General Aviation

[Munchiez 74]

As some of you may or may not know, I am a student pilot here in Virginia. General aviation is a passion of mine and I'm wondering if any of you fly? If so, what kind of airplane and what certification do you have? This thread is open to all aviation interests and pictures. Tell us your stories and accomplishments.

Ive logged about 12 hours in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk XP II. Soloing next month!

home airport: KVJI

First time I took a friend up was in the C172, I'm on the right in the blue.

That's me next to our Beechcraft

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Boy, and I thought yachting was an expensive hobby.  I don't fly but in my heyday I've had three yachts.  The definition of yacht sailing is "standing in a cold shower, going slowly nowhere in particular ripping up twenty-dollar bills."  As sports go, after the capital investment, the main cost in yachting is a new suit of sails, which for a 30 foot boat can run upwards of ten grand (or could in 1990 when I sold my last boat.)

 

Are you aiming for a career as an airline pilot?

[Munchiez 74]

Ah, yachting is always fun! I've been on a smaller sailboat in Florida a time or two. I'm not looking for a career in the airlines, I am working on getting my private pilots license because I want to travel the country during the summers in the cessna and use it for a means for transportation for business where my father and I go on a regular basis. It is also a great hobby and very satisfying whenever you fly, it's like no other experience out there!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

3D navigation is difficult for me because I am monocular.  I could never qualify for a pilots license.

[Munchiez 74]

Have you flown in a cessna or any general aviation aircraft before? It is such a fun thing to do.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Yes and in sail-planes too.  It is one way to get up by supplying fuel money to aviation students.  Must say it was entirely thrilling.

 

I've also done some commercial hops in some very small planes like the DeHavilland original dash 8 which seated 8.  Flown with Bearskin Airlines from Buttonville to Elliott Lake, Ontario.  These guys were bush pilots at the time, and they would get you there no matter what.

 

Biggest airship I've ever flown on was an Air France 747, long, long ago.

 

Biggest sailing vessel I've ever conned was Playfair.  A bastard rigged sail training vessel 64 feet 9 inches overall.  Coping with square sails is kind of like flying an old biplane.  You con by the luff of the foretopsail.  Quite an experience.  My power squadron supported the sail training association by chartering that boat for an evening once a year.  Generally the training crew let us run her mostly.

[Munchiez 74]

That is very interesting indeed. I would love to learn how to sail. It's a crazy dream of mine to sail across the Atlantic solo. It's a silly notion.

The Dash-8s are great airplanes. I love Piper Cubs, nice light bush planes are the best!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Don't think you can fit skis on a Piper Cub?  No problem on a Dash 8.

 

To learn to sail you first have to learn the ropes (literally).  {Watch out!  I teach Seamanship Sail.}

[Munchiez 74]

Oh yes! Skis are popular on cubs, I saw some on a carbon cub at my airport:

 

Don't think you can fit skis on a Piper Cub?  No problem on a Dash 8.

 

To learn to sail you first have to learn the ropes (literally).  {Watch out!  I teach Seamanship Sail.}

I'd love to learn that too, I'll get my private pilots license first though before I move onto a new skill!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Neat.  Now that DH has stopped maintenance of the original bush planes there is an outfit in Vancouver that is getting rich maintaining Beavers and Otters.  These craft will outlive many others.

 

Found this article for you.

[Munchiez 74]

That's amazing. The De Havilland Beaver is an outstanding aircraft. I've not had the chance to fly one, however I have taken the cub for a spin and it lifts off the ground like a piece of paper. I'm not sure about the Beaver, though the DH does do well on floats, which it is made for!