I have been reading this forum for over a year now. Lurking around, enjoying the people and their stories - I finally posted something earlier so I figured I would introduce myself.

I am not a pilot, though I stare at the planes as they fly over and wish I were. Hopefully at some point in the near future I will start. My kids are getting older and maybe it is the right time. I found BT through some search and was drawn in by the expertise and by the vast amount of information on here. I especially enjoy reading Max Grogan's entries and viewing his photographs. Very nice Max.

I am a Naval Officer, 22 years so far and counting. I enjoy all manner of outdoor activities and like I said, have a love for flying, just have never been able to convert that love into actually doing it. I had a good friend as a kid that was a pilot/instructor so I got to fly with him quite a bit, but no formal training beyond that. My dad had a friend back then that had a Duke also! He was coooool!

Thanks for sharing your stories and knowledge.

Jeff

Welcome Jeff and thank you for your service to our country.

Are there any military flying clubs that you could join?

All I can say is . . . just do it.

+1

Welcome!

Remember, there's no time like the present!

Welcome Jeff. The comment about the military flying club is a great direction. I am familiar with one in atlanta that has some nice iron. Take advantage of it. If my math is reasonable it puts you at about 45 years old. Get a medical an go for it. hope you chime in. Yes, Max is quite the photog and grammermeister.

As others have said, thanks for your service!

With respect to learning how to fly, I went through the same thing. My oldest daughter had come back from college for the summer and was doing very well. She and I had always talked about flying, and she wanted to start. I couldn't mow enough yards when I was a kid to afford it then. Now things were going well in my business but "I never had time" so hadn't done any training. We didn't have a clue how to start.

So... we went out to the airport and talked to the FBO operator. We had a long discussion, but it boiled down to this advice he gave us: "Well, you come take a lesson. Then, if you liked that you come back and take another."

Darned if it doesn't work.

About a week after she started I was sitting in my office thinking "what's wrong with this picture" and I started the next day. I was 47, so you don't have to start when you're a kid. You also can't wait until you have time... if it's something you really want to do you have to just go do it.

Dan

Jeff, welcome to Beech Talk, and as others have said,
JUST DO IT! You'll be glad you did.

Jeff,

welcome to BT.

Good to see another swabbie here.


And, like the others said, just do it. You won't regret it.

The first step - that is what it takes to get going.

As a child I was fascinated by the flying agility and quite majesty of the parked fighter planes at a nearby air force base. Time and places changed and when I was 45 years old, I went to a nearby mom and pop FBO to find out what it takes to learn flying. The guy wanted to make a quick buck, he practically shoved me in to a shabby, beat up, C-152 for a $ 45 introductory flight. That was a big let down. I did not like the noise, the rattling and the manners of the instructor. But, I still went ahead and scheduled my next lesson because I just wanted to see how far I can progress on this path.

If you are interested in flying then I suggest you take the first step and then on the way decide how far you want to go. Good luck.

Just Do it!
One week at a time and next thing you know you will be living the dream.
Neil Keller