I’m in the process now. Got 7 hours logged slowly. Life, work, money, and weather are hard to coordinate.
Working and studying for the written simultaneous is tough.
I will get there eventually.
I also have the tail kit for an RV-14 in progress in the garage.
My son will start his training next summer. My motivation is to be finished before he starts.

Sorry to drift the thread, but how do the expenses/kick-in-the-pants compare when talking about ultra lights?

I maintained and flew a King Air, and in the same hangar, a local expert had an ultralight for sale. Someone in the area bought it, and he asked me about learning to fly. I told him the same as I'd tell anyone: see the best instruction you can, and don't skimp.

Not long after, I ran into the same buyer and he told me that he had ten hours, and was finished. Getting ready for solo, I asked? No, his training was complete, and he was now fully trained and knewe everything he would ever need to know.

We talked a little and when I mentioned understanding the concept of center of gravity, he blew it off. I asked him what he thought would happen if he lost his engine, as in separated from the aircraft. I asked him, to demonstrate how center of gravity is important. No problem, he said, he'd just drift down to a landing. No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't survive, because the resulting center of gravity would render the aircraft uncontrollable.

My point to him was that while the engine falling off was unlikely, there was a lot to learn about flying that he didn't yet know, and if his instructor thought everything had been covered, it was time to look for a better instructor. The seller and the buyer mocked the counsel and proudly said they knew all they needed to know.

A day later, in front of his family and friends, the buyer wrapped the ultralight around a tree in his yard, attempting to show them his new found skills.

Lay the bodies of people killed in an ultralight, a piper cub, an airbus, and an F-18, next to each other: which one is more dead?

There's an old saying: the ultralight can still kill you, but just barely. But is just barely any less dead? Legally, the amount of training isn't required, nor is the scope of material. Legall you can get away with a bare minimum and go fly an ultralight or other equipment like that. But consider: should you?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sns3guppy,

Noted.
Considering proper training up front, if all you want is the kick of flying now and again for the next decade or two?
Just wanting to know more about the realities of each.

There's nothing wrong with learning to fly for personal reasons, whether it's for fun or any other purpose.

Previous comments apply equally, regardless of purpose. Neither the air, nor the ground, care much about purpose, and each are equally unforgiving of poor airmanship, handling, or lack or recency of experience. So long as one is willing to train to proficiency, and maintain proficiency, then one can expect safe and enjoyable operation.

I'm a big proponent of experimental avaiation, whether you build your own airplane, or buy one someone else built. For many, it's the door to something they've always wanted to do, and the vast majority of experimental airplane enthusiasts build from kits and fly strictly for fun. Kits, plans, and aircraft are available from ultralights to turbojet equipment, metal, wood, fiberglass and composite, fabric, tubing, whatever.

If someone doesn't want to do that, there are rentals, shared ownership, etc. The hardest part of learning to fly is paying for it.

Don’t forget to plan your trip to Oshkosh next summer for Airventure, not to far from MI.

https://www.eaa.org/airventure

Lot’s of aviation overload for all levels of interest. Yes, it was cancelled this year.

quote:

Originally posted by apprentice:
Noted.
Considering proper training up front, if all you want is the kick of flying now and again for the next decade or two?
Just wanting to know more about the realities of each.

It is a perishable skill. Consistency really pays off when it comes to learning how to fly.
We have a guy locally who flys a powered parachute. He doesn’t use the radio to communicate. He says he listens, but it’s difficult to believe.
We are *just* outside a Class D airspace that can get pretty busy, at times.
He is on my mental checklist when returning to land on the uncontrolled field. Every time.
Spend the money on instruction. It’s worth more than you pay for it.