Where do I begin!

[helifrek]

Thanks for all the advice everyone has given me thus far. Just another reason to go with a Sonex! it seems to have a great following of friendly and helpful pilots and builders.

You all have convencied me that I would be better off to buy a used plane. First things first, I need to get my sport pilots license! I have looked all over the Clarksville and Nashville areas for flight schools that offer sport pilot training but I either get connected to some action sports phone line or no answer. My local airport which is just a few miles down the road doesn't seem to know anything about the sport pilot license.

Back to class, thanks for the help.

[Sonerai13]

Brandon,

There's a lot of good advice in this thread, and a lot of thinking to do on your part. Let me add a little more grist for the mill....

First, don't try to do too much at once. Learning to fly is a commitment of time and money. Building an airplane is a commitment of time and money. Owning an airplane is a commitment of time and money. I highly recommend that you take the steps in that order, but one at a time. Before you even think about trying to decide what to build or buy, let alone whether to build or buy at all, spend your energy and money on earning your pilot certificate. The experience you gain while learning to fly will pay off handsomely when it comes to figuring out what airplane you want to own (whether you build or buy.) Without that experience and background, you have a good chance of making the wrong decision.

Once you have earned your pilot certificate, you will have a better basis for deciding what kind of flying you really want to do. And you need to nail that down before you can pick out an airplane that will fit that mission. Every airplane excels at something, but this always comes at a compromise of other performance characteristics. For example, a great cross country airplane will be a poor aerobatic airplane, and vice versa. And an airplane that tries to do several things well will be OK at those several things, but will not excel at any of them. Every airplane is a series of compromises, based on what the airplane's primary mission is intended to be. But until you have some flying experience you won't know for sure just what YOUR mission for the airplane will be, and thus won't know what airplane you will need to fulfill that mission. First things first.

Once you have defined your mission (which can change as you gain flying experience), you can narrow down the choices. This is when you need to start thinking about whether you really want to build or really want to fly. It's important to answer this question fully and honestly before making a purchase. If you really want to fly, but think building is a less expensive way to get there, you're fooling yourself. Many people have followed this path, and this is the reason for so many unfinished kits for sale. You really need to WANT to build an airplane before starting the project. If your end goal is only to fly, you'll soon tire of the building process and abandon the project. You need to WANT to build in order to persevere and finish the airplane. If you really want to FLY, then you are far better off to purchase a flying example of the type of airplane you've chosen, as this will ultimately get you the end goal you truly seek. There's no sense in adding to your frustration level and/or the used kit market!

Hope this helps! Enjoy the journey!

[Bryan Cotton]

I think you will have a lot more options to rent if you get at least a private. We have one light sport for rent here in Poplar Grove - a J3 cub. Most airports have none. Lots of Cessnas and Pipers. It should not be hard to earn an A&P with a military helo mechanic background. I know many that have done it. I had an employee who was a heavy maintainer for Jayhawks in the coast guard and he got his. I will ask him, but I think he only had to take the written tests.

[vigilant104]

Another observation: If you get your A&P certificate, you'll probably have no problem finding a pilot who will trade you time in his airplane in exchange for your doing his annual inspection, etc, after you have your license. Again, the choice of airplanes is a LOT broader if you have a PPC than if you have a Sport Pilot certificate (and the planes tend to be beefier and able to take student mishandling a bit better).

[Bryan Cotton]

One correction, you can't do an annual with an A&P. You need to earn an IA. For a homebuilt you can do a condition inspection on a homebuilt.

A correction on my post - my buddy who was in the Coast Guard still had to take his written and practical exams, but the military service counted as the practical experience required.

[radfordc]

One correction, you can't do an annual with an A&P. You need to earn an IA. For a homebuilt you can do a condition inspection on a homebuilt.

Confusing, isn't it. Type Certified planes get an Annual Inspection to verify the "condition" of the plane. Experimentals get a Condition Inspection "annually". Aah, the FAA at it's finest.

[helifrek]

Alright guys, I suppose I was getting a little carried away and excited to fast! I will slow it down a little bit and try to just do bite size chunks!
I have been calling around trying to find an airport nearby that does sport pilot training and finally found one but it is almost 2 hours away. Thinking about it realistically, I would probably be better off paying more and getting my PPL from the airport right down the road. I would be able to fly after work and on the weekends much easier if I only had to drive for 10 minutes. It looks like it is going to cost twice as much but I will (hopefully) learn twice as much which will (fingers crossed) make me twice as safe :)

My end goal is to be able to enjoy flying locally on the weekends with my wife and to take trips a couple of times a year. I have family in western NC and up in Ohio that I would like to be able to visit more often. If I could half my travel time that would be amazing and it would allow me to see my family more often. I would also like to be able to take longer/further trips to places like the grand canyon, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmoore etc.....
I doubt I could afford the upkeep on a certified airplane like a Cessna so I know that an experimental is probably my best choice, I was thinking an LSA would be the best bet because it would cost less to get a sport pilot license and I don't care to fly at night or above 10,000 ft. If I am going to go ahead and get a PPL I suppose I don't have to stick with an LSA but I also have to consider the cost. So far the Sonex seems to be best choice for me, under $35,000, can seat two, can carry enough luggage for a short trip to visit family, I can work on it and do inspections (except for an annual, or a conditional inspection..... can I do conditional inspections?).
I don't care about aerobatics but it is nice to know the Sonex could handle it, makes me feel safer! I know that it isn't very roomy inside but my wife is small and I am about average (5'10, 200lbs) so I think we would be ok going on 4 hour + or - flight, we sat in the back of a mooney for a good 5 hours from FL to NC once..... that wasn't too bad :)

Keep the advice coming, it helps to keep me motivated! I also want to stay on the right track, I don't want to make a stupid/expensive mistake along the way!

[fastj22]

If the FAA relaxes the 3rd class medical, sport pilot might go the same route as recreational did.
I'm glad I did get my PPL instead of SP. When I did it, very few options existed to get your SP around here. Now my old club has 4 light sport planes which cost just as much to rent as the 172s.
Not sure what you don't learn as a SP. Navigation, weather, route planning, systems should all be the same. I know night flying isn't included, but its not a big part of PPL. I also know the required hours is less, not sure why.

[Bryan Cotton]

The second best reason to go PPL is that Brandon 2024 may be different than Brandon 2014. The private is a better stepping stone to other things. I never thought I would get my instrument rating. I was more of a stick and rudder guy, mostly either towing or flying gliders. I did finally get my IFR ticket after 20 years and a bunch of flying hours. I loved the challenge and the utility. Tough to beat night time for low stress x-c. Much quieter then. Plus the stars are great if you are on top. Whatever Uncle Sam will pay for on the GI Bill, go for it. Doesn't mean you have to use it but you will never lose it. Plus the learning is fun and new skills are always good for flying.

[helifrek]

Thanks everyone for all the help. I suppose I will be pretty quite for awhile now. I will update you guys when I start flight school and will try and post some pictures. Talked with the guy at the local airport and he seems like a nice and knowledgeable guy. He also offers a 10% discount when you purchase a 10 hour block instruction and the hourly rate for the plane and the instructor are cheaper than the light sport aircraft course.

Thanks again guys! maybe I will run into some of you at some of the fly-ins in the next few years!