Walt
Well Known Member
The IFR rating was one of those "bucket list" items for me, and finally after having my private for over 40 years and approaching 2000 hrs, I finally was able to get it done!
This last year all the stars finally aligned to make it happen. The Garmin G3X panel upgrade a couple of years ago and the GTN650 install last year set this all in motion. This year finding a great flight instructor that I really connected with, who had both the type of experience that I was looking for (I didn't want to be training the CFI on glass) and a personality I could deal with (I'm a liberal minded New Yorker that says F&S a lot) was key. Someone easily offended by my NY trash talk and sarcastic sense of humor wasn't going work for me, or them.
I will say this, my flying is now on a whole new level. My understanding and command of the systems and how to make this avionics panel do what it was designed for has ramped up 10 notches.
Really, this post is not so much about me as it is about the great support I received from my wife (who supported me 100% throughout this) and my CFII Matt Hood. Matt is based at 52F, fly's for a large company, has a bajillion hours, owns a Luscombe, and is truly a champion of GA. His passion for flying and all things aviation is evident immediately when you meet him. This guy lives and breathes airplanes and aviation. He regularly brings aviation enthusiastic adolescents around from his church group to the airport showing them around all the hangers, taking them for rides, and teaching them airplane stuff. He also takes them to lunch to debrief about their experience. My point is Matt's a seriously nice guy. His wife Theresa is a seriously sweet gal and is pilot with American. They are a commited aviation family.
Matts knows Glass panels inside out (often comments about how the G3X is identical in function to the jets he fly's) and he understands "real world" IFR. His job of flying rich people around takes him to many outlying airports unlike what the airlines do. His experience in IFR ops closely matches what us small GA guys do like IFR into non towered airports.
So the bottom line is this, if you have been thinking about getting your IFR ticket get your game face on and go for it, if I can do it anyone can.
If you want to hook up with a great CFII around 52F that can really teach you how to use your glass and be a better pilot (and he loves RV's) give a shout out to Matt. I guarantee you won't regret it! He doesn't hang out here on VAF much but his VAF username is "flyinhood" and he asked that you PM him, or contact me and I'll help you reach him
This last year all the stars finally aligned to make it happen. The Garmin G3X panel upgrade a couple of years ago and the GTN650 install last year set this all in motion. This year finding a great flight instructor that I really connected with, who had both the type of experience that I was looking for (I didn't want to be training the CFI on glass) and a personality I could deal with (I'm a liberal minded New Yorker that says F&S a lot) was key. Someone easily offended by my NY trash talk and sarcastic sense of humor wasn't going work for me, or them.
I will say this, my flying is now on a whole new level. My understanding and command of the systems and how to make this avionics panel do what it was designed for has ramped up 10 notches.
Really, this post is not so much about me as it is about the great support I received from my wife (who supported me 100% throughout this) and my CFII Matt Hood. Matt is based at 52F, fly's for a large company, has a bajillion hours, owns a Luscombe, and is truly a champion of GA. His passion for flying and all things aviation is evident immediately when you meet him. This guy lives and breathes airplanes and aviation. He regularly brings aviation enthusiastic adolescents around from his church group to the airport showing them around all the hangers, taking them for rides, and teaching them airplane stuff. He also takes them to lunch to debrief about their experience. My point is Matt's a seriously nice guy. His wife Theresa is a seriously sweet gal and is pilot with American. They are a commited aviation family.
Matts knows Glass panels inside out (often comments about how the G3X is identical in function to the jets he fly's) and he understands "real world" IFR. His job of flying rich people around takes him to many outlying airports unlike what the airlines do. His experience in IFR ops closely matches what us small GA guys do like IFR into non towered airports.
So the bottom line is this, if you have been thinking about getting your IFR ticket get your game face on and go for it, if I can do it anyone can.
If you want to hook up with a great CFII around 52F that can really teach you how to use your glass and be a better pilot (and he loves RV's) give a shout out to Matt. I guarantee you won't regret it! He doesn't hang out here on VAF much but his VAF username is "flyinhood" and he asked that you PM him, or contact me and I'll help you reach him
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