. Lawrence to Springfield to Keene back to Lawrence.

Landing at larger airports was fun too. MHT and Portland Maine. Ok, their no Logan, but taxiing in a 172 between two passenger gets is always interesting.

Unfortunately, I never finished my IFR cert. I was about 5 hours away before I ran out of cash. (job losses can suck) That first time dropping out of the clouds and seeing the MHT landing lights was simply awesome.

People say this is exhilarating. Can't wait!

 

[Griffinhart]

I like KLWM better than KBED tbh. I've been doing more and more of my training out of Lawrence. I think I may solo there in the end....

Did KLWM to KBEV the other day. That was short...

It's a good air field. Easy to get in and out of, tower, and not too close to Boston's and Manchester's airspace. Easy to find VFR too. Just follow the Merrimack.

 

[Griffinhart]

I like KLWM better than KBED tbh. I've been doing more and more of my training out of Lawrence. I think I may solo there in the end....

Did KLWM to KBEV the other day. That was short...

I never have landed in Beverly, though I did take a ride on a B-17 out of there.

Westover (Chicopee) air base was something. After getting my plane down in a few hundred feet of runway, to find the FBO was on the other side.... almost 2 miles away..... Longest taxi ever....

 

[brianmanahan]

as a kid i always wanted to be able to fly. used to play flight sim 5 for hours and hours.

then i had seizures and decided probably not the best idea

on the plus side though, FSX is way way cheaper than the real thing.

 

[John Connor]

Nope xplane professional with the PFC controls for 10k you have yourself an entry level FAA certified setup at home.

Check out the FAA approved turnkey systems.

https://www.flypfc.com

Cool! Now I need to get a small loan! LOL