I’m 42 years old, living in Sydney, Australia with my wife and children. I work for a publishing company to pay the bills. Through a combination of enormous luck and a little skill, I found myself in a position in 2010 to be able to finance my life-long dream of learning to fly light aircraft.
This blog is about my experiences flying, and learning to fly … no less, no more.
MidLifePilot's Flying Blog 
This is so cool!
I’m linking to your blog from my own blogroll. Do you by chance follow your fellow Ausie’s blog, Flying Ninja? He just earned his PPL the other day. (See http://ninja1688.wordpress.com/ ) I look forward to following your ongoing flying adventures!
Greg Brown
Hi Greg
Many thanks for your kind comments and for your link. Hope my future posts are worth the read. I’ll also check out the Ninja.
Cheers
Dave
Hey Dave, thanks for saying hi. Still figuring out how to use Tumblr and deleted your message, thinking I could just post it in a mail to your Tumblr…….before realising you’re a WordPresser.
Mate, my blog’s all about just saying a few words and cracking a few jokes, yours is incredibly detailed! Learning a lot from reading through your posts so thanks! No GFPT for me yet but not far off (probably a couple of weeks). Long, long, long, long, long story but I’ve been more off than on for about two years but I’ve broken the back of a few things and will hopefully have my PPL in a few of months now I can fly regularly.
I read a book on airmanship last year and the evidence overwhelmingly supports the view that being able to analyse your flying in writing betters your outcomes by massive amounts so even if no-one reads our blogs, we’re doing good things for our flying. Keep it up, I’ll be reading!
Corey.
G’day again Corey, apart from enjoying the technical details of your flying journey, I’ve been enjoying the funny side of it. Your writing is a lot more light-hearted in tone than mine! Which is a good thing: no point in flying if you don’t enjoy it.
I’ve linked to your blog and will likewise be reading. (Kind of wish there weren’t so freakin many blog platforms, though: I don’t know how to best keep up with my subscriptions to various blogs, not sure if best approach is through WordPress, or just get RSS feeds, or email subscriptions … arrgghhh).
Like yourself I’m hopeful of the PPL inside a couple months. I was fortunate enough to get my GFPT flying full-time Mar-Apr this year, and the nav flights are mostly done. Was supposed to do my final dual training flight last Wed until the big wet hit Sydney, but this Wed coming looks good. If the flight happens, all that’s left is my date with the CFI.
I similarly blog first and foremost for my own learning and reflection, but also as a record for the future and maybe something of interest for my kids. But I have found a number of interested/interesting blog readers and colleagues in the last few months, there’s a real community of interest in GA out there despite constant reports of its doom.
Are you going down the commercial track, or flying for pleasure?
Yeah I know what you mean about multiple platforms, until recently I was on Blogspot. Tumblr is kickarse, though. Got my band on there now. 🙂 WordPress seems to have some legs, though, so I wouldn’t go leaping away from it yet if you’re considering it.
You’re right about there being plenty of interest too, all my friends ask me about flying and read my blog. Rocked up at the hangar last week and the head of my flight school asked “What’s all this about you on the internet writing about flying? Something you do late at night after having a few?”
Me: “Nah, it’s nothing, just for my own edification.”, playing it off all casual-like.
*shoots home, frantically switch on the laptop and make sure I haven’t said anything negative about him*
As far as CPL vs PPL, I like to go all the way with things and get as good as I can can at them so I’m aiming at a CPL, mainly because you’re just a higher standard flyer at the end of it and you have a qual which can theoretically get you a job (albeit, not many without ratings). We’ll see once I’m actually in a position to consider it!
A mate of mine just got a SO job with CX, moved to HK for it and he’s been in the game for 10 years, just finished his ATPL’s so dreams can come true.
Great news that you’re booked in for the PPL test! Well done, such a journey. The nav’s must have been fun, yeah? Sept 18th is really not far away, I have a gig the night before, feels like it’s bloody tomorrow.
I’m not booked in for the GFPT yet, got to knock off the BAK first! Couple of weeks hopefully. Actually looking forward to it, feel like I’ve done the test in my head a million times.
So, where’s your first flight with a shiny PPL in your pocket going to be?
Thanks, Corey! The navs have been great fun – far and away the best part of the training. I think for the next few year – with small children and money and time tight – my goal will be 3 or 4 navs per year, interspersed with an hour of circuits or in the training area every month, and the occasional Harbour Scenic/Victor One for friends and visitors. Hope that’s enough to sustain the urge.
First flight perhaps to Mudgee with my wife for a weekend away?
Hey Guys, When you all say “navs” in your neck of the woods, what does that mean? cross-country flights?
Greg
Affirmative, Greg – “navs” means “cross-country flights”. What do you guys call them?
We just call ’em “cross-countries.” Interesting, these subtle differences in our lingo!
Joe Clark indicated in a post recently that through my blogging he’d gained some insight into the differences in flying training between Australia and the USA. I’ve asked Joe for his more detailed views here, as I’m interested to hear them. Do you have any views on training similarities/differences between the two countries?