Dusty Flight Bag

Check the bulletin boards at nearby airports and find some fly-ins to attend. It's perfectly acceptable to drive to a fly-in just to hang with plane folks.

Good luck!
 
I'll probably get laughed off the board, (so what else is new?) but Microsoft FSX helped me brush off some cobwebs as far as flying the instruments and dialing things in etc ...

Drive (or hitch a plane) up to Brenham on a pretty weekend and you can most likely jones a ride with somebody if you show interest and brag on their plane a lot.

I'll let you bust your tailwheel cherry in mine if you spring for the burgers. :) Edit in: Oh crap, am I holding out? damn. busted.
 
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Welcome to the boards! There's a lot of us in the Central and SE Texas area, so I have no doubt you will quickly find some other addicts to hang out with around here! :)

TxFlyer, I completely agree with you, and do the exact same thing. FSX is a fantastic thing and I love it! Oh, and I'll damn sure buy some burgers. Come awn!
 
FlyingIsGood said:
I'm well versed in FSX. Actually flew my full original checkride flight plan today (CXO-AEX) after finding it in my old paperwork.

I flew to Brenham multiple times (when I was still flying)l. Stopped by the diner at 11R for a burger earlier this year whilst driving through. Although, it might be a bit of a drive to just stalk pilots.

Where are you based? Burgers via tailwheel sounds good to me!!
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Based at Brenham.

Next time you plan to come, shoot me a PM and we'll coordinate. :)



 
Like to help ,but not in your area. Welcome to the board. Go to the local airport and find out where the pilots hang out.join the local Eaa chapter. Go to the local pancake breakfasts.keep trying ,you'll find them.
 
txflyer said:
I'll probably get laughed off the board, (so what else is new?) but Microsoft FSX helped me brush off some cobwebs as far as flying the instruments and dialing things in etc ...
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Any involvement with GA will help, whether that is reading books, listening to podcasts and yes, flying sims. In fact, I credit the latter with helping me pass my BFR in less than 3 hours after a 20+ year absence. Your results may differ, but any involvement is better than nothing. The sim is especially good at reinforcing a routine with flows, callouts, etc. Sim with online ATC and you can even practice your radio work.

I found better results using a quality payware aircraft model based on the plane I fly; it's not identicallly equipped but the basic checklist items are there. Best of luck to you!
 
txflyer said:
I'll probably get laughed off the board, (so what else is new?) but Microsoft FSX helped me brush off some cobwebs as far as flying the instruments and dialing things in etc ...

Drive (or hitch a plane) up to Brenham on a pretty weekend and you can most likely jones a ride with somebody if you show interest and brag on their plane a lot.

I'll let you bust your tailwheel cherry in mine if you spring for the burgers. :) Edit in: Oh crap, am I holding out? damn. busted.
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Forget the burgers, bring on the Bluebell..!!!!
 
Welcome!!
Get a local instructor and fly for an hour or two. Pick his brain.
 
I agree with FSX if you have it. Just to brush up on procedures/checklists and re-familiarize yourself with the panel and such. Maybe brush up on the FAR/AIM and look at an updated sectional for your area to review. After that, just find an instructor and schedule the BFR. The instructor can conduct a "refresher" lesson and the BFR at the same time. It may take an extra hour of air time, but I doubt it will take too much to get your wings back.
 
Find a local airport that is ACTIVE in GA. Talk to the locals and JUMP IN. Don't be shy. Spend as much time as you can at the airport.

Like any hobby, it takes involvement and effort.
 
FIG, welcome to Pilots of America! First off posting on POA is a good way to stay in touch with GA. Second as someone above mentioned we have a lot of pilots in Texas and I'm pretty sure several in the Houston Area. PJ Gustavson is one and I know there are others.

A good way to get started is to post in the Cool Places to Fly Forum for a Houston area get together. Look forward to seeing more of you on the board.
 
AdamZ said:
FIG, welcome to Pilots of America! First off posting on POA is a good way to stay in touch with GA. Second as someone above mentioned we have a lot of pilots in Texas and I'm pretty sure several in the Houston Area. PJ Gustavson is one and I know there are others.

A good way to get started is to post in the Cool Places to Fly Forum for a Houston area get together. Look forward to seeing more of you on the board.
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Thanks for the insight!
 
Many of us here have done the multi-year pause thing and then started flying again. Here's wishing you well in returning to flight.
 
FIG - I'm based out of KSGR and regularly make burger runs to CXO and 11R. I also happen to hang out with a surly crowd of pilots and a nationally recognized CFII. We'll just have to do our best to keep you out of one the seeming hundreds of Houston based partnerships that have representatives at every table in Brenham....

I'll shoot you a PM and we'll catch up.


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James331 said:
Nice 180 :yes:

Are those the knots2you HID wing tips?
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Thanks and affirmative. I had them put on when the Sportsman cuff went on.

Incredible illumination at night when landing plus they wig-wag.

I put two LED replacement lights in the old landing light nacelle and LED bulbs in the nav lights. People tell me it looks like the mother ship arriving. :)
 
FlyingIsGood said:
Hello All,

I'm a long-time lurker, and recent signup. I got my PPL in '04, but stopped flying in '06 (take your pick of excuses). I logged around 85 hours (checkride @45). I've maintained my medical over the years, and have done some of the online WINGS courses annually - just to keep myself SOMEWHAT in-the-loop (by no means do I consider that proficient).

Anyhow, I've recently dusted off the old flight bag, charts, books, paperwork, etc, and I'd like to get back involved in flying and aviation in general. My question is... what should I be doing/studying to prepare for getting current (BFR)? I'm not raining cash, so it would be slow process, but I'm tired of letting the days (years) pass by without doing something before I just let it go.

I feel that just being around GA would help immensely in getting my mindset back on track. I've read plenty of threads in this forum (and others) that recommend 'finding a flying buddy' or 'make some GA friends', etc. Problem is, I don't really know where to start in order to make that happen. I like the GA crowd in general, and wish I'd run across more of them in my daily life - if only to talk aviation. Unfortunately, I just haven't had such luck.

If anyone has any guidance on how to get my foot back in the aviation door, I'm all ears. My eyes are always looking up whenever I hear an aircraft flying above, and being away for so long has gnawed on me regularly.

I'm local to the Houston, TX area (mainly either South of the belt toward Galveston County, or just West of the belt).

Thanks in advance!
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I have lurked here too for well over a year... Your post made me sign up today. :)

I started flying at 14, solo'd on my 16th bday and got my license at 18. I flew for most of college and then let life get in the way... That was 10 years ago...

I am curious on how you are going about getting prepped for your bfr and getting back into currency. I'm struggling in this area mostly because I don't know where to start.

It was refreshing to hear someone else with such a similar story and I wish you luck on your journey.

TJ


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Check out the Bay Area Aero Club (bayareaaeroclub.org). They are based out of Pearland (KLVJ). Generally speaking, there are folks always hanging out around KLVJ.
 
Out 20 years. Got the medical and started working on the BFR in February. Got signed off in May after about 7ish hours and have been flying every couple of weeks since.

Some of the things I did was make friends with some local pilots one with a Waco the other with a J3. I have been invited to go to fly ins with them several times and have had some stick time in the J3.

Another guy at church is a pilot had an Aztec (got my first stick time in a twin). He just sold that and now has an SR22 and needs another pilot to fly with him to fly and look out the windows while he gets more familiar with the avionics. No problem, I can do that. :yes:

I volunteered at the local Warplane museum and work on planes on the weekends when I can and have even had a ride and got a little time in the right seat in the C47.

There are a lot of opportunities out there if you look.
 
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Congrats on the successful flight! I haven't been in the cockpit for years, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back in the seat myself. Keep up the momentum!
 
I was out 20 years and just got my BFR last spring

Im still no where where I was 20 years ago, but its nice to call myself a pilot again. Took about 7-8 hours, and Im still not what i would call proficient, but Im safe.

Good luck getting back in
 
Awesome. As I mentioned above I took around 7 hrs to get my BFR after 20+ years off but I am a little over 20 hours back in now. I don't know if it is like riding a bike but for me things started to click after the 3rd or 4th lesson then it starts to come back quick. The first few flights were tough I had to think about so many things I used to do automatically. Still have a lot to learn.

Keep it up and keep the updates coming.
 
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Welcome back to flying! I applaud your persistence. Blue skies!
 
There is an EAA chapter around Ellington that is pretty active. I would think many people can use a hand when building. Lots of RVs being built down that way.
 
Glad its working out for you! Keep posting on POA and hanging out with pilots! Its good for the soul!:yes:
 
FlyingIsGood said:
*UPDATE 2*

Well, it's been almost three months since I first posted here about trying to get back airborne. Between the weather, scheduling issues, etc., there just haven't been as many opportunities as I was hoping.... until this morning.

I finally managed to log some dual toward my BFR today! Nearly NINE YEARS since my last PIC flight.

Did some refresher work and started running through maneuvers. Took off, climbed up for some maneuvers, navigation work (landmarks, VOR, etc.), touch-n-go at a towered airport, then intercepted a VOR radial to follow on home.

Other than the landings, I felt pretty good about everything. It was a lot of stuff to cram - semi-unfamiliar aircraft, unfamiliar equipment/instrumentation layout/operation - in addition to actually flying the aircraft.

Not quite like riding a bike but, other than landings, not too far out. Relearning and reestablishing visual cues for distance, angle, and altitude will take a little more work, but I left the airport with a huge, ****-eating grin on my crusty mug and can't wait to work on the next assignment (touch-n-gos).

CFI complimented me saying that I was doing pretty good for someone who's been away for so long - I suppose that's why he moved on from "refresher" mode, to "maneuvers" mode pretty quickly. Felt good to hear I wasn't a danger to the sky and/or an imbecile.

All in all, excellent day. Great weather, great temps, and great fun.

If you're thinking about getting back into flying... find a CFI, find a scheduling window, and GO DO IT! A lot will come back to you pretty quickly - even ATC comms (which I was nervous about prior).

:D:D:D:D:D
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Where are you flying out of? I am on the north side of town at Hooks.
 
Good luck. I am presently sitting at about the same level as you as far as experience so take what I say with a grain of salt, the only difference is that I started training almost exactly a year ago, got my license last August and own my own plane(Cessna 172N)

Not sure what profession you are in but I work in a pretty high traffic store and look for clues, haha. See someone with an FBO Jacket, AOPA hat, etc. I always strike up a conversation with them, it usually doesn't lead to shared aircraft rides or anything but the next time you see that person you can bet you will talk about flying a little bit.

I don't get a lot of flying in due to the cold here in North Dakota and having my plane in an unheated hangar so I just got done with a winter layover basically. I am lucky to have my Brother, Nephew, Wife, and several friends all in various stages of training with some of us having ppl's now and the others training so there is an abundance of people to talk to about flying for me. Once you start hanging around with the GA community invite someone you flew with out for a beer or a burger or something, almost everyone I run into that flies likes to talk about flying.

This forum is great too, I spend a half hour to an hour every night on hear just reading stories.

I wish you luck in the GA community, don't give up, it is too much work to go through to not be able to go up for a fly every now and then.
 
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