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Congrats to our host: ATP & G-V (550) typed.

A+ Doug

Terrific achievement. Hope your children realize that Dad has basically earned a Phd in aviation thru home study and determination - a great example for them (and the rest of us). Never stop learning.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
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Terrific achievement. Hope your children realize that Dad has basically earned a Phd in aviation thru home study and determination - a great example for them (and the rest of us). Never stop learning.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

Congratulations Doug!
 
Tour

Hope you get to tour our home airports. Tou can play a visiting professor and tell all use underclassmen stories about your time as just an RV pilot, or entertain us wih stories of the elite pilots flying in the flight levels.
 
Thank you for the kind words!!!

I haven’t done the exact math, but I think it’s something like 1.6 years from first client sim support session to ATP (and 2 jet type ratings: G-V(550) and EMB-505). Most evenings in the books and some of every weekend at the sim (and week). I think I made something like 330+ trips down to the sim facility outside of VAF.

I’m still pretty pooped from the ATP oral / type oral / checkride experience. Thirteen hour day. A friend said it might take a few days to feel normal. Still feel dumb as a rock and a few feet behind the plane, but they would have failed me if I didn’t stay within standards (I’ve seen ‘um do it) ;^)

I'm jotting some thoughts down between other tasks to hopefully tie the RV experience into this a little. I really didn’t have any plans of the RV leading to this….just sort of presented itself over time. I did experience some parallels with the airplane building adventure. Setbacks, ups and downs, forcing yourself to stick with it..... Sound familiar? <g>

Again, thank you for the kind words. This RV thing can lead to pretty fun things.

Hopefully now the engine fire checklist dreams will slow down <g>.​
 
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Congratulations on your Huge accomplishment Doug. I spent 20 years flying the G’s it’s a incredible machine.

Don Broussard
RV9 Rebuild in Progress
57 Pacer
 
It's not just fancy letters on a license or ratings on a resume. It's fantastic training and experience. The one day when something goes horribly wrong, the real plane will feel just like the sim. You'll have done this 100 times before, the training kicks in and it goes just it did in sim.

Ask me how I know :D
 

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Congratulations Doug!

Congratulations Doug,

Wonderful and worthy achievement! Hope to be able to connect in-person later this year when I come down for my Challenger recurrent. Know what you mean about all the studying for a new type…I am knee deep in the 737NG at the moment. Lifelong learning is a good thing, the RV has provided its share of that as much as any type rating. Hope this expands your opportunities too.

Regards,
Mitch
 
Serious Congrats Doug, I’m sure it’s an insane amount of humbling hard work. Like you said, kinda like building an RV.
I heard a new one to me the other day, curious if it comes up in the sim……maybe but seems odd after takeoff.
About 15 min after takeoff the pilots received a brake overheat warning and have to level in the lower flight levels/slow down and lower the gear to cool things down.
 
Well done, DR, you certainly have earned it. Now maybe we'll see more of you out at 52F.
 
Congratulations!

That is awesome, Doug. I am peeking down a similar path of career change / side hustle. It is fun to fly shiny, fast aircraft, expensive aircraft I could not / would not, afford for myself to own. Thanks for the inspiration. Any openings with a reasonable schedule you hear about for a Nashville based pilot would be appreciated. :)
 
Congratulations DR!!

This is such a great example of the realities of aviation - folks sit on the outside and complain that it is just too expensive to become a pilot, become a commercial pilot, own an airplane, etc. Well yes, IT IS too expensive, it always HAS been too expensive…..but where there is a will, there is a way, and whether it is a teenager pumping gas as a line boy, sweeping floors at an FBO, or washing airplanes….or an adult spending copious amount of time in the right seat of a sim, pulling gear and executing checklists - there is ALWAYS a way.

So if you know a kid or an adult that REALLY wants in to aviation (or you ARE that kid or adult….), you don’t have to write a check to get in - just put your nose into it and find a way - like Doug!

Be like Doug!!

Paul
 
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Well done

Congratulations and well done Captain DR :)
That really took serious commitment.
 
Congratulations DR!!

This is such a great example of the realities of visit on - folks sit on the outside and complain that it is just to expensive to become a pilot, become a commercial pilot, own an airplane, etc. Well yes, IT IS to expensive, it always HAS been to expensive…..but where there is a will, there is a way, and whether it is a teenager pumping gas as a line boy, sweeping floors at an FBO, or washing airplanes….or an adult spending copious amount of time in the right seat of a sim, pulling gear and executing checklists - there is ALWAYS a way.

So if you know a kid or an adult that REALLY wants in to aviation (or you ARE that kid or adult….), you don’t have to write a check to get in - just put your nose into it and find a way - like Doug!

Be like Doug!!

Paul

Amen, Flight. I was 28 with my life going nowhere when I decided to chase the dream, sacrificed a "normal" life and worked 2-3 jobs, got on as an ATR-42 FO at 35, (making half of what I made as a waiter.), but Luck was the Hunter, and 9 years later I was a 77 FO at 44.

Except for the mid-1960s, there has never been a better time to make the jump and chase the dream. In addition to the Aviate Program itself, United Airlines just announced a "flow-through" agreement to Mainline for current United Express pilots via their Aviate Program, so those pilots just won the lottery.

As for career shifting from corporate or another airline, I heard that a new-hire class at my airline last month had a 58 year old from SWA who decided that instead of being a career 73 pilot they'd jump ship, UAL is putting new-hires directly into the 77 and 78 now.


Good luck to all, feel free to PM me if you have questions.


Steve
SFO 787 FO
Airline name withheld by request of Company's social media policy, and I want to keep my job.
 
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Congratulations Doug

Congratulations Doug on your terrific achievement, keep digging, you will not regret your investment of time and resources, I was very blessed to have gotten to fly, GII, GIII, GIVSP, G5, and G550 in the Dallas area for 35 years, they are all great airplanes, with great flight characteristics. Somehow this class of aircraft just kind of make you feel like you have arrived. I made a career change about 5 years ago and miss it so much, I am considering going back and trying to contract for a couple more years.
VAF 2022 dues paid although exempt, a great investment.
RV6A
RV6 regrettably sold....
JS
 
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