Thanks for not being mad! Balance is a difficult thing.
As to your reply, how expensive was your first lesson? I did a quick search, and it looks like helicopter license costs are up there in the 10-15,000 dollar range, and each lesson costs maybe 200/hour? If I was in the military, there would probably be a much easier way to get a license, but I'm just a civilian paying his way through college. Are you just trying to get a license for fun, or have plans for a job? Probably good for both!
Also, how was your first lesson? If it's comparable at all to learning how to drive a car, it must have been a more than a little terrifying. Flying in a helicopter with 360 degrees of freedom must be a lot harder than driving! And if you do ever get that second lesson in, pictures/video from the helicopter would be very cool to see, engine noise or no.
I couldn't be mad about that! I think you'd have a hard time finding someone who would, especially around here~
Exactly right, it cost me $200 for an hour. I'm sure it would depend on where you go, but that's probably a good baseline. As for me, I did think about the military too. I'm still considering it after college, but that's too far away for me to make a solid decision (and hopefully I'll have learned already by then). I'm getting a license mainly for fun, but it has the benefit of giving me a great backup job. Depending on how things go, it could possibly even be the thing that gets me through college!
It was so much fun. It was scary, but I'd already done so much reading in preparation that I knew enough to feel safe. It's important to remember that, at any moment, the instructor can take the controls and keeps things going smoothly. What it was was 15 minutes on the ground where the instructor shows you around the cockpit, what everything is for, what you're going to need to pay attention to, the basics on how to fly, stuff like that. Then s/he'll take you up to a good altitude and hand the controls over to you. My instructor had me follow a road for a little while to get used to straight and level flying, then he had me do a few turns to follow different roads. Aside from directions, his only input during that time was to gently point out if I was too fast or too low. He planned out the route so we arrived back at the airfield right as my time was up, then he landed it. We went into his office in the hangar, he told me a few stories, then he gave me a grade (I was average in every respect, which was kind of a bummer, but I'm just gonna aim to do better next time~). After that, we discussed a follow-up lesson for a few minutes and then I went home. He was excellent, I can't recommend finding the right instructor highly enough. Even if you have to pay a little extra, it will make learning a whole lot easier, and it'll make everything that much more enjoyable.
I'll be sure to look into some picture or video, then! I might have a little trouble finding someone to go up with me, both my parents are too afraid. My best friend's dad said he would, though, so hopefully we can coordinate that. I'm also not sure if that's only available for the first lesson, I dunno. The instructor was very nice and reasonable, though, I'm sure we could figure something out.
If you're interested in fixed-wing, I'm not as sure about the details, but my grandpa did get a free lesson as a gift. It's quite a bit easier than rotary, so they even offered to let him land the plane on his first flight. I imagine it'd probably be cheaper, too, but I'm not actually sure about that. Would that be something you'd be interested in trying, though? Even if you don't want to go for a license, a lot of people take the first lesson just for the experience.
