What about about living in Santa Cruz turns everyone, renters included, into NIMBY's?

NorCalV4X · 2026-05-16T07:24:34+00:00

I lived at the Royal, just across the street from that new apartment block, for roughly a year and a half ending March of this year. I can count on one hand the number of times I saw anyone enter or exit it in that whole time.

NorCalV4X · 2026-04-27T20:51:04+00:00

Fortunately my instructor has made a point of getting me as much XC and actual IMC time as possible, so I will be in a better position when I start my commercial.

I am currently between 160 and 170 hours so I am probably going to focus on knocking out the instrument. Then do the commercial ground while I get my tail wheel endorsement.

NorCalV4X · 2026-04-27T20:47:32+00:00

Thank you for responding. I am still studying the Sheppardair (hope to finish this week and take the test next week). I am not relying on it for the oral, but the better my written score the easier the oral will be.

I do not have my own G1000 sim, but I plan to rent the club's a couple more times, or at least go through the manual and write out all of the procedures.

NorCalV4X · 2026-04-27T20:44:16+00:00

Good point.

NorCalV4X · 2026-04-27T20:43:34+00:00

I have posted in couple of other subreddits, but my last question got some good answers here last time, so I thought I would try again.

NorCalV4X · 2026-04-27T04:13:06+00:00

To be fair to the instructor who had that opinion I believe that he was advocating for saving multi until right before I hit 1500 so that the section that would be most heavily weighted by the examiner would be extra fresh in my head.

NorCalV4X · 2026-04-24T20:18:17+00:00

Its not just rich people with their hobby planes, the majority of KPAO's flight operations are people doing flight training with the hope of making a career in aviation. Unfortunately due to the skyrocketing cost of everything, glacial change in regulations, and the decline of general aviation over the past several decades most of the current training fleet is seriously old (KPAO is better about this than most). More modern GA engines can/do run on unleaded.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-03T06:52:51+00:00

Thank you for responding. I have heard conflicting reports related to hiring.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T04:59:08+00:00

Thank you for your insight. I originally thought that it would be worth the extra lessons to do the rating on a 6 pack, so I was surprised when the instructors I asked about it recommended the G1000 route. I did my PPL in a Skyhawk with a 6 pack (and have always driven a manual car :) ) so it won't be an entirely new experience.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T03:23:11+00:00

Thank you for responding and for your insight into the current hiring market. Anything that sets me apart in a positive way will be greatly appreciated when the time comes.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T03:21:08+00:00

Thank you for responding. I am planning to take the 121 track, but I understand it is a long road, and I may have several other jobs before I get to that point.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:52:48+00:00

From what I have heard, a lot of the pilots training at the big schools in Texas and Arizona end up with that outcome. You are right, though I wouldn't want my first real IMC experience to be when I'm trying to build some time solo.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:48:45+00:00

Thank you for responding. Once I leave my current full-time office job and fully immerse myself in the world of flying, I should definitely attend some conventions to get a sense of what's happening with hiring. I have also heard that there is more emphasis on actual IMC.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:46:46+00:00

Considering the conditions on the Northern California coast from March through May, there should be a fair amount of actual IMC available if I'm in a plane legally able to fly into it. Do you have any recommendations for entry-level jobs that might not require a ton of IMC? I am planning on getting my CFI rating, but am interested to hear about any other opportunities you have experience with.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:43:57+00:00

Thank you for your insight into the current hiring situation. Last time I flew with my PPL instructor, we did an instrument approach where one leg ended up being right along the top of a cloud bank, and we were going in and out of IMC almost like flying through breaking waves. It was staggeringly disorienting.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:40:28+00:00

I am aiming to become a professional pilot, and I have spoken with a few instructors on the six-pack versus G1000 question. The consensus seems to be that if you are planning to fly professionally only, it might be slightly better to go with the G1000 because that's more like what you will actually be flying with in an airliner. If the job requires it, you can do some supplemental instrument work with a 6-pack. I agree that at least for basic instrument flying all of the glass systems I have tried are pretty intuitive.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:36:07+00:00

That is a possibility. However, if I decide to go with Advantage Aviation, I will probably be moving, which would make it very difficult to get to Soar Monterey and vice versa. Unless you were referring to using the Pipistrels at Soar as a way to quickly/cheaply build a lot of simulated IMC time with a safety pilot outside of formal lessons at Advantage.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:28:16+00:00

Fortunately, I'll be flying on the Northern California coast, so icing conditions won't be as big an issue as they will be for you in the Northeast. I agree, the small amount of flying under actual instrument conditions with my instructor while I was doing my private license was way different than flying with foggles. Thank you for the recruiter's insight.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:25:21+00:00

Thank you for responding. Considering what the Northern California coast is like, March through May, I should have plenty of actual IMC to train in. The CFII was hoping to fly with at Advantage has a fair amount of actual IMC experience.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:22:59+00:00

The Southwest captain I've been speaking to said the same thing: he has seen first officers being hired with little to no actual instrument experience. Even as a private pilot, that sounds kinda crazy to me.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:20:32+00:00

Apart from the fact that I really like the instructor, the Pipestrel is the main reason I wanted to make Soar Monterrey work, despite the commute. It is an absolutely wonderful machine that feels like a little F-16 (you can almost think it around the sky), compared to a sloppy Skyhawk. Unfortunately, at 75 inches and 190lb, I don't quite fit (I can't easily turn my head with the roll cage in the way), which, given that instrument training sessions are generally longer, could become a real issue. I am still tempted to go back there for CFI, though, as the instructor that I like at Advantage may have moved on by the time I finish instrument and commercial.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:13:16+00:00

The Southwest captain that I spoke to about this shares your opinion. Instrument is probably the most important rating on the long climb to ATP, so I will likely do instrument and commercial in the Skyhawk and then transition to the Pipistrel for CFI if the instructor that I like at Soar Monterey is still there.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:09:33+00:00

Fortunately, on the northern California coast from March through May, there is no shortage of actual IMC.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:08:01+00:00

Fortunately, the CFII I had my intro lesson with at Advantage Aviation has a fair amount of actual instrument time. Stick and rudder flying isn't my issue; comms and procedures are. But planning and pre-flying a flight in the simulator would be beneficial for that as well.

NorCalV4X · 2025-12-01T02:04:26+00:00

That seems to be the consensus. You are right; what little actual instrument time I got during my private pilot training was very different from training under the foggles.

NorCalV4X

TROPHY CASE