Okay, now I got a question about flying.

[BFK 0]

Reading the thread started by sis about flying has peaked my interest in it. And Josh (dirtsucks), WHY DID YOU WRITE WHAT YOU WROTE!? YOU MADE ME WANT TO FLY NOW!!! That was a great story about flying with the window open and your hand out the window. It made me want to go to a flight school tomorrow and sign up for an introductory flight. Flying sounds awesome.
Being in a hiatus (very temporary) from jumping, these posts have made me start thinking about flying.
So I got a couple questions for the DZ.com pilots if you don't mind taking a little time.
For one- How hard is it to learn how to fly?? How hard is it to fly instruments or multi-engine planes?? It has to be more complicated and at least as dangerous as skydiving.
Number two- How dangerous is it? Are they any stats on flying safety?
Number three- How competitive is the job market for pilots??
Brad Koch

[diverdriver 7]

Oh yes, there's plenty of statistics out there. The www.faa.gov site is one good place to go searching.
With good training and clear mind many risks can be managed. But comparing skydiving safety and aircraft safety doesn't apply directly. There are plenty of corolations. It's as safe as you want to make it.
Is it hard? Sure, but isn't everything worth attaining? It's a good challenge. And remember, you don't have to learn EVERYTHING on the first day. You will be a student for life learning to fly. It all grows and builds on previous experience. Take it in chunks and don't stress.
The job market is really good right now but think about when you'll be finishing your training through Commercial Multi-engine Instrument pilot. That's the market you will need to consider. Just go and do it. You'll find something to fly. Just got to try hard.
blue skies,
Chris Schindler
D-19012
ASMEL/CFII

[Eggman 0]

I do not fly and really shouldnt be answering. But my father, three brothers and one sister all fly. One brother is over my shoulder to give his input.
How hard is it to learn how to fly??
Depends on you and what you are flying. Small airfields offer the Cessna program. About 4 grand.
How hard is it to fly instruments or multi-engine planes
"hard" is a personal thing. Flying instruments AND twin engine aircraft are both different in thier own ways. Like skydiving, you only do certain things after training, once you've been trained, it doesnt seem so "hard"
How dangerous is it? Are they any stats on flying safety?
Simular dangers with skydiving. Errors can ofcourse be fatal. Small aircraft fatalities exceed skydiving on a per/1000 stat.
How competitive is the job market for pilots??
Very! My father has been fly commercial with United for 20 years. My one brother flies for the Navy and the other flies a Citation 2 for various celebrities. They all agree that it is getting more and more crowded woth "new" pilots.
Especially x-military types.
Hope that helps. I am one of the only ones in my family that is not interested. I like falling, not flying.
Koo Koo Ka Chew

[FreeflyPlaymate 0]

It's hard for me to say the exact words to trigger the right response in you. Flying is AWESOME. I not only have skydiving in my blood but flying as well. My first memories aren't of playing with any barbies it was flying with my dad. When I took my first flight lesson I may have had the upper hand about growing up around planes, however I didn't know the terminology.... If you look at all the material you have to read and learn and instruments to learn and figure out how they work....seems like alot...but it'll all come second hand to you. IT isn't hard to fly no that's easy and hell of alot of fun...lol...and it always gets the guys jaws dropping when they ask how'd you get to the dz and you saw oh I flew in...lol Flying itself isn't hard it's becoming a pilot that is challenging. Just make sure you meet the instructors beforehand...don't let them "put" you with someone because it makes their life easier. If you don't click with your instructor then you'll maybe even resent flying and not look foward to the flights. and in my case if you do click with your instructor lol get a new one lol. It is SO worth it nothing like being free...
**BLUE ONES**

BITE ME.... :P

[Dirtsucks 0]

Everybody’s posts here have been really good, I agree with all of them. Just to add a little about, “how hard is it?” Physically flying the plane isn’t all that difficult, really, it only takes practice. Landings may, or may not be an exception to that, I kind of had a learning plateau (as my instructor called it) while doing landings. But eventually it just kind of snapped into my head and it became second nature, as is the case with many things. The hard part, at least was for me was the “multi tasking” you need to do. At first it’s kind of overwhelming, you gotta do a million things at once, it can be really frustrating, but if you give flying a go, then don’t give up!! I can’t stress that enough, I wanted to give up several times, it was just too much. But I didn’t, and when my examiner signed his name on my temporary private certificate, it was all soooooooo worth it! Remember the freedom you felt when you got your drivers license? Multiply that by about 1 billion, and there you go! Kind of feel bad now, I sort of knocked pilots in one of my drunken post a while back, don’t remember where, but I didn’t mean it!! Flying rules!! (Not as much as skydiving, though :) ) The best advice I can give is to pick up the book “The Complete Guide to Flight Instruction” by Gegory Penglis. It really cuts through the BS of flight training and tells you how it is. BTW, I spent about 5 grand on my flight training, including gear (headsets, charts, flight computers, crap like that) If you decide to go for it, good luck!! (and read that book, I mean it!) If not, well then you just saved yourself a crapload of jumps! Ya cant’ go wrong either way, can ya!?! Hope this helps!
Josh