"New" Pilot after being gone 15 years

Skydreamer2015

Skydreamer2015

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Feb 10, 2015
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Skydreamer2015
Last Saturday, I "earned" my wings back after not flown in 15 years! Went and got my First Class Medical a few weeks ago then climb back in the plane with an instructor and flew 6 hours, landed at 7 different airports with 19 landings. Along with several hours of ground school. Things have change as far as what is available with the technology we have now when it comes to flight planning, navigation & obtaining weather. I have been reading & trying to get up to speed over the last few months so I wasn't completely unaware of what's new. I am curious, is everyone using ForeFlight? Or is there other similar programs out there that is better? Has everyone quit using paper charts, paper checklists, paper FARs & AIM and gone electronic with programs like ForeFlight? Thanks for the feedback!
 
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Welcome back and welcome to the forum.i am a strong supporter of foreflight in the cockpit. Makes filing much easier. Also more compact than paper charts.
 
If you want a free program that does almost as much, I use Fltplan GO. It's in the app store.

It even does GPS referencing on approach plates.

One day I'll probably get ForeFlight for the synthetic vision though.
 
Welcome back....I too was gone +15 years and came back in 05. BFR was all it took and I was back in the saddle.

I like WingX...and it has multiple boxes (I have SkyRadar) that will work with it on the iPad. No paper here....just an quick update now and again to the iPad. WingX has synthetic and geo-referencing too.
 
Did the same a year and a half or so ago after 20+ off congrats. I just fly VFR so use AVARE and occasionally FLTPLAN GO. Either do what I need for moving maps and simple planing and online AFD.
 
Was gone for 16 years myself. Came back to it in 2007. My interest has just grown stronger over the years. On my third owned plane now. Welcome back!
 
Welcome back. I just went through something similar not that long ago. Returned to aviation this past September after 20 years away. Amazing how technology has changed flying for GA pilots. GPS, GPS coupled to auto-pilot, ADS-B, Foreflight, Real Time Weather/Radar, automated flight planning, it was like I stepped into a time machine from my last flight in the mid 90s. All of sudden many resources only available to the airlines when I last flew were now at my fingertips as a GA pilot.

Then add in all the online resources like ground training, aviation articles, rental scheduling, plane sales, purchasing of supplies and the discussion forums such as POA where you can raise your airmanship level exponentially. All of this has made the return very enjoyable. The only downside has been the rather dramatic increase in expense due to the ever expanding fuel prices over the years. I ran across some of my old receipts from the early 90s; only $55 an hour wet for a warrior, that I miss.
 
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Great to see you back in the air. :D

Still hoping, myself! Working thru some financial issues at present but want to restart soon and go through the "rust removal" process and then, push for my IFR rating later this year.

In the "wishing" process, over the past 2-3 years, I have done a lot of flight planning with Seattle Avionics Voyager and, as soon as I get an IPad, I plan to switch to FlyQ (which they built and the licensed to AOPA).

Does anyone use FlyQ as their primary or backup planning tool?

Mike
 
Welcome back.
I did the sabbatical thing twice (1st time 25 years, 2nd 8 years), so I know how you might feel.
I work Android, so my choices in medicine are Avare teamed with FltPlanGo.
May not have ALL the bells and whistles of Foreflight, but has more than enough for my requirements.
I keep a relatively recent copy of a local sectional, but really only use the digital versions (Avare, and AirNav primarily). I still only use hardcopy (ASA) versions of the AIM (easier to scan thru and find stuff than digitally), but use both paper and digital for the FARS (digital provides fuller versions of Title 14 -- the book primarily just gives Parts 61 and 91 with a small smattering of others).
Use both paper and tablet versions of checklists. Still find manipulating the paper version easier than digital, so I continue defaulting to the paper.
 
Welcome back. Took 25 yrs off, started back 3yrs ago.

Was it a slip/typo or was there a reason you got a First Class medical vs. Third Class?
 
I'm throwing my hat in to the sky again myself after about a 12 year break. Certainly not my choice, but life's. I'm only VFR rated, but I've been dream-planning many trips with FltPlanGo. Seems good, and much easier than it used to be back when I started training in 93. Now my sights are on building time, getting IR ticket.
 
Welcome, so glad to have you back in the air!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
I use iFly GPS' product on Android. Grab the $80 ACER tablet from Amazon and google for iFly GPS. Great, cheap combo. Later, you can add ADSB weather (and some traffic) support for $500 via Dual XGPS170.
 
I was away for a bit over 17 years when someone very special to me bought a gift certificate for a BRF. That was in 2007 and I have been flying since. Bought my Arrow in 2010.

I use the iFly for my navigation along with the companion Nexus 7

Glad to have you back in the air. Lots of retread here so you should feel at home.
 
I'm a young flyer/skip two decades/old flyer.

I like to think I was marinating. ;)

Welcome back!
 
Just curious... When you left was airspace under the old, proper structure (PCA, TCA, ARSA, ATA, etc.. ) Or the current ICAO thing of A, B, C, D, etc.. ??
 
I've been back about 2 months after 20 years. I love the new tech. I'm using ForeFlight on an iPad but about to get checked out in a G1000 172 and then off to finish my instrument rating. I got 35 hours into my instrument rating last time before I had to quit. I am loving being back. Best of luck to you as well.
 
Kritchlow said:
Just curious... When you left was airspace under the old, proper structure (PCA, TCA, ARSA, ATA, etc.. ) Or the current ICAO thing of A, B, C, D, etc.. ??
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When I left it was TCAs, and TRSAs. All this alphabet soup is still confusing, but I'm getting there
 
Technology should never replace fundamental skills and knowledge. Once those are acquired, however, ForeFlight can save you a lot of time which you can use to be a safer and better informed pilot. So much information is synergized in one place and just a few taps away. That means more time to look out the window, more time to think about other flight operations, another opportunity to check WX, confirm frequencies and altitudes, check remarks, etc. I feel like I'm more likely to do a thorough job of planning even when I'm rushed, I'm less stressed out en-route, and I've got a little extra time to divide my attention with. And I feel confident that I can make do with my paper back-ups when I have to, but I'd almost rather carry three iPads with different releases of ForeFlight as backup than paper charts and the AFD. I hear that goes double for a lot of IFR pilots these days too.
 
Blatham489 said:
Welcome back. Took 25 yrs off, started back 3yrs ago.

Was it a slip/typo or was there a reason you got a First Class medical vs. Third Class?
Click to expand...

I wanted to know that I can currently pass the First Class for future endeavors in aviation. Will my future endeavors require a First Class? I don't know at this time, but just in case at least right for right now I know I can pass it.
 
Kritchlow said:
Just curious... When you left was airspace under the old, proper structure (PCA, TCA, ARSA, ATA, etc.. ) Or the current ICAO thing of A, B, C, D, etc.. ??
Click to expand...

When I left it was under the old structure so I'm getting up to speed on the new airspace
 
AirNav Pro is the cat's meow if all you are doing is VFR. Foreflight too expensive for a simple flyer like me! I have a 6 month demo of Garmin going now too, it's pretty decent and I'm sure will get better. Cheaper than foreflight too...
 
I was gone 28 years. Learned to fly when I was young and single. Stopped when I got married with kids. Came back this year when a friend of mine bought a Cessna 150. Feel like Rip Van Winkle. Airspace changed and all the technology. I currently fly a Piper Archer using a Samsung 12.1 Note Pro strapped to me knee (yes a little big but it works), with Ifly gps. Works great.
 
Me too... Gone 15 years and came back in 2013... Technology certainly has changed and I still feel like I'm cheating when using GPS moving maps etc. My club has an iPad with foreflight and stratus but we recently installed a GTN750 so the ipad has become redundant but is still a great resource... You can do flight planning, in advance, on the ipad then upload it to the GTN... Really neat stuff... Welcome back!
 
Welcome back to flying!

I went through a similar 10-year no-PIC-time spell. The thing that really drew me back into flying was ForeFlight. No kidding, that has made the usefulness of flying so much greater. It enables me to easily monitor weather in a long-term sense ("how does it look for a trip next week") and also in a short-term aviation sense ("What's it look like tomorrow?).

WAAS GPS is available now. So if you are IFR or will be, it has created highly accurate GPS-only approaches with ILS-like vertical guidance. These didn't exist 15 years ago but they are popping up at all over the place, giving even podunk airports approaches that rival an ILS (not quite the same unless they install a fancy-pants approach lighting $y$tem).

Also just in terms of flight planning, chart management, aviation database, plates, references, synthetic vision, etc. it is truly a wealth of info in one place. I think you're going to enjoy flying more now than then thanks to electronic flight bags. Also, something we all pay for through taxes, ADS-B, which can now provide weather and traffic in the cockpit if you buy a receiver. The efficiency with which these apps allow you to process massive amounts of information is amazing.

Now... what's available? The top 3 tablet-based (mostly iPad) moving maps are, IMHO, ForeFlight, WingX, and Garmin Pilot. Each of these has the option to connect to a remote-mounted GPS and/or ADS-B receiver stuck on a window or on the glareshield or whatever. They are legal for use in the cockpit as a source of maps. Even airlines use them now under protocol.

The various feature sets are all pretty similar with slight differences in user interface. I have personally flown with WingX and Foreflight. I like both of these but I like ForeFlight a little more and use it exclusively (I do still have a WingX subscription). I use FF with a a Stratus 2 ADS-B receiver/WAAS GPS. In terms of portable GPS/ADS-B receivers, ForeFlight ONLY plays with the various Stratus models and, so far, nothing else. WingX has more of an open concept and can talk to several different models of ADS-B/GPS. WingX also works on more tablet OSs than FF.

Also, AOPA has some info for folks getting back in. You may have seen this, but ICYMI: http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/Getting-back-into-flying


OK enough for one post. Again, welcome back to flying! :D
 
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Kritchlow said:
Just curious... When you left was airspace under the old, proper structure (PCA, TCA, ARSA, ATA, etc.. ) Or the current ICAO thing of A, B, C, D, etc.. ??
Click to expand...

No, I came into aviation 20 years ago (1995) and it was already A, B, C, D, etc. at that time although it had only recently changed.
 
Welcome back! I hope the return is a sign of rude financial health!!!
 
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