New to the aviation world and the forum... ready to jump in and have questions!

[rick479479]

First time posting and new EAA member.

Got my medical a couple years ago (what a pain!) and it took months working with a very difficult AME and getting help from AOPA. I was working through the Gleim ground school at the time. The delay just really through me off and then other things (life in general) just got in the way. Long story short, but the time the medical came through I just wasn't in the right place anymore.

Finally got things back in order two years down the road. Let the medical lapse and never finished the Gleim course, but I'm ready to try again. However, this time I'm thinking of going the sport pilot license route.

So, questions...

1. It seems to me that the best way to approach this, if you have the resources, is to purchase an older model plane and do the training in it provided you can find an agreeable CFI. Thoughts?
2. So I have modest resources and can do this, but where the heck do you keep the plane? I can't find a local field anywhere that doesn't have a waiting list for a hangar (Dallas, TX area)! The pricing for hangar space seems a bit high as well, or is it just that I'm new and don't understand the cost of real estate for an empty shed on airport property ($200/mo or more for just about any T hangar I've seen).
3. I'm thinking of an Avid, Kitfox, Just Aircraft with folding wings and a trailer to keep it in my garage or in a storage rental as an alternative. Thoughts on the aircraft, strategy, or any other aircraft suggestions? Use of the aircraft would be my wife and I only for regional day trips or hops from dawn to dusk from TX to NV or IL for family visits. 420 lbs. just for people load and would need some room for a small suitcase... 550-600 lbs. useful load needed?
4. Anyone in the DFW area (I'm on the east side... Forney, TX) have any suggestions for a good sport license program/instructor? I've seen Grand Prairie, Addison, Denton, and Lancaster (iffy on Lancaster... training in an Ercoupe?... Not sure of the implications there with the unusual tail of the plane and possible transition issues to a traditional tail aircraft) while searching online. Grand Prairie and Lancaster are closest to me, Addison can be done, but I'd like to hear any commentary from anyone who is familiar with the facilities, instructors, pricing, etc.
5. Anything else that anyone would be willing to share that's gone through the same situation! I'm a sponge wanting to soak up everything I can from the experiences and knowledge of those that have "been there, done that"! If i don't have to reinvent the wheel I won't!

Thanks in advance for your input and sharing your wealth of knowledge!

[rwanttaja]

It seems to me that the best way to approach this, if you have the resources, is to purchase an older model plane and do the training in it provided you can find an agreeable CFI. Thoughts?

I personally don't recommend this approach. First, your training will be locked into the availability and condition of one airplane. If you take lessons using an FBO's airplanes, one mechanical issue is not going to stop your training.

Second, the airplane you want to fly for training is NOT necessarily what you want to be flying for the five years after that, and the plane you would like to own over the long term is not necessarily going to be a good training aircraft.

Third, training is hard on airplanes. Why subject your own aircraft to this?

Fourth, you don't have much of an aviation background (yet). This will make it harder to evaluate a potential purchase.

My recommendation is get your license, THEN start shopping for a plane.

So I have modest resources and can do this, but where the heck do you keep the plane? I can't find a local field anywhere that doesn't have a waiting list for a hangar (Dallas, TX area)! The pricing for hangar space seems a bit high as well, or is it just that I'm new and don't understand the cost of real estate for an empty shed on airport property ($200/mo or more for just about any T hangar I've seen).

Another argument for waiting to buy, and taking lessons in a rental aircraft. This gives you time to scout out the area and find what might be the best place to base the plane you eventually buy. You'll also form contacts in the aviation world that might help you find the right place.

There are ways to reduce the parking costs. If you get an all-metal airplane, you may be able to tie it down outside rather than go big-bucks for a hangar. You might be able to share a hangar and drop your costs in half that way. In any case, hangar costs are in inverse proportion to the distance from a major metropolitan area. If you don't mind driving 45 minutes to get to the airport, you can probably find a cheaper hangar.

I'm thinking of an Avid, Kitfox, Just Aircraft with folding wings and a trailer to keep it in my garage or in a storage rental as an alternative.

A lot of people think that, but very few actually do it. Folding wings, trailering, etc. are a hassle. Great for taking the plane to the garage to work on it, but ultimately, you'll get more out of the airplane if it's sitting at the airport ready to fly. Now, folding wings can be a great idea for saving hangar space, like when you share a hangar. I've known a couple of people who have done this...but none who have kept the plane at home and trailered it to the airport when they wanted to fly.

Ron Wanttaja

[1600vw]

Look at the smaller airfields in your area. Most have some spots open if you do not mind flying off grass. The rent will be cheaper, but the hangars are usually not as nice as what you would find and a bigger field. Get into one of these and sign up on a waiting list for the spot you want in a bigger field. I know a few people who have done this. I also know a couple men who purchased used airplanes and then did thier training in said airplane. They seem happy with the outcome.

Tony

[FlyingRon]

(The other) Ron makes excellent points, but frankly I do kick myself for not buying a plane earlier and not doing so while my wife was learning to fly.

There are some counter reasons:

1. It's your plane. You can leave your stuff in it. Whatever damage occurred in training is yours and not caused by some other flight student.
2. It's never going to be scheduled by another student/renter.
3. While trainers aren't always the dream long term airplane, you'll probably be in student mode for a while even after you get your license. There are some happy mediums like 172s and Cherokees that make good trainers and starter aircraft.
4. Most trainers don't ever get hangared, especially not in some place like Texas, so while hangars are nice, they're not essential.

[rick479479]

Thanks Ron, you make some interesting arguments and I'll certainly take them to heart. Appreciate the feedback!

[rick479479]

Thanks Tony.

Yeah, the ones I listed are the smaller airports in my area within about a 45 minute drive. I'm not sure if there is anything like a grass runway field anywhere remotely near me. I can live without "nice" if it gets me into the air and keeps the occasional hail off the plane, so I'll keep looking to see if there is something more accessible and reasonable.

[rick479479]

Some great counterpoints Ron. Point 1 never occurred to me, but it's certainly valid. Points 2 and 3 did occur to me and seem to be some of the stronger points. Once I get into this I want to get into this, and I don't want to wait in line any more than I have to. Didn't realize that trainers don't generally get hangared. With the brutal sun and the occasional hail out here I figured that it might almost be a requirement. I've looked at the local airports web pages and none of them mention tie down rental space. I guess just make a trip to each of them and ask about it is the best option. Thanks for your input!

[1600vw]

I would go to an EAA club in your area. Ask the members if they know of any hangar space open at any of their fields. I bet dollars to donuts you find a little out of the way strip you knew nothing about.

Tony

[Dana]

Rick, some thoughts:

Buying your own plane and getting somebody to teach you to fly it can be a good idea... but you should probably get a least some lessons in first, to get a better handle on what you want, and hanging around the airport means you'll be exposed to the characters that hang out there and the machines they fly. It'll give you a better sense of what interests you in a plane.

An older light plane (T-Craft, Champ, etc;, I'd say Cub but they're too expensive) can be a good choice. Older C-150s can be gotten cheap these days, too. So can many used homebuilts like the Kitfox/Avid types. Kolbs are another good choice. But "420 lbs. just for people load" will limit your choices and remember that "useful load" includes fuel.

With an Ercoupe the issue isn't the "unusual tail" but the interconnected rudder and ailerons (and lack of rudder pedals) that leads to a restriction on your pilot certificate if you don't take the checkride in a "normal" airplane. But many Ercoupes have been converted to conventional controls.

If you had trouble getting your last medical, you're probably wise to pursue a SP certificate and not apply for another medical.

Trailering a folding wing plane each time you fly can be a solution to expensive or unavailable hangars, but as others pointed out above it's a hassle. However, if you have an enclosed trailer you may be able to keep the plane in it at the airport for far less than normal hangar rent. I was paying $60/month for outside storage when hangars were $250. Unfolding and refolding is much less of a hassle than hooking up the trailer every time you want to fly... though once the weather got cold in the fall (probably not an issue in Dallas but it is in Connecticut) I'd save money by bringing the plane home until spring, occasionally hauling it to the airport if it happened to be a nice day for flying.

[Bill Greenwood]

Could you learn to drive a car or own a car if you did not have a garage for it? Of course, and same with a plane. A hangar is a nice thing to have, but a luxury not a necessity. I have owned and flown planes for 37 years and never owned a hangar. Just like a car, paint will suffer from sun exposure, but lots of planes sit outside.