Questions from the readers

Since I received the first question from a reader (my father-in-law, Chuck) I thought it may be a good time to address some of the questions I have received since starting this adventure.

I wonder how you would communicate to a tower in a non-English speaking country. Is there a worldwide way to communicate?

Yes, there is.  While the ATC at international locations will speak the predominate language for that country, the International Civil Aviation Organization requires the English language must be used upon request.

That being said, it may not be the English that is normally spoken.  Pilots use a phonetic alphabet and number system.  The popular “niner” is used instead of nine, so it will not be confused with the German word for no (nein).

Has anyone ever done an emergency landing on a road?

Absolutely, and YouTube has tons of videos of examples.  The reason why you don’t hear about more of them is because a road is not in ideal location to land.  It is easy to visualize landing safely on a hard, smooth, straight surface, but roads tend to be narrow and have signs or other obstacles on the sides of them that would sure to be struck if the pilot landed there (not to mention cars and trucks).  The wingspan of a small aircraft, like the Diamond I’ve been practicing with, is about 10.87M (about 36 feet).  The average width of a lane is 10-12 feet.  You would have to have a 4 lane road to comfortably land the plane, and four lane roads tend to be busy.  A much more preferable location would be a wide open field.  Most of us live in cities, so we forget that most of America is agricultural, but finding a large field to land is easier than one may anticipate. 

How do plane rentals work?

Most small airports have general aviation planes to rent.  They tend to be older but very well maintained.  Rental prices range about $100-$250 per hour and most of the planes I would be flying are near the bottom of that range.  The pilot rents them, not by the day, but by the number of hours actually used (rounded up to the nearest 6 minutes).  A plane doesn’t have an odometer, but they have a Hobbs meter.  The reading on the Hobbs meter basically says how long the plane’s engine has been running.  So if you fly for two hours and six minutes, but spend 4 hours on the ground at another airport, you still only pay the two hours and six minutes.  At most locations, this is true within a 24 hour period.  For a second (or third) 24 hour period, there is usually a minimum per day.  At my school, the daily minimum is 4 hours per day.  As you see, renting a plane for a quick day at the beach can be very reasonable, but becomes cost prohibited for longer trips when the plane would be grounded for several days.

Are you planning on making a career change?

While the lookout for the demand for qualified pilots looks promising, I have no plans to make this anything but a hobby.   For most airline pilots, it can be a decade long commitment to develop their craft to be marketable to the airlines.  At 35, I would be considered over the hill.  For example, the FAA will not hire any ATC over the age of 30. 

In addition, it is a lifestyle I don’t want to have.  I enjoy being with my family on the evenings, weekends, and every holiday.  That is usually not a possibility for career pilots.

Why do you want to fly so badly?

This is probably the hardest question to answer.  Some answers I have heard are:

·         To see the world from a different view

·         To travel to far off places quickly

·         For the $100 hamburger (google it)

·         Peace and tranquility of being in the air.

While these are all great reasons, they don’t completely express my feelings.  The best response I have heard is “asking me why I fly is like asking someone why they fall in love.”