Posted by Brady Lane @ 12:12 PM, October 15    
Oh, and thanks to those of you who’ve asked where the videos have been the last couple months. Rest assured, I am still flying and will be posting those videos on Oshkosh365 soon. Since getting my certificate, I flew from Oshkosh to Arkansas (my first long cross-country) and learned a lot from navigating the country with only charts and a compass. I also recently got checked out in a new plane, so stay tuned for the videos. They’re coming!

Posted by Dan @ 12:58 PM, October 15    
Brady, when you going to post your flight in the Remo's GX? Since you inspired me to finally go for it, I've trained in the G3 and GX. I like the GX better but interested to hear your thoughts. I noticed your equipment in the GX over the past weekend and had to fly the G3 instead.

Posted by Deanna @ 12:29 PM, October 19    
Hi there,

My son has 6 hours of flight and 6 of ground school. He loves to fly, even though only 14 yrs old. My concern is that he is anxious about spirals, stalls and steep turns. He performed steep turns for the first time last weekend and is saying he felt strange that he couldnt control the plane and scared to do an upcoming spiral lesson. My question to you is there some advice you can offer him so he doesnt let his anxiety get in the way of his passion to be a commercial pilot.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance,

Deanna

Posted by Brady Lane @ 12:31 PM, October 19    
Deanna,

Thanks for your comment and most importantly for encouraging your son to follow his passions.

Let your son know that I was anxious and nervous before most of my lessons - especially lessons where I was about to do something new and even more so while learning maneuvers like steep turns. A small bit of nervousness is completely normal - every pilot experiences this to some degree before learning a new skill. I still do.

So, make sure he knows it's normal. It helped me also to have a good understanding of the maneuver before actually doing it. Spend some time on the ground with the instructor talking about how they're going to set up for the maneuver, what it feels like, what the control pressures will feel like, and what you do to recover from the maneuver.

Once you learn that a plane is controllable during these maneuvers, and you experience what it feels like, it is quite motivating and even enjoyable to be at the controls while doing these maneuvers. He'll get it and I bet in a few lessons, he will even start enjoying steep turns. (The things that were the hardest for me, once I learned how to do them, became the maneuvers I enjoyed the most.)

I personally haven't done any spin training yet, but hope to soon. I think it will make me a better pilot (but I'm also sure I will have butterflies before I do one for the first time).

Any other advice out there from those of you who've experienced the same nervousness and anxiousness?

Posted by Jeff Randall @ 03:38 AM, October 20    
Brady, I'm an FAA Air Traffic Controller at Abilene Regional Airport Control Tower/TRACON (Radar Approach Control), Abilene, Texas. I split my time working in the tower and working the approach control or "TRACON", I'm also a 300 hour Private Pilot, former Cessna 150 owner, and hopefully again a Cessna 150 owner this week as I am making a purchase on one from Nebraska. I must say, great job to you with the footage, and the way you edited it with the audio. It was fun to watch, and exactly the type of "real life" introduction to aviation we need to attract others into flying and aviation careers. Congratulations on your license and on the great production and hard work of documenting it for others to be inspired to spread their wings.

Posted by Brady Lane @ 09:21 AM, October 20    
Jeff,

Thanks for watching the videos and for your kind comment. I went to college in Abilene, TX and drove by the airport a couple times each week. I would always look over at the runway and dream of what it would be like to fly. Have fun with your new 150. Are those old prop AA regional planes still parked there? I make it back to Abilene every couple years, so I will be sure to stop by the airport and ask for you next time I'm there. I'd be fun to go up for a flight to learn how to fly those strong West Texas winds.

Posted by Gary @ 12:17 PM, October 20    
My wife and I really enjoyed your video blogs during the past year. They helped me to be a better student and my wife to understand what I was going through. I was able to use both the Remos G3 & GX. I passed my sport pilot check ride at the end of September in Oshkosh, WI. The FAA examiner said my soft field landing was the best he had ever experienced. He said he did not even know we were on the ground. Really made me feel good about my landings. I also took my wife to KSBM for lunch and we enjoyed the food and the experience very much. Thanks for the idea. Congratulations on your sport pilot certificate and hope to see you around Oshkosh in the future.

Posted by Jeff Randall @ 04:54 PM, October 21    
Brady,
Yes most of the American Saab 340's are still at the "Saab Boneyard" they are slowly selling or parting them out, about one every six months or so gets tugged out of there. Which college did you attend ACU? Yeah, stop on by the tower anytime you come in town, ask for Jeff or "AJ" and we will give you a tour. We have a new tower that will be twice as high as state of the art beginning construction next month. And sure we could go up in the C150 for a ride around, I will be basing the plane at Elmdale Airpark 82TS (Formerly 6F4), 2 miles NE of Regional Airport. Did you ever go by there? It is 2,900 x 29 feet. The 2,900 is ok, the 29 feet wide is a little tight since my wingtips hang over the edge of the runway, LOL. If you look on Airnav.com and look up 82TS it should still have my aerial picture of the airport to the right. Take care

Posted by Clayton @ 07:36 AM, October 22    
I really enjoyed your videos this past year,Brady.My wife took her first small plane ride in a Piper Cherokk 140 the other day and loved it.I believe I'll have to take the plunge and take an hour lesson to see if it's for me.Keep up the good work.

Posted by Peter @ 07:23 AM, October 27    
Nice work mate! I recently completed my first area solo, video is up on youtube... i loved flying out there by myself and picking out all the landmarks on the VTC. check it out if you get the chance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B-qa1GtM5Q

Posted by G Dillon @ 08:39 PM, October 29    
fantastic story. It make like well worth it. Good luck.

Posted by Steve Law @ 11:28 AM, December 09    
Brady, love your series. It started just before I was to start my flight training portion of becoming a Sport Pilot Instructor. I learned a lot from watching you and Jason. However, it's been nearly two months now since you said details coming soon re: new forum section on Oshkosh365. I check your blog every day and have seen nothing further. How soon is soon?

Posted by Brady Lane @ 01:56 PM, December 09    
Steve, thanks for checking in. "Soon" ended up not being as "soon" as I was hoping it would be, but it is still soon. I've been asked to write a monthly column in Sport Aviation beginning with the January issue and will have some videos online before that issue reaches members' mailboxes. Since my last post, I've flown my first real cross-country flight from Oshkosh - Arkansas (w/ only sectional charts and a compass for navigation), got checked out in another plane and also landed on grass for the first time. I'm also about to start some tailwheel lessons in an experimental Cub. I'll be posting the videos soon to coincide with the column. Thanks for checking and hang in there. It won't be too much longer.

Posted by Dan @ 12:26 PM, December 22    
Brady -

Not sure if you are still reading these post but I've posted a couple of time. Your videos made finally go ahead and pursue my license. Well Dec. 12th 2009 was a big mile stone for me. I soloed for the first time above Oshkosh in the Remos GX. An unbelievable feeling especially with my wife and son there to watch. Now onto my cross country’s. Thanks again Brady!

Posted by Jai @ 10:09 PM, January 06    
I'm currently working on getting me private pilot license also and my beautiful wife will also be my first passenger.

Posted by Steve Law @ 09:48 AM, January 09    
Brady, you said here in your blog that more details would be coming soon. I wrote earlier asking when "soon" would be and you said not to give up...soon would be after the first of the year. Well,as I was perusing the videos on Oshkosh365, I found your video of your trip to Rogers,AR. Great video, but you still haven't posted any updates here on your blog. I just found it by accident. You really should give notice on your blog like you promised to do. You still produce the best learn to fly videos on the internet. Great work!

Posted by Gary Church from Ohio @ 10:59 AM, January 18    
Brady.... Love what your doing.... only viewed a few of you videos and like the flight with your wife... pretty cool as I'v done that with my wife... keep doing what your doing... and thanks

Posted by Jim Robinson @ 05:49 AM, February 06    
I have found that the hardest part of learning to fly, is finding an aircraft, after your 10 hours of dual you need something to transition into. Brady, you are lucky someong let you have access to a plane. Most students just go home after 10 hours of dual and hope to win the lottery so they can buy a plane.

Posted by Bob, Rancho Cucamonga, ca @ 11:39 PM, March 20    
WOW Brady I think I watched every video. I got to fly the Remos last weekend. Sweet and easy to handle than a few of the other LSA's I've been in. Thanks for all your effort in putting this all together. Aim High and my the Lord always be with you. Bob

Posted by Josh @ 06:06 PM, March 21    
Your videos are awesome! I'm going to be a pilot... someday... I'm 14 now. I think I'll have some trouble paying for flight school, but I think I can get a part time job at my local ice cream store to help pay for lessons. My grandfather might be able to teach me, he's got thousands of hours (he flew in the air force) and you don't need a medical to be a sport pilot instructor (he could pass the medical, but he has some condition that we would have to get expensive waivers for) so that would make flight lessons a lot cheaper. The only cost would probably be aircraft rental, because all he has is an experimental ultralight, basically (I know it's experimental, but I'm not sure about the ultralight). I took a discovery flight with one of the pilots at my grandfather's local airport, so that's about 30 minutes in my logbook (when I get one) so far. I want to own my own plane when I do become a pilot, and someday give tours of the local attractions in Birmingham, like Vulcan and Sloss furnace (once I get a commercial license). It'll also be cool to fly over my house. Right now I'm really nervous about flying, on the discovery flight I took control of the airplane the whole time. I just didn't do the throttle or rudder, except for taxiing at the beginning. I did the checklist, takeoff, and landing. I was shaking and sitting forward the whole time we were in the air, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I even did some radio calls when we were landing. The main difference between my local airport and my grandfather's airport is that mine is tower controlled and his isn't. So a common sight at my local airport is a huge jet coming in for a landing, while a more common sight at his airport is a Cessna or ultralight. I hope to do my lessons starting next summer, when I'm 15, and my checkride on my 17th birthday. Thanks to your videos, I now know what to expect!

Posted by Brady Lane @ 10:06 AM, March 22    
Josh, glad to hear these videos helped you understand what flight lessons are like. You will most definitely get more comfortable in the plane the more you fly. I bet your next flight even, you'll be much more comfortable. I'm impressed you were already taxiing, flying and doing radio calls. Whether you learn to fly at your home airport with the tower or your grandfather's airport I'm sure you'll do great. It sounds like you're already a student of the air. Once you're a pilot and giving aerial tours of Birmingham, I want to be one of your first passengers (after your grandfather, of course).

Posted by Bob Nixon @ 08:09 AM, April 19    
Brady, I noticed that before you took actual flying lessons you used Flight FX on your Mac. I'm wondering, now that you're really flying, how beneficial that was. And if it was beneficial what controllers etc would you advise another Mac user to purchase.
Thanks!

Posted by Brady Lane @ 09:03 AM, April 21    
I have X-Plane on my mac and did use it quite a bit early on in my training. Was it helpful? Don't know. But it was definitely fun. In fact, I still fly it quite a bit for fun.

As I was learning the cockpit instruments early in my training, X-plane was helpful in familiarizing myself with how to read the instruments and also to see the relation between stick:speed and throttle:altitude. I played around with that quite a bit at first.

I found the REMOS I was using in the simulator didn't have the same airspeed and power settings that the real one did, so it was hard to accurately practice traffic patterns. If the airspeed and power settings were calibrated more accurately to the real plane it could've been much more helpful.

It's hard for me to look outside the aircraft in X-plane, so when I fly a simulator, I am more focused on instruments (which isn't what you should do when you're really flying). That being said, sim flying is lots of fun, especially when you fly into airports you really fly at.

As far as a controller, I use a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick. It's under $30 and is a great controller. Here's a link: http://tinyurl.com/y53p6rs

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Posted by Richard Burrell @ 01:07 AM, June 29    
You are an inspiration. Im considering doing this myself. Great idea to immortalize it on tape. Now you can call yourself 'Brady "right-rudder' Lane'. Good job man!

Posted by Brady Lane @ 08:32 AM, June 29    
Richard, It's funny you mention that. To this day I still commonly tell myself "right rudder, right rudder" as I come in to land. I hope you do decide to begin flight lessons. It was one of the most rewarding and satisfying things I've ever done and I bet you'll find it to be also. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help along the way.

Posted by Ralph @ 12:36 PM, October 19    
Hey Brady,

Just found your video last week and have been eating it up! I had started flying years ago, but never soloed. I quit with 12 hours.

There is actually a 20 year gap between hour 11 and 12...yikes!

At the time, I felt like I was the only one struggling...I didn't ask my instructors...just kind of faded away.

Now with your video blog, the EAA, I feel surrounded and supported.

My wife is excited an is very supportive...a sure blessing.

And God even provided a mentor for me at my church! Very Blessed.

My next flight is on the 25th of October!

Thanks for your inspiration. Starting a blog now and excited about the journey.

God Bless
Ralph

Posted by Brady Lane @ 02:05 PM, October 19    
Ralph: So glad to hear you're back at it! You by no means are alone with your struggles. I learned through this blog that EVERYBODY hits a learning plateau and has to push through it. There will be flights when it feels you aren't making any progress, but you most definitely are!

I'm glad the blog has helped encourage you. That was the entire reason I kept it.

I'm also glad you've found a mentor at church. That is a huge blessing indeed!

Let me know if there is anything I can help you with and I look forward to hearing updates every now and then with how things are going!

Posted by Ralph @ 12:46 PM, October 27    
Thanks for your inspiration. Had 13th hour flight this past Monday, the 25th. Scheduled for next in two weeks.
Thanks again.

http://godsplane-29erjuliet.blogspot.com/

Ralph

Posted by Jim Hocker @ 02:23 PM, January 15    
Brady, The M in Tomato stands for Magnetic direction indicator (compass), not Manifold pressure unless you have an "altitude engine" that is one with a constant speed propeller.

Posted by Bob Lineberger @ 04:56 PM, January 25    
I learned to fly by finding aircraft owners who had their instructor rating. Saved MUCH money. Got ground school at a community college, 50 hours for $35. I know times are different now, but that is a more economical way to go than regular flight schools.

Posted by Jesse @ 11:59 AM, July 30    
Brady, I have a total of 4 hours so far in the Remos. I just ran on to your videos of your training and they have really helped me. Thanks

Posted by irma @ 07:55 AM, September 29    
It was a delight to read your write-up with your wife! Today is my day...I am meeting with a flight instructor at the Appleton airport. I can't wait since this has been a dream of mine. As I read your blog, it brought me joy to hear about your wonderful time with your wifee and wish you many many more...I'll let you know how my first lesson goes :)

Posted by Private Pilot License @ 03:23 PM, November 07    
Congratulations! I remember my own checkride a few months ago. Exciting.

Posted by David and Tana Ralston @ 03:34 PM, January 22    
This was the coolest video. I videoed my wife's first flight too. She had a blast but it was one of my best flights ever. We flew to Foley AL for lunch and shopping. although we have many hours in the air together now we stil watch the viedo and talk about her first flight. Congrats on your ticket. Safe fiying.

Posted by Paul @ 07:40 PM, June 03    
Thanks so much for this Brady! I just graduated college - couldn't be poorer - but will definitely be pursuing at least an LSA license as soon as possible. Flying has always been my dream, it just sucks that it is such an expensive dream. This blog is great though, I feel like I know a lot better now what I'm getting into as far as training/practice, but you make it look totally worth it.

I just started interning with SkyCraft Airplanes, who's about to become the US dealer for the SD1 Minisport. This was my way of getting my "foot in the door" for learning to fly. We'll be at Oshkosh next month, hope to see you there. If you wanna check us out here's the link: http://www.skycraftairplanes.com

Posted by Nick @ 04:44 AM, October 09    
Great blog i shall come back often as i plan to become a pilot and have set up my own site
www.learntoflynews.com

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