OT: Experience in Small Planes, What can you tell me? Options

[SLITS]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif) Bad Bad Bad ....... FAA 500' horizontal & 1000' vertical clearance (AFAIR)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/busted_cop.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/timeout.gif)

Make sure you have a relief tube with ya!

[highways]

Dude, . . .

Small airplanes are a lot safer than driving on the highway during rush hour.

Totally agree: small plane=much safer then street driving. Only thing I would be worried about is cloud cover in mountain areas... and inclement weather (especially down drafts) in high elevation mountain areas. But even those aren't much to worry about.

A small plane is very landable as a glider- most anywhere. Have fun! Take dramamine if you get motion sick (before you leave).

[SLITS]

Forgot to ask, who's the pilot....Elliott or Waldo?

[Elliot_Cannon]

If you have never flown in a small airplane before, the very worse thing you can do is fly on an empty stomach. I learned that from an Air Force flight surgeon about 40 years ago. (Trust me on this). Have a good meal and keep a barf bag handy just incase. If you start to feel a little queezy, have a fresh air vent blowing cold air on your face and try to focus your eyes on a distant object on the horizon. Get some foam ear plugs. They protect your hearing and allow to hear conversation better. They also help with the fatigue factor on a 4 hour flight. Keep your seat belt fastened ALL the time. I make a living flying great big airplanes and used do it flying really small airplanes. Your going to have a great time. As far as turbulence goes, I wouldn't worry unless the airplane is upside down. The airplane can take much more abuse than you can. (Trust me on this one also.) Have safe, fun flight.
Cheers, Elliot

[richardL]

As far as turbulence goes, I wouldn't worry unless the airplane is upside down.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) ...if you are upside down, I'd start to worry big time!

I love flying in small planes, noisy, but so much more interesting - try to follow what the pilot is doing, navigation and stuff - really makes it fun.

R

[GWN7]

A 6 seater isn't a small plane...try two seats, one behind the pilot (his is the other one) and your 914 has more hp.....then put it on floats.....moose spotting (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Howard]

Nuckin' Futz if you ask me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[SLITS]

If you have never flown in a small airplane before, the very worse thing you can do is fly on an empty stomach. I learned that from an Air Force flight surgeon about 40 years ago. (Trust me on this). Have a good meal and keep a barf bag handy just incase.

Hot Chocolate & Pancakes make a wonderful projectile vomit at the pilot's head. Trust me on this.

[SLITS]

A 6 seater isn't a small plane...try two seats, one behind the pilot (his is the other one) and your 914 has more hp.....then put it on floats.....moose spotting (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Moose for you Sgt. Preston ...... Beaver for me!

[KaptKaos]

Ever drive your 914 on a sunny day, top off, on a choppy dirt road with no muffler for 4 hours without a radio and no piss breaks?

Make sure you bring sunglasses. Have fun, be safe.

[So.Cal.914]

My Nephew flys private jets and twin engines, he has logged may hours in a high

traffic area and has had no mishaps. (knock on wood) He flys single engines for

fun, he taught me in a 172. I love it. A six seater should give you some room to

to at least move your legs and arms. It beats driving that far for that long, and

the view is great.

[heavydriver]

Just my .02 .......

Enjoy your ride. The bonanza is a good airplane. I agree with the others in that the pilot will make or break this trip for you. It will be like the first time you had a run at the AX course.

Make sure your tummy is full and your bladder is empty.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

[Qarl]

My friend is a pilot. We flew in a rented Cesna once. Door fell of during take off. What a joy!

Another time, my mother flew on a puddle jumper out of Chicago to podunk South Dakota. Front landing care wouldn't go down, so they assumed the position and had a crash landing (complete with sparks, fire department, etc.). All were okay.

Flew with another friend in a Cesna 182 and electric went out. Fun landing at night with no landing lights.

Why do you ask?

[Sparky]

Just make sure the pilot has the same number of take offs as he does landings.

[carambola]

Small planes are a blast. 4 hours will get you a little squirmy though. I wouldn't be concerned about saftey unless there's bad weather involved.

Oh yeah, stay out of the "slow speed, no wake zones" ( I love buzzing the beach!)

you do know you just went through a speed trap, right?

[wbergtho]

I used to fly/own a Cessna 172. It was alot of fun...never felt unsafe. The only reason people have a hangup on small planes is that some of the general aviation pilots are not as experienced as the major airline pilots...therefore more mistakes are made by inexperienced general aviation pilots. Some don't fly for years and then get current and fly "rusty". I agree with the other comments made about the pilot's experience and that small planes can make a safe unpowered landing just about anywhere (in daylight). Don't worry...have a great time...enjoy the ride! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif)

[ClayPerrine]

I got my pilot's license back in 1988. I absolutely love it, and so does Betty. She sits in the back and screws with the trim by leaning forward and backward just to see me crank on the trim wheel.


Oh.. and I KNOW about the glide ratio of a Cessna 150. Two days before I took my flight test for my private license I got to be the first person to land at Ft. Worth Alliance airport. The left mag on the 150 performed a dramatic self destruction, and in the process tore off the two plug wires from the right mag to the left cylinders. And that Lycoming wouldn't run on just 2 cylinders and 2 plugs....So I ended up greasing the plane onto the graded dirt where the runway was being built. I landed at the south end, and the construction crew had just started laying rebar at the north end.

When I stopped the construction foreman comes roaring up in his pickup and shouts at me "You can't land here, this airport isn't open yet!". Hopped up on adrenaline I shouted back "If I had any choice, I wouldn't have landed here."

The construction foreman drove me to the office trailer, and I called the flight school and told them what was wrong with the plane. One of their mechanics flew out in another 150 with a pair of Mags and wires, plus tools. He installs the mags, fires it up to check it, and says "Ok, you can fly it back now." I replied, "I am not a test pilot, you fly it back." I flew the OTHER 15o back to the home airport.



Unlike a commercial airliner, you can land a light plane just about anywhere. You will have a blast on the ride.


Here's the plane I want... The Swift.

Think of a 914 with wings. Two seats, handles well, cool looking, but it has an underpowered, air cooled flat 4. Most are customized with bigger flat sixes.

The owners are just as passionate about these planes as we are about a 914.

[Katmanken]

WTF?

Small planes are safe. The nice thing about small planes is the glide ratio.

Lose the engine, glide on down. In a commercial plane, they lose the engines, and they drop like a rock.

Dad flew military planes for 25 years and small ex-drug planes for another 20 years. He put down a number of shot up or crapped out military planes but only put down one small ex-drug plane when he was flying for the State of Florida. That plane lost the throttle and he had to put it down in the glades.

Seems the A**hole mechanic checked the "grease the throttle cable" box during maintenance without doing the job. The FAA found the cable sawn half way through and locked into a throttle bracket after 2 hours of flight time OOOPS! somebody lost their job.

I have ridden in small planes all over Alaska and have no fear. Won't fly with my Ex- brother in law though. He gets drunk, overloads the plane and hits the tops of the trees on takeoff. Three times now......

[GeorgeRud]

Isn't the saying that there are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.

If you want religion, fly into or out of Telluride, Colorado's airport in a small plane. It's the third highest elevation airport in the world (9475 ft.).

[wbergtho]

Isn't the saying that there are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.

No truer words have ever been spoken!