Pilots

[Todd2]

Spent a number of years flying (and hanging) out of the FBO (and private hangars). I never completed farther than my private pilot's license - small planes only. We still had a lot of fun and a lot of dreams. After some life changes, I made a decision to back off on the amount of flying ($$$) I was doing. That slowly progressed until I just didn't fly anymore - but I never formally stopped. Funny how that happens. Good memories, but I guess I've moved on.

Todd

 

[Xsbank]

Tons of float planes, DC3, numerous light twins, S2F-1/DH83, AC6T, DHC7, GEX, C300, C604/605. 2-ATP/Rs, FAA type rating examiner, Quality Control Pilot ("Standards"). Now I have 0 licenses, don't miss it. I survived aviation!

The boat is to get me to all the great places I went on floats, too fast.

 

[Gary]

Started in 1967, after commercial did lots of air photo or mapping, gliders, sky dive (paid for my 250 jumps). Fav Cessna 185, 500B commander, the rest count too. Nothing like formation loads with a cessna and twin beech.
Could not get first class med (color blind) so no airlines.

 

[BrianSmith]

My wife and I are both private pilots - IFR, Single Engine Land and Sea (Cubs on floats - what a blast!). When we sold everything to move onto our trawler, the only hard thing to give up was Pooh, our 1971 Cessna 182. One of these days, when we're done trawlering, we fully expect to get back in the air - it was so much fun!

 

[FlyWright]

Hmmm.....
Seems many of you have gone from 400 knots to 8 knots.

I say that I've gone from 8 miles per minute to 8 miles per hour. When I made that comment to a coworker while enroute at altitude, he asked, "Is it 60 times cheaper?"

"Good question," I replied as I whipped out my calculator.

They both came out very close to the same at 2.4 GPNM. ...but I have lots more fun in the boat when the engines are not operating!!

 

[sbu22]

I say that I've gone from 8 miles per minute to 8 miles per hour. When I made that comment to a coworker while enroute at altitude, he asked, "Is it 60 times cheaper?"

"Good question," I replied as I whipped out my calculator.

They both came out very close to the same at 2.4 GPNM. ...but I have lots more fun in the boat when the engines are not operating!!

Multi, CFI, land & float, etc. Never made my living at it, owned a couple, no military or big iron.

I think the broader similarities of trawler owners are people who like "equipment" and enjoy an "operational" environment. It seems to me that, in addition to aviators, there is disproportinate representation of fire service, LEOs, military, heavy construction, etc.

 

[sbu22]

Multi, CFI, land & float, etc. Never made my living at it, owned a couple, no military or big iron.

I think the broader similarities of trawler owners are people who like "equipment" and enjoy an "operational" environment. It seems to me that, in addition to aviators, there is disproportinate representation of fire service, LEOs, military, heavy construction, etc.

Not sure how I copied your comment, Fly. Unrelated. Not adept at working off my phone.

 

[Steve91T]

I’ve talked to my wife a lot about this. We are finally at a point where we can afford either a plane or a big boat. I feel a little guilty, as a professional pilot, that I haven’t taken my 4 year old little girl for an airplane ride yet. She would absolutely love it. But we don’t have access to a 4 seat plane yet, and I can’t take her in my dads 2 seater

Why we decided to get a trawler over a plane, the plane is a means of transportation. A very fun means, but still it’s more about the destination. With the trawler, once we are at the boat, we are already where we want to be. Someone on this forum said that, and i think it perfectly describes why I’m, for the first time in my life, totally ok with going so slow.

 

[Opu]

Aeronca Champ, C150/172/177/182, T-33/T-37/C-47 (30 minutes each ROTC indoctrination ). Gave it up after about 300 hours ($$$). Thought boating would be much less expensive. One of my many miscalculations.

 

[dhays]

I’ve talked to my wife a lot about this. We are finally at a point where we can afford either a plane or a big boat. I feel a little guilty, as a professional pilot, that I haven’t taken my 4 year old little girl for an airplane ride yet. She would absolutely love it. But we don’t have access to a 4 seat plane yet, and I can’t take her in my dads 2 seater

I assume there has to be an FBO nearby that will rent you an airplane.

I learned to sail when I was 5. It was also at 5 that for my birthday my Dad gave me the gift of a ride in a small plane out of our local airfield. That field is no longer there unfortunately.

 

[k9medic]

I convert jet fuel into noise for a living myself and have recently been looking at buying something in the 6 seat range to fly back and forth to the Bahamas with.

Like was mentioned earlier, I can afford a nice airplane or a nice boat - just not both!






I have also have a saying: I fly for a living because I can't afford to fly for fun!

 

[ktdtx]

CH-47, UH-1, OH-23...all Army stuff.
Then Cessna 210 and Bonanza...


Nothing in the last decade or so.


Back to the OP...in boats and in the air--going from day light to night changes the environment and the perception thereof tremendously!

 

[CanadianBoater]

I grew up not more than 300 feet from a seaplane dock. At age 10 I worked on the dock for an hour before I went to school, after school, and weekends. I learned to fly a 185 and a Beaver long before I was old enough to get a license. Now licensed on both fixed wing and rotary, flying is still a passion. But I chose to not do it for a career so it would remain a passion. I fly regularly for business, and own a 182 conversion onto amphibs, plus a 530 helicopter. One day in the future I think that I'll have a trawler style boat to tour the world on as well.

 

[dhays]

Back to the OP...in boats and in the air--going from day light to night changes the environment and the perception thereof tremendously!

While I was still getting my license, before being signed off for solo, my instructor liked to take his students out on a night flight. I was learning in Hillsboro OR which is a controlled field. He had us take my first night flight combined with flying into PDX. That was “interesting” in a Cessna 152.

When landing back at Hillsboro the night environment was really messing with me and I would likely have flown the aircraft right down for a very hard landing that would have broken something. This was the only time in my training when my instructor had to take the controls. Great lesson in humility for my 21 year old cocky self.

 

[boatlife]

Count me in. I don't have my pilot's license but have owned & flown ultralights and co-piloted friends' aircraft (including a Rutan Long-EZ, man those are a blast!). Also took a heli flight lesson a couple of years ago, super fun, highly recommend.

I set aside my plans to get my license & buy a plane a couple of years ago. Decided to save for a boat instead.

 

[OldDan1943]

I can fly a nuclear powered submarine, does that count?

One thing a submarine teaches you is to, believe your instrumentation. Cant cheat. One only has instrumentation to steer the sub. Well that and bottom charts.
I have taught magnetic compass reading to a couple of Canadian 'Indians'. (Forgive me, I forgot what the current PC term is for them.) As we walked the line, they both began to doubt the compass so I told them, "If you do not believe your compass, there is no need for you to have one, give it to me." Suddenly, they "believed". SMILE
In Idaho, when I worked the summer with the USFS, I was the only one who could close a block using a magnetic compass. SMILE
Of course, I do have a back up plan. "I can never get lost 'cause people are always telling me where to go."
That works too. SMILE

 

[Rich K]

I am also a pilot, and have been since 1975. I own a single engine airplane right now, and yes, one uses the same skills piloting at night, as cruising on water at night.
As i plan to retire within the next few months, I have come to the decision that either my flying will come to an end, or my current plans to get a Trawler will not be possible. Two expensive hobbies are a bit too much, along with all the other expensive endeavors that I have.
As a matter of fact, I am now formulating an AD to put my airplane up for sale. Hope to be back on the water this summer.

Rich K
South Puget Sound, WA.

Here's what is for sale.

 

[sbu22]

I can fly a nuclear powered submarine, does that count? One thing a submarine teaches you is to, believe your instrumentation. Cant cheat.

Dan - I don't know if you were around when CONALOG came out - that was one piece of instrumentation that nobody who wanted to live believed in. Two boats I was on that had it - both kept it covered with paper and masking tape to insure the helm and planes didn't get misled. Steam gages all the way.

 

[OldDan1943]

I can fly a nuclear powered submarine, does that count? One thing a submarine teaches you is to, believe your instrumentation. Cant cheat.

Dan - I don't know if you were around when CONALOG came out - that was one piece of instrumentation that nobody who wanted to live believed in. Two boats I was on that had it - both kept it covered with paper and masking tape to insure the helm and planes didn't get misled. Steam gages all the way.

In the 60s. Doesnt ring a bell.
A brief explanation would help.
We relied on SINS. It was fun to watch them calibrate the SINS units. They kept ending up on the "other side" of the tender.
I was a 3355 aka Machinist mate, main propulsion but, as you know, we were all crossed trained.

 

[Fletcher500]

How much, rough est., does a 10 year old single engine plane similar to as shown in post 47 cost, and what is the rough annual maint, upkeep, storage, etc to keep it per year?

 

[HopCar]

When I was a kid learning to sail, the Coast Guard operated HU-16 Grumman Albatross Seaplanes out of Dinner Key in Biscayne Bay. They had to water taxi about a mile out the channel to get to open water where they could take off.

We would sail our Prams behind them and the prop blast would either make us go real fast or knock us over. Great fun!

Years later I got to fly a turboprop Grumman Mallard from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. I think it took me three bounces to get it to stay on the water in Miami. That was the biggest airplane I’ve ever flown.

 

[Knot Fast]

Weather, radio, radar, power plant management, go/no-go decision, federal regulations, passenger comfort, significant expense, older equipment, amazing vistas ...
Lots of commonality.
I'm a former P210 pilot.

 

[Steve91T]

When I was a kid learning to sail, the Coast Guard operated HU-16 Grumman Albatross Seaplanes out of Dinner Key in Biscayne Bay. They had to water taxi about a mile out the channel to get to open water where they could take off.

We would sail our Prams behind them and the prop blast would either make us go real fast or knock us over. Great fun!

Years later I got to fly a turboprop Grumman Mallard from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. I think it took me three bounces to get it to stay on the water in Miami. That was the biggest airplane I’ve ever flown.

Was that Chalks?

 

[boatlife]

I can fly a nuclear powered submarine, does that count?

You are my new best friend. Always wanted to fly a sub.

If by some random chance I become a billionaire, I'm buying one of these and giving you a call.

 

[HopCar]

Was that Chalks?

Yes, a friend of mine flew right seat for them. They moved an empty plane from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami each morning. He invited me to go for a ride. When he introduced me to the Captain, the Captain said I should take the right seat. He got it in the air and said it was my plane. That thing climbed like a bat out of hell with no load! He told me to level off at 1000 Ft. I was closer to 1500 by the time I got it level.

 

[Codger2]

I got my Commercial & multi engine license in 1967 on the GI bill.
I flew the 150,152,172,177,182,cherokee, apache, 310 & the P337 Sky Master which was my favorite. I thought it was a terrific instrument platform.

 

[Xsbank]

Skymaggot!
Suck-Me-Blow-Me!

 

[dhays]

I got my Commercial & multi engine license in 1967 on the GI bill.
I flew the 150,152,172,177,182,cherokee, apache, 310 & the P337 Sky Master which was my favorite. I thought it was a terrific instrument platform.

Creaky memory, but wasn't there a unique multi-engine rating for the Sky Master?

 

[CanadianBoater]

Creaky memory, but wasn't there a unique multi-engine rating for the Sky Master?

Centerline thrust on both or one engine. So if doing a multi engine endorsement, they are not valid to do your test in. Or at least they weren't many years ago. It is not like losing an engine in for example a Cheyenne or Navajo Chieftain.
I did my multi IFR in a Chieftain in 1990.

 

[dhays]

Centerline thrust on both or one engine. So if doing a multi engine endorsement, they are not valid to do your test in. Or at least they weren't many years ago. It is not like losing an engine in for example a Cheyenne or Navajo Chieftain.
I did my multi IFR in a Chieftain in 1990.

I wonder if that centerline thrust rating is still a thing or if a standard multi rating is required now in the US? I always thought that Skymaster would be a great aircraft.