Advise please!

[mikeyg123]

Hi everyone,
im a PPL with about 90 hrs and a night rating, im doing some hours building at the mo for my commercial and im going to orlando next week to do 25hrs in a PA28 Warrior. does anyone have any tips or advise for me about flying out there?weather,dos and donts etc?

[dublinpilot]

Mikey

It's a very open question so it's hard to know what to tell you.

For example are you looking for info on getting an airmans cert based on your Jaa licence? That's too late now.

Are you looking for info on the different air laws there? Have you studied those air laws already?

Or are you looking for info on interesting airport to fly to or restaurant recommendations?

Do you need help on finding somewhere to rent from?

All of those could require lengthy replies which might be pointless because you have them already covered.

If you can indicate what type of info you are after you will likely get a lot of good replies.

You should also have a good go with the search function as similar questions are quite common.

Dp

[piperboy84]

Advice: Always go for the Cuban chics

[mikeyg123]

hi dublin pilot,
thank you for your reply.
ok i have the plane,accom,and licence etc, i just wanted some advise on the thunderstorms/bad weather out there and is there specific times it happens? and the best places/airports to fly into and places not to go.

[Pace]

M

This is a serious bit of advice! If you get an engine failure do not put down into any inland waterways or lakes as they are full of nasty Crocodiles.
If the landing doesnt get you the Crocs will!
Presume as you mention a PA28 that you already have an aircraft rental sorted.
I usually end up in Florida for my recurrents in sims and the jet aircraft in Orlando! You will have a lot of fun!
You no doubt will get a thorough checkout and your instructor will help with suggestions as well as weather! flying down the keys would be good!
As all my flying seems to be jets nowadays I long to do some fun flying back to roots. My dream would be to fly the Caribbean islands and get in some scuba diving over a few weeks! Maybe one day!

Pace

[mikeyg123]

Thank you Pace, i hope i will have a good time and not get caught out by the weather. It looks amazing from the pictures and videos i have been watching.
is it right there are no landing fees there?
i would love to fly jets, i know people say its boring as you fly from ils to ils but its my dream and i hope it comes true one day soon!

[tdbristol]

I did an IR at KORL 4 years ago, things may have changed but these are my recollections.
It was summertime when I was there so afternoons were bumpy, so early flying better - probably less so this time of year, but still likely to be less bumpy in the mornings (or at night).
In my experience ATC is excellent, and if there are any nasty thunderstorms in your path they will 'offer you' a course change 10 or 20 degrees left or right to avoid.
But - also quite busy with KORL, Sanford, Orlando Int. and Kissimmee - when in the area need to be good on altitudes particularly if doing some approaches as some have waypoints 'not above and not below' (as the ILS of one airport is below and the ILS of another above).
Also the Apopka lake area seems to be commonly used for general handling so can be busy over the lake - need to do the traffic calls (which you don't do here) and keep a good look out.
Suggest a night flight around 9pm near to Disney - the fireworks look special from the air (assuming they are still doing them), but if I remember there is a permanent exclusion zone (or whatever they call it) over Disney up to 2,000ft or 3,000ft AGL, so need to be careful not to infringe.
For trips away from Orlando recommend you request flight following.

[500 above]

Mostly. I think Key West may charge a small fee for overnight parking. You'll have a blast. Get some night flying in if you can.

[mikeyg123]

Thank you tdbristol,
thats good to know that the ATC is really good. I will definately try to do a night flight over Disney that sounds amazing! I really cant wait to see all them great sights.

[peterh337]

Are they crocs or alligators?

I recall there is a procedure for telling one from the other, but you need to be too close to use it.

[Pace]

I recall there is a procedure for telling one from the other,

The one eats you the other does not :E

Now which was which hmmm?

Addendum I was right Crocs ! If you can swim at 20 mph you will be ok :ok: So Mike into the swimming pool to perfect your high speed swimming before you go :=


Crocodiles are much more aggressive than alligators.Saltwater and Nile crocodiles kill more people and can bite a human in half and take down prey over 1000 pounds.

Salties:
Length= Males are 15-16 feet and Females are 8-10 feet.

Teeth=1-3 inches

Bite pressure=3900 pounds

Armor= Has thicker skin than a hippo, pigs, buffalo, armor plates are as hard as rocks and their skin is much thicker than 5 cm. Head is as hard as steel.

Weight: Males 1500-2000 pounds and Females weigh ?

Food Items: Saltwater crocodiles can take monkeys, wild boar, dingos, domestic livestock, water buffalo, sharks, and humans.

Speed: On land slow and in the water 15-18 miles per hour on top speed.

Intelligence: While crocodilian brains are much smaller than that of mammals (as low as 0.05% in the saltwater crocodile), they are capable of learning hard tasks with very little conditioning. Crocodile calls hint at a deeper language ability than currently accepted. Saltwater crocodiles are smart, clever animals that can learn faster than lab rats and dogs.

Saltwater crocodiles (salties) are very aggressive and can kill an American Alligator with little effort.

Most crocodiles are more dangerous then alligators.
A 12 foot crocodile will most likely kill an 13 foot alligator.

Even if the alligator is bigger, the crocodile will be more dangerous!

All this free life saving advice only at pprune :E

Pace

[Ultranomad]

The Florida State Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising hikers, hunters, fishers, and golfers to take extra precautions and keep alert for alligators while in Osceola, Polk, Manatee, Orange, and Dade Counties.

They advise people to wear noise-producing devices such as little bells on their clothing to alert but not startle the alligators unexpectedly. They also advise the carrying of pepper spray in case of an encounter with an alligator.

It is also a good idea to watch for fresh signs of alligator activity. People should recognize the difference between small young alligator and large adult alligator droppings. Young alligator droppings are smaller and contain fish bones and possible bird feathers. Adult alligator droppings have little bells in them and smell like pepper spray.

Oh no, I thought we were in Jet Blast.

[mikeyg123]

thanks guys ill practice my swimming! lets hope an engine failure doesnt happen and especially over the everglades!haha

[peterh337]

Some of that description reminds me of my ex.

[India Four Two]

Alligator: Broad snout. No teeth visible when mouth closed.
Croc: Narrower snout. Visible teeth when mouth closed.

Both will eat you.
Only alligators in the states.

While in Florida, stay away from alligators. Better to take PB84's advice, but that is only slightly less risky. ;)

[Ebbie 2003]

Serious tip - do buy renter insurance - bust the PA28, have the insurer subrogate the claim and you'll have your budget for commercial training seriously dented.

Other practical things, see if the FBO has some low cost accommodation available.

If you decide to block book up front, rather than pay as you go, do use a UK credit card (get the benefit of the Consumer Credit Act if something goes wrong).

If you've not found somewhere to - look for places near to accommodation, shops etc - save the cost of renting a car.

Use Fltplan.com to down load and print airport directories - saves a little as they are $20 each.

If you havean FAA licence, good - if not you'll need to get one issued, if possible rent from an FBO who are used to facilitating this or risk wasting days at the start of the trip.

Other things, plan to fly in the morning rather than the afternoon - the weather conditions tend to be better.

There is a sneaky wheeze if you are IR or training - team up with another pilot training - when flying at all times one always wears the hood - that way you can both log the hours.