I’m a dreaming wannabe at this point - 44 years old with 2nd of 3 kids in college, saving regularly each month to hopefully let the dream play out once the last one starts college in about 20 months. Here is my plan in the order I think (hope) it will happen, so I’m looking for some comments or affirmations that I am on the right track.
  1. Class III Medical – not terribly worried, but planning to lose 15 lbs to be sure the blood pressure doesn’t become a talking point.
  2. ASEL PPL lessons – hoping for ~6 months start to finish
  3. Purchase an EAB kit – looking at the AP SeaRey due to the functions it does well and my intended uses up north here
    • One concern I have is being near Albany, NY there is no easy way to rent an aircraft after I finish the PP certificate, so thinking of just keeping going with endorsements while I build – I have no interest in a club for various reasons. Doing an LSA just in case something medically related becomes a concern.

  4. Over the following 12 months - Tail wheel endorsement, ASES rating, maybe IFR training if I can afford it, and finish the kit and get it signed off
  5. Get type training from the manufacturer or another CFI out of state – nobody seems to have a SeaRey around here – but PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong as I’ve never seen one in person.
  6. Fly off the 40 hours for an uncertified EAB

I’m hoping this is a 2-3 year process. Waiting for the kids to be gone and the money to accumulate ahead of starting will hopefully allow me to stay on track. But who can predict what may come - I actually took lessons when I was 22 and soloed but ran out of money.
Did I miss anything, or anybody have stories they can share on how they achieved the dream of owning and flying your own bird? I have MSFS X and use that to help cure the flying bug a bit, but any thoughts on how to occupy my time or prepare for the journey besides watching everything I can find on YouTube and the FAA documents on flight training?

Oh yeah – one big thing I have been holding out on is telling the wife about the plan. She has known my passion for all things aviation for the 25 years we’ve been married and she even toted around during my 11 years in the Air Force despite my not being a flyer there. Any advice on approaching this with her without losing my cool when she says “ya, right - you already tried that” ?

Thanks for any and all comments.