Student Pilot at 50

Started at 47, now 51, own my plane, fly all the time, best thing I ever
did!!!



"TF" wrote in message
...
Sound like alot of wisdom in this newsgroup would appreciate the same
about
what my prospects can be starting at 50. Flight has always been a lure
for
me (father in the business, avid flight sim user etc etc) Now that I can
financially afford to do the real thing (well lets say ~ $7,000/year
afford). I haven't looked beyond the adventure of just getting a PPL but
I'm still dreaming. Possible scenarios ? Bring me back to earth ?

AARP Student Pilot (that card came in the mail on my birthday)

My oldest student was 85...and there were many whose age fell between 50 and
85. Don't sweat it.

Bob Gardner

"TF" wrote in message
...
Sound like alot of wisdom in this newsgroup would appreciate the same
about
what my prospects can be starting at 50. Flight has always been a lure
for
me (father in the business, avid flight sim user etc etc) Now that I can
financially afford to do the real thing (well lets say ~ $7,000/year
afford). I haven't looked beyond the adventure of just getting a PPL but
I'm still dreaming. Possible scenarios ? Bring me back to earth ?

AARP Student Pilot (that card came in the mail on my birthday)

"TF" wrote:
would appreciate the same about
what my prospects can be starting at 50.

I got my PP certificate on my 50th birthday. The last seven years have
been immensely enriched for me by flying.
Go for it.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM
(remove pants to reply by email)

My CFI is 79. He teaches aerobatics in a Decathlon.


"TF" wrote in message
...
Sound like alot of wisdom in this newsgroup would appreciate the same
about
what my prospects can be starting at 50.

"TF" wrote in message
...
Sound like alot of wisdom in this newsgroup would appreciate the same
about
what my prospects can be starting at 50. Flight has always been a lure
for
me (father in the business, avid flight sim user etc etc) Now that I can
financially afford to do the real thing (well lets say ~ $7,000/year
afford). I haven't looked beyond the adventure of just getting a PPL but
I'm still dreaming. Possible scenarios ? Bring me back to earth ?

AARP Student Pilot (that card came in the mail on my birthday)

As others have affirmed, there's no problem with starting to fly at 50. At
any age, though, it's a good idea to get your medical certificate early in
the process--even before you start your training--so you won't spend a lot
of money on lessons only to discover later that there's some medical
disqualification. (See www.aopa.org for information on finding a medical
examiner.)

Good luck!

-Gary

It's too bad that FBO's don't give "senior citizens' discounts", because you've
got a lot of company in the "over 50" crowd.

My second instrument student passed his IFR checkride at age 59. He then went
on to get his instructor's certificate at the ripe young age of 66. He's in
excellent health, so I expect he'll have many more years of happy flying. He
stays busy "riding herd" on a large group of student pilots (some of whom are
just teenagers).

It's been my experience that older students take somewhat longer to master the
basic hand-eye coordination required for flying. On the other hand, older
students tend to be more patient and usually possess better decision-making
skills.

One weakness of many adult learners (in almost any endeavor, not just flying)
is that they tend to "overthink" a maneuver or procedure. Although it's
important to plan ahead and vizualize what you want to accomplish, it's also
important to recognize that many flying skills (such as learning to land in a
crosswind) require you to react nearly instantaneously in response to what you
see and feel. (As you gain proficiency, many of these responses become
automatic and almost unconscious.) During your initial training, keep an open
mind and pay careful attention to the visual cues (what you see outside the
airplane), how the aircraft sounds, and how it responds to your control inputs
at various speeds. A good instructor can help you with this.

Interestingly enough, I had two older students that struggled with basic flying
skills (i.e., landing), but turned out to be superior instrument pilots.

Good luck,
E. Roberts, CFI

"TF" wrote in message ...
Sound like alot of wisdom in this newsgroup would appreciate the same about
what my prospects can be starting at 50. Flight has always been a lure for
me (father in the business, avid flight sim user etc etc) Now that I can
financially afford to do the real thing (well lets say ~ $7,000/year
afford). I haven't looked beyond the adventure of just getting a PPL but
I'm still dreaming. Possible scenarios ? Bring me back to earth ?

AARP Student Pilot (that card came in the mail on my birthday)

Got my PPSEL at age 49; IR at age 52. Do it!!! You'll never regret
the things you tried (especially flying); only the ones you didn't.

On 13 Mar 2004 20:39:26 GMT, (RobertsCFI) wrote:

It's too bad that FBO's don't give "senior citizens' discounts", because you've
got a lot of company in the "over 50" crowd.

I asked my periodonist if he gave senior discounts, and he just
laughed. Heck, practically all his clients are seniors.

Evidently the same is true of flight instruction.

(Who else can afford it?)


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

"Ed" wrote in message
. com...
My CFI is 79. He teaches aerobatics in a Decathlon.

My seaplane instructor was in his mid-70's. He is a great pilot, but I
could still scare him!

In article , wrote:
Half of the people I see in the school are are old farts like us.

And it's not that we kids are unfriendly, it's just that we can't tell
you old farts that started at age 55 from the ones that started at age
5, and the latter group will pin you down with hangar talk for hours.
You've got to make sure your schedule is flexible before you wander too
close to the hangar. ;-)

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/