What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

Got my float add on right after my check ride, rented a XP on straight Edos for a little. Shortly after I did some long cross countries, bought my first plane and flew it across the country low n' slow VFR.
 
Complex, High Performance, and tailwheel endorsement. Did some weekend formation flying trips to some cool places with groups of pilots. Took a lot of friends flying and flew girlfriends to dinner to build up the cross country hours for the Instrument rating. All of it to build up enough time for the commercial.
 
First thing I did was to get checked out in a 172 (I had done all if my training in a Warrior). Very shortly after that I did my tail wheel endorsement followed by complex/HP while working on my Instrument Rating.
 
GreenSkies11 said:
So in a dream world, I guess learning Acro would be top on my list?? Which I guess also includes Tailwheel?
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Between PP and IR, I took an 8 lesson intr o to aerobatics in a Citabria, it was great fun!
 
pretty sure there's another (lengthy) thread on the same subject, but I'm just enjoying flying around, VFR. The beach, take a bud golfing, find a place to have lunch. great stuff, but I really need access to a faster plane so I can make some longer trips, to FLA, NJ, etc...
 
After I got my PP cert I used the privileges to sight see and travel across the state. After too many trips across the state were cancelled due to weather my wife suggested that it was time to get my IR. I did that, too. PP at 49, IR at 59. I've flown (and landed) in Washington (where I live), Oregon, Wyoming and Hawaii. I've offended the airspace of Idaho, but haven't landed there.

It's great fun.
 
I bought a plane before I finished... post finishing I flew as much as possible and spent 3 months redoing the interior. Now I hang around and wait for the weather to improve. I think I've flown 40 hours in the last 4 months, which isn't enough.
 
Started working on my commercial. Too old for the airlines and not interested anyway.

Bob Gardner
 
When I got my glider, I took anybody who would go up with me and showed them what I love. After I got my Single I did roughly the same thing but would take people places for lunch and show them around.

Definitely grab any chance I get to fly upside down which is 3 or 4 times so far.
 
First thing was take family for rides, then I took some friends from school for rides which is what I probably enjoy the most at this point..being able to take people who otherwise would not get the opportunity to fly a chance. And then take XC's here and there. Mostly just fly around my local area for right now and enjoy the flying!
 
Went flying with anyone who would go with me. Took a break for 20 years,to raise a family . When I came back have owned several airplanes. Can't get enough flying,got all my ratings ,hold an ATP. Still flying all I can. Loving every minute in the air.
 
Instantly started on my float rating in my own plane, which was on floats and wasn't available for my wheels checkride. Got my rating and still had to fly off several more dual hours for the insurance company. Those were fun times.
 
I got in a Cessna 150 with my buddy from the college flying club (a far more experienced pilot -- he had 75 hours to my 60 and had been a rated pilot for almost six weeks) and flew 1200 miles to Bozeman MT for the 1970 NIFA National Air Meet. Then I continued building total time to meet the then 200-hour minimum for the IR (long since removed) as well as the 50-hour PIC XC requirement by flying wherever and whenever I could.
 
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High power, complex, and TW endorsement.

I solo'd a glider, but moved away from the gliderport before getting my rating.

I was certified pilot in 1977 at seventeen years old. I think it cost about $600.00 :lol:
 
Got my PPL then within 30 days got my HP endorsement, bought a plane then flew it from Florida to California. Racked up 250 hours in my first year then got my Instrument rating and been using it for travel ever since. Just got home last night from a work trip that turned a 8 hour drive into a 2:45 flight! I was home in bed while the rest of the team that drove was stuck in a hotel somewhere mid route as we got done late.

...that and $100 Clam Chowder runs to Half Moon Bay!

Mountain Flying course is next on my list then aerobatics this summer.
 
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i can honestly say going through the whole PPL training and earning the license was one of the best things I've ever done.
 
What did I do after the PP ticket was issued? Flew to a couple of fly-ins and then quit flying for about 3 years, lol. Got back into it with one BFR flight then used the aircraft to do a marriage proposal to my (now) wife. Had the ticket for a while, haven't done much with it since I got it (barely over the 50hrs TT mark).
 
[semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

Take disco flight => join flying club => get PPL => take aerobatic lessons => get IR => fly a lot, including POA flyins => buy half an airplane => fly a lot more => develop genetic heart problem => have open heart surgery => ruminate on getting out of the business or dumping a big bucket of cash into getting medical back

I miss flying, I miss the fly-ins. But, I'm presently taking with someone interested in my share.

Way it rolls, sometimes.
 
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Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

Bill Jennings said:
Take disco flight => join flying club => get PPL => take aerobatic lessons => fly a lot, including POA flyins => buy half an airplane => fly a lot more => develop genetic heart problem => have open heart surgery => ruminate on getting out of the business or dumping a big bucket of cash into getting medical back

I miss flying, I miss the fly-ins. But, I'm presently taking with someone interested in my share.

Way it rolls, sometimes.
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Well, you can tell by the way I fly
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Engine loud and cabin warm
I've been kicked around since I was born

And now it's all right, it's okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The Wright Brothers effect on man...
 
Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

EdFred said:
Well, you can tell by the way I fly
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Engine loud and cabin warm
I've been kicked around since I was born

And now it's all right, it's okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The Wright Brothers effect on man...
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ed, I needed that. I think :confused:
 
Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

Bill Jennings said:
Thanks, Ed, I needed that. I think :confused:
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It will be stuck in your head all day....

Whether you're a mother or whether you're a brother,
you're stayin alive.
 
Got my ticket last week. . .this week I started on my high performance endorsement.

Soon as that is out of the way I'll start using the XP to gather up cross country hours.
 
GreenSkies11 said:
What did you guys do (or plan to do for other students pilots) once you got your license?

Just enjoy the freedom to fly around the area?
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One of my main flying activities was drilling long holes in the sky. I just like to fly. Going somewhere was never high (no pun) on the priority list. The whole point was to fly.


GreenSkies11 said:
Start planning long trips and use flying as a method to actually travel??? (As somebody who has barely soloed, i seem to have forgotten that airplanes can be used for legit travel.)
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I did some a couple of business trips and took my father a few times to visit relatives.



GreenSkies11 said:
Work directly on IFR Training? Or Commercial? Or Multi? Aiming for Official Airline Pilot maybe?
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I added the Instrument rating soon after the private. But I got it sooooo long ago that I had to get the required amount of XC time - I couildn't go right from the private to the instrument rating.
 
Immediately after I flew across the country from Long Beach in a rented Arrow to visit family and friends back east. When I got home from that trip I bought a turbo normalized Beech Travelair and used it to commute between two jobs I had in Long Beach and Catalina, as well as use it at the job in Long Beach as an aircraft mechanic getting parts and giving rides home to customers dropping off their plane. I got a photo business contract to do low level aerial photo & video surveying out west for a geologist looking for minerals.
 
Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

EdFred said:
It will be stuck in your head all day....

Whether you're a mother or whether you're a brother,
you're stayin alive.
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The only BeeGees song I liked. Stayin' Alive is actually significant in two ways:



  1. It talks about life's struggles and in the late 70's many Americans could relate. At that time American steel and heavy industries were just dying off leaving many families wondering how they would "stay alive", and that is why this song resonated so well at that time. Several articles have been written on this song.
  2. The "beat" to this song is right in the proper range for chest compressions during CPR. If you ever have to give chest compressions, sing "Stayin' Alive" and compress to the beat, and you'll be doing the right thing.
 
Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

EdFred said:
Well, you can tell by the way I fly
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Engine loud and cabin warm
I've been kicked around since I was born

And now it's all right, it's okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The Wright Brothers effect on man...
Click to expand...

Stayin' aloft
Stayin' aloft

Ah, ah, ah, ah

Stayin' aloft
 
My first 90 days after earning my private involved taking up my wife as my first passenger for a local flight, checking out in 3 additional makes and models at 2 different airports and 4 cross country flights with my wife.

The cross countries included one of my favorites: flying out of norther Connecticut, we spent out anniversary having lunch on Nantucket and dinner on Martha's Vineyard, after which we flew home.
 
Let's see...

  • Flew "just because I can" trips around to see sights, etc.
  • Took dad on lunch
  • Took friend flying
  • Fantasized about buying plane
  • Attempted (and failed) to convince girlfriend to go flying with me
  • Started working on PIC XC requirements
  • Started IR training
  • Finished IR training and checkride
  • Flew a couple hours actual
  • Stopped flying for a bit because:
    • Scheduling issues (whenever I have free time, the plane's not available... the joy of being a weekend rental warrior)
    • Saving up some money
That's where I'm at right now. Haven't flown in about a month - went up late last month to work on commercial solo night requirements (as if I'll ever get the commercial - sitting at about 160 TT). Was going to go to a fly-in lunch last weekend, but then weather turned to crap and also the plane went down for maintenance :dunno:


I'd really like to go flying more, but right now I've got more pressing issues.
 
Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

Bill Jennings said:
The "beat" to this song is right in the proper range for chest compressions during CPR. If you ever have to give chest compressions, sing "Stayin' Alive" and compress to the beat, and you'll be doing the right thing.
Click to expand...

I actually prefer "Another One Bites the Dust" for this purpose... :goofy:
 
Re: [semi-rant]Re: What did you do after you got your Private Pilot License?

ajyeary said:
I actually prefer "Another One Bites the Dust" for this purpose... :goofy:
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Yah, I'd love to be the guy laying there while the EMT sings THAT to me. :yikes:
 
Oh yeah, training wise was my PPME for the plane, and I started training some aerobatics.
 
GreenSkies11 said:
For sure the first person I plan to take flying with me is my Dad. He was always encouraging and loves airplanes. I need to get that license just to take him up, if nothing else!
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yup, it was very rewarding for me to be able to take my parents up for the first time. mostly because they're my parents but also because I honestly never thought they'd go, but they did and they loved it and they can't wait to get back up!
 
Probably like most people the first thing I wanted to do was take a passenger (victim) up. That was my wife and in my eagerness to take my first passenger I don't think I thought it through too well as it was kind of windy and turbulent and I think, for her first time in a small airplane, I scared the crap out of her oops :nono:

I learned later to be more careful about that, especially for first timers. They aren't used to getting tossed around like that.
 
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