Anyone in or around Austin, TX?

mhcasey

mhcasey

Well-Known Member
Austin has got to be one of the coolest places in America to live, but maybe not if you're trying to be a pilot. Right now I'm driving down to Lockhart to work on my Private License, which I don't mind because my instructor is really great, but since the airlines aren't concerned with PIC time in a Pontiac, I'd like to work on my commercial, intrument, etc. at Bergstrom if possible.

Is anyone flying out here that would have any recommendations for where to go? I checked out Austin Academy of Aviation a while back, and I just got the feeling they were trying to get a lot of money out of me since he said the Private License would cost at least $8,000 and anyone who told me different is a liar...

I'm also interested in getting a glider rating after I finish my Private. I heard there's a club somewhere in the area that flies gliders. Does anyone know anything about it?

Any thoughts on Georgetown?

Are there many gigs for time building around here after I get my commercial and what not, CFI or otherwise?

Anyone want to split time on some cross countries in a few months?

Any other thoughts?
 
AUS itself is devoid of any good, reasonably priced flight schools right now. There are really only two at that airport to choose from, (Alliance and Academy), both charge way more than they should.

GTU has some decent options, but 50R is just as good, and you might as well throw HYI out there if you're driving all the way to 50R. I guess you're flying with stenger?

If you're ultimately going to look for a CFI job, do yourself a favor and find a well-established school, stay loyal to it, and they will probably hire you as a CFI if you show decent work ethic and are responsible with the aircraft.

There are plenty of places in GTU that would qualify. Pilot's Choice. Adventure aviation. Wright Aviation (although again, they're kinda steep, being a cessna pilot center).

I don't know much about HYI, but I'm sure there's some kind of school operating down there.

It's a shame the school at AUS I learned and instructed at had to go out of business.....it really was a great place. Ahhh, well, it was good while it lasted.

I don't know anything about gliders in this immediate area. There's a Motoglider at Pilot's Choice in GTU, but I don't know much about it. Gary Gandy does Glider Instruction out of Navasota, but that's 90 miles away. I think they also do that at Boerne stage, but again, about 60 miles from AUS.
 
I got my private at Alliance 2.5 years ago, I seem to remember it being reasonably priced.
 
Alliance has gone down hill from 2.5 years ago (when I was working there).

They now have just 3 172's and the GA-7. They only have 1 older 172, an L model which rents for $95/hr. The other two are an R and SP going for $115/hr. I used to rent a C182RG for that much just a year or two ago.

Granted, fuel costs are outrageous at AUS...so it's not entirely the flight school's fault. From an economic standpoint, AUS is just not a very GA friendly airport it seems.
 
Yes I'm with Stenger right now. David Reyes is my CFI. Both he and Mr. Stenger are really great guys, and I'll probably sitck with them through my Private training. They actually have better prices than UT Flying (65/hr for a C150 and 34/hr for instruction vs. 65 if you buy block time or 70 for a C152 and 45/hr for instruction) and the plane is always available (the C152 at UT flying can be a bit tricky to reserve at times since it's really the best deal at Bergstrom...).

I get the feeling Stenger won't have much room for new CFI's when I get to that point, so I've joined the UT Flying club and am going to start networking my tail off. Also, I'll probably head up to Georgetown for the rest of my ratings, or at least some tailwheel training...it's just such a dreadful drive up and down 35...

Is lonestar wings still around at Bergstrom? They still have a website. Have you guys heard anything about them?

It's times like these I wish Michael Dell did not buy small airports to use for warehouses...
 
Unfortunately, no. I did all of my training at Lone Star Wings and instructed there for a while. It was a great flight school, perfect size with 3 172's, a Cherokee, 182RG, Mooney, Seneca and Baron.

Unfortunately Alliance bought them out. For a while Alliance kept most of their planes, but they've sold all of them at this point. Some of the planes are up in GTU now at Adventure aviation, others are still owned by one of LoneStar's former proprieters at AUS.
 
I fly out of GTU, at Adventure, they're good, at least IMHO. You'll find the prices about the same with those in austin, the nice thing about them though is if i can't pay right away, they don't hound me about it, I can generally pay them the next week. They have 2 SP's, 1 RG, and 2 other 172's, they are about to get a seneca II as well, that should be here soon. Not bad. I've flown out of austin a couple time through alliance with a buddy, and they seem kinda steep.
 
What kind of rates do they have up there in Georgetown?

Right now, I'm driving down to Lockhart (fuel efficient car, so I figure it's only about 5 bucks gas/trip, though climbing slowly...) and paying 66/hr for an old Cessna 150 (though I think they overhauled the engine a few years back...anyway, it's in great shape. The guys at Stenger take care of business from what I can tell) and 34/hr for instruction.

I think I can get my instrument rating down there too, but I'm not sure. In any event, I'll probably head up to Georgetown for round two after I get my Private Pilot Certification. I'm going to be moving a little farther north in Austin, thus closer to Georgetown and even farther from Lockhart, and I'm hoping it will be easier to land a CFI job at Georgetown since there are several schools up there. It will probably be good to get my foot in the door.
 
mhcasey said:
Yes I'm with Stenger right now. David Reyes is my CFI. Both he and Mr. Stenger are really great guys, and I'll probably sitck with them through my Private training. They actually have better prices than UT Flying (65/hr for a C150 and 34/hr for instruction vs. 65 if you buy block time or 70 for a C152 and 45/hr for instruction) and the plane is always available (the C152 at UT flying can be a bit tricky to reserve at times since it's really the best deal at Bergstrom...).

I get the feeling Stenger won't have much room for new CFI's when I get to that point, so I've joined the UT Flying club and am going to start networking my tail off. Also, I'll probably head up to Georgetown for the rest of my ratings, or at least some tailwheel training...it's just such a dreadful drive up and down 35...

Is lonestar wings still around at Bergstrom? They still have a website. Have you guys heard anything about them?

It's times like these I wish Michael Dell did not buy small airports to use for warehouses...
Click to expand...

yeahh now we were southbound 35 headin down the road hit the border by the morning and let texas fill my soul!!!

i listen to that song a majority of the times i turn southbound 35... but i try to avoid 35 so i dont get sick of good ole pat effin green
 
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