What do you fly?
 

Just curious as to what kind of aircraft you all fly. It seems that there are a hell of a lot more Fixed Wing than Helicopter pilots in the private domain. Is this just a $$ thing?.... or are wings just better than rotors?;)

What do I fly?
 

Wings better than rotors?! Heresy! BURN HIM ;)

I fly R22/4 B206III helicopters.:cool:

Never tried a plank. Maybe one day :rolleyes: :p

PA28-161
C150-M

C 150 Aerobat (a Froggy one with a Rolls Royce engine in it :) )

Katana DA 20. Never tried a Magimix!:p

Rotor pilots have their own forum on PPRuNe, so not many of them hang out in Private Flying regularly. Although they are always welcome, of course! Yes, money's a big factor...

Currently flying a Europa monowheel.

FFF
----------

Trained in a C152, but I've just been checked out on a Koliber and its GREAT!

PA28-161 (Warrior) and PA28-236 (Dakota).

HEL looks like fun and a learning challenge - but someone once advised me to not even get in one IN CASE I LIKE IT TOO MUCH and it sends me BANKRUPT! ;)

I'm also avoiding rotary wing. I'm sure I'd enjoy it ... and I know I couldn't afford it.

As for fixed wing, I'm another of the PA-28ers

A sweet Super Cub 150 -- tailwheel fun, lots of power, good short field and bags of character. Still scared of crosswinds, though, especially on tarmac!

And we've even got our own dedicated site with its own bulletin boards:

www.supercub.org

QDM

What do you Fly?
 

I trained in c-152 now fly aa-5b, pa-28, ex raf bulldog, c-172, (Gliders ---- ask21, ask23, k13, bocian, grob acro 103, duo discus)

Helicopters are MUCH better, and some of us DO hang out here, as well as in Rotorheads of course. It's just that the wonderful whirly things cause bankruptcy by rotation.

So what do I fly?

R22, lots.
R44, occasionally if I'll feeling rich.
C152 just enough to keep my licence.
C172 for the Dawn to Dusk recently, with an instructor friend (just as well as I've forgotten how to land it :eek: )
B206 (Jet Ranger) in the US but haven't done the type rating over here because it's too expensive and I can't afford to fly it.

And..er..wasn't going to say anything but attempting to learn to fly a flexwing microlight. Difficult; aerial lawnmowers have controls that move in the opposite direction to everything I'm used to. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Learnt in a C152 spamcan.
Just got checked out in the PA28-140 cos it's cheaper, which is always good :)
Would like to fly eggwhisks, but too expensive for a poor student *snivvle*
Also fancy joining Whirly with these aerial motorbike things, but above applies.
When I get a job... WATCH OUT!!! :D

Eponymous I suppose :D

PA28-161 Warrior / Cadet
PA28-181 Archer II/III
PA28-200 Arrow
PA34-200T Seneca
C172
C152 (not my favorite!)

Must admit I do prefer Pipers. The Cessna always makes me feel like I'm sat in a goldfish bowl.

Cheers
EA;)

Firefly 260 at work. And I like them so much that I hire them at weekends as well :D .

Englishal doesn't like single Cessnas. Quite the opposite for me, really like the Cessnas but apart from an odd foray in an Aerobat over the last couple of years haven't recently flown the 120/140/170/172/182/210/206. Have an hour in a Warrior type thingy and didn't enjoy it very much - the single door put me off for a start.

Quite like piper twins but my multi-rating has lapsed and I can not see myself renewing it unless Camelot have other ideas.

So currently:

S1S single seat Pitts
S2A two hole Pitts
DH82A Tiger Moth - just arranging to get current again
HAL 26 almost finished a complete rebuild so watch out for it in the comics under oldtimers!


Stik

DB6
 

Bodmin or Fenland?

Stik

Fenland . See you there?

Pa28 Warrior or Cadet - not very exciting I'm afraid, but still thrilled by just being in the air - I'm sure I'll move on to more interesting aircraft when they give me a license. L1011 would be nice.:p

Thinking of trying out a Robin, just to see how the stick compares to the yoke (please don't start a debate on that here - been done before).

PA-28's account for 455 of my 650hrs, the Mooney M20J accounts for 170hrs. The remaining 25hrs have been in various Cessnas (150, 152, 172, 172 on floats), Cherokee Six, and DHC-2 Beaver (floats), and the Katana. The Katana is the only stick aircraft I've flown, and very nice to fly it was too!

I've always liked the PA-28, but then, thats what I've been brought up on I guess!

:) :cool: :cool: :)

Chipmunk DHC1 - great but needs share in an oil field
Cessna 310 - my current hourly rate would buy a month with Claudia Schiffer!
Tiger Moth - the one that Stik is planning to re-acquaint himself with
Jodel D117 - the regular runabout
Mooney 231 - great instrument platform but a little tight on cabin space
C152 - the 'Ford Ka' of the avail types for me - also C172 (the London taxi cab)
PA28 - The Ford Escort.
PA34 Seneca - the sensible and cheap twin (series II on)
R22 - throwing money through a shredder!
Kitfox - now that is an interesting toy
Supercub
Cub

Also flown Starduster, Christen Eagle, Stearman, Citabria, Partenavie P68 - mostly only get to fly them once though - must be something about my flying. Actually do quite a bit of formation for photographic sorties so this explains the variety and lack of frequency.
In general the worl doesn't have enough interesting types to fly on rental - perhaps someone should specialise in this - the exotic types club or similar.

It was remarked about me by the groundcrew at my local airfield " him - put a pair of wings on a wheelbarrow and he'll fly it" - probably true;) , currently flying Moths of various types, Robins, PA28 and B.S.J's

In the last 12 months:

Aeronca Champ
Ercoupe
RV6
RV6a
Spirit of St Louis replica
PA28 Archer (mostly)
OV-1D Mohawk (passenger)
WACO YKS-7
Pitcairn PA-7 Mailwing
GlaStar
Cessna 210
CJ6A Nanchang
Cessna 0-2
D-25 New Standard (passenger)
TBM-700
B-17G (passenger)
PA-12 Super Cruiser
Ford 4AT Tri-Motor
Flightstar ultralight
Citabria

I have control

You lucky so and so......

I suppose working at the EAA museum helps!:D

B121 Series 1

It's a dear old C-172 for me. After training in the usual C-152

PA28-161 Warrior (Put put put)
PA28-181 Archer III (Brand new and very nice!)
PA28-200 Arrow (OK when the avionics work)
C152 (Like flying a bucking bronco!)
C172 Millenium SP (Much nicer)
Ducati 900SS (Whoops sorry wrong list - but it does fly :D )

Julian.

In chronological order, for PPL:
Chipmunk (3hrs PPL - never got the hang of taxying it!!)
C172 (As far as first solo in Canada)
C150/2 (What more can be said - bit cramped for grown adults!)
PA28-160
PA28-140
PA38
Fuji FA200-160 (current type)

Other types as passenger / mil experience flights (no order):
Bulldog ( :D :D )
BAe Hawk T1 ( :D :D :D :D )
Andover
C130
Westland Whirlwind
Westland Wessex
Puma
Dauphin (SA355)
Bell UH-1 ('Huey') - in Brunei!
Sea King
Chinook
Kirby Cadet Mk3 Glider (soloed)
Sedbergh T21 glider
Blanik glider
Viking glider

I'm sure there are a few I've missed, but that's most of them!!

[edited for usual typos by CB]

Why does everyone get to fly so many interesting types? I'm jealous! Ok, since everyone else is doing the same, here's my complete list for the last 12 months, in chronological order:

• Piper Warrior
• Piper Cherokee
• Piper Super Cub
• Piper Arrow 4
• Piper Aztec
• Great Lakes
• Pitts S2C
• Europa monowheel

Ok, I feel better now!

FFF
--------------

This questions raises an interesting point - how come some pilots get to have so many types?

As a bog-standard PPL, and not being a Worldcom senior manager, I am constrained by flying whatever is available at the local flying club - C150s (if I can't get anything else) and C172s (if there's one available in the next 2 weeks - sigh).

Regained the PPL on P28As - which I prefer, but the club doesn't have them - well an Arrow, but that needs a conversion (if I can find an instructor, and the landing gear gets fixed) and another barrowload of money, of course.

So how do those others manage to get (and maintain) so many types?

By the way, what is the rule for maintaing currency on a type?

My greatest feat was to succesfully fly, just that, to sucesfully fly. It took so many attempts to get going that I am just so grateful to be doing it now.

I try to fly an A320 but mostly I just dream. Then I wake up and go out to my Shiny Cessna and realise that I have peaked :(

Currency
 

I don’t know what it is for planks but us rotary bods (read gods chosen children) :) must do an LPC check for each type every twelve months. Essentially it’s a GFT skills test on each helicopter. No big deal though if you fly regularly. Still it can be an expensive day out. It cost me around 1500 quid to renew my 3 type ratings last time :( Oh well it’s only money and you can’t take it with you.

Toddle pip.

GroundBound,

There are no rules for currency on non-type-rated aircraft. If you're legal to fly an aircraft, and you're current on flying aircraft of the correct class, you can legally fly any aircraft in that class. Or something like that, anyway...

Whether your club rules or insurance company will let you do that is a different question. And whether it's safe is a different question again.

As to why I've flown so many different types, there's a reason for all of them:

• Piper Warrior - did my PPL on this
• Piper Cherokee - did my spin training in this, since you can't spin Warriors. Club rules say that if you're current on Warriors (the club has a 4-week currency rule), then as long as you've flown a Cherokee once, you're current on Cherokees. So I sometimes hire a Cherokee if there's no Warriors available
• Super Cub - did my tail-dragger check-out on this. It's also my favourite aeroplane of all the ones I've flown so far
• Arrow - For my complex (retratable gear and wobbly prop) checkout. Also used for a couple of long (several hundred mile) cross countries that would have been very uncomfortable in a Super Cub
• Aztec - Can't afford a twin rating, but I fancied 5 hours of dual on a twin just to see what it's like
• Great Lakes - 10 hours of basic aerobatic training
• Pitts S2C - The school where I did my aerobatic training has 3 of these which they rent out (dual only), and I couldn't resist! :D
• Europa - I bought a share in one, so now I have to fly it! Not that I'm complaining - it's a great plane :)

FFF
-----------------

R22 and R44. (Tried a plank but decided with my navigation skills being able to land in a field to ask directions was bound to be a good thing...).

I've got my first LPC on Monday - I've had my PPL a year now.

Just worked out I've done 80.3 hours since I started flying and spent....

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

you don't want to know.....

Lets just say its a sphincter-clenchingly large amount of money and no wonder I'm skint. What's that old saying, "if you want to make a small fortune in helicopters... start with a large one...."

Anyway, working up to my night rating (us egg-whiskers have to have 100 hrs before we can take it). Then my CPL at 155 hours..... hopefully following in Whirly's dainty foosteps..... Of course I'll be 80 by the time I've paid for all that... and Mrs.Horn will have probably run off with another bloke by then...

...so at least its not all bad news :D

Sorry people, couldn't resist :cool:

39hrs 10mins, only 50mins of which aren't pax time :rolleyes:
But I'm hopefully starting my PPL in about 3.5 weeks time :p

Cessna 421 Golden Eagle
Beech Baron 58
Robin Aiglon R100
PA28-181
PA28R
TB10
C150
Jodel D120A
Auster J1
Jodel D119
Rallye 880
C150 Aerobat
PA17
DR360
Jodel D130 *
Cap 10B
AX3 *
Piper J3 Cub

* P.u/t time flown in these!

tKF

PS and VERY nearly a flight in a Pitts S2A! had about 8 trips to fly with Stik in an S2A, but all been aborted thanks to wx :(
Also very nearly some time in a Tiger Moth!

Rotorhorn,

I think you're better off doing the CPL and then the night rating. As I understand it you now need 10 hours of instrument flying before you can do the night rating, and you'll have to do 10 hours on instruments for the CPL; not sure you can count the previous 10. Check this out though, as I'm not certain.

For whats its worth, in rough order

AA5A - first flight, felt light a spitfire !!
C 150 / 152 PPL in Florida, loved it !!
AA5B - Private rental @ EGHI. managed Biaritz, great feeling
PA28-160 / 180 - Always felt like a flying barge, hate 1 door
PA28-200R (Mk 2) - A marked improvement over std. 28
BE76 - My best so far, Beeches are built so well.
C310 Q - A hot ship, easy to get into trouble
DA/DV20 - Plastic glider with a engine. Great climb speed but crap to land in a cross wind, just wants to float.

Also some sneaky hands on while with RN

Gazelle - felt like a flying goldfish bowl, to much glass and not enough metal infront of me.
Sea Kingf 5/6 - Felt like a flying battleship, awesome.

Future:
Looking forward to some hands on in a Cessan 337 and a buzz in a friends Vans RV6...

Currently:
BN2 Islander. Short field performance is great. Otherwise I think they're a pig of an aircraft.

Previously:
Cessna
C140
C150 & 152 including Tailwheel mod.
C172 & RG
C177 & RG
C182 & RG
C205 & 206
C210
C310
C337
C401 & 402

Piper PA28-140 to 180 & RG
PA38
PA32 & RG
PA23-250
PA30/39
PA31-310 & 350
PA34-I, II & III
PA44
PA60/AEST

Beech C24 & RG
BE33 & 36 including the aerobatic 33
BE55, 58, 95
BE76

Mooney M20J/201
Socata TB10
Grumman AA5
Pacific Aerospace FU24, CT4B
Victa Airtourer 100hp to 160hp


Rutan Long EZI

Scottish Aviation SC12

Saddler Vampire................the ultralight copy, not the original! :(

Wow - some plenty aeroplanes been flown

So far as PIC - C152 :(
but start on C172 this weekend - weather permitting:D

but in the RHS have had the luck to take controls for 2 hours on:
Citation CII - friend was a company pilot and I was doing some work for the company at the time and had to be got to the mine site fairly quickly - what a thrill.

DC3 - again, friend of mine in the airforce snuck me in

Harvard trainer - ditto above.