Live data from Hacker News

What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

pilotinstitute.com

201–210 of 248 posts

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is thinking-shaped text. ChatGPT has better intelligence than this.

I literally have no idea what you're saying, did you ask ChatGPT for an insulting line? At least the other guy[1] was slightly thoughtful about the insult, relatively speaking. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36744872

While the above person was a bit blunt, your reasoning seems flawed to me (I replied to your comment separately)

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, I’ve personally met someone who this exact scenario applied too. His father flew planes in WW2 then came back and flew crop dusters. As a kid his father would let him fly and taught him how. He never went and got his FAA License. He just flew small planes like Cessnas to/from private areas. No one ever bothered him or asked him for his license.

He probably didn't tell you the whole story. Of course, if one has learned to fly, one can. And a license is just paperwork. But there is more to flying, like getting an aircraft, and getting insurance. Want to rent an aircraft? you'll not only need a license but also a check out. You don't always have to show your license, but sometimes they do ask. Also no license, means no insurance.

You do not need a license for liability insurance. Liability insurance does not cover the pilot

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the biggest risks of flying into a cloud while vfr is that you do not know what is on the other side when you come out. Could very well experience a mid-air collision, even though the odds seem low it’s a lot more probable than you think

That is the least concern. Spatial disorientation is the reason.

You’re right! Because mountains and obstacles and other planes don’t exist

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Germany, if you don't have an IFR (instrument flight rules) rating, you're not allowed to fly through clouds, because if you're not trained in using avionics or the plane doesn't have them in the first place, you are very very likely to kill yourself, your passengers and people on the ground. If you encounter unexpected clouds, you are supposed to GTFO... if you try to fly "under" the clouds, you may end up f…

Here in the USA, flying is rather expensive. I am told it is largely due to insurance costs. I am curious, what are common rates to fly a Cessna 172 wet/dry around the world?

[deleted]

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#205
post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the reason. Nuance is also common for some things on the list (e.g. HIV/ADHD but not all things, e.g. AIDS/Color blindness). But all these things are still lacking of a lot of nuance and things like diabetes has only recently been partially resolved due to large lobbying efforts of the ADA: https://diabetes.org/tools-support/know-your-rights/discrimi...

Difficult to see what the “nuance” would be for HIV. If someone knows they have HIV, is receiving treatment, and passes other general health checks, then there’s really no risk. It smells of 80s prejudice.

[deleted]

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.cfidarren.com/r-178dissected.htm Broad Points: 1. The study was done in 1954, not 1991. 2. The AI, DG and VSI were covered . 3. The subjects had received NO prior instrument training whatsoever, typical for private pilots of that time period. 4. The study was performed in a real airplane, a Bonanza. None of the students had ever flown a complex high-performance aircraft prior to the study. Yes, flying IMC…

No one is saying a brief smidgen of inadvertent IFR is dangerous. Flying through puffies while cloud-surfing is not going to get you killed, and no one actually follows the FAA recommended cloud clearances anyway. What IS going to kill a VFR-only pilot is things like scud-running under a marginal ceiling trying to press an airport because "I swear it can't be that bad based on the last PIREP and I have to meet Mom/Da…

For sure, I just felt like the specific numbers needed to be called out as very misleading. You don't fly safer by having unrealistic fears, you fly safer by having realistic fears. Being deeply and wrongly convinced you will insta-die if you _have_ to fly instrument for a minute will not help you if you get stuck and have to do that minute.

That said, as a lowly PPL, I think we PPLs should do foggle practice somewhat regularly especially if you intend to fly at night in a rural/coastal area. There've been a few CFITs into the ocean at a nearby airport because of non-instrument PPLs taking off out into the ocean with no references.

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#208
post #34

Police in the US do not have to have a license to operate anything, including aircraft. In this case, insurance requirements take over though. They may have a legal right to fly but no insurance company would approve operation by anyone but a commercial pilot. I got a few hours in a local police Bell 206 because they needed a commercial pilot to fly while their official pilot only had a private license. Fun!

I call baloney. Do you have a citation for that?

Here is a quote from AC No: 00-1.1A (Public Aircraft Operations): What Oversight of PAO Does the FAA Have? The FAA has limited oversight of PAO, though such operations must continue to comply with the regulations applicable to all aircraft operating in the NAS. The government entity conducting the PAO is responsible for oversight of the operation, including aircraft airworthiness and any operational requirements imposed by the government entity. The government agency contracting for the service assumes the responsibility for oversight of a PAO.

The military is another entity that operates aircraft outside of FAA jurisdiction. Even military airman certificates have to be `converted' to civilian ones i a military pilot wants to become a civilian pilot.

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#209
post #34

Police in the US do not have to have a license to operate anything, including aircraft. In this case, insurance requirements take over though. They may have a legal right to fly but no insurance company would approve operation by anyone but a commercial pilot. I got a few hours in a local police Bell 206 because they needed a commercial pilot to fly while their official pilot only had a private license. Fun!

I’d like to hear more about this, because I’m a pilot and I’ve never heard anywhere that the FAA waives their license requirements for local police? That doesn’t make any sense to me.

As I mentioned above it is not that the FAA waves their requirements as much as the FAA does not have jurisdiction over such operations (under appropriate circumctances).

Re: What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?

#210

Unpopular opinion but technically correct answer: you can fly any plane without a pilots license. In fact I just saw a Quora question with this exact question and the answer came from a 60 year old pilot that has been flying without a license for 30 years. If you never fly out of a major airport where an FAA inspector can ramp check you, who will ever find out? Please don’t do this.

I'm a private pilot. This is basically correct. If your airport is small and you never get in trouble with ATC or have an emergency situation, you will probably not get caught. However, if you do get caught, it is a criminal charge with (IIRC) up to $250,000 fine and 6 years prison time. Or worse, you overestimate your ability and die/kill people. I wouldn't take that risk. If you want to fly a lot, get a license. If…

There are also discovery flights where you can fly with a licensed instructor and get to actually fly the plane after takeoff and before landing.
Post reply on HN