Re: Any private pilots here?

[Guest guest]

Hi Lee, I am glad you have asked this question. I have always wondered the

same about the cmt weakness and a pilots licence. My Dad was a pilot and it

is my sister passion to become one. I have a son that would love to fly

but I have not encouraged it because of the cmt.

Let me know how this works out for you.

Best of Luck

In a message dated 2/27/2011 4:44:17 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,

lee@... writes:

My dream for a long time has been to get a pilot's license, and now that I

have the time I'm thinking about pursuing it. The question is, can I do

this if I have weakness in my lower legs and some in my hands?

I'm a 53-year old woman with clinically diagnosed CMT...i.e., no

diagnostics tests have been made to confirm it. No one in my family appears to

be

affected. I do have increasing weakness in my legs, drop foot (I don't use

rigid AFOs but rather I cross lace off-the-shelf ankle braces. I'm also

noticing that my hands are losing strength in the last few years.

I'm not looking to go any further than flying small planes for my own

enjoyment. Does anyone have feedback on this?

Thank you.

Lee

[Guest guest]

Aircraft can be fitted with hand-controls in the same manner cars/vans/trucks

can be. Now, whether there is a flight instructor near you who is familiar with,

or willing to become familiar with, aircraft hand-controls is another matter.

>

> My dream for a long time has been to get a pilot's license, and now that I

have the time I'm thinking about pursuing it. The question is, can I do this if

I have weakness in my lower legs and some in my hands?

>

> I'm a 53-year old woman with clinically diagnosed CMT...i.e., no diagnostics

tests have been made to confirm it. No one in my family appears to be affected.

I do have increasing weakness in my legs, drop foot (I don't use rigid AFOs but

rather I cross lace off-the-shelf ankle braces. I'm also noticing that my hands

are losing strength in the last few years.

>

> I'm not looking to go any further than flying small planes for my own

enjoyment. Does anyone have feedback on this?

>

> Thank you.

> Lee

>

[Guest guest]

If you have a current drivers license, you can qualify for a sport pilots

license without a medical. That will limit your choice of planes to fly, but you

will still be flying. You may also still qualify for a private pilots license

but there is a FAA physical to pass for that one. I would contact: AOPA, 421

Aviation Way, Frederick, land 21701.

Phone: 301/695-2000 Fax: 301/695-2375

They can help you through all problems

>

> My dream for a long time has been to get a pilot's license, and now that I

have the time I'm thinking about pursuing it. The question is, can I do this if

I have weakness in my lower legs and some in my hands?

>

> I'm a 53-year old woman with clinically diagnosed CMT...i.e., no diagnostics

tests have been made to confirm it. No one in my family appears to be affected.

I do have increasing weakness in my legs, drop foot (I don't use rigid AFOs but

rather I cross lace off-the-shelf ankle braces. I'm also noticing that my hands

are losing strength in the last few years.

>

> I'm not looking to go any further than flying small planes for my own

enjoyment. Does anyone have feedback on this?

>

> Thank you.

> Lee

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Lee

Boy, do I ever!

Ed More here - 75 and a commercial Pilot SEL & G not flying now due to a

vertigo problem.

Your options are so many as to make it difficult which to choose. A few

comments about them are below. Let me digress with a little history. In

1953 I started power flying in Aeronca 7AC Champions. They are tandem

taildraggers with 65 hp and heel brakes. Due to the HNPP, I could not

press both brakes simultaneously. This made for fancy foot shifting on

roll out. Toe brakes are therefore recommended.

Power options:

Standard GA training in such as Cessna 152's is very expensive maybe

$80-90 per hour and 20+ hours to solo.

Antique training such as a Cub or Champ is cheaper but hard to find.

Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) is less expensive than Standard but

increasingly available at FBO's and cost maybe $35-45 per hour. This is

available with a driver's license for a medical.

Ultralight training is available if you travel for a week or two and is

very inexpensive. They range from open tube construction to cabin

aircraft and quite useable except for cross country flying due to speed

limits. These also include powered parachutes and small autogyros.

Gliders are an option due to many clubs and commercial operations around

the country. Soaring is a consuming and competitive sport but highly

rewarding from the beauty and challenge of it.

Helicopters are very expensive on all counts.

I recommend looking into the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and

SAA (Soaring Association of America) for further information about clubs

etc.

Finally, do you want a compromise just to get your butt in the air and

toot around a bit? Look into finding an old Ercoupe 415C/D. They are two

control aircraft with no rudder pedals and relatively low cost to

operate. Flying can be a lot of fun with them as they are convertibles

and very safe to fly with physical problems. There is currently a pretty

young lass flying one who was born without arms and doing a good job of

it.

If you ask what I'm doing now, I belong to two model airplane clubs

flying radio control and attend one of the EAA chapters I started some

years ago. I live in an airpark on the runway with a nice big hangar

attached. Do you want to have a great place for aviating? It's for sale.

75 EdM from NH

[Guest guest]

And to add to this, medications will not be looked upon favorably by the FAA

medical apparatus.

On Feb 28, 2011, at 7:14 AM, jerry44403 wrote:

> If you have a current drivers license, you can qualify for a sport pilots

license without a medical. That will limit your choice of planes to fly, but you

will still be flying. You may also still qualify for a private pilots license

but there is a FAA physical to pass for that one. I would contact: AOPA, 421

Aviation Way, Frederick, land 21701.

> Phone: 301/695-2000 Fax: 301/695-2375

> They can help you through all problems

[Guest guest]

Wow Ed...thanks so much for the detailed information! As it happens, I live 5

minutes from the Pacific Coast Air Museum, which might have some information on

planes you've mentioned. I have a lot of research to do, but it's really great

to know that I have so many options. I'm dropping in on a meeting of the local

chapter of the 99's next month, so they may also have some contacts for me.

Ultralights have always fascinated me, but aren't they very limited in the areas

where they're allowed to fly? I'm also interested in the Ercoupe that you

mentioned.

Thanks!!

Lee

>

> Hello Lee

>

> Boy, do I ever!

>

> Ed More here - 75 and a commercial Pilot SEL & G not flying now due to a

> vertigo problem.

>

> Your options are so many as to make it difficult which to choose. A few

> comments about them are below. Let me digress with a little history. In

> 1953 I started power flying in Aeronca 7AC Champions. They are tandem

> taildraggers with 65 hp and heel brakes. Due to the HNPP, I could not

> press both brakes simultaneously. This made for fancy foot shifting on

> roll out. Toe brakes are therefore recommended.

>

> Power options:

> Standard GA training in such as Cessna 152's is very expensive maybe

> $80-90 per hour and 20+ hours to solo.

> Antique training such as a Cub or Champ is cheaper but hard to find.

> Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) is less expensive than Standard but

> increasingly available at FBO's and cost maybe $35-45 per hour. This is

> available with a driver's license for a medical.

> Ultralight training is available if you travel for a week or two and is

> very inexpensive. They range from open tube construction to cabin

> aircraft and quite useable except for cross country flying due to speed

> limits. These also include powered parachutes and small autogyros.

> Gliders are an option due to many clubs and commercial operations around

> the country. Soaring is a consuming and competitive sport but highly

> rewarding from the beauty and challenge of it.

> Helicopters are very expensive on all counts.

> I recommend looking into the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and

> SAA (Soaring Association of America) for further information about clubs

> etc.

>

> Finally, do you want a compromise just to get your butt in the air and

> toot around a bit? Look into finding an old Ercoupe 415C/D. They are two

> control aircraft with no rudder pedals and relatively low cost to

> operate. Flying can be a lot of fun with them as they are convertibles

> and very safe to fly with physical problems. There is currently a pretty

> young lass flying one who was born without arms and doing a good job of

> it.

>

> If you ask what I'm doing now, I belong to two model airplane clubs

> flying radio control and attend one of the EAA chapters I started some

> years ago. I live in an airpark on the runway with a nice big hangar

> attached. Do you want to have a great place for aviating? It's for sale.

>

> 75 EdM from NH

>

[Guest guest]

Hello S and Lee,

Your posting about hand controls jogged my memory. We had a pilot in our

airpark who flew a Piper Warrior with foreshortened legs from a car

accident. He used a T-bar attached to the rudder pedals with a hoop on

the upper end that he positioned at his right elbow. By swinging his

elbow he could handle the rudder pedals and work the center panel

throttle at the same time. He got brakes by pushing the T-bar down with

his right hand. I flew with him once and felt that he was not a

particularly safe pilot. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend that approach.

A general comment that tricycle landing gear would be a good choice in

the case of leg weakness. Trigear aircraft can be groundlooped as well

but it is usually caused by misuse of the elevators and too much

touchdown airspeed. The aforementioned Ercoupe manual recommended cross

wind approaches with crabbing into the wind at touchdown and letting the

tricycle gear straighten the nose up.

In a more practical vein, you might want to look into the total cost

issues of proposed training and ongoing flying after a private pilot's

license. Decisions have to be made about renting versus ownership and

maintenance of owned aircraft which varies from commercial shop

maintenance to being a qualified owner maintenance person through amateur

built or LSA owner builder maintenance through taking a factory course on

buying a LSA kitted aircraft.

So many choices!

EdM from NH

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[Guest guest]

Hello Lee,

Ultralights are not friendly handled at controlled fields, but there are

instances where ultralights are given separate facilities to operate out

of away from standard traffic. Oshkosh is the best example that I know

of. The biggest aspect of ultralights is that they are happy with very

small fields because of their low stalling speeds (some as low as 15

mph!). Sometimes they handle crosswinds by landing diagonally across the

runway.

Maybe we should have a forum for CMT/HNPP challenged pilots? I used to

lose my voice from working radio communications on long flights such as

going to Oshkosh from New England.

75 EdM from NH

[Guest guest]

Hi Ed,

I've heard of Oshkosh in reference to Ultralights. There seems to be a good

sport pilot school in Sacramento, which is about a two hour drive for me, but

that would be OK. I must admit that I have a LOT to learn!

I think a forum for CMT/HNPP challenged pilots is a GREAT idea!

>

> Hello Lee,

>

> Ultralights are not friendly handled at controlled fields, but there are

> instances where ultralights are given separate facilities to operate out

> of away from standard traffic. Oshkosh is the best example that I know

> of. The biggest aspect of ultralights is that they are happy with very

> small fields because of their low stalling speeds (some as low as 15

> mph!). Sometimes they handle crosswinds by landing diagonally across the

> runway.

>

> Maybe we should have a forum for CMT/HNPP challenged pilots? I used to

> lose my voice from working radio communications on long flights such as

> going to Oshkosh from New England.

>

> 75 EdM from NH

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ed,

It turns out that the local 99s are having a special program in March about

sport flying, and it's presenter owns a local flight school. Yay!

About the Ercoupe...I found a lot of online information, but do you know what

level of license I would need to fly one? Is that in the sport category?

>

> Hello Lee,

>

> Ultralights are not friendly handled at controlled fields, but there are

> instances where ultralights are given separate facilities to operate out

> of away from standard traffic. Oshkosh is the best example that I know

> of. The biggest aspect of ultralights is that they are happy with very

> small fields because of their low stalling speeds (some as low as 15

> mph!). Sometimes they handle crosswinds by landing diagonally across the

> runway.

>

> Maybe we should have a forum for CMT/HNPP challenged pilots? I used to

> lose my voice from working radio communications on long flights such as

> going to Oshkosh from New England.

>

> 75 EdM from NH

>

[Guest guest]

Oops...sorry. I think I found the answer that the Ercoupe would be an LSA based

on weight...is that right?

>

> Hello Lee,

>

> Ultralights are not friendly handled at controlled fields, but there are

> instances where ultralights are given separate facilities to operate out

> of away from standard traffic. Oshkosh is the best example that I know

> of. The biggest aspect of ultralights is that they are happy with very

> small fields because of their low stalling speeds (some as low as 15

> mph!). Sometimes they handle crosswinds by landing diagonally across the

> runway.

>

> Maybe we should have a forum for CMT/HNPP challenged pilots? I used to

> lose my voice from working radio communications on long flights such as

> going to Oshkosh from New England.

>

> 75 EdM from NH

>

[Guest guest]

Hello Lee,

Yes, the later models with modifications are too heavy - Alon etc. An LSA

certifiable aircraft can be used to attain a Sport Pilot's certificate.

With a Sport Pilot's certificate there are a separate set of permitted

activities than a Private Pilot's certificate. Here is a very helpful EAA

web site about Sport Pilot activity. Enjoy.

http://www.sportpilot.org/

75 EdM from NH