I was part 61, and as I have previously stated I finished it in ~40 hours after a 2 year hiatus which rendered previously logged hours almost useless in stick skills. PRIVATE PILOT Knowledge wasn't a concern for me.
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Private pilot license??
- Thread starter Captainmorgan
- Start date
I was part 61, and as I have previously stated I finished it in ~40 hours after a 2 year hiatus which rendered previously logged hours almost useless in stick skills. PRIVATE PILOT Knowledge wasn't a concern for me.
Apparently so....
Oops, I was wrong too. I guess you learn something new everyday. A4s woulda pushed me out of the airplane without a parachute for that one.
O.K. ... then back to the original question for the 450th + time ...
There are no shortcuts ..... and a Private Pilot's License WILL NOT MAKE YOU OR BREAK YOU IN the ASTB or FLIGHT SCHOOL. If you want to fly -- do it anyway if you have the means. It won't make you a Naval Aviator, however.
In the beginning and in the end ... you either "have it" or you don't. It's never been otherwise. We'd never heard of ARCO study guides, CD's or what-have-you training and preparatory materials .... we just applied, took the tests, went to Pensacola, and did it. Some did not make it into the TRACOM and some did not make it out of the TRACOM. Most of those who did not make it would not have been helped by any "training aids" available today or the time and expense of a PPL.
A PPL will not make the difference in the ASTB or whatever they choose to call it tomorrow ... if you want to fly and can afford it -- go for it. But if you think it might "help" you prepare for the ASTB, you are wasting your (or Daddy's?) money.
Ultimately .... YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU RATE (read: how well you fly) AND/OR WHATEVER YOUR "TIMING" PROVIDES FOR YOU!!! (read: luck of the draw and needs of the Navy)
Want me to say it again??? I didn't think so ....
Bottom line: You either "have it" or you do not. You can try to stack the deck in your favor until donkeys fly --- but it will NOT work 99% of the time --- and that's the great thing about Navy Flight Training. It's a great winnowing process ...
If you come in the front door with the requisite grey matter, know your stuff in training, pay attention, keep your head on a swivel, fly your ass off, and show your instructors you merit those Wings of Gold ... you will probably get them.
Remember: We're NOT the way we are because we're Naval Aviators .... we're Naval Aviators because of the way we are .....
Think about that .... and believe it ...
Bullsh!t .... that's complete Bullsh!t. GET THEM OUT OF THE COCKPIT!!!
If you can't get one in 40 hours or less ... you are dense .... you are permanently behind the power curve ... you do NOT belong in the air.
You will NOT like flying with me as Captain with you as a crewmember.
P.S. ... I got mine in < 40 hours ... you HAD to .... FIP circa the '60's ... it was all the NAVY would pay for ...
Took me 81.8 from start to Checkride at Riddle. Reason though wasnt me being dense it was because of the 2 and 3 month periods of time where I literally sat on the ground waiting to get scheduled for my next flight. Then after being near the end of stage II they swapped instructors on me and made me repeat the stage for the new instructor (something about her only being able to start from the last endorcement). There is just a culture at Riddle that is designed to take people as long as possible. And the way they restrict the kind of experiance you get is just a joke. Case in point when you go to do solo work you first do a day of landings with your CFI, they take that days weather conditions and cut everything in half. Then they give you a card with those numbers on them and that is your limitations set to do your solo's in. So if you get decent to nice weather on the day of your landings you can literally screw yourself by having no window for not so perfect weather when your trying to solo and then you spend days if not weeks waiting to fly. After dealing with Riddles way of running a training operation and dealing with 3 civilian FBO's I can tell you that Riddle is either a great scam or the most missmanaged joke in aviation training.
On the other hand it took me two hops of less then 2 hours to each to get my complex and high performance endorcements. At a Civilian FBO with a former Navy IP. Then it was just a matter of building hours in type so the insurance company would let me fly it by myself.
Mefesto said:
I wont recommend that university to anyone. Funny thing was the only reason anything got fixed my last two months there... oh wait I forgot to mention I went to Riddle in June of 01, and I was still waiting for them to get my Stage II check in April of 02..... there is a 2 month break in my flight log from Dec to Feb.... But yeah apparently the team leader for my instructor called me to ask "Does your father have a polite way of talking to people about a problem." To which I responded, "my father is a 20 year retired Staff NCO in the Air Force, so no he doesnt." I actually called my instructor one day when we were having crappy weather and asked her if we could get a plane so I could get some better numbers on my PQ card. And I think one of my favorite little Riddle tricks was when they would lay off a third of their instructor staff over the summer and then rehire them but without any time for previous service counted toward promotion and advancement. Talk about a place that eats its young.
Things are improving, Lawman. I've heard all the horror stories but the new chairman of the Flight Department has been turning the place around. I'll post more later if you are interested. Let me know.
Excuse me ... I was wrong when I said @ 39 hours for my PPL ... checked my old civilian logbook today and it was 37.2 hours spread over 7 months.
I guess some guys are just slow learners ....
I guess some guys are just slow learners ....
See, you read that as A4s showing off... me, I took it as a possible sign of him going senile... but, its just so hard to tell with the internet...