How many hours?

Ken Ibold said:
Number of hours matters not a whit. Some 1000 hour pilots have flown the same two hours 500 times. Other 1000 hour pilots have flown 500 different 2-hour flights, etc.

The measure of a pilot is attitude. And that's a qualitative measure rather than a quantitive one.
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and a few of us have huge amount of hours doing stuff we'll never do again.

I'm not even current to carry pax, and I'm out of BFR, but I got hours :)
 
Tom-D said:
and a few of us have huge amount of hours doing stuff we'll never do again.

I'm not even current to carry pax, and I'm out of BFR, but I got hours :)
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I spent a lot of time studying up on how to fly A-N ranges (seemed like a good idea at the time). Does that count for anything?
 
Tom-D said:
and a few of us have huge amount of hours doing stuff we'll never do again.
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There's lots of stuff I'll probably never do again and airplanes I'll probably never fly again. Time marches on. But I got to be an outlaw over the weekend and fly an RV-6A for a little bit thanks to Murphey. :)
 
About 500 hours including some time in an AT6, Citabria, and an R22. I have a few hours in an Archer which had an autopilot which I used only to be sure I knew how to use it. Several times through the Boston Bravo but never landed there. One day my schedule will match with a FAA Youth camp they run there so it won't cost me an arm and a leg.
I have about 3 hours sightseeing in Scotland. A few in California around SanFran and LA. And more than a few have been flown out of Maneo NC (MQI) including a number of landings at FFA. Most have been around MA starting out of Marshfield (GHG) as far as Eastport, Me, Plattsburg, NY, Long Island, And Westchester, NY.
I've found some utility out of flying (flew to Hyannis to buy a Garmin 496, Lawrence for an airport ID and a helicopter lesson, and MANY expensive breakfasts and lunches). About 50 EAA Young Eagles have had their first, second, or third flight with me. And numerous adults have had their first, second, or third flight with me too.
Every hour has been paid for personally. And most of my landings are good to great. Most times, I've been able to reuse the airplane.
I only wish I started when I was 15 and not 35.
 
327.9 hours as of today. The next time will be to move the plane and me from OLM to TIW for my IR check ride on Wednesday. Finally. Been working on this with interruptions for too many years.

Landings? Some good, some not so good. But, I haven't bent anything in the 11 years I've been flying. Knock on wood, that will continue.
 
I've got about 280, and loved every one of them, even the aeroplanes that were less than inspiring,,I have to say the most memorable were in taildraggers and doing aero's ,I hope I never get "over " my logbook, it really is a bit of a chronicle of my love affair (16R) with aircraft and when I look back through it at some of the hours it brings back the moment ,,,,,aero's in a tigermoth,,,or the couple of hours in a Stearman,,,,or the trip to the antique aircraft flyin in the Super Dec,,,,,
cheers Mat

My landings were getting so bad I almost gave up flying , lost confidence and figured I just wouldn't get it,,,strangely I did a tail dragger endorsement and it seemed to fix me up ,,my TW landings are not too bad and my tricycle landings are verging on pretty good,,,not sure why it worked out this way but glad I came good!!
 
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I've got an instrument rating, high performance endorsement, complex, fly tail wheel, and will be taking my commercial ride in a few weeks. I've flown friends From CA north to Oregon, south to LA, and flown as far east as Tulsa and have flown in other parts of the country, including Chicago and the New Jersey area (where I will be dodging t-storms tomorrow). I've also done a lot of mountain flying heading to Reno, Tahoe, and the like. I'm based in Palo Alto, under the class B, between three class C's, and flying out of class D with one on either side.

Feathers under my cap:

Cessna 172
Cessna 172SP
Cessna 172RG
Cessna 172/182 G1000
Cessna 182 (old and new)
Cessna 182 Turbo
Piper Warrior
Piper Archer
Piper Arrow
LSA Symphony
Citabria
Pitts S2B/S2C
Extra 300L
Beech A36
Diamond DA42 (well, I flew it once, wish I could afford more twin time)

I'm hoping to fly the Pitts in aerobatic competition in a few weeks, but haven't yet confirmed that I'll have access to the plane, so who knows.

Having flown as much XC as I have (I travel) and the variety of craft, and the variety of flight (don't know many folks who spin planes for kicks) I feel pretty good sitting in the left seat. My landings are still terrible, but maybe one day I'll put some effort into it and see if that helps any.

300 hours.
 
I guess I need to update my logbook. Haven't touched it since Oct. 08'. Well, that's not true. I just touched it to see when the last time I touched it was.

Like lots of guys are saying. You can fly the same hour 1,000 times or fly many different hours.

I'm still amazed at the number of guys who will click the autopilot on at 600' on the climb out and won't click it again until the bare minimum for the approach.

There are thousands of certificate holders out there and very few pilots.
 
Oh, I totally forgot my helicopter time and R22's and R44's.

I knew I was forgetting stuff. Somebody should come up with a list of some kind, where you check things. I'll try to come up with a catchy title. I'll get back to you.

List check?? Hrm. Maybe.
 
thomascannon said:
I've got an instrument rating, high performance endorsement, complex, fly tail wheel, and will be taking my commercial ride in a few weeks. I've flown friends From CA north to Oregon, south to LA, and flown as far east as Tulsa and have flown in other parts of the country, including Chicago and the New Jersey area (where I will be dodging t-storms tomorrow). I've also done a lot of mountain flying heading to Reno, Tahoe, and the like. I'm based in Palo Alto, under the class B, between three class C's, and flying out of class D with one on either side.

Feathers under my cap:

Cessna 172
Cessna 172SP
Cessna 172RG
Cessna 172/182 G1000
Cessna 182 (old and new)
Cessna 182 Turbo
Piper Warrior
Piper Archer
Piper Arrow
LSA Symphony
Citabria
Pitts S2B/S2C
Extra 300L
Beech A36
Diamond DA42 (well, I flew it once, wish I could afford more twin time)

I'm hoping to fly the Pitts in aerobatic competition in a few weeks, but haven't yet confirmed that I'll have access to the plane, so who knows.

Having flown as much XC as I have (I travel) and the variety of craft, and the variety of flight (don't know many folks who spin planes for kicks) I feel pretty good sitting in the left seat. My landings are still terrible, but maybe one day I'll put some effort into it and see if that helps any.

300 hours.
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4c1dfb40-0a9b-a364.jpg
 
richas said:
It is AWESOME to be back. Surreal. I was so nervous before going up, no sleep. I have my PPSEL but I am more like a student now.

I WAS surprised at how much I remembered, all the little things. My steeps turns were coordinated, stalls etc.

Now if I can just get the airspeed settled down in the pattern and sort out that whole landing fiasco.....


Rich
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Wow, I'm glad found this forum! Rich, I'm pretty much in the same boat:) Got my private in 1999 but stopped flying after only 120 hrs due to the cost. 10yrs later(last month), I decided to get back up since I have a little more funds. I've been up about 4 times now with a great CFI, logged about 5 hrs so far but man....I'm feeling like a new student all over again yet he's telling me I'm doing great:confused: The light bumps (from thermals) get me all jittery and uncomfortable. I really hope to get past that feeling real quick. Today we were doing pattern work and I was just over the numbers when the tower told us to go around. I executed the go-around so good that the CFI said "wow, great go-around". It was my 1st go-around in over 10 years:) Little did we know but the controller said we're about to cease all operations and close the airport! Then we heard him telling incoming traffic to remain clear. He told us to stay in the pattern at TPA. We did a couple of circuits but had know idea what was going on so the CFI called up for an ETA. Tower had none so we requested and was granted an immediate landing. Still unsure what the heck was going on, he could tell I was a little concerned. It wasn't until after we got back and shut down that I heard another pilot mention.....we had an earthquake! I actually thought the dude was joking so I got into my car and turned on the news. Man was I surprised....lol. An earthquake in Va felt on Long Island,NY!

Well anyhow, the CFI says he really think I'm ready to solo again. Now I guess I just have to have confidence in my own abilities and overcome those damn jitters :rofl:
 
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redtail said:
Wow, I'm glad found this forum! Rich, I'm pretty much in the same boat:) Got my private in 1999 but stopped flying after only 120 hrs due to the cost. 10yrs later(last month), I decided to get back up since I have a little more funds. I've been up about 4 times now with a great CFI, logged about 5 hrs so far but man....I'm feeling like a new student all over again yet he's telling me I'm doing great:confused: The light bumps (from thermals) get me all jittery and uncomfortable. I really hope to get past that feeling real quick. Today we were doing pattern work and I was just over the numbers when the tower told us to go around. I executed the go-around so good that the CFI said "wow, great go-around". It was my 1st go-around in over 10 years:) Little did we know but the controller said we're about to cease all operations and close the airport! Then we heard him telling incoming traffic to remain clear. He told us to stay in the pattern at TPA. We did a couple of circuits but had know idea what was going on so the CFI called up for an ETA. Tower had none so we requested and was granted an immediate landing. Still unsure what the heck was going on, he could tell I was a little concerned. It wasn't until after we got back and shut down that I heard another pilot mention.....we had an earthquake! I actually thought the dude was joking so I got into my car and turned on the news. Man was I surprised....lol.
Well anyhow, the CFI says he really thinks I'm ready to solo again. Know I guess I just have to have confidence in my own abilities and overcome these damn jitters :rofl:
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Welcome to PoA!

Next time you have a rough landing, just tell anybody in the plane with you that you were remembering trying to land during an earthquake!

And congratulations on the forthcoming second solo! Hope you can join us at Windwood, WV this year or Wings Fly-B-Q next year! (Check out the sub-forums of the "Cool Places to Fly" forum if you aren't sure what I'm referring to.)
 
:rofl: thanks. That would make a great excuse for my next crappy landing.
The thing is, we couldn't even tell the earth quaked...lol. and if the controller knew, he didn't mention it. I guess he didn't want to cause a panic with the aircraft on the frequency.
 
I know an old guy who has 18,000hrs logged, and he has never flown for an airline or the military. I thought that was pretty good going.
 
OK after 10years away from flying, I found my way back into the cockpit last month. So far I've flown about 5 times with a great CFI and logged about 6 hrs. (1 hr today in the pattern). He says I'm doing pretty good but why am I so tensed? When the heck will I get comfortable and confident again??? This is really starting to bug me because I thought I'd be much more relaxed by now. Could this be because I only had 120 hrs when I stopped flying 10 yrs ago? I'm almost feeling as uneasy as a 1st time student! I want to get past this and start enjoying flying again, right now it seems to be a lot a work. Don't get me wrong, I love flying, I'm just not all that happy at my slow rate of improvement right now.
 
ChrisS said:
I know an old guy who has 18,000hrs logged, and he has never flown for an airline or the military. I thought that was pretty good going.
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There is a local DE who has something like 20,000 hours of dual given, given over 8,500 check rides and has like 34,000 hours..
 
redtail said:
OK after 10years away from flying, I found my way back into the cockpit last month. So far I've flown about 5 times with a great CFI and logged about 6 hrs. (1 hr today in the pattern). He says I'm doing pretty good but why am I so tensed? When the heck will I get comfortable and confident again??? This is really starting to bug me because I thought I'd be much more relaxed by now. Could this be because I only had 120 hrs when I stopped flying 10 yrs ago? I'm almost feeling as uneasy as a 1st time student! I want to get past this and start enjoying flying again, right now it seems to be a lot a work. Don't get me wrong, I love flying, I'm just not all that happy at my slow rate of improvement right now.
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If you truly want to overcome any fear, simply face it and flood yourself with it. The discomfort will leave completely the more you fly.

It will start when you discover that even though you might be a little anxious before the flight, once you are in the cockpit, it all goes away.

Just ignore it, concentrate on the task at hand, flying the plane, situational awareness, staying ahead of the plane.

Another cure might be to do something far more stressful, such as a parachute jump if you've never done one before. After that experience, an hour in the cockpit will seem like an hour in your car.

Hope this helped.

John
 
ChrisS said:
I know an old guy who has 18,000hrs logged, and he has never flown for an airline or the military. I thought that was pretty good going.
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We have old captain "Bob" in the navy Flying club that has logged over 30,000 hours of CFI / CFII time at the club.
 
John Baker said:
If you truly want to overcome any fear, simply face it and flood yourself with it. The discomfort will leave completely the more you fly.

It will start when you discover that even though you might be a little anxious before the flight, once you are in the cockpit, it all goes away.

Just ignore it, concentrate on the task at hand, flying the plane, situational awareness, staying ahead of the plane.

Another cure might be to do something far more stressful, such as a parachute jump if you've never done one before. After that experience, an hour in the cockpit will seem like an hour in your car.

Hope this helped.

John
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Thanks John. It's not so much anxiety before the flight, it's seems to be more the bumpiness of the air once I'm up. I know why the air is slightly turbulent on hot summer days, I just don't know why it bothers me so much:confused:
I sure hope it's just a matter of getting use to it again the more I fly....like you said. I'm ready to get on with going places and enjoying the certificate that I worked so hard for 10yrs ago but right now, I haven't even soloed yet:(
 
redtail said:
Thanks John. It's not so much anxiety before the flight, it's seems to be more the bumpiness of the air once I'm up. I know why the air is slightly turbulent on hot summer days, I just don't know why it bothers me so much:confused:
I sure hope it's just a matter of getting use to it again the more I fly....like you said. I'm ready to get on with going places and enjoying the certificate that I worked so hard for 10yrs ago but right now, I haven't even soloed yet:(
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You'll get used to the turbulence the more you fly in it. Once you become confident your airplane is going to hold together, you'll be fine.

Remember, slow it down when things start getting bumpy. It's just like a car going down a bumpy road, you take the bumps slower.

Another idea might be to go up once or twice with an aerobatics instructor, just so you can experience what an airplane can be put through.

Fly as much as you can, all of it will go away.

John
 
Ghery said:
327.9 hours as of today. The next time will be to move the plane and me from OLM to TIW for my IR check ride on Wednesday. Finally. Been working on this with interruptions for too many years.

Landings? Some good, some not so good. But, I haven't bent anything in the 11 years I've been flying. Knock on wood, that will continue.
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I didn't do a single landing on my IR checkride, and the DE bounced the landing at the end...:D
 
Ghery said:
327.9 hours as of today. The next time will be to move the plane and me from OLM to TIW for my IR check ride on Wednesday. Finally. Been working on this with interruptions for too many years.

Landings? Some good, some not so good. But, I haven't bent anything in the 11 years I've been flying. Knock on wood, that will continue.
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Good luck, Ghery!
 
John Baker said:
You'll get used to the turbulence the more you fly in it. Once you become confident your airplane is going to hold together, you'll be fine.

Remember, slow it down when things start getting bumpy. It's just like a car going down a bumpy road, you take the bumps slower.

Another idea might be to go up once or twice with an aerobatics instructor, just so you can experience what an airplane can be put through.

Fly as much as you can, all of it will go away.

John
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Thanks John. yeah, I've been considering a little aerobatics. I think that'll be good for me.
 
Henning said:
I didn't do a single landing on my IR checkride, and the DE bounced the landing at the end...:D
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nddons said:
Good luck, Ghery!
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Thanks. Things didn't go so well. Total brain fart on the 430. If the plane is fixed in time (spring in the bendix broke yesterday and I've never heard a sound like that when trying start an engine) and the weather holds I'll give it another go on Wednesday. Before the ride and the night before last I could run that box in my sleep. On the ride? No chance. Flying on an empty stomach isn't such a good idea. I'll offer him the landing if he passes me next time. :D
 
3300 and change, I think hours is poor way to measure pilots....seen idiots with 10,000 and guys flying circles around them with 100
 
taters said:
3300 and change, I think hours is poor way to measure pilots....seen idiots with 10,000 and guys flying circles around them with 100
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Your right, it is a poor way to judge a pilot, but that is what a lot of us do anyway, even if we are not aware of it. Perhaps it is just something low time pilots like myself do. We just seem to respect the person who has their hours counted in the thousands rather than the hundreds.

Then of course the non pilot assessing a pilots skill by their landings isn't exactly the best measure of a pilot either, but that's the way they do it.

John
 
John Baker said:
Your right, it is a poor way to judge a pilot, but that is what a lot of us do anyway, even if we are not aware of it. Perhaps it is just something low time pilots like myself do. We just seem to respect the person who has their hours counted in the thousands rather than the hundreds.
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Maybe you should look at it this way. Is a 20,000 hour driver better than a 2,000 hour driver? How about a 200 hour driver? Think about the people you know.
 
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