Flying As A Private Pilot

Huntington Airport, 3 miles from Mom & Dad's, where I first flew with my cousin Peter.

On February 19, 2005, after about 35 years of putting it off, I began working on getting my private pilot's certificate. It took me 57.6 hours of flying over 98 days, plus something like 96 hours of study time to earn the certificate. The cost for plane and instructor rental, supplies and study materials, headsets and a handheld radio amounted to right around $11,000. Read about flight training here.

After 80 total hours, with 25 passengers (September 7, 2005) , not counting the 9 flight instructors I have flown with, flying has become almost comfortable. All in all, there has been very little fear. Of course there have been a couple moments of anxiety in the process, but I'd have to say that the pressure of being examined surpasses the pressure of flying by about ten-fold.

April 11, 2022 On March 25th, 2022, after about 2 years of study and 3 hours of refresher flying, I completed my flight review at Barber's Point Flight School and got checked out to rent airplanes there. Read The Rusty Pilot Page for more detail.


Resources

FAA Pilot's Page


Sober up:
The NTSB Home Page (Including Accident Reports)

The FAA Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS)


Weather

NOAA AviationWeather.Gov

NOAA Pacific Hurricane Center

NOAA NWS Honolulu

NOAA NWS Honolulu Aviation Weather Products


Live and Recorded ATC Radio


Airport Directories
AirNav.com Airport/Navaid Information.


Instructional Brain Dump

The Contents Of Gene Whitt's Head


Hawaii Aviation Portals FlyingInHawaii.com

General Aviation Council Hawaii


Hawaii FBO/Plane Rental/Flight Training

Honolulu

Barber's Point Flight School: Flight Training, Plane Rentals

George's Aviation: Flight Training, Plane Rentals, Charters

Pacific Aviation Academy

South Pacific Flying Club

Hawaii Aviation Academy

Lani Lea Aviation: Flight Training, Air Tours, Rentals

Washin Air: Flight "Experience", Air Tours

Maui:

Maui Aviators: Flight Training, Plane Rentals

Maui Flight Academy: Flight Training, Plane Rentals

Big Island

TropicBird Flight Service: Flight Training/Plane Rentals

Big Island, Oahu, Kauai:

Mauna Loa Helicopters, Helicopter Training (The only Flight training on Kaua'i)

Video
UR My Copilot Four-Part Video on YouTube.
Photos

Jason Hill shows how to steer by moving
the DG with his finger.
Various Photos From My Flight Training
Photos Of Airplanes

First Licensed Flight With Miles as the First Passenger

Cessna 150/Balloon Flying in Indiana

Flight To Maui With Sue And Miles

Ami and Claire

Flight To Kauai

Sue & Ed Swafford, Marja Leivo (Figure 8 Around Oahu)


Kualoa Army Airfield (Closed around 1944)
Solo October 2 East, North Oahu


Aloha Stadium
Solo October 9 (First C152 Flight)


Bob at Upolu
Honolulu -> Maui -> Upolu Point, Big Island -> Kahoolawe -> Honolulu With Bob


JRF Terminal from the 4L upwind.
Solo Practice And Around Ka'ena Pt. Oahu


Pearl Harbor NS, Arizona Memorial,
and USS Misouri, 3 days short
of 64 Years after the attack.
Solo Practice And Pix Of Steve LaPorte's First Solo

Flying In Indiana, 12/21/05 (18 degrees F)

Flying In Indiana, 12/27/05

With Guy (Wagner) and his girlfriend Jolien
January 2, 2006

Setting Foot On Moloka'i
January 15, 2006

Flying A Diamond DA40 At KAEG
February 04, 2006

West Mesa Aviation, Double Eagle II Airport, Albuquerque, NM

Glider Instruction At Moriarty, NM (0E0)
February 09, 2006

Sundance Aviation, Moriarty, NM

Flying with Boris
February 19, 2006

(One year to the day after my original demo flight)

Tour With Ron And Sandy Jarvis
March 1, 2006

Short Flight with Gert and Joe
March 18, 2006

Practice With Bob
April 2, 2006

Circum-Lanai May 27, 2006
April 2, 2006

General Aviation Council Hawaii Quasi-Annual Pancake Breakfast
February 20, 2010

Flying and etc at KCEU with Dan Schmiedt
January 29/30, 2011