Howdy! 17 year old living his dream...

[rframe]

Way to go. I was an airport bum at the age of 15, so much that they finally told me I might as well have a job if I was going to spend all my time there anyway. That paved the way to flight lessons and cheap rental. If you have any ambition to do this professionally attack every opportunity you have to build time. Sometimes doors tend to open for very young pilots that might not otherwise be as open to older pilots. I didn't realize some of the opportunities I had and looking back I'm sure there were a few older wiser pilots with a grin on their faces, realizing what they were doing for me while I was clueless.

As expensive as flying seems now, it will seem a whole lot more so when you're paying college tuition, rent, for your own food, girlfriend, wife, kids, mortgage, cars, etc.... rack up the flight time and focus on knocking out some ratings while its still acceptable to have that much focus in your life.

 

[Cessnaflyer]

Sounds like you are on the right track!

I started when I was 14 and soloed just after my 16th birthday. Keep going at it and you will meet the right people that will take you further on your career path.

 

[iffyaviator]

howdy guys! ... .well since my solo local EAA chapters want me to try for the scholarships 3 of them and my boss is helping me with that!..... The LISD tech center is very amazed by all this. they never have done anything like this. The teaming together of the flight school i work for and the tech center along with the mechanic I work for is awesome. and there is going to be an article in the local newspaper about a kid who had a dream and stuck to it and people willing to help him out.

Its very cool! and awesome I have such a great Opportunity. I almost gave up on becoming a pilot and was going to go to the tech school for machining.................I was trying very very hard to get a job at the airport i went to 2 of them and asked like 4 times a year and stopped by to see if there was a chance I could .. never was ... got intouch with one flight school but I couldnt afford them. then made a phone call to Skywalker Flying!

 

[DE727UPS]

You should post a link to the newspaper article when it comes out.

 

[iffyaviator]

I will def post the link up the article is coming out on monday!

 

[iffyaviator]

hey everybody I up loaded some photos on photobucket .... here is the link to the album http://photobucket.com/iffyaviation

photos of me and my bosses after solo and random pictures while at work will have more to come

 

[iffyaviator]

hey guys here is the link to the newspaper article!!! http://www.lenconnect.com/topstories/x464392515/Morenci-teenager-starts-on-bush-pilot-career

 

[mwflyer]

Congratulations! Nice article.

 

[bb10pilot]

Young aviators should look up to this stud! Great job! Your passion will place you well ahead of the game.

 

[iffyaviator]

howdy fellows well been a busy start off for the week we got a new plane a sweet piper Aztec !!! we are annualing it now.. its so cool to wrench on these planes! and to fly too! ......

well the local newspaper came out today! but they dont have my article online yet!! ugh!! its a grat article too it made my boss cry!!!

 

[iffyaviator]

hey fellows. I have been progressing in my flight training about 30 hours now. Really all I need to do is get past my written. so its hitting the books for me. Completely parted out the 1960s Aztec scrapped out the wings have the parts ready to sell been a lot of work and cool to see the innards of an Aztec. winter really slowed down the flight school but we are tugging along, going to start restoration work on planes here in the spring that's going to be exciting.

Ill be a pilot before I know it!

 

[Bud01]

Congrats man. next time i am home we will have together.

 

[iffyaviator]

So I am doing most of my flight training in a 2011 Allegro. It is an excellent plane to fly love the performance i had to switch from the Taylorcraft to it and really enjoy it but nothing like flying the taylorcraft it is way better then learning to fly in a cessna.

I am taking in so much from this experience and it is such a great opportunity I have a blast everyday! I am so glad I finally was able to get into this.
its going to leave alot of stories for the future.

 

[scooter2525]

I love your dedication and wished I was focused like you are at 17. Keep it up, it will pay off. Also, start a blog. It would be fun to follow!

 

[A150K]

Congrats on the Solo! Refreshing to see some younger guys getting into aviation. I'm on of the only pilots under 25 at the airport I fly/teach out of.

 

[bunk22]

Fly military, flight training is second to none and it's free, monetary wise...

 

[n57flyguy]

Hows it going guys? My name is Michael Iffland I am a junior in highschool and 17 years old.

I have always had the will to fly! Becoming a pilot has been my dream since I first started talking.

I have been working very hard to achieve my dream of becoming a pilot. But I don't want to be just any pilot I dream of heading to alaska to bush fly! That has been in my sights for years.

but Being 17 and in highschool it is very hard to afford flight training I have been working since my freshman year to try and get into flight lessons. My mother has never been supportive towards my dream. She never has showed any support towards what I want todo in life in general.

My father passed away when I was 9 and he was very supportive even when I was at a young age.

but I sat down with my school counsolor my freshman year and told her what i want to do. Then got a hold of the tech school in my area and told them I would like to start a program for kids to get there pilots liscense in Highschool and he really like my Idea.

I called flight schools up and told them what I wanted to do and no one was really interested. I had one flight school lined up to start taking flight lessons with them but all they wanted was my money witch wasn't much considering I flipped burgers at mcds!! ahahaha

One day I walked into are local mall and saw advertisment about this flight school and I took a flyer and looked at it and there phone number's last 4 digits where the same exact as mine!!!! 2590 ahahahah so I was like I have to call them. I called them up and it was this women very enthustiastic about the flight school. I told her I dream of going to alaska and flying and I love doing mechanical things and I told her about what I wanted to do with the tech center and have a program started for kids to learn how to fly,she loved my Ideas. She said we would love to have you work for us! I went and met with her and her husband who run the school. from that point on I am doing what I love!!

I learn how to fly in 1947 taylorcraft!!!! handprop it to start it and I also work with there mechanic as an apprentice. So I told Mr.champion at the tech center I found a flight school who wants todo it !!! and he came down and talked with them crossed the Ts and dotted the I's.

I work at the airport cleaning the planes, refueling them, and as an apprentice with the mechanic. I do this as part of my schooling after lunch I drive to the airport and work and learn and it counts as credits.

At some point I am going to meet with the school board of the tech center. They want to meet me! might get a state funded program started!

I also help do alot of promoting of the flight school too! i have tons of fun and have met alot of awesome people.

I hope by the end of my senior year to be working towards my commercial license. My flight instructor is also the husband of the woman who runs the flight school. there a great team and the always tie in the fact I want to fly in alaska my flight training is towards that too. I do alot of grass strip landings and crosswind. We always talk about if it where in alaska it would be like this!

It is amazing after years of hard work and wondering if I would ever be able to fly It all worked out in the end! I am 13 hours in my flight trianing and going to solo soon!

Good on you. With hard work anything can be accomplished.

 

[Bud01]

Good on you. With hard work anything can be accomplished.

Im sorry your avatar had me distracted.

 

[n57flyguy]

I stare at it for at least 5 minutes every time I log in...

 

[iffyaviator]

hey guys! well all I really been upto lately is hitting the books. I did al lthe weight and balance, cg datum, density altitude, charts and calculating stuff for like 3 hours ahahah i think I got it down then my boss. made me do a test. and I am going through one chapter every 2 days roughly so I should take my written in last week of feb! then practice for the oral.

did alot of take offs and landings yesterday and not flying in a while to hopping in a drifferent plane put me off alittle bit ... flying a 1947 Taylorcraft to a 2011 Allegro there happens to be differences.
like electrical, lots of gauges ahaha oh and flaps. but I caught on quick and the tight control I was able to get a hold of from all the Taildragger training!