snowbunny

do you fly out of Georgetown or Bergstrom? or other?

smeg

I live by the beach (even if it is on the North Shore, and hardly Florida!), fell in love and am getting maried, have two dogs, a half decent car and am in a position in work that I love and pays me enough to be comfortable.

None of this I had in the UK, and couldn't see getting for a lot longer than the two point something years I've been here!

TimFountain

Georgetown. Mainly Cessna 172R the new 172SP. Also fly a Piper Arrow. Favourite $100 hamburger destination is Fredericksburg. Flying over the lakes is awesome, as is downtown. Often land at Bergstrom for ILS practice, the 12,000 ft runway is just about long enough for a 172!

- Tim

anotherlimey

If you don't mind me asking.... how much did it cost you from start to finish (your PPL)?

TimFountain

I dare not add it up, but with the 4-month break due to our son arriving, and only being able to afford to fly once a week, I was at about 70 hours when I took the flying part of the test. I think I paid about $8-$10K. You need a legal minimum of 40 hours, of which 30 must be dual instruction. The average amount of hours before the instructor will sign you off is about 63. You can train in a number of different plane's, below is the price per hour for planes at my local school:-

Cessna 152 2 Seater, mid 70's $59
Cessna 172N 4 Seater, Mid 80's $89
Cessna 172R 4 Seater, 2001 $129
Cessna 172SP 4 Seater, 2005 $139

I addition you need you will need to take your medical, 3rd class, good for 2-3 years (depending on age) $70-$100 before you can sols. Written exam $70 and skills test (oral exam and airwork) $200. Finally you will need an instructor, you will pay $25-$35 PH for primary training. Here's a decent link :-
http://www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/PPLcosts.html

A couple of points, join the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) they are THE organization for pilots, it is $23 PA, and includes a monthly training mag and free legal/medical and other advice and loads of online resources (flight planning, weather, tips) etc.
Another must, due to litigious nature of flying in the US is renters insurance. The plane you rent will be covered by insurance, but a clause in most insurance policies will leave you open for both a high excess (think >$5000) and it is a universal practice for the original insurer of the plane (the one the school buys their insurance from) to sue you to recover their losses. A simple landing accident with bent landin gear, a few broken runway lights and a prop strike will be well north of $50K to fix, which YOU would be liable for without renters insurance. This will cost about $100-$150 PA, depending on level of coverage. Finally don't forget about life insurance, most policies don't pay out if you have a very bad day....

PM me if you have any questions.

- Tim

gruffbrown

Spending every other day going to a store the size of a small village in England and immersing myself in tools and building materials, it makes B&Q look like a hardware store.....'Home Depot' of course

gruffbrown

I'm after a MGA bob, one day....expensive parts though

cindyabs

Well Home Depot and Loew's set my husband's heart a flutter. They are located in the same "strip" so you go to one you just HAVE to go to another,

gruffbrown

Same here, I just got so used to HD, I can walk around blindfolded, Lowes confuses me, although they sell more of a selection of 'pretty' stuff as opposed to building materials

ImHere

I spent a wonderful afternoon a couple of weeks ago slavering over the generators in HD and Lowes until finally picking a little 5500watt beaut and sticking it in the back of my 5.5 litre stupidly large truck. I can honestly say I wouldnt have had a back up generator, a 30 foot RV and a 5.5 litre truck and hauled it all over the countryside back in the UK. Not sure if this was a dream fullfilled allthough it is very enjoyable.

Oh I have also fullfilled the goal of having my name as my cars license plate. And for the princely sum of $100. And I ate 4 whole baby back ribs in one sitting at the local rib-eatery all you can eat gorge-a-thon once, which seemed to impress the locals.

gruffbrown

....you're kidding?

cindyabs

If he meant 4 slabs, I'm impressed. If it's 4 ribs then it's back to amateur level,

gruffbrown

I think he meant 4 slabs.......... My stepson can demolish a rack without blinking, we have to hose him down afterwards though!

snowbunny

My brother has his licence and was able get some of the hours through the University's Flying Club -- they own their own plane. He and a friend flew to Bermuda a few years back -- through the Triangle of course.

I've been up through Georgetown.... untie the plane from the grassy ground as if it were a horse.

The key to keeping costs as low as possible is sharing hours, especially multi-engine. I would try to get my own licence but I would probably fail the physical. (long story)

ImHere

Correct 4 whole slabs. I thought I was going to be seriously ill and wasnt hungry the entire next day.