Anyone earn their private pilot certificate while running OTR?

Lol

 

Don't know why I didn't find this thread sooner. I think I posted something about wanting to fly helicopters awhile back, but it too never got much looks. Of all the various career education I've thought of going into and later wrote off over my life(nursing, teaching, engineering,.etc) flying helicopters always seems to remain somewhere in my head. Tried to see about "street-to-seat/high school-to-flight school" when I was in my 20s and actually lost weight for a brief time. No bachelor's degree required for WOCS and such along with the helicopter flight training for the army. But this was while the Global War on Terror and Iraq thing were still running hot in the 2000s and I kept getting the run-around from the recruiters as far as that program went. Wasn't interested in becoming infantry or anything like that, so I just wrote that off for awhile and have been shopping around for different options ever since.

Right now, I've been looking at getting back into at some capacity. Get a few lessons done a month based on whatever money I've got left over after all the typical bills and just build it up slowly from there. There's a couple of helicopter schools in Albuquerque, and a couple of high altitude ones up in the Denver metro area. Either catch the lessons on some days off or hit up the ones near Denver if I'm taking a milk load up to Platteville. Of course this is all going to be after everything calms down as far as the current pandemic issues go(not too keen on being in a crammed ####pit of a Robinson for an hour or two with one other person). That and I'm working on getting the weight back down(intermittent fasting, serious cut-down of sugar intake, decreased portions,. etc) and of course saving the money/gaining the money for the higher overall cost of rotary wing/helicopter training(one could get all their certs for fixed wing, PPL up to commercial for significantly less than helicopters).

I just feel since I'm not doing full blown 48 state, access to the lessons should be a little easier for me. Only thing that might make it easier, time and access wise is probably taking the plunge and going for a better paying gig(either fuel haul or LTL/line haul) up in the Denver area like I was looking at a couple of years back. From what I've calculated, I could probably knock out more lessons with the money made from those HAZMat jobs than the non-HAZMat stuff I've been doing for the past, eight years. Knock the PPL out first and then see if I'm game to continue on through the commercial ratings.

 

ACTUALLY.....
Staying current as required by FAA Reg's is; every 90 days, 3 take off's and 3 landings each to a full stop. (Daytime & night time) That requirement will keep you Legal even to carry passengers.

 

You could get your pilot's license while being a real trucker, but you wouldn't be a real pilot.

 

Figures. Of course I'm the type of fart that ridicules buying a semi and becoming an owner-op. But at the same time am perusing helicopter prices and long term ownership costs. All for personal and maybe side business use.

At the same time though, I'm also a single man with no kids or significant-other to worry about. Except maybe my cats who see no objection to my purchases and decisions. Meow.

 

My comment above was a dig at the original poster about what he thought were "real" truckers..nothing more.

 

That's what I keep hearing about. But it seems like there are plenty of other jobs out there that require some sort of liability insurance. People continually bug my angry self about getting into nursing and even that requires malpractice insurance.

Lots of discouragement from all angles. Just got to find a way to handle it or stay home in bed.