Flight Training

at6 said:

making sure that there are no contaminants in fuel

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And you do that by drinking it of course

special ed said:

Is that a B-10, behind in US mkgs?

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Leonidas said:

And you do that by drinking it of course

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That's only if it's 151 proof. Then you just find a place to lie down because you're already high.

at6 said:

Those of you who are pilots can attest to that fact that flying is not as easy as it looks. Weight and balance calculations. navigation, fuel consumption based on wind direction coupled with engine settings. constant monitoring of the instruments, carb settings so that you don't run the engine too lean or too rich. The pre-flight checking controls, engine oil, making sure that there are no contaminants in fuel and that's before you can even start the engine. Whitney sectionals and on paper many of us got killed myself included. I can't tell you how many times in theory that I got splattered on the side of Mt Whitney or ended up lost in Sequoia National park due to not compensating for drift. Many of my computations lead to running out fuel before reaching my destination. Thank God that it was all on paper.

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When do you get around to the flying bit?

A redacted example of the above re gliding, with the addition in italics
Weight and balance calculations. navigation, Keeping a close eye on potential landing sites

I rest my case

The US Army still has the warrant officer flight training program.
Still open to high school graduates.
They train rotary and fixed wing pilots.

This is the route I took 50 years ago.

The test to get in are very competitive, so study hard in school, keep your nose clean.
It's something to think about for the future, something to aim for if you're really interested in aviation, but can't afford the training on your own resources.

When I say , keep your nose clean, I mean it.
I enlisted in 1969 for this program when they needed thousands trained each year because of casualties in Vietnam, but they still kept their standards.

I'd had a speeding ticket and a accident about a month before my enlistment, couldn't appear in court because I was in basic training.
Everything caught up with me after preflight, and I had to inform my CO that I had lost my driving license.
I came very close to getting kicked out of flight training.

You have said you don't have a drivers license.
So how old are you ?

It was my goal to fly from about age 9 or 10.

I joined the EAA when I was 15, the CAP when I was 17. The USAF when I was 18.
After I got out of the USAF I found out about the Army WOFT program, and went for it.
Now I failed , by commiting a flight violation at the 90 hour mark and got eliminated from flight training , but stayed in Army Aviation as a crew chief.
After I got out of the Army I still had the dream, so I decided I would build my own. Went about acquiring the skills I needed to build a experimental aircraft.
Those skills I acquired did help me get my private license through the barter system.
Several years ago I decided I couldn't afford to fly often enough to keep my skills sharp enough to be safe, I quit flying.
The dream is still there, but I'm 74, running out of time.
It's been a hell of a ride, I have few regrets.

My advice is go for it, if you really want it, you'll find a way.