Crying in My Beer (Long and Sad Post)

[ccsmith51]

I got my PPL in 1972. I flew until 1986. I stopped flying until I decided to build a Sonex in 2004. 18 years.

In 2004 I got my Class III medical, and found a local CFI to give me a BFR in his Champ. He gave me an hour of ground to get me up to speed on all the airspace changes (I had done some studying, of course), and then we flew for about 1.5 hours, including a dozen landings.

He signed me off and I was ready to go!! By the time I finished the Sonex in 2007 my medical had expired so I flew it under LSA rules until I sold it and bought an RV-4 in 2011.

That's all there is to it. Like everyone says, get your medical (Class III or BasicMed, which I have now), find a local flight school, and get current!!

I don't know whom you have contacted about insurance, but I have worked with Jenny at Gallagher and found all of them there to be exceptional!

We all expect your next post will inform us that you have your flight review in your log book and are getting transition training in your RV-12!!

[Raymo]

If one fails the class III medical, basic med is out the window until it can be passed. If one knows they cannot pass the class III, Sport Pilot is the way to stay in the air.

I think Don knows what he's doing.

As some have mentioned, there are options for getting signed off in a -12 and having confidence in flying the new plane.

[ppilotmike]

...I love, love, love VAF. Where else can you find this type of community effort to help out a fellow aviator?

[DonFromTX]

You sure got that right!
I just got three hours of BFR ground training for free from AOPA last weekend! Highly recommended source of training

[tomkk]

Originally Posted by DonFromTX

You sure got that right!
I just got three hours of BFR ground training for free from AOPA last weekend! Highly recommended source of training

Yup, Rusty Pilots course was my first stop after coming out of a 30 flying "retirement". They do a pretty nice job ...

[BobTurner]

Several posters have mentioned getting a medical. This is not necessary in order to get a Flight Review, or dual instruction, in, say, a 172. You only need a medical if you are PIC or a required crew member.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by BobTurner

Several posters have mentioned getting a medical. This is not necessary in order to get a Flight Review, or dual instruction, in, say, a 172. You only need a medical if you are PIC or a required crew member.

Exactly right. Take the whole medical issue out of the dicussion. Do what I said in Post 28. Unless of course you feel in good conscience you can?t meet the known deficiency clause in 61.23.

[Mich48041]

Don,
Follow BigJohn's advice. That takes care of the regulations.
Your big problem is insurance. Many, if not most, insurance companies are reluctant to accept new customers who are 80 years old or older, especially rusty pilots. If it turns out that you are unable to get insurance, then here is what to do:
See a lawyer to get your affairs in order. Transfer your assets to your heirs. Set up joint bank accounts with heirs. Sell your property to your heirs using a "Quit Claim Deed". You get to live on the property until you die.
Then go fly without insurance. If you crash and walk away without hurting someone or damaging property, then your loss is one airplane, which I assume you can afford. If you or your estate gets sued, the amount is limited by your now meager assets. But if you only fly over sparsely populated areas, your chances of hurting someone are slim. It must be sparsely populated where you live so far away from the rest of the U.S.A.

[sf3543]

Be aware that there are some states that require some form of insurance for GA aircraft.
Texas and it's surrounding states do not have any requirements.
MI and OR are states that require liability insurance for GA aircraft, unless they have recently changed.
There are several other states that have some requirements so if you choose to fly uninsured, it might be worth it to check out insurance requirements before you go on a long cross country across several states.

[RV12GliderKid]

Don,
There is a flight school in Maryland that does training using Vans RV-12.
I called them and they were more than willing to work with me.
Quoted me $155 hr for the plane and $55 for the instructor with time booked before I got there. They thought 6-7 hours were needed and they suggested it would cover biannual.
http://chesapeakesportpilot.com

I really lucked out, just bought my RV-12 and had an instructor a couple of hundred miles away. I have been flying gliders for years and only needed 3.5 hrs and some ground time. Oh yes, the lady who I bought my 12 from is 86. She sold me her 12 because she bought an RV-7 taildragger that looks like a P51.
Good luck.