Pattern Work
#31
Had to laugh a little... Naval Aviators have so much precision, really apparent to someone with no experience and mediocre skills (me)...especially during rejoins... first time in formation (wing) for me.. I was like a moth to the flame... slowly drifting closer, and closer until the instructor said 'what the hell are you doing..trying to get us all killed?'
#32
Ryan, I am not the most knowledgeable airplane shopper, but I hear $79k is the low end buy-in on a maintenance complete L-39 today. I would be more nervous about the hourly operating cost than anything else. You are talking what, a grand an hour to fly one even after your checkout for insurance. It's not an airplane for individuals who have limits on income. A seriously successful trial attorney (John Edwards, etc.) might be able to afford one, but for most of us it is really out of the question. One flight school I know of offers an L-39 by the hour and they have an instructor for it, Western Air at BroomField, CO. Personally, I think I would rather just buy an old WWII piston warbird and be happy with the high g-limits.
#33
Had to laugh a little... Naval Aviators have so much precision, really apparent to someone with no experience and mediocre skills (me)...especially during rejoins... first time in formation (wing) for me.. I was like a moth to the flame... slowly drifting closer, and closer until the instructor said 'what the hell are you doing..trying to get us all killed?'
I never minded the formation flying that much - though I never wanted it to be my PRIMARY duty. I look forward to having the opportunity to fly formation again someday.
USMCFLYR
#34
Ryan, I am not the most knowledgeable airplane shopper but I hear $79k as the low-end buy in on maintenance-completed L-39's today. Like you, I am more scared of the hourly cost than the buy ion cost. You are talking what, a grand an hour to fly one of those things even after your checkout for insurance is done. It's not an aiprlne for individuals who have any limits on income whatsoever. A seriously successful trial attorney (think John Edwards) might be able to afford one for kicks. One flight schools I know of offers an L-39 by the hour and they have a guy who is able to instruct in it (Western Air at BroomField, CO). Personally, I think I would rather just buy a used piston warbird.
#35
Formation becomes second nature. It is a way of life on almost every single flight. Rendezvous can be dangerous and have caused many accidents - which is why we are so hard on the students - but then again - once you get experience with them you become complacent with them and that is when they reach out and bite you. I remember my first time in formation with antoher aircraft. I had a few hunrded hours of flight time prior but had never been close to another aircraft. My IP gave me the controls after she had shown me the position and I might as well have done barrell rolls around my lead! I remember coming back into the field at NAS Kingsville one NIGHT in some pretty bad weather, and I could just barely make out the wingtip light of my lead and the turbulence was making it jump around like a firefly. I thought to myself - now this is working for the money! Looking back now (and with more experience), I can't figure out why my lead wanted to drag me through that!
I never minded the formation flying that much - though I never wanted it to be my PRIMARY duty. I look forward to having the opportunity to fly formation again someday.
USMCFLYR
I never minded the formation flying that much - though I never wanted it to be my PRIMARY duty. I look forward to having the opportunity to fly formation again someday.
USMCFLYR
Ryan: stick in the back of your head, one of my pals has two or three dozen T-34 Mentors he is parting out if you ever need anything like that. I am trying to talk this guy into giving me one, no luck so far. T-34s are pretty good on hourly operating cost.
#36
Ryan: stick in the back of your head, one of my pals has two or three dozen T-34 Mentors he is parting out if you ever need anything like that. I am trying to talk this guy into giving me one, no luck so far. T-34s are pretty good on hourly operating cost.
I imagine the operating costs for the turbo models are pretty expensive to mortals.
USMCFLYR
#37
Yes, I am sure they are all pistons. My understanding is he bought a bunch of the piston airplanes at auction when the military went to turbine on the Mentors. I am more than happy to provide contact info by PM. Not plugging here, but if I were in the market for a deal on a used military airplane, it sounds like a good opportunity.
#38
Yes, I am sure they are all pistons. My understanding is he bought a bunch of the piston airplanes at auction when the military went to turbine on the Mentors. I am more than happy to provide contact info by PM. Not plugging here, but if I were in the market for a deal on a used military airplane, it sounds like a good opportunity.
Maybe USMCFLYR could buy a few and open up an air-combat/formation school
#39
Give me a day to see what the story is as far as whole vs. parts, piston vs. turbine and I'll PM you guys. I have to admit is it interesting. My guess is it's parts-only. My pal said they were in hangars somewhere in Texas. If any of them were airworthy it seems like he would have said so. I am basically calling my old friends about jobs right now, not shopping to buy airplanes and this caught me by surprise. I'll check on Monday.
USMC- ever flown one?
USMC- ever flown one?
#40
Give me a day to see what the story is as far as whole vs. parts, piston vs. turbine and I'll PM you guys. I have to admit is it interesting. My guess is it's parts-only. My pal said they were in hangars somewhere in Texas. If any of them were airworthy it seems like he would have said so. I am basically calling my old friends about jobs right now, not shopping to buy airplanes and this caught me by surprise. I'll check on Monday.
USMC- ever flown one?
USMC- ever flown one?
Thought I was going to get a few hours in one prior to flight school when I was stashed with MAG-41 at NAS Dallas. The Base Flight Club had one on the line - but it was down and they said they didn't have enough money from the base to get it fixed
Ryan1234 -
Someone posted a job from one of those places recently - I think in the Phoenix area. To compete with the companies already out there - you are going to need something more sporty than T-34B. That school was flying the Extra 300s. Now show me a school flying those L-39s for the same job and I'll consider it!
USMCFLYR
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