PPL and 'complex' aircraft

[Ebbie 2003]

There was a lady here in Barbados who did her PPL in a twin Comanche some years ago - it happened to be the airplane her husband owned - so goes to show you can do it in something rather complex.

[OpenCirrus619]

Another (slightly facetious) point is that, if you fly retractable, you will join the company of:

• Those that have
• Those that will
• Those that will again

Thankfully I'm still in the second group.

OC619

[Pilot DAR]

if you fly retractable

Certainly requires discipline, a complete awareness of your configuration, and I train this with great emphasis. You must be deliberate as to your landing gear selection, and not make assumptions. I regularly takeoff and land one of my planes with the wheels either extended or retracted as appropriate to the surface. I am very careful about double checking landing gear position for landing by literally speaking it out loud twice before each landing. Attempting to take off with the landing gear in the wrong position is sort of a self solving problem, and although a spectacle, not really a safety concern. It does come down to training and the extra training requirements for a more complex airplane though...

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Originally Posted by Pilot DAR

You must be deliberate as to your landing gear selection, and not make assumptions.

I have decided that I will solve this one by never flying an amphibian.

[Pilot DAR]

I have decided that I will solve this one by never flying an amphibian

The same considerations apply to wheel/ski planes as well. It is everyone's choice to accept or avoid the complexity they're comfortable with. As for amphibians, it's a super way to not have to leave an expensive plane tied to a dock, corroding in the water, banging the floats, and worrying if it's being blown over in a storm. There are benefits and burdens with all types.

[Piper.Classique]

Plenty of people flying gliders go to single seat retractable gear machines after about fifteen hours or so. No alarms, just memory check list. They seem to manage just fine.

[India Four Two]

They seem to manage just fine.

Well, most do. Years ago, my club had a member who owned a Phoebus C, which he routinely landed gear-up. A spectacular sight on a hard runway, as the glider was followed by a plume of white dust.

Eventually, he sold the Phoebus and bought a Glasflügel Mosquito, which he landed gear-up on his first flight!

[Double Back]

I received a professional ab initio training starting in 1972. First trainer was an (aerobatic) Saab Safir 91D, manually operated gear, constant speed prop, cowl flaps and full IFR. We were (selected) young chaps, aged btn 18 and 20, and everyone soloed btn 10 and 15 hours.
After PPL and CPL and IF rating (AND lots of acro in between for those who loved it) we progressed to a twin French 4-seat jet, which we "soloed" but as the plane was not certified for single pilot, the instructor's seat was occupied by one of the classmates. We had guys who got this type rating before they had a driver's license!
Final ATPL check on a 9 seat German bizz jet.
In all 250 hours. It was the good times, all paid by the government...... Nowadays getting the same training would be prohibitive in cost, unless Yr father would be a millionaire...
During the 2,5 Yr course I had myself checked out privately at another flight school in order to do some family flying. The first T/O in the C172 the whole climbout scared the living daylights out of me, constantly wondering what I had forgotten to do besides raising the flaps....