Most Flight Time/Experience

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LJS1993

Line Up and Wait
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Apr 11, 2012
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Riverside, California
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Display name:
LJ Savala
Hello ladies and gents I was wondering as to who was truly the most experienced pilot on this message board? I know it's pretty hard to keep track of considering the size of the membership. However it would be cool to see just who has the most time.
 
While I have no idea how much time he's logged, I suspect Wayne has to be in the Top Ten.
 
We'll it's not me. I'm in the middle (upper 4 digits as estimated by maintainence and fuel records).
 
the last time I saw privett filling out some insurance form he listed 35,XXX something. That was in the early 90's, and I know he didn't count his military time since his records were lost.

mid 4-digits for me. I'm just a pup
 
I don't think it'd be me Dave but even if it was I spent so much time flying the same hour over and over again time pretty much stood still. Thanks for thinking of me though. I'm betting on Wayne or Greg.
 
Not me, 39 yrs, 2500 military professional hours, 1800 civilian hobbiest hours. I'm a low timer.
 
LJS1993 said:
Hello ladies and gents I was wondering as to who was truly the most experienced pilot on this message board? I know it's pretty hard to keep track of considering the size of the membership. However it would be cool to see just who has the most time.
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That's likely to be a tough nut to crack. For most pilots, the more time they have in their logbooks the less likely they are to talk about that.
 
gismo said:
That's likely to be a tough nut to crack. For most pilots, the more time they have in their logbooks the less likely they are to talk about that.
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:yeahthat:

I quit logging anything but what is required for proficiency when I retired. At that time I had 15k and change. I know several members here are easily double that. Call me an advanced beginner.
 
I'm probably in the higher-end of GA-only, but no contest with the career guys. But I started in 1957, so that might get an honorable-mention in the total years contest. Haven't totaled the book for a while, but might sneak over the 14k-hour mark this year.

LDJones said:
While I have no idea how much time he's logged, I suspect Wayne has to be in the Top Ten.
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It's me, guys. I'll break a hundred hours this year.

:D
 
Well, since you asked, I will roll over 24,000 hours sometime early next year I think. Don't think that is highest.

And for what it is worth, if asked, I will tell you what a good chunk of those are actually worth.
 
Perhaps hours are not the final criteria of 'best'.
Certainly spray plane pilots run up the ours, but vastly more importantly they have a high percentage of close to obstacle maneuvering during those hours - as opposed to a trans ocean cargo/passenger pilot watching the air flow over the wings as the autopilot follows the routing and as it shoots the CAT III, zero, zero landing. (not picking on the ATP pro's)
Or perhaps an airline feeder pilot in a clapped out 411 who loads the bags, counts the heads, then flies the plane on a series of 20 to 40 minute legs for 10 to 12 hours. Then does it all over the next day.
Or the commercial pilot hopping passengers on 12 minute flights at county fairs, 12 hours a day.
Or the CFI at a big flight school who works a couple of weeks at a stretch grinding out the circuits and bangs with primary students before he gets a day off.
Or the powerline pilot dropping workers onto 350,000 volt lines from the chopper.
Lots of flying is done without running up 5 figure logbooks, that takes lots of skill
BEST is relative.
I don't have a lot of hours, but I have been banging around in planes for well over 50 years. Must count for something, eh.

cheers
 
Dr. O said:
Perhaps hours are not the final criteria of 'best'.
Certainly spray plane pilots run up the ours, but vastly more importantly they have a high percentage of close to obstacle maneuvering during those hours - as opposed to a trans ocean cargo/passenger pilot watching the air flow over the wings as the autopilot follows the routing and as it shoots the CAT III, zero, zero landing. (not picking on the ATP pro's)
Or perhaps an airline feeder pilot in a clapped out 411 who loads the bags, counts the heads, then flies the plane on a series of 20 to 40 minute legs for 10 to 12 hours. Then does it all over the next day.
Or the commercial pilot hopping passengers on 12 minute flights at county fairs, 12 hours a day.
Or the CFI at a big flight school who works a couple of weeks at a stretch grinding out the circuits and bangs with primary students before he gets a day off.
Or the powerline pilot dropping workers onto 350,000 volt lines from the chopper.
Lots of flying is done without running up 5 figure logbooks, that takes lots of skill
BEST is relative.
I don't have a lot of hours, but I have been banging around in planes for well over 50 years. Must count for something, eh.

cheers
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Two bucks and a cup of coffee from what I hear.

Good post though.
 
My money is on Greg for most hours on this board total, and Wayne for most GA-only hours. Mari comes in a close second to Wayne for GA-only.

Me? I have enough hours to realize how much I don't know.
 
Are we talking hours paid for or hours you got paid to fly.have over 2500 hours all paid for by myself would have more hours if I had more money.
 
Certainly I'm way down the list. Will say this though: weather in the mountains will make one particular hour stand out for quite awhile...and a few moments darn near unforgettable!

Which leads me to the question: what's your most memorable hour? So far mine is a flight from Hayden to Front Range in a snow storm...though the duck incident is a close second (since we're closing in on 6Y9).
 
Not me. Upper 3 digits for me. Maybe I'll start to know what I'm doing in another 10,000 hours or so :-D
 
The question is irrelevant to anything other than idle conversation.

I have some books with times noted in them that should add up to at least 37,000 hours of flying experience. Plus or minus 20,000 when one considers what is actually involved in flying a 4-engine aeroplane on 15 hour legs with a crew of 9.

Hours in a book mean nothing. I have abdicated flights to kids with a few hundred hours to their credit, when they were the preferred person for the day and the aeroplane in question.
 
Clark1961 said:
Which leads me to the question: what's your most memorable hour? So far mine is a flight from Hayden to Front Range in a snow storm...though the duck incident is a close second (since we're closing in on 6Y9).
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Iced up Mooney nibbling at the stall while trying to maintain altitude at 80 KIAS. was only 20 min or so but seemed like hours. Never again. :no:
 
LDJones said:
Iced up Mooney nibbling at the stall while trying to maintain altitude at 80 KIAS. was only 20 min or so but seemed like hours. Never again. :no:
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Btdt in a T182 with freezing rain and ice (both unforecast) definitely the most scared I've ever been in an airplane. Was my fault for trusting the forecaster/TAFs/METARs and not my eyeballs - equipment lies, eyes don't.
 
DavidWhite said:
Btdt in a T182 with freezing rain and ice (both unforecast) definitely the most scared I've ever been in an airplane. Was my fault for trusting the forecaster/TAFs/METARs and not my eyeballs - equipment lies, eyes don't.
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Wait till your drunk enough..
 
Oh, boy! I just know this is going to turn into an old-fashioned log measuring contest. :rolleyes:
 
Darn over a half century and I still have to buy my own coffee.
Well heck - I got to fly a Howard DGA 15P last week. I guess I can manage to buy me a cuppa joe.
 
Didn't we already go through this months ago when someone asked what POA members had for flight time? Besides, 1 rotorcraft hour is equivalent to 3 fixed wing hours. With that math I'm pushing 15,000 hrs. :D
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Well, since you asked, I will roll over 24,000 hours sometime early next year I think. Don't think that is highest.

And for what it is worth, if asked, I will tell you what a good chunk of those are actually worth.
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Oh man. Imagining you saying that in your laid-back voice made me laugh out loud, Greg.

That was worth the price of admission right there, I tell ya!
 
Yabut how many "Say aaaahh's" do you have in your doc log?

bbchien said:
We'll it's not me. I'm in the middle (upper 4 digits as estimated by maintainence and fuel records).
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500 and change, I'm a baby. But, more than half of that is in my own plane!
 
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