I want to be a pilot! Please help!!!

[aero99]

Another note is to get your medical exam before you plop down bookoo bucks if you just have to have the toys. GPS, Clarks, handheld things, Jepp bags etc will just collect dust if you can't pass you medical- god forbid.

There was a guy in my class that this happend to. He bought Clarks, hand held gps, and a radio...flew about 15 hours, only to find out he couldn't pass the 3rd class. Never saw the kid again after that.

 

[Mickey]

As far as holding off a bit to but things isn't a bad idea. It seems everybody has focused on that a lot and ignored the rest of your question.

As far as headsets go comfort for you is what counts. Do not buy the Bose they seem good at first but break frequently. Several friends have them and they LOVE them but, frequently when I fly with them one of them isn't working. Last night after flying about an hour and a half my head was hurting from them.
David Clark makes a good headset and used to be the only show in town so their prices are high. A lot of people buy the David Clarks because thats what the pros use and that will make them look like one along with their new Ray Ban sun glasses. Well, those days are over. I used to own a David Clark and an AvComm. I sold the David Clark and bought two more AvComms for the same money. For me the AvComms were more comfortable and have held up great.
ANR headsets are great for small planes. I added it to two of my headsets. Noise Cancellation Inc. makes an upgrade unit you can add to your headset at a later date or you can can buy their headset. A friend just bought one of these and a Lightspeed. I'll keep you posted on how he likes each headset.

I have an Icom handeld (IC-A22) and love it. I know of a few people who had problems with Sporty's handheld. Both Yaesu and Icom are well respected names in the radio business. I didn't like the sound quality from the speaker that is in the small Yaesus. I don't know how the sound quality is from the small Icom. If you are only getting it as a back up and will always use a headset adapter then this doesn't matter. In the airplane the headset adapter is a must. As a backup the alkaline pack makes more sense because alkalines store well and don't lose power sitting around like NiCd or NiMh batteries do. I use the NiMh pack for everyday use but I keep an Alkaline pack in the bag for back up.

Good luck with your flying and fly safe. Enjoy.

 

[Draginass]

I would suggest you not think about equipment, but do think seriously if you want to do this as a profession. If so, I would recommend that you seriously think about attending an university with an aviation program. Here's a link to most of them in the U.S.:

http://www.aapilots.com/public/flash/mentoring.asp?content_id=1280

 

[bobbysamd]

Medical

I'll second the comment about getting your medical first. I did NOT do that. I recall seeing the doctor about the same time I started my lessons. I have a condition that required the FAA to issue my initial medical. The AME, who was a good guy, assured me that I would be issued a medical. Nonetheless, aviation was new to me and I had heard horror stories about being denied medicals on the first issuance. I am sure that concern over my medical distracted my concentration. I was living in OKC and was able to pick up my medical personally from the Monroney Center. It took a month to receive it. I recall soloing only a few days later.

 

[eriknorth]

Thanks for all your input. Now a couple of followup questions. What exactly does the medical exam consist of and what are common problems that people have that make them not pass it? Also, I keep hearing about "getting your wings." What exactly does this mean and when does it happen? OPne kmore thing...is height a factor in flying? I am 6'5", and have wondered about this. Thanks
-Clay

 

[aero99]

I will assume your under 35 since your in college, and if you are in good health and look healthy, you exam should be pretty basic, yet thorough. Getting a 1st class for a student lic is easier than if you were 35+ and an ATP rated pilot. At least thats what my examiner says. They will ask you about your health and health history along with family history. BE HONOEST, yet smart about what you tell them. There are quite a few meds that are auto disqualifiers so if you are taking meds you might want to find a list( I'm sure someone here will know where to find). I don't know that there are "common problems" that pilots get disqualified for, but it is usually something that you would need to be concerned about just for your own well being. Don't sweat the exam. Just be hononest and let the DR do his thing. Ask your CFI for a recommendation for an examiner and he/she should be able to point you to a good one.

At 6'5" your not going to be comfortable in a 152, of course, at 5'10' I'm not to comfy in one myself. But, you shouldn't have much problem flying anything else other than cramped legs.

good luck

 

[eriknorth]

luckily, my legs aren't that long, it's my torso that makes me tall. Thanks for the answer. I could always just put a sunroof in my plane to give me extra headroom .

 

[bobbysamd]

FAA Medicals

An FAA medical is just a thorough physical exam. Assuming you're a standard healthy college student, you won't have any trouble passing it. Chances are, your own M.D. is more thorough. Many people recommend taking a physical with your own doctor before taking the FAA physical, but that applies more to older people and/or those with a known physical defect. Doing that will give one a handle on any problems that must be addressed before seeing the FAA. Once again, if you're a standard college student you'll probably do fine.

You absolutely, positively have to be honest with the FAA regarding any health conditions you may have. A couple of disqualifiers that I can think of include mental illness, neurological problems, heart problems, and some vision problems. Surprisingly, the FAA permits people to fly with health conditions you'd think would be disqualifying. People fly with bad vision. People with high blood pressure fly. People who've had heart attacks fly, but they have to jump through a ton of bureaucratic hoops to get there. People who are taking many different kinds of prescription meds fly. People with hearing loss fly. I believe that diabetics who are controlled by diet can fly. The long and short of it is most people who want to fly can get a medical certificate. Some have to jump through more hoops than others to do so.

If you are indeed looking at a flying career, I'd suggest you get your First Class Medical right off the bat. You will need that grade of medical to fly for the airlines. It's better to find out sooner than later if you qualify for a First Class if you're considering a career.

www.leftseat.com is a decent website on FAA medicals. If you are at all serious about doing any kind of flying, professional or otherwise, I'd strongly recommend that you join the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, www.aopa.org. I say that because AOPA is one of the best resources around for aviation information, medical concerns and general pilot issues.

This is probably more information about medicals than you wanted or needed, but I hope it helps. Medical certification and its ramifications are a major pilot issue. Good luck with your first flight.