What do you guys think about aircraft?
At first I was hot on the idea of helicopters but the range is limited for even the best ones. Only around 500-600 miles. Unless you want to spend so much on one that even Bill Gates would feel guilty about it.
I'm partial to twin engine props instead of jets. I like the idea of at least being able to get a license and fly myself but I'm told getting a license for jets is too much work unless you plan on doing it professionally.
Do you have to have a copilot for a jet, or is it based on size or weather or not its commercial? I'm not fond of the idea of lugging a pilot around with me, rather do it myself.
I think range is important to me. Aside from range I think I'd like one that is a little smaller, maybe ten people, 16 max, 8 minimum.
Does anyone have a plane they are partial to?
I was a professional helo pilot and have been flying fixed wing since I was 17 so I hopefully have a little to offer on this topic. First, I'll tell you that I no longer fly. The reason I no longer fly is because I can't be sure that I'll be able to go fly for at least an hour a week, do several actual or practice instrument approaches a month, practice holding, cross-wind landings, stalls, and a half dozen other skills that are highly perishable if not exercised frequently. If a professional pilot with several thousand hours won't fly unless he's able to remain current in all the potential flight regimes he may encounter, it should give you pause to think you can get the minimum hours to learn to fly and then go out and kick the tires, light the fires, and go fly without putting in serious and continuous time staying current. To me that's the biggest practical hurdle to someone in your situation, and it's the cause of most general aviation mishaps. But if you're sure you can meet that requirement....
1. You need to obtain a private pilots license with an instrument and complex aircraft rating, as well as probably a type rating (required for aircraft over 12,500 lbs among other things). This will require you to have a minimum of a couple hundred hours of flight instruction to achieve basic competency, plus an equal amount of ground instruction and briefing/debriefing, plus a good deal of studying. On the plus side, you can take a couple month vacation and do this all at once at a flight school, otherwise it's going to be a couple of years trying to do it nights and weekends, working around your schedule and the weather. If you carry passengers for hire you'll need a commercial license, which requires a minimum of 250 hours of flight time and a chunk of extra instruction and testing.
Keep in mind that there's some aptitude required to fly, both coordination and spatial orientation for figuring out where you are based on a single needle pointing to a heading, risk management, weather forecasting.... You can't turn everyone into a pilot no matter how much they want to be one.
2. You need to pass at least a third class medical exam, second class for commercial. Normally not a big deal but there are some conditions that are no big deal for anyone but a pilot, so you'd want to figure that out before you spend the big bucks and time.
3. You don't need a copilot for personal flying. The fact that all commercial operations use a copilot, even though their pilots have thousands of hours of experience and are super current while you're a brand new pilot with no experience may give you pause, or maybe not.
4. A two person airplane is a small airplane. A 16 person airplane is a commuter plane. Private pilots generally don't fly 16 person planes. Also, airplanes are extremely weight sensitive, so an "8 person" airplane can generally only carry 8 people, not them and their scuba gear for a week long trip.
5. There's really no more work involved in learning to fly or remaining current on a 10 passenger turboprop vice a 10 passenger turbofan.
My biggest recommendation is to find the nearest airport to you and go do an introductory lesson. You can probably get one for less than $200. Chat with the instructor, look around, enjoy the experience. You're putting the cart way before the horse talking about turboprop vs turbofan at this point. Maybe you end up with a private license and renting a 4 passenger Piper; nothing wrong with that at all!
