Nope. Not an option.Originally Posted by dewi8095
Nope. Not an option.
I am not sure where you are located but Chris will come to you within reason. He wants to get a traveling training center going, with multi gyro's and some fixed wing. There are those working on this. It takes forums like this to keep others posted as to what is happening in your area and how it might help others.
He told this story when I met him. He said I was cruising along at 9500' and called ATC asking for Flight Following and the the tower said....You are what kind of airplane?
It's kind of hard to give you any help of nearby instruction when neither of you say where you are.
I believe Chris Lord is from up by the Quad City IL. area if that helps any. I am more central IL.
I'm in a location where there is no sport pilot CFI within 150 miles. Where specifically, is irrelevant, since there are neither local instructors, nor any interest in what everyone around here calls a "worthless ticket".
I'm not sure what these CFI's are talking about when they say "worthless ticket" but apparently they aren't too smart. I wouldn't fly with them just based on that. More than likely they're "hour hogs" looking to fill their log book to qualify for their next job. I'd get in touch with your local EAA chapter and look for a competent CFI through them. Sport pilot is a great cert that simplifies flying for a great many of us. As a private pilot who flies as a sport pilot I'd say these so called CFI's are way off the mark. The FAA did a great service to GA by granting the sport pilot cert, not because it allows some pilots to fly that can't get medicals (as asserted by another poster) but because it allows basic flight with a minimum of effort to be safe. I fly sport because my airplane qualifies and have never been hampered conforming to the regs. If you were in east Texas I'd go get my rating and teach you. Maybe you can find somebody to do that up your way?
I completely agree with you that they were "way off the mark" and anyone who has that kind of attitude wouldn't get a cent from me for any service.
The one guy that told me "I don't waste my time with that sport pilot crap, because I can't make any money off of it, and you can't do anything with it" got a rather indignant response from me. He was the only one I went to visit in person, and seeing both the look on his face, and the body language he displayed really rubbed me the wrong way. Add that to the disdainful attitude and dismissive tone of voice, and I couldn't stop myself. I told him, "You are not doing me a favour by teaching me something I don't want, can't use, and wouldn't need, just because you feel like it is necessary I give you money for it. To the contrary, it is my money, hard-earned, and I decide where I spend it." He stood there with his mouth open, and told me that he wouldn't fly me around the pattern, and walked away. If there were a way for me to post advertisements for people to avoid this airfield, I would do it, but I don't think it's worth the effort. I'm pretty sure that he fawns over people who fly in with Citations or Mooneys, and barely tolerates the Cessna and E-AB folks.
The entire point of my original post was to point out that as an interested, prospective student, the antipathy and disdain for what could be the best thing in aviation since the invention of the propeller, is driving people away. If GA wants to save itself, then the people who are "in" have to not only want new people to come in, but encourage them to do it instead of taking this "I got mine on my own, and paid my dues by washing planes for 15 minutes of pattern work so you have to do the same thing" attitude. GA is dying. It's dying because of the inherent "I don't like new things" attitude across the board. That's not only disappointing, but discouraging.
Unfortunately, I am actively considering giving up the idea of pilot training entirely, mostly because of the people in my local area. There is a local flying club, and the first thing they wanted from me before they'd even explain anything about the club was a bank statement. (no joke). The local EAA chapter is full of old men who clearly don't like anyone under 40. My visit to their private airfield and meeting was very unpleasant and unenjoyable. I mostly sat there and watched several discussions about the current situation in Congress, and heard some things that made my skin crawl. On top of that, they all wondered why I was at their 'private' meeting. The first two questions I got were "Who are you?" and "What are you doing here?" (both questions asked in a very suspicious tone) I told them I was interested in learning more about aviation, and was told "well, go get your pilot's license and then come back." (one of them said exactly that). The closest FBO is all about money. They keep the entrance gate from the parking lot locked, and to even get on the airport, you have to use the little phone at the gate to call the office and explain why you want to come inside before they'll buzz the gate open. Not very friendly or inviting. Unless you drive up in a new Mercedes.
I have a friend I took some lessons from 20 years ago in a city about 100 miles away, but he is now a "pilot for hire" and doesn't teach any more. I asked him about the sport pilot cert, and he said he "didn't know much about it, and while it sounded 'okay' " wouldn't I rather "get my ATP so I could get paid for flying?" (If I wanted that, I would have made it my career and gone to an aviation college 20 years ago) It's almost like the people who are currently pilots don't want anyone new coming in and poaching on their patches...
I apologize for being such a negative Nellie, but the whole thing has me disgusted. I've looked at a lot of websites about LSA planes, and there are a few of them that would be perfect for me. Many of them come in kits, a bunch of them were under $80K, and almost all of them had some glass cockpit feature. I like to think I'm pretty handy, know my way around most tools, and could probably build a pretty good airplane, but I'd have to do it completely on my own, with no one to turn to for advice, or other resources. I've read flight reviews of all of the ones that interested me, and I even tracked down a local guy who owns one of the ones I was looking at, and exchanged a few really good emails with him, right up to the point where I asked when he was going to take his plane out again, because I'd like to come see it. Haven't heard a thing from him since. I think he might have thought I'd want to touch it or something.
People want to know why GA is dying? It's dying because many of the folks who are involved in it don't want anyone new to come in, unless there's something in it for them.
It doesn't have to be that way, but it is.
Last edited by Tessmacher; 10-12-2013 at 09:47 PM.
This is not unusual. Many private clubs (not just flying clubs) do this. You want to make sure prospective members can pay their bills.
The described animosity toward SP on the part of FBO's & CFI's is generally correct. A flight school at my airport (SBP) refuses to give already-licensed Sport Pilots a Biannual Flight Review because "We don't consider it a real license". So consider this: she will let a 0-hour PP student fly her airplane but not a 500 hour licensed SP!
An important note about the above comment regarding insurance: when you are a student of any class flying with a CFI, you are not PIC (pilot in command). The PIC is who is on the insurance policy for the rental. This info comes from 2 different FSDO's. This also holds true if your license has lapsed and are taking a flight review for currency.
C'MON CFI's, GET A GRIP!!
Update: I think the Instruction component of the situation has resolved itself...
A bit of background...
Back when I started taking instruction (early 1990s) I went with a friend to a small, local fly-in in another state. It was one of those breakfast things, and hanging out with other pilots for a while. I met a guy who was an instructor at that airfield, and we stayed in touch. It was a bit far for me to travel regularly, so I never took instruction with the guy, but I did run into him at other fly-ins, barbecues, and such from time to time. When I had to stop (marriage, family, job, etc) flying, I lost touch with all my pilot friends, and now, 20 years later, almost all of them have either moved on or have gone on West...
Late last week, I was working on researching something for a friend, and totally unrelated to anything having to do with flying, I ran across a mention of the pilot-CFI-guy I knew back then. I thought about it for a bit, felt it might be worth it to reconnect, and decided to get in touch. Turns out that he's retired from his day-job and now is a part-time CFI just for the fun of it. He just bought one a PiperSport/SportCruiser LSAs about a year ago, and would not only be willing to fly to me (around 80 SM) but can teach Sport Pilot, since he has an LSA!
I was just about ready to give up, and here fell in my lap the answer to my dilemma!
Now all I have to do is convince the other half that I want to start up flying again... Ha! That's going to be a tougher sell than it was back in the day.
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