UndauntedFlyer said:
JungleJett: Since you are an experienced and knowledgeable pilot as well as an aerobatic pilot, I would like it if you would comment on the following question.
Of all the entire general population in America, what percentage, given all the money necessary, do you think could obtain their:
Private Pilot Certificate
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot Certificate
ATP
ATP with a jet type rating
Fly IAC Sportsman Category
Fly IAC Advanced Category
Fly IAC Unlimited Category
I ask this because some Members of this FI board seem to think that flying acro in a Pitts is just a matter of money. I totally disagree with that opinion. In my opinion flying a jet is nothing compared to flying IAC Unlimited category or flying a high energy airshow in a Pitts or an Extra with an Unrestricted Level I FAA airshow waiver.
Comments from others with aerobatic experience on this question are welcome and would be most appreciated too...
Thats a tough question that I am not sure I can answer properly. A good aerobatic pilot has a multitude of the things going for them; good airmanship, good attitude, excellent situational awareness (!!!!), confidence, and a good set of hands. These cannot be bought with any amount of money. NOW, having the financial resources to get proper training in the proper airplane certainly helps but it does not "buy" what will ultimately keep you from bending metal. That comes from within.
I come from an airline background as well and I will tell you the biggest issue I had/have with aerobatics is confidence. Confidence that the airplane will stay together and that it is ok to go past 30 degrees of bank or 15 degrees of pitch either way. In the airline biz, we think we operate in three dimensions and we may, but on very limited basis. We operate in an environment that keeps the people in the back comfy and the airplane within structural limits. Many get stuck there and will not venture outside of that neat little box. Good for them. If I had the choice to have just a run of the mill FO or an FO that likes to fly aerobatics, I will take the acro FO any day of the week. He will, nine times out of ten be a better pilot. He knows how to fly the airplane instead of the airplane flying him. He may use those skills to keep us alive. I have become a better pilot since I started flying acro.
As for percentages, honestly, if you took a student from the get go and taught them acro, they would do better than a seasoned airline pilot learning acro for the first time. I think the percentages start low, go up and then start back down as someone gains experience. Most guys that I know have been flying acro from the very beginning and they are good. Me, it is still new to me and I am having a tougher time at it and I have thousands of hours in an airplane.
Money helps but there is no amount of money in the world that can replace the things I mentioned. Anyway, flying is about having money. I always ask people what makes an airplane fly..they usually say excessive power and lift...yep..but money really makes airplanes fly.
Flying acro in a Pitts is not terribly hard, flying at the level of your son....is very challenging and takes discipline that simply cannot be bought. For those that think it is simply about money do not have a clue on what goes into a good aerobatic routine. It is a lot easier to snipe from a position of ignorance than it is to get down in the trenches and feel what it is like.
I am fortunate to have a good job with decent pay and a wife that also has a good job. We both work hard and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I will not apologize for what I have and what I can do. I have had the same opportunities as everyone else. If your tooling through life with the autopilot on, then I feel sorry for you. You will never get to where you want to go. Or if you do, you will not be sure how you got there. Me, I look at the world from many angles and sometimes...upside down!
