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How long have you been flying, and the biggest changes over that time?

This forum page is clearly for “Oldies”!
Started 50 years ago with the University Air Squadron; then a 25 year gap due to lack of money and Career history.
Then back into GA, getting a CPL and IR, Group share with much touring.
Like those who have written above
Pluses: GPS + SkyDemon and iPad & Internet + Mobile Phone have changed flying (and the world).
Regret: Increase of PPR; Landing Fees; Closure of nice airfields e.g Ipswich, and bureaucratic attitudes. This is compensated by ease of Flight Planning, Weather Information and Electronic Flight Bag.

Rochester, UK, United Kingdom

Peter_G wrote:

This forum page is clearly for “Oldies”!

If you accept a data point from the other end of the spectrum: Have my licence now since a year and a month, and the transforming change by far in that time was June this year when I started flying my own plane – suddenly no reservations and availability slot Tetris to deal with, just head down to the airport, pull her out of the hangar, and go flying as much and long as I want! Realised that I put already 50h into her logbook

EHRD / Rotterdam

Jeepers around 45 years since my first solo in a Cessna 150. Some gaps due to work commitments, but have been flying regularly since 1986. While I still spend time on the British fascination with the NDB hold and approach, I feel giving up the LF four course ranges was a retrograde step! There were still some of them around into the 1980’s.

A colleague still suffers from nostalgia using Omega in deepest Africa (the NDBs tended to be switched off).

Richard Collins started IFR in a venturi gyro Piper Pacer with turn and bank an omni range and four course ranges. Nobody would think, back in 1953, the majority of the Piper Pacer production run would still be alive and kicking, and giving enormous utility, albeit with a panel GPS and a tail beacon ADSB in/out.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

20 yrs.
I used to fly everywhere using VOR’s and dead reckoning.
As I remember it, it was fun, no hassle and although I never busted airspace, I never stressed over it, like is absolutely necessary now.
I remember Notams requiring a PC rather than phone and apps, but they were very short and a lot less B.S. now everyone and his brother is posting Notams and Danger areas are breeding.
I remember No PPR, and less Compulsory Handling.
I had templates of flightplans on the fax m/c so that was no fuss and customs at places like L2K Calais Dinard were no PPR.

Despite the gadgets to me it all feels a lot more hassle than it used to.

United Kingdom

About to turn 30 years since first had back seat in a Chipmunk as an Air Cadet, flying ever since.

Skydemon GPS etc makes like much easier as many have mentioned, and I think the learning experience is more rounded with forums, social media etc and some of the (then sadly too common) ‘learning by boll***ing’ styles have died out.

Getting airborne does seem more laboured though, the flying hour rates at schools we used to see seem long gone. People are also more stretched in life and leisure these days, and flying is more dominated by the older demographic which isn’t great for the future.

Ps this may bring back memories for some!



Posts are personal views only.
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Gliders – 1959, at Aberdeen Airport. PPL – 1964. Then couldn’t afford flying for 22 years.
Changes: No electrics, brakes, in 1964. No ATC on cross-country at Portsmouth and Shoreham. Both airfields had a handswinger provided with the landing fee.
In the almost 34 years continuous flying since 1986: transponder, then Charlie then Mode S. Safetycom
Much more radar. Airport security. And lately Covid-19 biosecurity.
And much easier to get weather and airspace information.
In 1964, I phoned met as instructed before my QX-C. The met guy refused, saying the time I asked for was too long. My Instructor guessed, correctly, the windspeed at 2,000’. The Jackeroo cruised at 64 kts.

Last Edited by Maoraigh at 22 Oct 20:47
Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

Thirteen years for me, and none of the planes I learned in had GPS. My first longish trip there was already an iPhone app (anyone remembers PilotWizz? It even had an early Gramet), but it was APFEX for filing. SkyDemon appears a year later and then Autorouter and easily accessible downlink weather and conspicuous. So mostly technological improvements.

Last Edited by denopa at 22 Oct 20:49
EGTF, LFTF

Started 38 years ago, age 16, gliders.

Changes:

  • Lots of more microlights. Lately, fewer but more expensive and advanced microlights.
  • Much less certified aircraft. Those who are left looks exactly like they did 38 years ago. Lately microlights have “grown” to be certified aircraft.
  • Much more helicopters.
  • Experimentals have become “mainstream”. Best value, except maybe helicopters and “old school” microlight which offer the same.
  • GPS, mobile phone, internet
  • NOTAM offices have become irrelevant and gone.
  • Airspaces everywhere, fueled by commercial interests.
  • Commercialization has made life for GA more difficult.
  • EASA … Too much focus on “safety” by rules and regulation and “organizations”. Too little focus on common sense and airmanship.
The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

Have soloed in a glider aged 13 in 1995. Both parents fly, so I had 13 years “aviation experience” by then :-) Been into aviation since, also professionally as aeronautical engineer, flight instructor, test pilot, aircraft mechanic and educator.

Flight planning and weather briefing has become much easier, as has been mentioned. When I started, we got notams on paper at the airfield and if you intended to travel across Europe, you had to use half the useful load for a library of airfield manuals. Also, travelling around Europe with very few necessities of “airports of entry” or customs is great. I can recall landing in Flensburg for customs to Scandinavia. It’s very good that we have gone by these crazy times.

EASA has made life much easier and is much more pragmatic on many levels, than it has been before in Germany. When I started flying, I needed to send in my license and a certified copy of a renewal form and a certified copy of my logbook to the authorities. This now can be done by any instructor on the licence / in the logbook. If you had the license lapsed for some time, you needed to do a new theory exam at the authority. Today you just go to any flight school, much easier. If you “just” had the PPL(A), you had to make a separate rating for flying in airspace C. Now, all this is granted even with the LAPL. Also, you had to have twice the minimum hours on the German system and a certified cross country of at least 100NM to be able to renew the license.

In maintenance, life has become much easier. When all Europe had national systems, only a German Prüfer could render a D-Reg airworthy. Now, we can work on any European planes. Back in the 90s, the LBA came to inspect every workplace where you wanted to do maintenance. Now, the performance of maintenance is in the responsibility of the owner. The maintenance by pilot-owner in EASA system far exeeds what you could release as a polit-owner back then. Getting the Cat. L maintenance license is much more pragmatic and on the job than the early DAeC-Technikausweise. Also, maintenance documentation has become much lower in volume, compared to the old German system, and the options for Changes are now much increased.

mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany

One additional thing that just came to my mind:

Updating GPS/Avionics data wirelessly or at least with standard SD-Cards from online sources is a huge progress compared to the initial “send your card to Jep”, then CD to proprietary card/card reader combinations or even the exotic solutions like the ZIP-Drive for the first EX-500 ….

Germany
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