Passed my PPL flight test today !

[schmoo]

Presently basking in the afterglow of taking my PPL flight test today. Have finished all my written, instrument time, etc., so just waiting for the paperwork part to be done. I'm pretty exhausted. Haven't focused this much on anything for 20 years or so.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and info i have received so far. But now that I have my license, I know eerything there is to know about flying, so I won't be needing any more help.....LOL....I'd be quite an a-hole if I meant that, wouldn't I ?

Here's to months and years ahead of asking question after question...some good questions, and some eye-rollers for sure.

[1000 HP]

Congrats schmoo! Welcome to the fun and expensive world of flying! Enjoy

[flyer 1492]

Congrats

[Colonel Sanders]

Congratulations! Enjoy your first flight with a passenger

[.Ben]

Congradulations!!

[shitdisturber]

Congratulations! Now, do yourself a big favour and fly as often as possible! That and get out of your comfort zone; I don't know how many recreational pilots I've seen over the years who never leave the friendly confines of their local practise area. Go exploring, see new airports, that's why you went to all that effort after all!

[AirFrame]

Excellent! Congratulations!

[schmoo]

Congratulations! Now, do yourself a big favour and fly as often as possible! That and get out of your comfort zone; I don't know how many recreational pilots I've seen over the years who never leave the friendly confines of their local practise area. Go exploring, see new airports, that's why you went to all that effort after all!

Sounds like good advice. I'm already looking forward to those $300 breakfasts with my family !

Also have to avoid the " I can do anything now that I have my license" syndrome. Don't wanna be a statistic.

[Rookie50]

Congrats. As another low time pilot.... For awhile I thought I was experienced ...... At now 425 hours....heres a few thoughts on next steps.
Never ever ever push the weather for your experience level . Which is a zero. Mine is perhaps a 2.
Leave your comfort zone and fly to another province, or to the us. You'll learn lots.
Get your IFR rating, at least consider it, if only to raise your skill level in marginal conditions. Best decision I ever made.
Tread slowly into new situations, but never stop learning.
Have fun.

[Hawkerflyer]

Well done!

[howard40]

Congrats, now start spreading your wings and going a little further etc. Take is slow, look for good weather, dont be afraid of turning around and going home either.
after about 100 or so hours , take an instructor again and do a few hours, best thing I ever did.
do it every year, in fact. Make him or her challenge you. do some hood time, get a night rating (helps ya fly a bit on those early dark fall evenings) and gives you something interesting to do..

[Meatservo]

Good work, man. It's a big deal. Flying is awesome. Just pick your first passenger wisely. I suggest your Dad. My Dad was my first passenger. He's not a pilot but he knows a crappy landing when he sees one, and has never dropped it. The last time I took him up was in a Twin Otter on floats. I let the co-pilot do one of the landings and Dad said "that was way better than (meatservo)'s first landing with me. Remember that one, son?"

Yeah, Dad, 25 years later, I remember that one....

[schmoo]

Good advice, meatservo...I only wish I could take my dad up as my first passenger. He had his PPL when I was younger. I have surprisingly vivid memories of flying out of the small Maple Ontario airport with him. For some reason, he stopped flying when I was around 8 or so ( I'm 46 now ). Unfortunately, he passed away almost 10 years ago now.

Planning on taking my wife and daughter up as my first passengers, and I've got to admit, I'm both excited and trepidatious. I was more than fine with putting myself 1000s of feet above the ground in a tin can at 100 mph, but having my family with me has added a whole new level of anxiety. I'm hoping that a couple of well-executed, problem-free flights will reduce that anxiety. First outing will be something local and familiar, no more than 20 miles away, and of course, I want no more than a 2 kt wind !

As far as the advice to fly outside my comfort zone and to not push the weather envelope, I'm left wondering, what is the secret to going outside your comfort level but doing sso safely ? For example, how would one go about flying to another province, yet ensure that his/her weather minima are never transgressed ? I'm assuming at least part of the answer is plan, plan, plan and to exercise restraint and patience if things don't go as planned.

[Krimson]

For example, how would one go about flying to another province, yet ensure that his/her weather minima are never transgressed ? I'm assuming at least part of the answer is plan, plan, plan and to exercise restraint and patience if things don't go as planned.

That's exactly it, just plan in advance, but it should be relatively easy to find a pure VFR day, even for a long cross country. If the weather does deteriorate, have a few outs, know where the closest airports are. Just remember that the important thing is not making it to the destination in one shot, its making it in one piece. If you get tired or are unsure if you have the fuel left for a leg, just land somewhere and replan to get all doubts out. Other than that, enjoy it

[Shiny Side Up]

Grats on passing! I told you it was nothing to worry about.

[Rookie50]

As far as the advice to fly outside my comfort zone and to not push the weather envelope, I'm left wondering, what is the secret to going outside your comfort level but doing sso safely ? For example, how would one go about flying to another province, yet ensure that his/her weather minima are never transgressed ? I'm assuming at least part of the answer is plan, plan, plan and to exercise restraint and patience if things don't go as planned.[/quote]

Correct. They key is to do it in carefully planned stages --- you stretch your comfort zone in stages. For weather; read a lot; listen to the weather network; understand high's and Low pressure systems; how they move and affect winds and weather in both summer and winter in your region. Ask tons of questions; more than before. Get your night rating immediately if you can; will teach you a lot and raise safety margins.

For example; I leared in Burlington; Ont. First CC's (with my wife) were downtown TO for the CN tower tour; then to London; then St Catherines; then Muskoka; then Ottawa -- that seemed huge the first time!! ; then Quebec City; Sudbury; Then to the US; Boston; then Florida; the maritimes; then recently my first cross continent to Arizona ; New Mexico ect.

All over a period of years interspersed with training; and making sure to do a few long legs at night; getting good at crosswinds, ect.....a few short trips are great to start to form habits. Navigate with different methods; altitudes; to get proficient in different situations. Never ever ever Rush anything -- take your time!

[Beefitarian]

Definately go every where you want to fly. Unlessthings changed drasticly. The only thing uncomfortable about flying to the US&A is co-ordinating with customs so you don't have to sit in the plane too long after arrival at the airport of entry.

Congrats.

[182driver]

Congratulations!

[just curious]

It may seem that we grumble and whine a lot here, but only to our peers. You are now one of them. Congratulations! Everyone of us can remember the day you just had! Mine was 36 years ago, and I remember everything about the day.
Enjoy your flying!

[jump154]

Congratulations! Still remember that day for me, coming up 2 years ago now.

Biggest issue I had was working out what to do - once I got through the initial rides for family, CN Tower and Niagara Falls trips that I has planned. I solved this by setting myslef a lsit of missions - places to go/see, then sorted into time they would take, so any time I could fly I could pick a mission and go fly it rather than yet another flight to the practice area.

Pushing yourself - do something you know how to do but have not done. My first solo PPL flight was fron CNC4 to Downtown Toronto for a city tour - never flew with that level of ATC before - knew the area so pushed myself to call up and went from there. Great times...

Sometimes they work, sometimes not -- still need to make Peele Island, as last year when I tried unforecast cloud showed up just past London, I was not cofident we'd get the altitude to cross safely so we went and ate in London instead. i'm still proud that I made a good diversion decision. This year, Killarney and North Bay are still on the list.

Don't forget to go back and practice basic skill every so often -- has a bad experience last year when I took the wife to Smith's Falls, great flight, but after 2 hours the landing(s) were horrible (was scared the Colonel was watching), went around twice.... realised that I don't fly as much as I would like to, and I was flying for 2- 2.5 hours then having to land at a strage airfield when tired and out of practice. My cure? If I have a long trip planned, go up a day or so before for an hour of circuits, works a treat. Still get unneccesarily tense when the wife is in the aircraft, think I worried her a bit, but working through it (and not running away from it - another way to push yourself).

Push yourself by taking your worst PPL excercise, and going back out to practice it. make it perfect, without the stress of having a PPL flight test to pass. I'm planning a night rating in the fall, toying with the idea of a tail-dragger checkout. Got to keep myself interested.

Have fun, enjoy the freedom, and don't get bored and give up. Nothing like the feeling of walking in to the airport, signing out, go flying, sign in and pay, and drive home realisisng there was no briefing, debrief, questions, you just went flying on your own!.

[xysn]

Congratulations! This is a great thread that I will refer to after I'm done mine.