Flying this morning

[Yellow Duck]

My airstrip is between Abberville (0R3) Lafayette (LFT) and New Iberia (ARA). We have several grass stips in our area and it is fun to visit friends and land at these little fields. My newest student, for the Sport Pilot License, is my son-in-law. He now has about 6-7 hrs and is doing very well in the Duck. Still on the right side. Think I will leave him there for couple more hours. Today we did both grass and the ARA airport. ARA is 8,000 ft. long and has a tower. Class D, no Transponder required. We practice doing wheel landing. think he will get the hang of that quickly. Until now all landings have been full stall. When we got to the grass strip, it was much easier for him, even tho it was much shorter (2,000 ft.)

Really nice day. 58 deg. winds out of the south east at about 2 MPH. 6000 ft overcast, and unlimited Vis. A little smoke from burning the sugar cane, but not bad.

Damn the Duck loves this weather. Out of my 1700 ft strip with 2 souls and full fuel (18 gal. of good Mo gas). Over the trees with room to spare.And on to grandma's house, without a care.

[zero.one.victor]

Re: Flying this morning

58 degrees sounds nice. Around here (western washington), it's been 26-30 at night and up to (maybe!) 38-40 in the daytime. And it's not even winter yet! Not the frozen north by a long shot, but a bit chillier than I like it.
Lee, have you seen much interest in your area in the new Sport Pilot license? Hasn't really caught on around here, doesn't seem like. Part of the trouble is no LSA-compliant trainers are available for rent. Hopefully that'll change, maybe FBO's will want to buy some of the new LSA's for around $80-90K instead of new 172's for $150K plus. Don't know what Diamond katana's go for, but well over 100K I'm sure.
I think the LSA-SP thing will meet an awful lot of people's flying needs, including mine. My next airplane is likely gonna be LSA-compliant (maybe a T-Craft), after which I'd like to get my CFI-SP ticket. You don't need an instrument rating or a commercial license (which I don't have), you can get it right off your PP or even your SP.

Eric

[Yellow Duck]

Re: Flying this morning

You are correct Eric. I have been a CFI for over 45 years and a pilot for 51, I have all the ratings required,but i have decide to go with the sport license. It has been lot of trouble each year doing and getting my medical. I have never failed one, and I no loger fly for a living. So the sport fits.

I have been getting lots of calls for instructions. Again I am not doing any instructions outside of my family, which Avemco will cover.

It is very expensive to cover an aircraft for giving and rent an aircraft, so I don't. There are no aircrafts to rent here. And instructions should you want any must be in your own aircraft.

I do however give Bi-Annual flight reviews to friends and family locally. And I also give on occassion Tail Wheel endorsements. I have been doing this at no charge for about 35 years. I do not want to make a business of this again, and enjoy doing what little I do. I will offer to any of our T-Craft members the same. But it must be here, in my aircraft or yours.

[crispy critter]

Re: Flying this morning

I plan to have a couple of sport planes to rent by spring.Please don't black ball me for saying this but will probably be a Champ and I would like to have a tandem airbike(ya'll keep your eyes open for a cheap tandem airbike project or flying). I plan to give instruction but anyone wishing to solo one of my birds will have to satisify me in a check out and provide there own insurance with collision and liability! I know this sounds a little tough but I can't afford to pay $15,000 a year for insurance. Just liability to cover rentals in sport taildraggers is going to be $9000 per year. I can get the liability for $7000 if they can prove 100+ hours of tailwheel time,25 hours in make, plus a current check out in the bird they are going to rent. I can however cover collision and liability for instruction for $2500 a year if I am in the airplane,however this will not cover anyone under any circumstances in my airplanes unless I'm in the airplane with them. So I figure I will just let the renters carry thier own insurance and this will also keep down rental prices. I believe it is a small price for the student ot renter to pay and any wise renter will already have the insurance anyway.

[alwaysoar]

Re: Flying this morning

I bought my TCraft with the idea of giving tailwheel endorsements and then being able to write off the plane. The instruction idea crashed and burned when I couldn't get commercial insurance, none, hull or liability. At our airport in Vermont (Shelburne, just south of BTV), the owner requires renters to get their own. Two of the instructors got their own, but I can't afford that on the amount I fly. Unfortunately, insurance has caused a lot of people to just say the heck with learning to fly. Maybe LSA will change that. There may be other ways to skin the insurance cat, such as forming an LLC, having students sign a waiver. Some docs I know no longer carry malpractice insurance. Big sign up in the office. One of them only treats geriatrics, assuming I think that if anything goes wrong, the patient would be dying soon anyway and nobody would bother to sue. Maybe we should only instruct octogenarians and not worry about insurance.

[Yellow Duck]

Re: Flying this morning

Alwaysoar, let us know how that is going. Love VT, if wouldn't be so cold. lol

Was stationed at Ft.Devins. Helicopters also. Taught school for a very short time after college. Crop Dusting and Instructing while attending USL (Lafayette LA) Flying Float Planes in the Oil Fields, and Corporate Pilot, Then FAA as enroute controlleer in Houston TX. Retired now also, and play a lot.

Suppose to be getting another cold front tomorrow. Last few day, mid to high 70's,and blue skies.

Good Luck

[alwaysoar]

Re: Flying this morning

I did form a small business (Puddle Jumper Aero. Original, huh.). I do a little A&P, a little CFI, a lot of BS in the lounge with the other old timers. As long as I can show a profit after 3 years (not sure about years, my accountant knows), I can continue the write-off. I do a lot of trading mechanic time, ferry time, instructing, for hangar rent, etc., so reporting income and expenses gets interesting. This is a great group of people here, the proverbial shirt-off-their-backs types. Everybody chips in to help run the place. The owner is a prince of a guy who is elderly and can't do much. This is one of only two, I think, private grass strips offering commercial services in Vermont. Y'all come visit, Lee.

Ed@BTV VT
TF 527

[Yellow Duck]

Re: Flying this morning

Ed, we kinna had that for a long time, now there are only very few of us ole timers left. We usually meet a couple times a week at ARA, a former Naval Air Station.(how about 8,000 ft. runway for helicopters and light aircrafts) Few airplanes, lots of Helicopters, and a few military just flying in for the groceries. We have an EAA pancake breakfast once a month. Fist Sun. of the month at another smaller airfield, grass and asphalt. 3,000 ft. Old hangar,ole pilots, and a relly nice time. Anyone is welcome. Jeanerette, LA (LeMaire Airport)

Another beautiful day today. Gonna go fly with my son-in-law this afternoon when he is off work. Working on his Sport License.

Would love to stop and see ya. Planning on a trip to Canada this summer. We go there for several weeks every few summers. Get away from the heat and thunder bumpers. We have good friends in Quebec, with an BC-12D also, and we go flying and I get to do some soaring. One day I would love to do some ski flying. My friend Jean Paul, keeps inviting me to come up and do so, but just haven't yet. One day, maybe.

Keep the sunny side up.
PS: Was in Southeast Asia before going to Devins also.