Any gyroplane CFIs near east TN?

[WaspAir]

Still, there's exactly zero reason why I'd do this, other than for the heck of it.

That's exactly the reason I got most of my ratings. I even have airship/zeppelin time in my logbook, which I certainly did NOT get because of any plans to buy one.

 

[Vance]

It takes as long as it takes to learn to fly a gyroplane.

There tends to be a lot of talk about the minimum hours of dual instruction required by the FAA for various gyroplane ratings. I feel there is value in approaching training with the attitude that it takes as long as it takes.

The goal is to learn to fly well and make good aviation decisions rather than check off the boxes and flying to the minimum standards.

There are minimum hours because the FAA has found that is how long it takes for the best learners to fly to proficiency.

Young people tend to learn faster than old people.

Athletic people tend to learn faster than people who are not.

Something in your life’s experience may prepare you for some aspect of flight training.

Learning is a perishable skill that deteriorates over time if it is not used so someone who regularly takes some kind of training like a fireman or a teacher is likely to learn faster than someone who last cracked a book in high school.

Some flight instructors focus on flying while others like myself focus on briefing for the flight and the debrief after the flight.

For me a primary student is likely to have twice as many hours on the ground as in the air.

If there are big gaps between the flights the learning process tends to slow down.

This may be mitigated to some degree with chair flying and homework.

In my experience more than two and a half hours a day of dual instruction tends to become less efficient with most people.

I don’t teach ground school but I am expected to check for the knowledge.

One of my required tasks with a primary student (no FAA ratings) before I sign them off for their check ride is to go over all the questions they missed on their knowledge test.

Three hours of flight training with an authorized instructor in a gyroplane for most ratings are intended to be spent preparing the applicant for the check ride and that must be performed within the preceding two calendar months of the check ride.

In my opinion the best way to figure out where you are in the learning process is to down load the practical test standards for the rating you are after and compare you skills with the standards.

Even that won’t tell you how long it is going to take to learn the rest because different people get stuck on different tasks.

Remember the minimum standards are just that and hopefully you will exceed the minimum flight standards.

For most learners at some point the flying starts to make sense and the items on the practical test that need to be completed will come more quickly than the things before that magical moment of “I get it”.

People get stuck on different tasks and managing a gyroplane to practical test standards is not an even process.

I personally have never done anything in the minimum number of hours for the ratings I have earned; Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot and CFI Rotorcraft-Gyroplane. It takes as long as it takes.

 

[13brv3]

Jack Edwards is a crazy-busy untowered airport, though, wow. Crossing runways, and aircraft taking off and landing on three of the four when I was there. I hear they are building a control tower there now, finally.

PS It looks like the tower is scheduled to open next month, thanks partly to funding from the "Coronavirus Aid & Relief" act (!)

Wow. Things must have change in the last 6 years or so since I was there. It was a pretty quiet place back when I used to fly around there. Being busy and adding a tower makes it a bit less attractive as a training option for me, though I'll probably still try to sneak in a flight or two when I make a trip back home. I got so sick of the airspace mess in the Pensacola area... So much nicer here in east TN.

 

[Tyger]

I wouldn't worry... the area just to the north of JKA is a nice place to fly, with several quieter airports to practice on, if desired.

 

[13brv3]

I flew out of 2R4 (just northeast of Pensacola) for a lot of years, and tend to be a serial builder. My primary test area was in the area north of JKA, so I got to know all those sod farms and outlying Navy fields pretty well. Biggest problem for the near future will be hotel availability thanks to Ida.

 

[All_In]

All-In, you are NOT a Sport Pilot because you do not hold a sport pilot CERTIFICATE (that's a legally critical word). Be cautious when you read any section that specifically talks about "holding a sport pilot certificate". You hold a Private Pilot CERTIFICATE (and assuming a satisfactory proficiency check) you will have additional sp privileges. The sp limitations that will apply to you are set out in 61.303. That section says which sp limitations apply and which ones do not for your gyro operations. In particular, you are explicitly exempt from 61.315 (c)(7), so you can fly a gyro in Class B, C, or D airspace and at towered airports without any further training or endorsements. You are NOT exempted from 61.315(c)(6) so no night gyro flying for you until you get a Private gyro rating.

Only subsections 7 and 14 are excused for you, and the night limit is in 6 - - sorry!

U-ROCK Jon
That explains it in the simplest terms.
That is what I thought when I read your 1st posted. But assuming it was then both B,C,D, and night. Now I understand why!

 

[All_In]

I love this forum!!!

 

[ultracruiser41]

Hey Russell......you are officially invited to our fall wing Ding.
Anson County Airport KAFP
Wadesboro, NC
October 22-24
Carolina BarnStormers
Lots of flying...fun....food and friends!

 

[13brv3]

Thanks for the official invite, but I work every weekend (92 straight and counting). I'm trying to work out an hour or two down in Gulf Shores in a couple weeks since I'll be making a trip down there anyway. I might even consider going back down in the winter to get more hours, since they train in the nice enclosed Magni M24. Biggest problem is that it will spoil me for anything else, and I can't afford an M24.

 

[Tyger]

They have some M16s too, I think.
I have flown mine in February, in New York, so I'm sure it can be done down at Gulf Shores too.

 

[13brv3]

Gulf coast winter is plenty cold for me. I also admit to preferring as much enclosure as I can get any time of year, so the M24 will do nicely.

 

[Tyger]

What sort of gyro do you usually fly?

 

[13brv3]

I haven't flown one in 14 years. Training was in an RAF2000 and I had a Dominator briefly. I'm currently set to sneak in a couple flights with Mark in Gulf Shores on the 22nd. The whole trip is a logistical row of dominoes, but it's all lined up. This pretty much guarantees a hurricane that week

 

[All_In]

I haven't flown one in 14 years. ... This pretty much guarantees a hurricane that week

Dang, Russell, you cracked me up.
There have been a few times in my life when I felt like "pretty much guarantees a hurricane that week."

Being forever an optimist, I spin it too.

If I didn't have bad luck.

I'd have no luck at ALL, so at least I'm lucky?

Never give up never surrender always help at those times.

Either way, it will make a great story. Flying or dodging hurricanes?
Tell us all about it...

 

[13brv3]

You can fly gyros in a hurricane right I see there's a hurricane Larry way out there now, which won't be a threat. The next will surely be hurricane Magni

Back when I was getting the sport pilot endorsement, I specifically requested that we fly the RAF2000 on a cold windy gloomy day that I wouldn't have flown a fixed wing. It was a little bumpy, but overall no big deal. Gotta love that high "wing" loading.

 

[13brv3]

Just figured I'd post a follow up. I flew 1.5 hrs with Mark Sprigg in an M24 a few days ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The M24 is an amazing gyroplane, and you couldn't hope for a better instructor than Mark.

We got sort of lucky with the weather, because it was marginal VFR due to ceilings, and it was also pretty windy. The weather didn't bother us, but it did keep a lot of the other traffic on the ground. I got a chance to make about 8 direct crosswind landings at Fairhope with wind gusting up to 20 mph. It was all very comfortable, and a lot of that probably was due to the M24.

Thanks for the recommendation and comments.
Rusty