Worried about talking on the radio

[digits]

Its not the rules that are important, its the knowledge passed on, its knowledge ingrained in the systems that pilots will learn through.

It depends on what you're complaining about.

If the complaint is that people need a checkout to switch from a 152 to a 172, or that people don't teach themselves aerobatic, or that you think every pilot should self-study for the ATPL exames (all things I agree with by the way), then it certainly matters if you grow up in a country in which non of those things are allowed.

I was *legally* required to get checked out on every differnt type I flew in Europe, wasn't allowed to get signed off for aerobatics (even with instruction) until I had accumulated 200 hours, and *had* to attend at least an accelerated ATPL ground school which was a waste of time and money.

If you want people to do all those things, then the first thing that should happen, is that it should be legally possible. It's great older pilots were able to do these things. That doesn't mean the younger ones don't want to, it might just mean they can't.

To be fair, Canada is much more open in that regards, but still doesn't allow all the things on the previously mentioned list at present.

[Colonel]

I think you’ve convinced me that America is a better place to live than North Korea. I understand North Korea is not a good place for GA. Now, why is that?

I gotta ask. The AF447 four bar that held the stick all the way back for 3.5 minutes and pancaked into the ocean - he was a proud graduate of your EU aviation system full of rules and red tape? That worked out well?

[Squaretail]

but still doesn't allow all the things on the previously mentioned list at present.

CARs reference for those restrictions?

[Colonel]

I should mention that the way I got my PPL was by tossing a stack of $20s at an instructor to sign off my flight test. Had to bring two airplanes for the test - couldn’t spin the Maule.

I have found that you can accomplish a lot with a stack of 20’s. Clint Eastwood has a nice restaurant south of here in Carmel. Great food. Whenever I go there for dinner I fire Andrew Jacksons at the piano player to play non-stop Gordon Lightfoot. Sundown. Carefree Highway. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

That probably makes me a Bad Canadian. Got that.

www.missionranchcarmel.com

PS I am told that back in the day, Clint would occasionally play piano at the Mission. I mean, why not? He owns the place. Paid a fortune for that farm to cock block a developer. Clint is getting old now though. Too bad. I’d love to shoot him a $20 and ask him to play Lightfoot.

Now you probably think I'm nuts, and you're probably right. But that scenario could play out one of two ways:

1) Clint smiles, pockets my Andrew Jackson and plays the best version of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ever heard in Carmel, or
2) Clint gets pissed off and beats the shit out of me.

Either way, I win. No, seriously. I go to work Monday morning all bloodied and bruised and people say, "Holy Shit! What happened?!"

and I reply

"Got in fight with Clint Eastwood over the weekend. You should see him!"

Why does nobody else do what I do? It's really quite a lot of fun.

[digits]

but still doesn't allow all the things on the previously mentioned list at present.

CARs reference for those restrictions?

Even if you fly perfectly, you'll still need to do the required training for the instrument rating, and you can't just have it signed off, it's flight test. The same goes for all licenses and ratings really.

I am also fairly confident it would be impossible as new PPL pilot to get insurance to hop in another airplane type without a checkout. The same might also be an issue to teach yourself aerobatics. You might be able to convince the insurance to allow it, if you've gotten a checkout on the type by an instructor.

These things likely won't be an issue for a 5000 hour pilot who has flown a plethora of types before, but that doesn't help the new pilots who want to gain that experience themselves.

Some reference was made to teaching yourself to fly in a homebuilt, or to solo yourself (he he). I'd say it's safe to say that isn't allowed today either.

[digits]

I should mention that the way I got my PPL was by tossing a stack of $20s at an instructor to sign off my flight test. Had to bring two airplanes for the test - couldn’t spin the Maule.

That's nice. Could you do that today? In Canada or the US? Or anywhere, really.

If the answer is 'no', then that's really not an argument to poop on new pilots today.

[Colonel]

You probably don't want to know how the RCAF trained pilots to fly the single-seat F-86 Sabre.

First flight is solo in it.

Pop Quiz: how do you get a civilian type rating in an F-86 Sabre? Do you first travel around the countryside
and get dual from every FTU instructor?

[Colonel]

Could you do that today?

You're kidding, right? I will try to sanitize this story ...

I know a Canadian who got his FAA private pilot certificate. DPE immediately afterwards
lost their privileges but we held our breath and the paper went through OKC.

Then after 5 hours of solo night time, via the IPL he was issued a TCA PPL based
on his FAA certificate.

You think that people today don't like money any more? You don't know the piano
player at the Mission in Carmel very well.

[Colonel]

Not too long ago, Freddy and Gary went to Panama to fly an airshow. I have video somewhere ....



Anyways, the grateful and enthusiastic Panamanians issued them Panamanian pilot licences,
because, well, Panama. You might think that's stupid, but I think it would be pretty cool at a
ramp check to whip out a Panamanian Pilot Licence. Because Panama.

Anyone remember the puppy mills in Ontario? I was horrified. Chinese students paid $$$ and
came over. They couldn't speak a word of English on the radio, but oddly, they aced the written
tests for their PPL/CPL that Canadians who's only language was English, struggled with greatly
because they were so intricately worded, that they were more of a language test than a measure
of aviation knowledge.

And, no one cared about this rampant corruption. Everyone knew about it - Transport - and no
one cared. Everyone was in on the money train. Many of the current Air Canada pilots were
unethical instructors at the puppy mills, and they were in on the corruption of issuing fraudulent
Canadian Pilot licences. Now, they would probably like to forget about that, and strut around in
airport terminals in their polyester outfits. But I never will.

[Squaretail]

Even if you fly perfectly, you'll still need to do the required training for the instrument rating, and you can't just have it signed off, it's flight test. The same goes for all licenses and ratings really.

Ok, fair point, but those I didn't think were on the list you just mentioned. I assume this references a farther back post.

I am also fairly confident it would be impossible as new PPL pilot to get insurance to hop in another airplane type without a checkout. The same might also be an issue to teach yourself aerobatics. You might be able to convince the insurance to allow it, if you've gotten a checkout on the type by an instructor.

Sure you can do this. If insurance balks at this, find a different insurance company. As to aerobatics, I haven't seen insurance place a direct prohibition on this. If you go out and buy an aerobatic capable airplane, there's no prohibitions on you going out and trying aerobatics. Whether that's wise or not is a different matter, and depends on your circumstance.

Some reference was made to teaching yourself to fly in a homebuilt, or to solo yourself (he he). I'd say it's safe to say that isn't allowed today either.

Oh its not "allowed" but people still do it. One might add when it comes to type familiarization on a lot of home-builts, there isn't any other option. There isn't another seat, nor are you likely to find an instructor who has any experience even if you have two seats and sticks. The only real restriction on this is money, its an expensive game to get into, and that's the strange part in this equation I find. If you got the money and time to build yourself an airplane (unless you have substantial building abilities, don't count on this being faster or cheaper than just buying one) you must be a reasonably smart and hardworking dude or dudette. But then not to be smart about prioritizing what you need to do to be better at flying seems like a big disconnect. The Colonel's derision at a lot of "RV guys" is well placed. Safety in their eyes is often a function of spending money directly at the problem, ie: buying more gizmos, rather than spending the time and money just flying. Adding another tablet to run your fourth subscription to foreflight isn't a well thought out progression.

The same can be said of a lot of neophyte career pilots. Saw lots of guys this year that were two years from their last flight and sucked. IF they wanted to be an acceptable pilot, they really needed to spend some of their effort towards that specific goal. Its hard to say that some of these guys weren't hard workers, lots were doing multiple jobs to stay financially head above water, but if being a pilot was their goal, they needed to direct energy directly at that - by actually flying airplanes.