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Well I’m only weeks away from flying my airplane for the first time. I even have a wonderful young LT who has experience in everything from a Kit Fox to a Super Hornet. But sadly no time in a Tri-Pacer. Is there any CFI’s in or near Southern California with time in a Tri-Pacer who can give my LT/CFI a check ride so he can start instructing me?
Thanks,
-Alana
Hi Alana,
im a CFI but I’m in Fl.
I have a Pacer but owned two tripacers at times. If somehow I can help I will be happy to. I would guess there is someone closer but one never knows. Moe.
Thank you Moe,
I might have a person who can check my CFI out... I’ll follow up as soon as I know more.
-Alana
Well, no news yet... Since this is an insurance issue and not a flight regulation, are there any insurance companies that don’t require minimum time for the CFI in the same make and model? I’m thinking if maybe go with a different agent or company? Any one else here have issues with insurance minimum time? Thanks.
Alana
Most insurance companies when pushed will cave on this issue when you tell them there are no CFIs in your area to check your CFI out. It's not like the Tri-Pacer is some complex airplane. When my wife learned to fly in our Tri-Pacer her CFI had no time in one. She went out and flew it a bit and got the feel of it. Same with my CFI when I learned in my Clipper. Hold their feet to the fire.
Another members insurance company caved and allowed him to fly 10 hours with me to satisfy their requirements.
That was me!Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilbert Pierce
I did an honest search to find a CFI with a Pacer to get my dual in type, similar to how you have. I called them back and told them that it was not possible to do it their way. They came back and said that if I had 10 hours of PIC time in type it'd be just as good, so I got to fly with Gilbert for 10 hours.
Honestly, I feel like I got a way better "checkout" in SWP with Gilbert's experience than I would have with a CFI that had just gotten a checkout themselves. You're not going to learn much that's unique to the aircraft type in that scenario.
Plus, I got to become friends with Gilbert and Barbara, and the friendships in this community are the absolute best!
Well, to what should make a simple solution more complicated, I only have a student pilot endorsement. So, I must fly with a CFI... I’ve got 53 hours, but have yet to Solo. I guess it’s a mix of bad luck with instructors, and switching between Cessna 150’s and 152’s...Quote:
Originally Posted by CamTom12
Get the insurance to let the CFI fly with a Tri-Pacer owner or just go fly it themselves. I think they can fly a Tri-Pacer with their previously stated qualifications. Most military pilot's I have flown with are well trained in testing the flight characteristics and parameters of any given airplane. CamTom12 did fine in a $365,000 Carbon Cub a few weeks ago with no time in type. ��
Agreed. I think with his Kitfox time he'll be just fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Pierce
I couldn't afford to screw that up!Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Pierce
My experience was similar. My insurance required an instructor with 10 hrs in type. No instructors around had that. But the owner of the
tripacer took an instructor up and checked him out in 2 hrs and my insurance accepted that the instructor then gave me a very thorough
checkout - 4 hrs I think. Now I was a newly minted private pilot at that time.
p.s. don't think much of 50 hrs without solo...I understand that new thinking has students doing almost all the skills prior to solo
so many students have higher hours pre-solo
If you can fly KitFox, at least the early 2,3 or 4 you can fly any light taildragger.
After 200 hours in a Model 3, landing my Clipper the first time was easy. I felt I could land it half a sleep.
I called the broker, they’re not budging on the time in make/model, and said it’s a standard requirement for all insurance plans. They suggested they would see if they couldn’t help find a CFI with time in a Piper Tri-Pacer, but so far no luck....
How about a regular private pilot with shortwing experience flies with your CFI. They both log the time because a CFI can do that. Then
your CFI has the required time and he can instruct you
It is not standard for all insurance plans. A friend just bought a late model PA-18 following the flipping of his PA-12 last winter,Quote:
Originally Posted by Tailwind_Fan
He shopped around and found 10 hours with CFI no restrictions for CFI experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tailwind_Fan
Well your broker speaks with forked tongue :-) When Son needed checked out in our SNJ-4 he was checked out by a NON CFI that had many hours in Warbirds. Same with my neighbor that bought a DGA-15. The non CFI owner checked him out and all he need was 5 hours in the DGA. Yes he already had the tail wheel endorsement in a Cub.
Ladd Gardner Aviation Insurance knows the problems and will work with you. He is also one of us.
"p.s. don't think much of 50 hrs without solo...I understand that new thinking has students doing almost all the skills prior to solo
so many students have higher hours pre-solo"
Yea what happened to the avg. solo in 10 hrs I soled in 6 and started instruction in a J-3 than had to switch to a 150 due to no student insurance on the Cub and had 4 different instructors.This was in 1964 and things were a lot different then.
Re the time I have in my log book... About half of it was with the Navy Flying Club in Monterey. In an hour session I’d spend 40 minutes flying through controlled airspace. So I’ve got mixed feelings, but I know it’s gonna be better learning in my own airplane here where I’m at and surrounded by uncontrolled airports.Quote:
Originally Posted by wyandot jim
I was getting the runaround from my previous insurance company when I started flying my pacer. They wanted my CFI to have 20 hours in make and model. They also wanted me to have I think it was 20 hours dual. I ended up going with Travers insurance. They were fine with my cfi’s experience in other planes and only required 1 hour dual for me, but I ended up flying about 5 hours with him before I felt comfortable.
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I’d recommend calling Dana Boucher. He does a great job at working with the insurance companies to get good, common sense coverage at great rates.
913-491-1999
Angelia Hunt
Duncan Insurance
Waxahachie, TX
972-227-8688
Tailwheel friendly, common sense oriented folks. I have my Maule and my C180 with them
I'll be in the Bakersfield/Tehachapi region this fall and could check out your CFI. I hope for your sake that you've sorted out the situation by then. After a number of hours instructing in the 152/172 the transition to the tri was not an issue. As others have said, I'm surprised the insurance company is being so troublesome. I insured with travers insurance out of St. Louis. Insured me in the pacer with no check out. I made sure I got one anyway.
@Tailwind_Fan what airport are you based? I'm not a CFI but I have a 22/20 in Tehachapi and a couple of my coworkers have Tri-Pacers, I could ask if they know of any CFIs familiar with the type.
@wmvosburgh what's bringing you to Tehachapi this fall?
I’ll either be flying out of Inyokern or Trona, Inyokern is 15 minutes away but getting a hanger is a 2+ year wait , Trona is a good half hour + but I’m sure there’s hanger space. My Tri-Pacer is currently in Tehachapi until we’re done with the post annual fixes. I’m a pre-solo student pilot, so I’ll need a CFI. But in the hanger kitty corner is a CFI named Dave who has previously flown this particular airplane. So, maybe after a couple of longish lessons?? I can have my Regular NATPS approved CFI start giving me dual time? Maybe you or a coworker knows Dave?Quote:
Originally Posted by kevbot
-Alana
Thank you for the offer, I hope to be doing my final pre-check ride flights by October... my Tripe is in a hanger on the East side closet to the little pick-nick spot...Quote:
Originally Posted by wmvosburgh
Attachment 15275
Cool! I know the plane. Dave is one of my coworkers and he did a prebuy/flight on it for another buddy that just bought a 172A. There's lots of shortwing action going on at TSP right now; I knew your plane was getting worked on, as well as my Pacer and another Tri-Pacer both getting annuals, and one being rebuilt. There's lots of fun flying up around Inyo county.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tailwind_Fan
Tailwind, If you can afford it, advertise for a CFI with PA22 experience, anywhere within ~500 miles.
Fly/bus them to your home field and then fly them back to their home in your PA22, stopping at lots of different fields on the way.
Do your solo in there, your long solo X/C, etc, and finish it up to earn your certificate.
Then fly home with you new ticket over ground you recently saw, so not too scary.
All it takes is some money/time/luck.
GG
Thank you everyone, there’s some really good suggestions and solutions here. I’m wrapping up this thread by going with a different insurance broker. While I’m paying a more, sometime you have to to get what you need.
Alana
I'm late to this fight. If you own the airplane, self insure until your instructor gets 10 hours. If you are financing the airplane, put it on a credit card, then let him fly with you for 10 hours.
Might be an option in case of a ground loop, etc. for simple hull coverage. However, might get a little more iffy if something more drastic happens involving another airplane or a hangar or worse. Unfortunately, you just never know what or if something will happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Clayton Harper
I guess it's all a matter of the level of risk that you can live with for those 10 hours. Yet if you purchased the policy and something major happened but the PIC didn't meet the insurance requirements then I guess it would be up to the lawyers anyway - as it usually is.
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I might be able to help, I’m in Corona with a taildragger PA-22.
Chris
It was great meeting you today Kevbot. I hope all went as smoothly for you as mine went for me today.Quote:
Originally Posted by kevbot
Clear skies and smooth air.
-Alana
Did you ever have a chance to find that CFI? We have one here in Tucson, who is a CFI/CFI II and a tri-pacer owner. We give all our flight reviews in the tri-pacer. Also have a twin commanche that can get into SoCal with in a couple of hours.
My Uncle from Oklahoma told me to "just fly it" and we took his advice. We're above the 5 hrs time in type minimum for the insurance company now. Thank you for thinking of me. Maybe it'd be good to have your CFI contact info in this thread JIC someone needs it?
Clear skies and smooth air,
-Alana