Anyone a pilot?

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My two special interests were always all things computer, and all things aviation I thought I had mostly outgrown the latter (still enjoy but not infatuated with it any more) - but then I stumbled across this web page about helicopter flying lessons, and alas, I've been bitten again. I suddenly so want to take helicopter lessons, have been reading everything about it that I can... but alas, cannot justify spending the $15-20k it would cost Has anyone else here done it? Was it worth it?

I used to be a pilot, but was too scared to solo. I was at that point and sadly after spending thousands of dollars, I quit. At one time I wanted to become an airline pilot. I haven't flown a plane since 2003. I would really like to take lessons again but because of my mental disorders, I cannot get a license (especially the depression and schizoaffective disorder). You have to have a medical check up to see if you are cleared to fly (that is if you want to get a license, there are in fact different levels of medical clearance) I have only flown a helicopter once and it was extremely difficult compared to an airplane such as a Cessna 150 or 172, the ones that I have flown. I have around 30-40 hours flying time (I know some people can get their first license in that period of time but I was afraid to do certain things so it slowed my progress). You have a flight log that you have to write in for every flight. What you did where you went, things like that. I know, I'm a female and that's weird that I used to fly planes. It made me so happy though, that's why back then I wasn't depressed or having any mental problem except anxiety and autism. I WAS doing most of the flying by myself (even though there was a co-pilot with me) I was taking off and landing without his help. That is how close I was to soloing. I even did the written test and I believe I got the highest in my class, a 98%. Flying is extremely expensive, but I don't know what it costs for a lesson now since its been so long since I have even been in a plane (even as a passenger). Like I said before, helicopters are a lot harder to fly so I suggest trying small airplanes first. And if I remember right, helicopter lessons are much more expensive than airplane lessons.

Back when I was a teenager, I wanted to get a pilot's license then too - just for a regular airplane. When I called a local flight school and asked them how much, the price just to get the airplane license pretty much floored me. So being naive and thinking perhaps it would be *cheaper* to learn to fly a helicopter, I asked him how much that would cost - IIRC it was 2.5-3x more expensive. Yikes! But these days I am a lot less fascinated by airplanes than I have become about the workings of helicopters, hence my renewed interest.

I would *love* to learn how to fly a plane, it's one of my ambitions.

i always wanted to one day own a jetliner when i was a small child.
i liked the boeing 707 the best for too many reasons to state here.

when i was under 13, i rode in many planes, and my father always asked a stewardess if i could get a cockpit tour.
the flight deck crew were always happy to have me come and see their cockpit. some captains were nice enough to let me ride in the jump seat all the way to landing.
i asked many questions and learned the guages and what they were for, and the methods of flying and descending in steps and intercepting VOR's to join vectors of approach, and ILS systems etc.

i rode in the cockpit of a DC-4 once for about 2 hours.
other planes i went into the cockpit during flight were a DC-9 and a 727 and a 707 and a 747.
the crew of the 747 did not really want me in the cockpit so i stayed there for about 5 mins, but the crew of the 727 let me sit in a jump seat and they landed with me strapped into the jump seat. i really like 727's.

anyway, my childhood fantasy as i went to sleep was to get a cargo configuration 707 airplane, and pay for it's maintenance and upkeep, as well as pay me a handsome salary asi flew cargo to all parts of the world.
i envisaged having a living quarters on my plane with about 5 rooms (bedroom, kitchen, entertainment room, office and bathroom(ie a bath and shower and toilet in a reasonable sized room). the rest of the space in my plane would be consigned to cargo.

i saw recently an ad in an airline magazine for a 727 that was going for $900,000

what a stunning plane although it was on the drawing boards in 1959.

my favourite plane of all time was the xb-70 experimental aircraft that was being developed in 1961. it was designed to fly at 70,000 ft at mach 3. i do not like small fighter planes, but the xb-70 had the potential of being adapted to be a commercial airliner.
it was bigger and more powerful than the concorde. i may be wrong, but i think it's engines produced more thrust than any other aircraft in history.
maybe the A380 is more powerful now, and i will check that soon.

here are some pics of the XB-70.












what a plane that is now 48 years old.
they only made 3 and one crashed and 2 are in a museum now.

I was always much more into the military side of things... not sure if I ever really had any particular favorites, though in general all of the fighters appealed to me (F-14, 15, 16 & 18).

On the civil side, the airlines were all cool but the small planes I thought were interesting were the Beechcraft Bonanza (its the small single engine plane with the butterlfy tail) and later on, the Beechcraft Starship (without a doubt the coolest looking business plane ever, at least in my opinion).

To whomever mentioned that they want to be an airline pilot but can't afford it, I hope you realize that in the U.S. at least, students at flight school are eligible for student loans (not that I'd recommend student loans and all of their debt to anyone, I just bring it up because it is an option). Problem with becoming an airline pilot is getting a pilot's license and all of the necessary ratings (multi-engine, commercial, instrument, etc.) isn't enough - you'll need a lot of flight time which means working for a lot of smaller companies first. Even then, you'll start as a co-pilot and have to work your way up, and with pilots being unionized at all the big airlines, seniority comes into play quite a bit.

I figured I could justify the outlay of cash to get the helicopter license if I could take people on tours on the weekends or something to recoup the investment and have a way to fly regularly and not have it cost me anything. But then I discovered that to fly paying passengers requires the commercial license as well, which is even more money to obtain. The financial barrier to entry is just too high. And getting the license with no way to get paid to fly is a financial black hole - the initial lessons for the basic license are expensive, but its nearly as expensive to rent a helicopter for an hour as it is to take a lesson for an hour - in other words, you can get your license but the only way to do anything with it is to spend even more money.

I have not been a pilot, but I want to be. My dream job is to fly cargo planes and ferry packages and mail to differant parts of the country(ies) and to have a Cessna in place of a car.

I live near a small airport, and they do have lessons, but boy are they expensive! Maybe I can help out around there and do small jobs in exchange for lessons? I don't mind the expense, maybe my caseworker might be able to help me out as technically its job training...

I am holder of glider pilot licence for 20 years, more than 1000hr without significant incident. Most beautiful sport what I know. I had not problems with learning to fly, only minor problems with "oversteering". I found driving a car more difficult.

_________________
Castaway on Earth.
Excuse my English, please. My real name is H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N

I know this is a slightly old thread, but I feel that it would be better than starting a new one.

I've been on and off with fascination with plane as such, especially the bigger jet airliners. One of the highlights of flying from Sydney to Christchurch when I was ten was the fact that we flew in a 747 and I had never flown in one before. Now that Qantas has A380s, I'll have to keep them in mind next time I go down-under.

I started doing flying lessons in a Cessna 172 late last year and then really started to get into them earlier this year once a cheaper Cessna 152 was available, and just completed my first solo. The first solo is a huge hurdle, and the hardest part was mentally preparing for it, especially when it was postponed a few times.

A lot of flying a plane does involve checklists and routines. Once you're lined up with end of the runway on the downwind, call the tower, cut the power, and bring in 10 degrees of flaps and trim, carb heat on. Turn 90 degrees. Bring in more flaps on the base. Turn 90 degrees. Adjust pitch and airspeed on final. Get into ground effect. Cut power, pitch up slightly, let the plane settle while using rudder to remain straight. Call tower to taxi, flaps up, transponder to standby, carb heat off, lean the mixture, and taxi back to the runway to do it again

I'v always been interested in flying aswell, i've been watching 'A chopper is born on TV and some of the plane ones, the presenter is funny, and builds them which I love,

http://www.i2itelevision.com/a-plane-is-born.php
http://www.i2itelevision.com/programmes/aplaneisborn/
http://www.i2itelevision.com/programmes ... ammes.html

This is the whole series of series, building everything, i'm very supprised as I wasn't aware of all these

http://www.i2itelevision.com/programmes.php

I am going to be a pilot when I am older.