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I earned my PPL in the mid '70s. After spending most of my time in 'well used' 150 trainers I had the pleasure of flying one with only ferry time from the factory, I was amazed at how nice an airplane it really was. I've had some stick time in a few different Ercoupes, the stock bench seat has a transverse member that doesn't treat my back well but I flew one with C150 seats and it was quite comfortable. It's also neat being able to slide the side windows into the fuselage, kinda like a convertible. I thought I had a deal on 1 a few years ago. Guy in MA had put a ton of $$$ in one, thought it needed a front crank seal, upon tear-down they found a cracked crank. The wife put her foot down and said no more $$$. I think I could've had it for around $15K and an O-200 conversion would be a possibility. Someone had given me a # for an Ercoupe specialist in the area, I called him and told him my intentions, he seemed very enthusiastic and said he could go to MA with his trailer, pull the wings and bring it back. I said work up some $$$ numbers and get back to me, never heard from him again. I've found having to chase people to do what they said they'd do and take your $$$ usually doesn't work out too well.
I'll likely leave my vast estate to something like St. Jude. It's weird but I so far haven't convinced myself that getting a reverse mortgage isn't like sticking someone after I'm gone, something I've never done
(stick someone, not be gone ). My real wish would be finding a partner to buy an RV-12. I had a little stick time in an RV-7 (so happy the first time I went to Kitty Hawk was in an airplane and not a car ) and the combination of rock-like stability as well as being greatly responsive to the controls was just amazing. From what I read all Van's designs share similar flight qualities.
Well quite a story....I actually soloed in 69 out in PSP, $12.50 an hour wet for a new 150. No tail dragger time....sounds like fun in the Ercoupes, too bad that deal fell through. Vans are great machines would love to have one for sure. My son got his CFI in 94 and talked me into getting my ticket in 95. Had a ball flying up central valley up to RDD and surrounding areas. Most of my time was in 150's and 172's until I met this AME who wanted someone to fly with him and split the fuel in a 182. Had a ball flying to a new place every weekend for two years, he usually filed IFR and let me fly several runs including ILS. Fortunately my son was right time right place and got on with an airline, he is now senior Captain 737. I'm just happy to get in 15 good years in GA. We'll have to be real lucky for this weight increase to go through in time to perhaps get a few hours back in the saddle........addendum.....just remembered I did a checkout in a 1997 G1000 172 and it was awesome, like flying a new Buick.......lol
At 87 and even though doctors tell me I am their healthiest older patient, I no longer have a desire to fly. I started flying in 1954, 54 years ago. I loved it when I did, but now is time to just have memories and no longer do it. I know I could pass a current physical, but it is too far between bathrooms, when flying so to speak.
Trader you are the senior aviator here by a mile.......and you're still here so you're a really good one.....a 1,000 mile range is useless if your bladder is only good for 250.....lol......we've all been there. After a certain point there's more downside in the flying game than we want, you're playing it smart......
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,381,135 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vf6cruiser
Well quite a story....I actually soloed in 69 out in PSP, $12.50 an hour wet for a new 150. No tail dragger time....sounds like fun in the Ercoupes, too bad that deal fell through. Vans are great machines would love to have one for sure. My son got his CFI in 94 and talked me into getting my ticket in 95. Had a ball flying up central valley up to RDD and surrounding areas. Most of my time was in 150's and 172's until I met this AME who wanted someone to fly with him and split the fuel in a 182. Had a ball flying to a new place every weekend for two years, he usually filed IFR and let me fly several runs including ILS. Fortunately my son was right time right place and got on with an airline, he is now senior Captain 737. I'm just happy to get in 15 good years in GA. We'll have to be real lucky for this weight increase to go through in time to perhaps get a few hours back in the saddle........addendum.....just remembered I did a checkout in a 1997 G1000 172 and it was awesome, like flying a new Buick.......lol
There was that popular book Chicken Soup for the Soul, perhaps we should write $100 Hamburgers for the Soul?
The strange thing is about LSA is if you ever failed a medical can't even get a light sport rating how does it change anything for guys who lost their medicals.
At 87 and even though doctors tell me I am their healthiest older patient, I no longer have a desire to fly. I started flying in 1954, 54 years ago. I loved it when I did, but now is time to just have memories and no longer do it. I know I could pass a current physical, but it is too far between bathrooms, when flying so to speak.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,381,135 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kell490
The strange thing is about LSA is if you ever failed a medical can't even get a light sport rating how does it change anything for guys who lost their medicals.
The only ones I can see it helping are those who've failed a medical but were able to jump through enough hoops and had the $$$ to obtain a waiver. AFAIK they could then let the waivered medical expire and fly LSA.
The strange thing is about LSA is if you ever failed a medical can't even get a light sport rating how does it change anything for guys who lost their medicals.
That's a tough one. I was always told, if you think you MAY fail your Medical, don't take it. Just let it lapse. I still have a Third Class Medical, and have no health issues, but at 59, that may be an issue someday. This is good news for LSA, and General Aviation in which I've been active for 25 years. I know a lot of my peers that have stopped flying, some for medical reasons, others for costs, etc.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,381,135 times
Reputation: 40736
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilot1
That's a tough one. I was always told, if you think you MAY fail your Medical, don't take it. Just let it lapse. I still have a Third Class Medical, and have no health issues, but at 59, that may be an issue someday. This is good news for LSA, and General Aviation in which I've been active for 25 years. I know a lot of my peers that have stopped flying, some for medical reasons, others for costs, etc.
I've been told that some AMEs will allow you to just schedule a 'screening physical' to see if you can pass the medical without you filling out the FAA forms, IOW you don't fail a flight physical.
Why I don't put much faith in a 3rd class happened when I was a young boy in the '50s. There was a fatal accident on the Garden State Parkway in NJ, a car crossed the median and hit another head-on resulting in several fatalities. It was later determined that the driver who'd crossed the median had a fatal heart attack at the wheel causing the accident. The kicker is he was returning home from a physical which included an EKG and been given a clean bill of health.
From what I read there have been no issues in LSA related to using a driver's license in lieu of a medical. IMO if the FAA thinks you responsible enough to pilot an airplane they should also think you responsible enough to know when it's physically inadvisable for you to do so. There are no doubt people out there flying planes above the LS class with no/expired medicals but regulations are unlikely to change that.
I've been told that some AMEs will allow you to just schedule a 'screening physical' to see if you can pass the medical without you filling out the FAA forms, IOW you don't fail a flight physical.
Why I don't put much faith in a 3rd class happened when I was a young boy in the '50s. There was a fatal accident on the Garden State Parkway in NJ, a car crossed the median and hit another head-on resulting in several fatalities. It was later determined that the driver who'd crossed the median had a fatal heart attack at the wheel causing the accident. The kicker is he was returning home from a physical which included an EKG and been given a clean bill of health.
From what I read there have been no issues in LSA related to using a driver's license in lieu of a medical. IMO if the FAA thinks you responsible enough to pilot an airplane they should also think you responsible enough to know when it's physically inadvisable for you to do so. There are no doubt people out there flying planes above the LS class with no/expired medicals but regulations are unlikely to change that.
I agree with you the example you gave how would an AME know if the man had advanced CAD (Coronary artery disease). Even a nuclear stress test is not full proof. Friend had one passed with flying colors not a year later he had to get 4 stents put in after having chest pain walking around a park. The doctor said the only full proof way to know is to get an angiogram test no doctor is going to do that unless you have chest pain.
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The wife put her foot down and said no more $$$. I think I could've had it for around $15K and an O-200 conversion would be a possibility. Someone had given me a # for an Ercoupe specialist in the area, I called him and told him my intentions, he seemed very enthusiastic and said he could go to MA with his trailer, pull the wings and bring it back. I said work up some $$$ numbers and get back to me, never heard from him again. I've found having to chase people to do what they said they'd do and take your $$$ usually doesn't work out too well. 
to something like St. Jude. It's weird but I so far haven't convinced myself that getting a reverse mortgage isn't like sticking someone after I'm gone, something I've never done 
). My real wish would be finding a partner to buy an RV-12. I had a little stick time in an RV-7 (so happy the first time I went to Kitty Hawk was in an airplane and not a car 
) and the combination of rock-like stability as well as being greatly responsive to the controls was just amazing. From what I read all Van's designs share similar flight qualities.
