Soloed years ago, wanting to get back flying

Got the itch again! Soloed (Musketeer) in 1976, got 100 hrs or so, but stopped flying due to $$ and my father dying due to an incorrectly built Starduster II (not ours). Trying to find my old logbook now...does it really matter? Been looking at a couple of LSA birds, but prefer something like a 150.... Costs, of course. And most of the home built LSAs seem to be a bit of a handful...due to light wing loading. Been looking at a Quickie and at a Taylorcraft, but $$ would be burned for flight time instead of for a bird/maintenance costs, limiting what I can do, if my old hours don't count anymore. Do hours transfer from the old log, or am I stuck with redoing all the hours? Last flight time was in Argentina with some friends in a Debonair, 4 hrs only, but did ok per the owner (a CFI) even tho much faster than what I typically flew ( the Mouse, Citabra, Monocoupe, Waco...last two not solo...family collection.). Any help appreciated. Derswede

It's not clear if you ever earned a pilot certificate or not. If not, find your old logbook/training records if at all possible and start from there.

yeah, it would be really important to me to find the old log book, its not required. Sounds like you were a student pilot and not a private pilot. You can start over and if you find your logbook someday store them together. In reality, probably 90% of the CFIs out there are still going to work you around 12 hours minimum (to solo) regardless of what your old logbook says since it has been so many years. And if you can shoe horn it into your budget, a skycatcher is a great LSA and flies almost identical to a C152.

Did not get to private, just hours flight time, X/Cs, etc. will look at a T-craft this week....hope it is within budget (everyone's problem!!). Just ttying to configure a plan on the budget side. I have a grass strip, 2500 ft long nearby. Hangers $140 a month. Thanks for the comments!Derswede

Yes, your old time counts towards the minimums so try to find your logbook, but mainly it'll be a matter of when your instructor thinks you're ready. But you'll be surprised how it comes back, it's like riding a bicycle, you never really forget.

As others have said before, all of that time is good and counts towards any certificate or rating, it's just not current.
What it would take to get current is hard to say. You will have to start from scratch and go through all the maneuvers and procedures, but you should pick things up fairly quickly, you hope.
A good instructor will want to see most, if not all of the required training for himself before he signs you off for the checkride.
Good luck

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Originally Posted by Derswede

I have a grass strip, 2500 ft long nearby. Hangers $140 a month.

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Where are you located?

Central NC, near GSO (Greensboro). Found another strip just a few miles further out and well away from the GSO airport...they have a good group of LSA pilots and lots of EAA members as well. N83 is close, Steele Field just a bit further out. One of the guys at Steele is a CFI and I will check with him ref. building some time.

Derswede

And found a taildragger CFI with a 170, so will start in that direction. Not LSA but I will get back in the air, build time and get comfortable again in a TD. Now if the budget can keep up with $175/hr rent/CFI costs......!

Derswede

If you're going for your private ticket, get your 3rd class medical out of the way. If you can find a LSA instructor to check you out and solo you, no need for the medical. I always recommend getting the medical done before flight training because if you do or don't pass, you can then decide whether or not to invest in your flight training.