New pilot in Socal

[1flyingyogi]

The Gobosh looks a lot like the Sling I trained in. The Sling is a fantastic airplane - much sportier and more responsive than the Cessna I started my training in many years ago.

I checked and unfortunately my CFI is certified to train Light Sport only, so my hours of instruction do not count. BUT total hours and solo hours do count (of which I have plenty). So I basically need an additional 20 hrs of instruction total. 3 hrs of night, 3 hrs of instruments, and estimated 5 hrs of tail wheel (11 total), plus a longer cross country than the one I did for Light Sport. Written test I'm not too worried about if I do it soon b/c everything is still pretty fresh and it's not too much more info than the one for Light Sport.

So the negative way of looking at it is I got "ripped off" 9 hrs. The positive way of looking at it is I have 9 more hours to be even more proficient and learn more.

My mechanic is an A&P/ IA and RV builder (his RV4 won some award last year for build quality). My friend is a long time pilot who's owned more than half a dozen planes. Both tell me this is an excellent buy. I would not have made such a big decision on my own with my limited experience!

I found a CFI (actually a few). They would be happy to train me in the RV6. One of them also trains in the Sling and assured me there is no problems at all for me to get used to the RV. He is also a tail-wheel aficianado. So it's perfect!

So the road will be a bit longer than I thought, and I was really bummed to find out that my instruction hours for LSA wont count, but I can and will still make this happen with the help from all the good people I know.

Thanks for everyone's input. Cheers.

Brian

Originally Posted by mchargmg

Hi Brian,

I got my PPL in an LSA. I used the Gobosh as my primary trainer. As far as I understand the rules, if your CFI was a "regular" CFI, then the hours you logged can count toward the PPL. That was sure the way it worked for me. I just used the LSA since I liked flying in a modern plane. If your CFI was a CFI-Sport then the hours are only good for the light sport rating. Silly rule IMHO. Flying is flying.

In any event, if you still have access to the LSA, it might be as fast as anything to finish your PPL in that. If the 6 is a really good deal, buy it and put it in a hangar, and look longingly at it as you finish and do transition training. Up to you of course. I assume you have had someone familiar with RV's do a prebuy for you? If not, I highly recommend you look into that. Many folks in SoCal do this, and it is worth every penny.

I currently own and fly a 6a and have flown a 7a. Love both of them. I did not find the transition that hard. The RV's actually fly like the Gobosh, just faster and better handling. Can't speak to the tail wheel part.

Best of luck, congrats on your sport license and welcome to the flying club!

Geoff

[Mel]

Sounds like you have the right attitude. That's a BIG plus toward training.

[RV7A Flyer]

Originally Posted by 1flyingyogi

I found a CFI (actually a few). They would be happy to train me in the RV6. One of them also trains in the Sling and assured me there is no problems at all for me to get used to the RV. He is also a tail-wheel aficianado. So it's perfect!

Be sure to check the insurance requirements for your instructor in your plane, should you buy it.

E.g., many policies require 5 hours transition training in make and model for *you*, so you'll need an instructor who is themselves insurable (sufficient hours in type) to get coverage on your policy.

Talk to your agent.

[bweiss]

Brian,
Welcome to the world of RV's. You are going to have a blast with the community of pilots. Tom Berge (tom@rvtransition.com) helped me as a tech adviser and then later as a transition trainer. You will see his name on the Van's site. Tom has inspected a lot of airplanes and helped people bring them up to snuff and trained many pilots. I would suggest you contact him to discuss your desires, both on the transition and pre-buy inspections. Good luck and again, welcome to the great community of RV pilots and builders.

[hgerhardt]

Hey Brian, there are several RV's at TOA, my -6 being one of them. You can come over and look at it to your heart's content and ask all the questions you want. I'm assuming the award-winning -4 is Greg's?
You can finish your PPL at Pacific Skies (near where the Slings are), and if they don't do tailwheel transition training, go see Mickey and his green Citabria at the east end of the field. He's one of the best tailwheel instructors out there.

Heinrich

[Jesse]

I go better info that matches what has already been said, "All solo time counts and if the instructor is a private level instructor it counts." The point here that you can benefit from is that your solo time already done counts and any flight time after receiving your rating counts towards total time, but you will still need all of the required dual time for private.

[BobTurner]

I suspect you have underestimated the tail wheel time your insurance company will require. Have you spoken with anyone who insures EAB aircraft? If not do so now, to avoid any other unpleasant surprises.

[mchargmg]

Brian,

I just looked up the Sling, it does look like the Gobosh! Anyway, here is an idea for you. It sounds like you have a great CFI lined up. Since you need to build time and experience, maybe take some long cross country flights. That does several things. First it is really fun! Second, it gives you a goal, something to look forward to. Third, if you pick Colorado, I will buy you guys dinner when you come out:-)

Have a great time with the training. Post some pictures once you get everything lined up with the new plane.

cheers

Geoff

[1flyingyogi]

Originally Posted by hgerhardt

Hey Brian, there are several RV's at TOA, my -6 being one of them. You can come over and look at it to your heart's content and ask all the questions you want. I'm assuming the award-winning -4 is Greg's?
You can finish your PPL at Pacific Skies (near where the Slings are), and if they don't do tailwheel transition training, go see Mickey and his green Citabria at the east end of the field. He's one of the best tailwheel instructors out there.

Heinrich

Awesome! Thanks Heinrich. I'll PM you. And yes, the award-winning RV4 is Greg's. Would love to see your RV6. If weather permits, my seller is bringing the plane to KTOA on Monday for Greg to inspect. And if everything goes well, I can start my training in it right away. Not sure if you know Marc Lee, but he said he'll train me in the RV and also give me tail wheel endorsement. But I'll talk to your guy also. Will PM you now.

[1flyingyogi]

Originally Posted by RV7A Flyer

Be sure to check the insurance requirements for your instructor in your plane, should you buy it.

E.g., many policies require 5 hours transition training in make and model for *you*, so you'll need an instructor who is themselves insurable (sufficient hours in type) to get coverage on your policy.

Talk to your agent.

Thanks for the advice. I checked, got the policy, and everything is set. All I need is to give them the date to put the policy into effect. Waiting for the inspection to go through and I'm all set!