Advice, please: too old to fly?

Hell R.W., we just offered free yearly dues to members of our EAA chapter
that were over 80. It's a good thing that only 6 of 'em took us up on it.
One of our CFI's is 83 and rents two 150's.

Al


"R.W. Behan" wrote in message
...
There can be no better source of advice than this group for my question:
am I too old to take up flying--and building an airplane?

Full disclosure. As a young man in the Korean War I was an aviation
machinist's mate in the Navy. As a forestry student in the late '50's I
was a smokejumper, so I have quite a bit of experience in the ultimate
maneuver: abandoning an airplane in flight. As a forester in Southeast
Alaska, I had many hours of time flying with a bush pilot, as a passenger.
Lots of airplanes in my background, but I'm now 73.

I find the Zenith STOL's irresistible. The 701, the 2-seater, can be
flown with a 10-hour sport license, so at my age--and limited time out
there ahead--it might make sense to focus on that airplane. But I'd
really prefer the 801, the 4-place plane. It would take longer to get the
necessary private pilot's license--40 hours of flying time instead of
10--but I see that as a huge advantage: nothing beats experience. And
flight training and airplane building could proceed simultaneously,
couldn't they?

I've enjoyed a great deal following the discussions on this board, and
I've learned a lot here. Maybe it has been the stimulus for my cockamamie
dream.

Your knowledgeable comments will be most appreciated, and thanks a
million.

Dick Behan