# Any pilots?



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Anyone here on UWN have their pilots license? I've always been interested in flying and owning my own plane. My wife is somewhat supportive of this idea . . . maybe she wants me to die sooner rather than later!


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

i work with some that do. it took the last one a little over half a year to be self sufficient. from my perspective it's a risk i don't need in life. maybe if i lived in alaska it'd be worth it... or if i were a mid west crop duster. out here it seems needlessly complicated and a good way to end up on the nightly news.


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## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

That is my dream. But, I don't think I'll ever have the funds to do it. And my wife wouldn't be too excited even though she would probably let me


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Yeah, I’d mostly want to do it for a hobby. I have no plans on trying to make a career out of it.

I’d love to move to AK and have a plane, but I’m absolutely positive my wife is against a move to AK. Weird, right?!? 😉


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## rtockstein (Mar 17, 2019)

I also want to move to Alaska! Maybe that's how I can get my plane 🤔


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

If we could get 2/3 of the population of Utah to move to Alaska, that would be great!

You guys get to stay here though.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Vanilla said:


> If we could get 2/3 of the population of Utah to move to Alaska, that would be great!
> 
> You guys get to stay here though.


They couldn't hack it. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves not having to build points for decades and being able to just go out and actually hunt every year.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

johnnycake said:


> They couldn't hack it. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves not having to build points for decades and being able to just go out and actually hunt every year.


OUCH!! The truth hurts!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I had my license at age 18 and it's expensive to keep it up for just a "Hobby". I had an accident (Not plane related) and it left me with a black spot in my right eye at the 2:00 position. I was stripped of my license because of this. I haven't been behind the stick for a loooooooong time. 

If you want to have fun and possibly make some money, go with a rotary wing license, not fixed wing. If you do venture and get your fixed wing, you'll want to move up to twin engine as well. That's when it gets fun and fast!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

johnnycake said:


> They couldn't hack it. They wouldn't know what to do with themselves not having to build points for decades and being able to just go out and actually hunt every year.


LOL - there might be some truth in this statement! No checking for credit card hits, having plan b, c, d, and e for the fall!


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

I have several friends who have had their private license since high school (50+ years) and have had no problems. It seems to become somewhat of a life style because any trip revolves around where to fly to for fun.
I actually completed ground school before life got in the way.

I have lost one friend to a plane crash. He was bush flying for a living in Idaho and crashed in the mountains west of Salmon. For the most part general aviation is pretty safe.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

My dad was a pilot, he and another guy were flying out of El Paso Texas when they got in a head-on collision with a Military Trainer jet... at 5000ft altitude. They sortof skipped off each other, jet going under, his plane going over... the jet's rudder coming right through the nose between them.

Its a stunning miracle, but both planes landed more or less safely. Dads plane only got one wing wheel down before the hydraulics failed. It was a twin engine plane so they were able to turn left and right by throttling up and down the engines. With the dash wrecked, they had no other controls. Crazy stuff.

He went on to fly for many more years doing aerial surveying and photography.

-DallanC


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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

When I turned 40 a couple of years ago, my wife surprised me with a flight/ride on a Piper Cherokee (because she knows I’m an AV Geek). The young pilot was Chinese and had flown 747’s for Air China. He was here as a pilot instructor while his wife attended the university of Utah. The instructor, my wife and I boarded the plane and we went over some safety things. He asked me if I had ever flown before. I said “yeah! I’ve flown commercially some and flown on a KC-135 with the Utah Air National Guard on a refueling mission.” At that point, he asked me if I wanted to taxi the plane out to the runway. So of course I said okay and I did. We lined up for take off, got clearance, and then he asked me if I wanted to take the controls again and take off. I was a little surprised by this, but said, hell, why not? So I did! We flew to the south, turned back to the north, up Parleys Canyon, over jordenelle and then Heber, then down Provo canyon. It was at about that point that he realized that I wasn’t actually a pilot. Let’s just say this, his English wasn’t the best. Anyway, I found out my wife was in the back of the plane absolutely terrified. It was also a very windy day. I thought I did an outstanding job though. 😂 Does that count?


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## EchoLimaKilo (Feb 10, 2021)

I’m currently going through my private pilots license training right now, it’s been a lot of fun and definitely something I’m interested in doing as a career when I get through all the rest of the necessary training and hours. I’d be lying if I said that aerial scouting isn’t also a motivating factor here too…

You could always book and intro flight like what legacy did (I actually know who the instructor is that he went with) and go see how you like it. Even if you don’t end up doing it the flight is pretty awesome


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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Yes imma pylot. 
But I don’t do it for fun anymore. It’s my career and right now, and great one for me. As my buddy says “I’ve never dreamed of making so much money, working so little.”


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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Over the Sea of Cortez 


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## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Some cool sunsets. This was coming back from Puerto Vallarta a couple of weeks ago. It’s a good career. 


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