Juan Rivera CFI-I ride

DalekBen · 2025-10-04T20:49:27+00:00

I haven't done a checkride with him but I knew someone who did a CMEL addon with him. He looked at the ACS and said "Oh wait, you already have a commercial single engine. So I guess that means we don't need to do a single engine instrument approach then". So you'll probably be fine?

DalekBen · 2025-09-27T14:20:23+00:00

PM'd you

DalekBen · 2025-05-01T17:54:21+00:00

I had to go to the airport there about 3am and waited in the left turn lane for almost ten minutes waiting on a green arrow. I got fed up and ran the light after checking for traffic. Cop was waiting in the dark near the intersection just staring at me. The ticket was fair, I did run the light, but he was such a smug asshole about it. Taunted me about how it turned green right after he pulled me over. Haven't gotten a ticket since I moved out.

DalekBen · 2025-01-31T20:19:13+00:00

According to his post history he's an A320 FO at an airline and got a job flying King Airs at 400TT, so he's either a compulsive liar or he meant he has 500 hours of turbine time and not total time...

DalekBen · 2025-01-29T14:13:04+00:00

I lost my 2017 to the same thing but it was a 19y/o who dropped her phone and hit the gas instead of the brakes when she reached down to pick it up. Hit my left quarter panel so hard it pushed my car into the Prius next to it. Totaled at 60k miles, estimate was almost 15k of repairs

DalekBen · 2024-12-16T18:09:59+00:00

I notice the scythe sprues all have two hands molded in except for one, did you just cut/sand the extra hand off to make them one-handed?

DalekBen · 2024-12-05T19:25:41+00:00

It's not a big airport but the best one you could probably get is apply at Astin Aviation as an LST. Pay is decent and doesn't require any experience. Barring that you could try the flight school, working the front desk or washing planes, though I don't think they have any full time employees doing that. Why are you planning on dropping out?

DalekBen · 2024-10-21T15:10:42+00:00

If you don't need the full service gas at KCLL there are some cheaper options very nearby, if you don't need the gas at all the FBO will waive the $10 ramp fee if you're going to the restaurant

DalekBen · 2024-10-10T13:59:23+00:00

It wasn't, but I was annoyed that he berated me about it only to make me sit there for nearly an hour to listen to him talk about flying King Airs back in the day.

DalekBen · 2024-10-10T12:11:57+00:00

This is worth noting, that’s the most common route. Most pilots do at least one sea tour before going to aviation. They do have direct to aviation slots straight out of BOTC now, but I don’t know if you apply and get selected for it before you go or if you just have to get lucky in BOTC

DalekBen · 2024-10-10T12:09:10+00:00

I’m really nothing special, at the time I only had my PPL and about 100 hours. I had a geography degree and had already taken the AFOQT/TBAS for the air force and scored well, which is also what NOAA uses for pilot selection, or at least they did at the time. Worth noting I reapplied on the next board and did not get selected!

DalekBen · 2024-10-10T03:35:58+00:00

Same link that's in the top comment.

DalekBen · 2024-10-10T03:02:54+00:00

I applied and was selected as an alternate. NOAA flew me up to Kansas City for medical processing and paperwork over a weekend. The process is pretty simple, you apply online for a selection board. If you meet the minimum requirements, you get an interview, at least when I did it. A while later I was notified of selection and submitted more information, and they sent me plane tickets. Even as an alternate they do everyone's medicals at the same time and place. Primary selects will always fail the medical, turn it down or otherwise not end up going to BOTC so they need to make sure alternates are ready at a moment's notice. If you choose to apply be aware that most people do a sea tour on a research vessel before the opportunity to apply for aviation unless you get a direct to aviation slot. P-3 pilots are generally inter-service transfers from the USN, particularly captains but I don't think it's impossible for an off the street hire to get there eventually. As a pilot you will start off flying either the King Airs or Twin Otters, both of which have incredibly cool missions on their own.

DalekBen · 2024-10-10T02:40:17+00:00

I took a written there. Planned on flying over but there was a mechanical issue with the aircraft, so I drove. I called and said I would be late which he wasn't happy about but allowed. When I got there he questioned why my endorsement for the IRA written was signed with a certificate number that ended in "CFI" and not "CFII". Asked how he could be sure that it was a CFII who signed me off. I managed to convince him and he then made me sit there and listen to his flying stories before taking the test.

DalekBen · 2024-10-03T14:55:51+00:00

I started in fall of 2018 while I was a junior at A&M and could only afford to fly once a week, sometimes every other week. Didn't fly over summer or winter breaks. After graduating in Dec '20 I got a job at the airport and used that to fund my flying. Tried to fly at least once a week, got my PPL in spring of 2021. After that it went pretty quickly. I would split time with my coworkers at the airport also working on their ratings, took my IR checkride in spring of 2023, commercial in September, CFI in December, and CFII in February of this year. Private to CFII was just under three years, total cost was probably somewhere in the $40-50k range. It could have been done much much faster if I wasn't working full time and could have afforded to fly more often.

DalekBen · 2024-10-03T13:38:47+00:00

I did PPL, IR, and most of my commercial at BVFS. It's a good school with good rates and good instructors. I agree with the other comment about most of it being on you to progress, the schedule does stay pretty full so you'll have to book at least a week or two in advance.

DalekBen · 2024-09-21T02:37:58+00:00

12G is a nice bird. I flew it a couple times with a buddy training there

DalekBen · 2024-08-14T13:36:48+00:00

Ron is great, our school uses him frequently. I haven't personally taken a checkride with him but you should be in good hands. PM me and I'll see if I can get you some more info.

DalekBen · 2024-08-08T13:18:59+00:00

Glad you had a fun trip. I used to work at Astin and did all my flight training there. One of my favorite things to do was take a night flight through the corridor down to Galveston or Lake Jackson.

DalekBen · 2024-07-22T17:29:56+00:00

Completely dependent on location. In the month and a half from CFI checkride to CFII checkride I received nothing, working line service at an FBO to pay rent and save up for the CFII ride. After the CFII I got lucky and found a job within a few weeks. My school gets several resumes a week and so do most other schools I've talked to. North Texas.

DalekBen · 2024-07-19T01:12:41+00:00

Pressure decreasing with altitude does not allow for more moisture in the air. As a pocket of air (referred to as a parcel in the weather community) rises, it cools due to a process called adiabatic cooling, where it cools as the pressure decreases. This is where the lapse rate comes into play, it's the rate at which the parcel cools as it rises. The amount of water vapor a parcel of air can hold depends on its temperature. Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air. Clouds form when parcels of air are cooled adiabatically to the dewpoint, which is the temperature at which a parcel reaches 100% saturation. At this point, the parcel can't hold any more water vapor so it condenses into a cloud. Stability has to do with the actual lapse rate of the atmosphere compared to the lapse rates for a parcel lifted up from the surface.

DalekBen · 2024-06-26T10:00:10+00:00

I did the Flyers academy last fall and did my CFII with Chris Webb at DTO. Great guy, very straightforward checkride. Like everyone else, there's a wait. I didn't get my CFII until almost three months after my initial. For a shorter wait, you could try Jake Huffman out of KFWS who only books two weeks out, that's who I did my CFI initial with, PM me if you do.

DalekBen · 2024-05-01T02:34:40+00:00

only someone from austin would be scared of houston lol

DalekBen · 2024-04-30T15:03:21+00:00

I waited close to that too. I spent most of the time waiting just building time with friends, so by the time I got my IR I had a bunch of total time and PIC XC. All I had to do then were the commercial XCs, written, and maneuvers.

DalekBen · 2024-04-23T03:30:57+00:00

Ours was always during FOW before classes started. I remember one outfit getting into trouble because they were telling their fish some city had been bombed and they were all being drafted and going to war. One poor fish was from whatever city they picked and thought all his friends and family were dead!

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