Well I'm finally committed. After sitting down with my wife to discuss options, and looking at options, I've finally got a plan that I'm committed to. Thanks to Central North Flying Club I'm able to study ground school at my own place. I have a syllabus, from the ground up, CAR, AIP and a ton of online reference to study from in order to accomplish the ground school. I have to track the time that I put into it in order to have the school sign off on ground school and recommend me for the exam.

I've got the required information to commit to the flying portion as well. I've got plans to drive to Sudbury for my Fam flight and Lesson 1. From there I'll get as much flying in as I possibly can while remaining cognizant of the fact that safety comes first and it might take a little while longer to get my PPL due to distances that I have to travel to fly.

I'd like to thank those of you on the boards for helping me with my decision making and providing advice about what would be the best course of action. Hedley, coffee's on me when I make it down your way.

I've got the funds available to get this done over the summer, but it likely won't happen that quickly due to shifts I work in my professional life. So far I'm 3.6 hours into my ground school studies and that's just from last night and this morning. Best part is I'm actually retaining what I'm reading. Something I was worried wouldn't happen.

Thanks again for the support and advice guys. I'm looking forward to getting the PPL and who knows, maybe eventually CPL since where I work has flight services and it's all internal hires.

I usually dont wax eloquent, but you are taking the first steps for an incredable life journey.
Experiences are light to carry and last forever.

Enjoy the path

Thanks Trey. That's for sure. I'll need a co-pilot once in a while so I can take some pictures up there. Photography's another passion of mine.

boogs82 wrote:Thanks Trey. That's for sure. I'll need a co-pilot once in a while so I can take some pictures up there. Photography's another passion of mine.

We share the Same Passion,

My Leica M6TTL and Flying...

Cheers,

A

Hedley, coffee's on me when I make it down your way

Stop by CYSH any time! And, good luck with your flight training!

Enjoy your training Boogs, I had to do much the same thing. I live a 3 hour drive from the FTU I was learning at, so I typically flew two training missions a day. It took me just under 60 hours over an 18 month period to get my PPL.

Here's a suggestion. While I was taking my training I thought it would be cool to write down my experiences and feelings into a log, then write it up and submit it to COPA Flight or some other such periodical. Make each training session a 500 - 1000 word essay and I'll bet you tha I t you'll get a recurring piece for the duration of your training. You won't get any money for it, but it'll be cool to read. I never did it only because the idea struck me well into my training and the feelings from the beginning weren't all that fresh anymore.

Anyone doing ab initio flight training, here are some (related) ideas to accelerate your learning, and save you $$$.

Let's say your instructor says, next lesson we do steep turns (example). Without your instructor even telling you to do so, read the chapter in the FTM on steep turns BEFORE you drive to the airport. He will give you PGI. Fly the lesson. Go home, and in a cheap notebook, write down the important stuff you learned that day. It doesn't have to be a lot, just some point form stuff, like

- after 30 degrees of bank, add power and pull
- AH dot above horizon. Lookout!
- left turns, nose high. Right turns, nose low
- roll out 1/2 angle of bank (degrees) before
- nose down and power down at rollout

Then, re-read the chapter in the FTM on steep turns. It will seem like a different book, now that you have flown the lesson.

This doesn't cost anything, but gosh, it will really help you.

Another thing ... get a POH/AFM for the exact airplane you are flying, from Essco if you can't find it anywhere else. NOT a groundschool manual. Read it. Learn about the electrical and fuel and instrument systems. I was talking to a student pilot today who thought that if you turned off an aircraft master electrical switch, the engine would stop. Not really. Learn about what to do if you have a fire on the ground, starting the engine. etc. The POH/AFM is gold. It will tell you how to fly a crosswind landing. Do what it says.

Anyways, RTFM. The FTM, and the POH. There's a lot of really useful information in there that you HAVE to learn, if you're going to be a competent pilot, and pass your flight test.

PS Here is the link:

http://www.esscoaircraft.com/p-3878-ces ... anual.aspx

to the 1975 C172 POH. A whopping $12. As the years go by, you will fill up a shelf with POH's and manuals of aircraft that you have flown.

Hedley,

That's actually very good advice. I also really enjoyed reading your posts in Nark's post about ground looping. See how easy it is to make great informative posts which are valuable to the website, without referencing "butt butter" or "bending over"

Boy, you really latched onto that business about getting butter stuffed up your @ss, didn't you?

Hedley wrote:Boy, you really latched onto that business about getting butter stuffed up your @ss, didn't you?

Unfortunately its a mental picture that Ill probably never to be able to get out of my head. I dont think Ill be able to look at a stick of butter the same way ever again

Thanks again for the great advice Hedley. Appreciated as always!

Congrats on your decision!

A word of warning because I don't want to see your enthusiasm wane when you "hit the wall". Although you are reading and retaining everything now, eventually you will hit a point where you become saturated and suddenly don't seem to retain anything and, in fact, seem to lose ground on your studies. This seems to happen to everyone, especially if you are doing a lot of lessons in a short period of time. Don't let this get to you and keep in mind...it will pass!

Hedley's advice on being prepared for your lessons is invaluable in making this a more enjoyable experience and it will save you money.

Above all, remember, whether you do this for recreation or a job...flying is fun! Enjoy!

So after some extra shifts at work and some weekends with terrible weather it seems as though I'll actually be flying this weekend. I'm looking forward to it and I really hope that it happens. We'll see I guess!

Just a question out of nowhere really. Are the PSTAR/Radio Operators License/PPL Exams all written with the flight school? Or do I have to go to a TC branch somewhere to write those?

Thanks again for the support. Happy flying.

boogs82 wrote: Are the PSTAR/Radio Operators License

Usually written at the flight school

/PPL Exams

Written at a TC examination center

Good luck, have fun!

Thanks jump appreciate it. I found the answer literally two seconds after hitting submit on a google search.

Had my first flight in training today.

C-GCQC from YSB. I was fortunate enough to takeoff and fly with little to no help the entire time and even brought her in almost until landing when Tim took over again. It was great! I'm in love for sure.

Back tomorrow for some more lessons and maybe a bit of time on Sunday as well before heading back to Timmins to work next week

Boogs, good on ya, it's nice to see the enthusiasim...enthusisim....enthuuusismm.....excitement. Swing by the MNR sometime over the summer and get the $0.05 tour of the waterbombers, the guys are usually pretty keen to show off (asuming they're soaps aren't on - then God help ya for interrupting). Play your cards right and you may even get to see the mighty (drum roll please)................BIRDDOG aircraft. Rumor has it the king air driver's an awesome guy (unless you get the fat Hungarian, that's the other fella).

Hope to see you around,


- Toeless.

Congratulations.
While this can be a frustrating thing to learn, it is still fun for me 40 years into it. Try if you can to make up a cue card for each lesson based on the Flight Training Manual, and the pertinent details from your aircraft manual. It will make the retaining of these details easier, which means it will save you money, and help you retain it.
Enjoy.
JC

Thanks for the advice/tips guys. I'm having tons of fun and I don't think the enthusiasm will be going away (I hope?). The only thing I'm having trouble with is the ground school because I'm doing a self-study under guidance of the FTU. It's tough because I don't have any structure or outline to follow. Not a huge deal because I'm getting stuff done and going on from there. But it's a bit tough to retain some of the ground school stuff.

I have no problem retaining the flying stuff. It's hands on. I guess it's true what they say about adult learning. Hands on makes it easier to retain stuff. I've got 2.8 hours done this weekend. Lessons 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 with intros to lessons 11, 16, 17, 18.

Next time out will be lessons 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.

I'm looking forward to the next time out. I've got my nose to the books as usual and I'm going from there

Well. Sadly life and reality gets in the way of things every once in a while so it took some time to get back here to update. Drove to Sudbury today to do some more flying. Rain was in the forecast with low ceiling so I had to get there bright and early before the clouds took over for me. Up at 4:30 to make it there for 8 and it worked out fine. Had a half hour ground briefing on slow flight and stalls then up to the skies for some practice. Loved every minute of it and I was fortunate enough to be walked through the slow flight and stalls while I had complete control. Thankfully in the month I didn't fly I didn't forget too much as far as the flying goes. I was also introduced to spins and spirals. What a crazy feeling that is! Especially when it's unexpected haha. I'm loving every minute of this.

While it was raining I wrote PSTAR and Radio Exams. Passed them both. Earlier this week I went to the doc for my medical and passed that as well. So while I'm only at 3.9 hours after today, I'm well on my way and grasping everything quite well.

Just curious. How many hours was everybody at before first solo? I'm not looking to get ahead of myself here. I still have a ways to go. Just wondering what everybody's times were like.

Up at 430 to be there for 8, Now thats DEDICATION!!!!!

Good for you, Enjoy it, What is the reg of the 150 at central??

Hey Boogs,

As a former instructor it's great to see a student with so much enthusiasm. You're already a step ahead of most students, determination and desire will take you farther than any manual or lesson plan. Congratulations on writing your exams, it sounds as though your hard work is already paying dividends.

boogs82 wrote:Just curious. How many hours was everybody at before first solo? I'm not looking to get ahead of myself here. I still have a ways to go. Just wondering what everybody's times were like.

While time is the golden nugget that we all discuss to death, I wouldn't be too concerned if I were you. Flight training is different for everyone - we all have different schedules, learning styles, and outside commitments to balance. If you continue to enjoy the adventure, and learn something new on every flight, then you will find yourself flying solo before you know it!

boogs82 wrote:Just curious. How many hours was everybody at before first solo?

13. I was told by a TC examiner that 18 is the average, and many, many people take much longer than that. Don't judge yourself against the benchmarks set by others; just because someone finished their PPL with 15 hours less than you doesn't mean (s)he is a better pilot.

However far you go with your dream, you will never forget the experience. Enjoy your training. DHCdriver.

6.5 hours dual before solo