flight school

[MountainManJoe]

I haven't been posting too much lately. The Astro isn't getting enough love, and here's why ...



This is me after my first solo flight a few weeks ago. Presently I have 33 hours and counting ...

[doyoulikeithere]

That is Awesome News !! Congratulations.

Now you need to trade in the ol Astro on a plane????
I assume that is the plane you have been soloing in? Looks Nice.
Cessna 170?
the register says C-GDDU is a Mooney M20J? but thats not what I see in the pic... ??
Maybe I read the tail # wrong?

[T.Low]

[MountainManJoe]

GQOU 1979 Cessna 152 with very low hours on it. It's my favourite plane in the fleet. Light, sporty, responsive controls and a fuel sipper.

I couldn't even buy a propeller with my van's trade-in value.

[doyoulikeithere]

I couldn't even buy a propeller with my van's trade-in value.

Check this awesome island flight video out, its beautifull... http://vimeo.com/53986934?action=share
BTW, C-152 is the first aircraft I ever had a flight in, even got to take the controls for a couple o minutes, at age 8.

[CaptSquid]

I am SOOOOOOOO jealous! I can't pass a flight physical because of everything going wrong with my corpus delecti.

Now, where do you wind up the rubber band in that dinky thing?

[Kidhauler]

That's so cool. Are you going for your comercial pilot or recreational?

My ex brother inlaw had a Cessna but he was a certified aircraft mechanic so he could work on it himself. The expensive part of owning a plane is having to get a mechanic every time anything needs to be done to it. Good luck with your lessons if you get the chance fly over to chilliwack airport for some pie.

[MountainManJoe]

Yes, after I finish my private license, I plan to go for the commercial license as well as floatplane endorsement. Then, off I go to the Canadian wilderness flying bush planes and chasing adventure.

I don't think I'll be buying anytime soon. Aircraft maintenance is very dear, and even if you can fix it yourself, you still have to pay for parts and tools. You can't just go get them from Homeless Despot. Everything has to be certified aviation grade. (cha ching) One mechanic usually doesn't do everything anyway. You have maintenance engineers, structural engineers, powerplant engineers etc.... Each is a separate certification. However, there is the option of sharing a plane.

I heard about the pie in Chilliwack. Can't wait to try it.

[mdmead]

Very cool!

[thegreenmachine]

I take my kids there for pie every so often, it is good. only a 5 minute drive for me too!

[Great A'Tuin]

Way to go!
When I was a kid my folks first had a Piper TriPacer ( learned to fly in it) and then a Cessna 190 (upgraded w/ R755 Jacobs).
The Cowling for the original Continental engine still hangs in my carport!
Someday I really want to go back for my license.

[MountainManJoe]

The Tripacer looks almost identical to the planes we fly, and that Cessna 190 is just a thing of beauty.

It's never too late to git 'er done. The age distribution at my school is very diverse... 15-60

[MountainManJoe]

My cousin from Europe was recently in town, so I had the opportunity to take her and her bf on a scenic flight up to Sechelt and back, and get some instrument training along the way. She was so moved by her stay here in Vancouver, she actually wept as she said goodbye at the airport.

Anyway, I recorded the whole flight in HD so you can watch it too. It starts in Pitt Meadows, then through Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam/Port Moody to Burrard Inlet, following it to West Vancouver. Across Howe Sound, past Denman Island, along Sunshine Coast, and on the way back I fly over downtown Vancouver. The large body of water you see off the coast is the Juan de Fuca Straight and you can see some more gulf islands, and coastal mountains in the distance. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVuyZe5Gfxw[/youtube]

Skip ahead to 14:00 if you don't care for pre-flight checks, briefings, run-ups, taxiing etc...

[astrozam]

I've never even been in a plane, but that looks like a blast...

[97CargoCrawler]

Pretty cool. A plane like that costs about as much as a small house here. I used to do aerial photography from a Cessna...my hearing will never be quite the same. What? Speak up!