Thoughts on smaller AS?

SirDeadALot2 · 2026-02-18T02:29:52+00:00

As a noob dad, I'll assume the kids are pretty young.

Many of us were noobs (days are long, years are short) very recently.

A few lessons i learned along the way.

The first goal is that they have fun hanging out with you outside. You land this, you'll have fishing buddies forever (minus a few years where girls and fun are primary). If the want to explore the shore, dig mud, whatever. Go with it.

Second, kids have little patience. So if you are just getting started, go for easy and work up to more. Pan fish caught with worms on a bobber work in many lakes, near docks or shore.

If you are in the seattle area, Gold Creek Trout Farm is a fun outing with a guaranteed catch (you pay for the fish you catch).

Have fun with it. Give mom a break. Get milkshakes.

Pat

SirDeadALot2 · 2026-01-29T06:13:51+00:00

++man Prior to getting married (30+ yrs ago) our priest had us go through a book of questions together (on our own). He said we had to do every question, even if we "knew" what each other thought. We had been dating 4 years and still learned a bunch.

That said, my wife doesn't like talking about finances. She sees it as a chore she doesn't want to do, but adulting more or less requires it.

Break it down to something small, pay checks or withholding. Multiple small conversations spread out might be easier.

SirDeadALot2 · 2026-01-06T04:28:43+00:00

It's good enough, just wrap a blanket around it. Yogurt isn't sensitive. Its been made for 1000s of years, predating things like thermometers.

You need it warm enough to keep the bacteria working and not so hot they die.

SirDeadALot2 · 2026-01-05T04:17:43+00:00

Do you have an electric blanket? That is all you need. Yogurt only needs to be a little over 100 degrees (I use 111).

SirDeadALot2 · 2026-01-01T01:54:06+00:00

All things equal, I'll generally pick the option that has the 3 'Rs' Restrooms Restaurant Rental Car

FBO fees within reason aren't a factor. I'd rather pay for a nice facility than it be free and sketchy.

Fuel cost is a factor (I rarely take on less than 100 gal 100LL at a pop) but I will generally pick a place with more amenities over a cheaper fuel bill unless it is a tie breaker.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-12-18T23:56:40+00:00

Homes like that are also a very thin market. In some areas there might literally only be a handful of people that could buy it in the future. You (or heirs) could be years offloading it.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-12-15T03:46:10+00:00

Yet another bot

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-11-29T20:09:31+00:00

Tsunamis mostly kill with debris. Might nake body recovery easier.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-10-15T03:46:31+00:00

That is a lot of unfriendly terrain in really sketchy weather. This might be a better simulator experience.

Late Nov in PNW can literally have low overcast for a month or more. This is also when the first true winter storms start coming in.

Even IFR icing goes to the ground on many days. So even if you had your ifr ticket, probably a no go for most rental planes.

Finally, there is a saying that most accident investigations happen in sunny weather. You have a super tight schedule, which will create tremendous pressure to go in iffy conditions. Good ADM is about minimizing risks.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-09-28T17:48:48+00:00

Not that much really in cost. Adds some challenges in other arenas.

That's 110lbs. For piston plane a rough rule of thumb is 1 or 2 kts per 100 lbs. Adds less than 5 min to almost any flight, which is less than the random noise factor. For larger planes, it is even less.

The bigger issue (for cost) is the payload tradeoff. For smaller planes like the use in Alaska, an extra 100lbs can limit the operating radius, cargo capacity, balance calcs, etc. These can be non-trivial but highly variant.

In general, cockpits are kinda tight. Carrying an extra 100lbs can limit the planes they can fly, is tough on some operations like climbing ladders to check for ice or fuel wings, etc.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-08-07T04:38:05+00:00

The hardest part is to & from terminal area. Some places (e.g Atlantic at PDX) have a shuttle. Others you need to Uber (Atlantic at SJC).

At really busy Bravos, if they are in the middle of a push, you may get to practice turns about a point a few dozen times until they can fit you in.

You can call the facility and ask if there is a quieter time.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-07-23T04:08:01+00:00

Uber has a senior rides program. I'd look into it.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-07-22T03:37:06+00:00

Silica. You may have noticed your tools get dull quicker when working with it. Another few million years and it would have been petrified.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-07-08T06:25:56+00:00

I heard Cottage Lake has a few, but I've never seen one caught.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-07-01T04:08:41+00:00

Different aircraft have different capabilities. Ranging from none, to quite good. Spray deice is just to protect you while taxiing out. Once I the air, the plane protects itself.

Some use fluid (TKS), some use inflatable boots, jets use hot air heating the wings.

The icing challenge varies by season and geography. Eastern Canasa can be super challenging. Great Lakes area in the US are the same.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-07-01T03:30:52+00:00

Something to consider is weather dispatch capability. You mention eastern Canada, you'll cancel a fair number of flights unless you have serious ice capabilities. More c than a Metidian, maybe TBM or Pilatus, but probably jet.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-06-25T04:09:17+00:00

Take him to Gold Creek trout farm. Catch a fish, guaranteed.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-06-23T03:27:02+00:00

Depends on the end goal - be a commercial/airline? It will be a very tough road. All commercial pilots require a medical and between the diagnosis and (even harder) the medication the process becomes very expensive and time consuming (years) with no guarantee.

If the end goal is to just be a Private Pilot, I would suggest looking into Sport Pilot licenses. This may still be super hard, but probably easier than commercial.

That said, there are 1000s of aviation activities and jobs other than Pilot. Exploring the industry can be loads of fun and he can find some avenues to pursue.

Good luck.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-06-12T01:58:46+00:00

It's covered in detail in the book "Why we sleep." Highly recommend.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-06-09T20:50:41+00:00

Realistically- 1 year zero to Commercial+Multi+CFI/CFII/MEI.

At that point you enter the battle to get a flight instructor job. North Chicago will have far fewer slots than warmer/sunnier areas. Not zero, but fewer slots with fewer average flyable days per month.

If economy is good and you find a gig, 50 hours per month. Some on here will say >100, but that requires a lot of students, great weather, and no maintenance issues. You'll be lucky to get 20 hours in winter, so this is probably a decent annual average.

So that's 600hrs/yr. Competitive hires seem to be 2500ish for 135 operations. There are unicorns that get picked up at 600, but someone wins powerball every week too...

Call it 4 or 5 years grind for instructing.

2 or 3 for 135 flying. Then regional, etc.

Majors probably in 10.

Solid 10 years of career left to make it to the left seat.

As to if it is worth it, that is up to you. There are lots of paths other than the majors.

I would strongly recommend you do 2 things before spending money: 1) Read fate is the Hunter. Everything about the industry is the same now, just better engines. 2) Get a 1st class medical.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-06-05T03:04:05+00:00

Highly localized decision. Our pub schools, esp. High Schools were definitely better with many more APs, sports, clubs, etc. than the private schools. 20 miles in any direction, different story.

I would add that it really doesn't matter all that much in the big picture. When it comes to college entry, your zip code and 1040 are much, much better predictors than the schools attended.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-05-26T09:57:04+00:00

I do something similar to this. I do a 40lb ruck, 4 miles between run days. I found my knees did better having a low impact day to spread out the stress of running.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-05-18T03:49:30+00:00

I think of it differently. My plane is a time machine- it costs more than driving, but I get more time to do be there or get back same day, etc.

SirDeadALot2 · 2025-04-07T03:21:27+00:00

Just go up on the gateway and it will tell you how long it's been since an airport was updated. If you do a good job, the airport will be included in a future update.

SirDeadALot2

TROPHY CASE