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How many pilots move from flying to sailing...

Sebastian_G wrote:

So maybe a 60-70ft boat or a 8ton plane. Beyond that I fear it is often no longer boating or flying but actually managing a small company whith no income but all the problems.

Interestingly, a common question I get from non-aviation friends is how many passengers/how large a plane I can theoretically fly as a maximum with my licence.

Afaik, the PPL doesn’t restrict this, as long as you get the appropriate endorsements (MEP, SET, MET, HPA, etc.).

I wonder why you chose “8 tons” as the practical limit for private operations. Why not 5,7 t? Or anything else?

Last Edited by MedEwok at 10 Sep 21:27
Low-hours pilot
EDVM Hildesheim, Germany

MedEwok wrote:

Afaik, the PPL doesn’t restrict this, as long as you get the appropriate endorsements (MEP, SET, MET, HPA, etc.).

I think that is correct… somehow I seem to remember that John Travolta flew his jets with a PPL and the proper endorsements, even though the 707 “only” was SIC.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Graham wrote:

It doesn’t feel slow when you’re doing nine knots close-hauled with a lot of heel on and the boat throwing a fine prodigious bow wave.

Absolutely this. Speed is relative. I used to race a Lazer 4000. Out on the trapeze it felt vastly quicker than an SEP.

Mooney_Driver wrote:

I think that is correct… somehow I seem to remember that John Travolta flew his jets with a PPL and the proper endorsements, even though the 707 “only” was SIC.

Without getting that far, I am sure we can fly an AN2 with PPL+SEP and tailwheel endorsement and a bit of radial supercharged engines and variable pitch time 12 happy PAX, 3 of them can cost share the oil burn (20kg/h) while I pay for fuel burn (120L/h) and dry rental plus grass landing fees !

I did come across a bunch of pilots who flew one in a Caribbean tour when they were back to US, I think that was an achievement…

Last Edited by Ibra at 10 Sep 23:14
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

60 foot for a family is about the limit. With modern kit more is possible until something goes wrong. Manually handling sails that size becomes impossible. The costs spiral exponentially. You clearly can go much larger with an aircraft, costs aside.

As to excitement I would say barrelling along at 8 knots at close quarters in a big wind is as exciting as aerobatics.

Last Edited by Fuji_Abound at 11 Sep 07:08

MedEwok wrote:

I wonder why you chose “8 tons” as the practical limit for private operations. Why not 5,7 t? Or anything else?

That was just a shortcut, the real limit is PC24, CJ4 or Phenom 300. I have seen it multiple times with customers. If money is not the main issue and there is a need for a bigger aircraft those are the biggest ones which can be flown single pilot. We also have a private Learjet at the airport and the operation seems to be difficult. For every little flight you need a fully qualified copilot which has to have time, a hotel room at the destination etc.

www.ing-golze.de
EDAZ

Fuji_Abound wrote:

As to excitement I would say barrelling along at 8 knots at close quarters in a big wind is as exciting as aerobatics.

The exhilaration has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Sailing brings a number of factors to play and to set the sails to maximise the natural elements which include tide, wind, swell, and the capability of boat and crew, to me is a real achievement. I also love to screw that extra kt out of it, carefully watching the meter for any drop in speed.

I also have crewed on a full ocean race yacht and that brings it to another level with 10 crew, sails taut, and the boat almost keeled on its side. Hang on being the optimum word!!

Yes all good fun.

Fly safe. I want this thing to land l...
EGPF Glasgow

What do call it when 2 sailing yachts just happen to be going the same way….
A race.

United Kingdom

GA_Pete wrote:

What do call it when 2 sailing yachts just happen to be going the same way….

Catamaran? :)

EGTR

My youngest son is flying. He had plans to start CPL/ATPL. Then came Corona. Now he is spending one year at the coast here in peoples college sailing open wooden sail boats along the coast of Norway. A few weeks ago he sailed from Rørvik (ENRM) to the school close to ENOL. It takes about 30-40 minutes by SEP, 3 days in a sail boat

The kind of boat is this, it’s called Fembøring, about 50 feet long, raw sail.

They were 8 or 10 I think sailing it. 4 hour duty, 4 hour rest for 3 days and nights

The thing is, he loves it. In between those longer journeys they maintain the boats, and sail a lot in a smaller “færing” (lots of other names for it). This is also an open wooden boat, about 16 feet long, but it can have both raw sail and “sne-seil” (the sail that goes parallel to the ship) by simply changing the stand for the mast. Several of them for sale around here right now for €2-3k These can be sailed alone, but to get some speed, you need to be two. Trying hard not to buy one. What stops me is I have no clue of to sail it but now my son is becoming an expert…

Already people have asked him to come along as crew on viking ships this summer. Sailing these open ships is a team work that can only be learned by doing.

Looks like this (sne-seil):

and like this with raw sail:

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway
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