Thanks Peter, I'm glad you enjoyed watching! I've really been enjoying the Grumman, its perfect for island hopping and cruising around. Do you fly anymore?

Yep! Including the yelling at what to do :)

NO HOLD in large letters… The coffee in his hands and saying “what the hell don’t you get” on his SECOND flight. I’d fire him. The CFI has to go!

Yeah hahaha! The gusty crosswinds don't help either :)

Thank you! I definitely need to post some new flight videos!

Thanks James! I got pretty lucky in finding a plane, and A&P, and an instructor that were willing to help out to make it all happen.

Thanks, its been a fun adventure!

Me too. He was really great, and I learned a lot. After I showed him this video, he calmed down a lot and we worked out some communication issues. I think in the end it was good for both of us! Thanks for watching :)

Thank you! Yes, the instructor was a little rough around the edges, but he improved fast :)

Thank you Alan! The Yankee has been really fun and challenging to learn in! I passed my check ride last week in it! I haven't been filming much more of the training because I felt it took away my focus from actually flying and learning. Now that I'm flying more often without an instructor, I'll be posting more videos of my flights! Thanks for the comment!

I currently have a Cheetah, they are amazing aircraft! I think the Cheetah is the perfect XC machine for the cost. I learned that learning to fly in something that requires more precision than a Cessna really helped me along as I progressed in my flying. Thanks for the comment, I'll have to lookup your article and have a good read!

@@NateVolk I can cut & paste it here if you're OK with a long comment and if FB allows it.

Thanks! I've been loving the Grumman for flying here in the islands! I found it a little distracting to be recording all my training and trying to learn at the same time. I couldn't focus on both :)

They fly great! I’ve now got a cheetah, the 4 seater. It sips gas and cruises pretty fast with a great payload too :). Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed the video!

Thanks so much!!

Me too. He's great!

Yeah, we worked on that. He's normally the IFR guy around my airport. He doesn't really take zero time students... He's relaxed quite a bit since then :)

Yeah, I fired two flight instructors for behavior about like that when I got my private and then complex decades ago.

I think the commenters are the ones that need to calm down. Dude is learning to fly and no matters how.

Thanks for the insight, we got everything worked out after a few flights. Passed my check ride with flying colors :)

Yeah, I've flown with a decent amount of CFIs and he's a jackass. I would never pay him $$.

Wanna say congrats on the check ride, and I love that plane. But wow what a whiny instructor. Enjoy your Grumman!

Thank you! Been really enjoying the Grumman the last few months! Last week I took a friend surfing on another island for the morning, had a great lunch and flew home. Its pretty amazing to be able to do that!

I'm with the rest of the comments. Im glad you passed your checkride but this guy is a dick wadd. He doesn't deserve your hard earned $$. Let his old ass retire !!!! Young guys needs the CFI job he obviously doesn't want.

Thank you, its an incredible place to fly! Once we got some of the communication worked out, we had a great time! I feel like I learned a lot from him. The plane has been great, small issues but so far nothing major!

Thanks Rien! They are great little planes! I flew a cessna the other day and it was like driving a slow truck. Easy, but not much fun :)

Thanks Justin! Congrats on your Grumman! I've also got the 108hp motor and the cruise prop, so climbs are a little slow but the cruise is super fun! Its been great learning so far, I'll be taking my check ride in a few weeks! I rented a 172 the other day, and it seems so slow, stable, and easy compared to mine. I love the challenge of the little AA1s!

Me too, be safe!

Thanks for watching and the subscription! The instructor and I worked out our communication issues after this video. He was an excellent instructor, who really does know how to fly. The radios were super tough when combined with flying. I'd be concentrating on a turn or something, and the controller would say something to me, and I could just feel my brain short circuit. It was a crazy feeling! Lots of practice and it did become second nature though. Do you fly too?

@@NateVolk No not a flyer Nate. Only one recreational flight in the early 90's on a stop over in Hawaii. Took a helicopter flight and the pilot had learnt his trade on Huey gunships in Vietnam - needless to say was a bit 'stressy' lol! Was just the best experience though. KZfaq is a great medium for a close up 'experience' of whatever might take your fancy. Your flight illustrates this well helped by the aircraft being a 'back to basics' machine. The analogue dials saw me able to understand your instructor's thought processes and with a tweaking of his manner then I'm sure he became good value. I also follow this pilot kzfaq.infovideos with his emphasis on the flying aspect - you may find it of interest.

@@carlray7224 Great story! THanks for the thoughts, I'll check out the guy you posted about. I follow him on facebook, but it seems like he has a little more here.

They are so much fun to fly! I love it!

Thanks! The instructor get better after watching this too :)

Thanks Jeremy. Having it drilled into me paid off the other day when I lost two cylinders about 250' up past the ends of the runways. I had just enough power to clear the trees, miss the beach, and land on the downwind after declaring an emergency. Made the pavement, no damage to the airframe, and was able to cost off the runway safely. Sometimes easiest is not best!

Nate Volk Glad you and the airplane walked away un scathed. Yes, I know what you mean. When things start to happen you hear your instructors voice barking and giving you instructions. That’s not a bad thing in those cases. Hope the airplane gets fixed up soon. The joys of ownership...

Nate Volk glad you made it What was the cause of engine problems?

@@1compaqedr8 thanks! ne of the exhaust valves let loose and jammed itself inside the cylinder into the piston. So we lost one cylinder at that point, and about 30% additional power as the rest of them had to work to force the stroke. We went from full power to about 1500 rpm pretty quick!

Me too, he took me all the way to passing my check ride in 40 hours, and left me a much better pilot because of it :)

Glad you enjoyed it

Way more fun, and really set me up to be successful in bigger aircraft too!

Thanks! Its been super fun and challenging to fly. Yesterday the wind was 15deg off runway and gusting 14-26 knots :) Luckily here we don't often have high DA altitudes. My instructor is great, I like flying with him a lot! I'm not sure how it got here, I'm assuming it was shipped. I don't think there is enough room for enough fuel to actually fly it here... What I understand is that its relatively easy to remove the wings and rudder cap, flip the wheels, and roll it into a 20' container. Thanks for the comments!

wondering what you thought of the AA1-A vs the B if have experience or knowledge with the 2. Reason ask consider looking at one, field I am at is 3200 and density can be above 5000 often. Using cessna 150 climbs like a sloth.

I soloed an AA-1C "T-cat" when I was 16....flying a Pitts at 17......Professional Pilot for 30 years now....the Grumman makes you a good pilot!

Little bit!

Even better, we both got out at the end :)

All good! Thanks for the comments! We got it all sorted out and I passed my check ride at 42 hours :)

@@NateVolk That’s great! I passed my check ride at the 42 hour mark as well, but in a 152. The Tiger looks like a really great airplane and I’d love to get up in one, visibility looks amazing. Hope you’re still flying and may you experience only tailwinds! (except on landings of course!) :)

@@scottgilliland2061 Thanks! Yes, flying a low wing is super different. The visibility can be great. If you are ever in So Cal, let me know and we'll go for a flight!

Thanks Mark! Its actually a yankee, so the torque wasn't so bad, plus the right crosswind helps too! I really liked the instructor, the things he taught me made my instrument progression a breeze! Keep flying!

@@NateVolk Me too, 3,000+ hours in 4 seat Grummans. Now, take that O235 out and put in an IO360 with a constant speed prop, and do a tail dragger conversion. Or just get an RV-6 with a slider :)

I liked the video. Instructor could use some verbal skills but was teaching some important things. I ‘m hopefully getting back into flying after 33 years. This reinforces my thought ghat I should probably catch a online ground school and tell CFI to just start at the beginning and see what I remember.

I got a great deal on the plane because it was not running and had sat for a few years. The plane, repairs, instruction and fuel ran just under $15k to get my PPL. I spent a lot of time fixing little things, and having a great mechanic that will let you do simple things like removing inspection covers can really save some money. The AA5 is great, I'd learn in that for sure. The AA1 is a little small, but it worked perfect for me and is super cheap to operate.

Thank you for the compliments! The instructor was a little grumpy, but we got it all sorted out eventually. I passed my PPL check ride, and onto instrument soon!

I guess it depends on how you learn :) I had a guy interested in building time, and he taught me a ton too!

Thank you. Part of that is our local field. We don't talk to ground on taxi, the whole ramp is a non-movement area. Run up was at 4:18 in the video. He did get better over time too :)

Thank you, yes it is Maui Hawaii! Its a pretty nice place to fly, but usually very windy. I got lucky this day with calmer winds. If you ever want to fly there, just let me know and I'll connect you with the local flight school. They do discovery flights and Hawaii intro flights all the time. You fly right by these waterfalls that start 1,000' above you!

Thanks Nate, looks beautiful and the Grumman too!

@@gb9926 if you watch some of my other videos, I flew in nicer weather. The surf check one has a great view from a camera I mounted on the tail :)

I did. I found a good CFI/A&P then found a plane that needed some work. I rented a 172 for a few hours for lessons as we traveled back and forth to fix up the plane I had bought. Once we got it running and a ferry permit, we flew it back to my home base, and I finished my training there. It was a great way to go, and I saved a bunch of rental money.

Thanks Fred! The controls are so light its hard to learn how to properly trim. I can literally move my head around and steer the plane :) I've been flying a T206 recently, and the heaviness of the controls has taught me a lot about proper trim and not fighting the aircraft. That's one plane if I fight it, I get tired super fast!

It is a fly by the numbers plane. Recommend you fly with known power settings and precise pitch settings and you will be rewarded with fingertip intuitive corrections. 90KTS for your initial climb out and all approaches. Never attempt to land if you are not stabilized. Never attempt to land if you are not stabilized. 90 on glideslope will give you perfect flexibility then runway in sight dump the flaps (smoothly) will give you 70kts short final without noticeable pitch input. Be very careful that your airspeed is stable and you will master the airplane, The key is precise pitch holding on the AH. Fly under the hood as much as possible. Your being on centerline and flair were really good and is critical. You will develop an amazing scan under the hood. PS. I would never use Carb heat in that plane unless you are need it, which will probably be never. (only if there is a loss of power or per checklist) As per the POH is says "if required" It is not a Cessna!. The intake is warm by design and carb heat can foul plugs and draw available power unnecessarily when you really need it. You will be board flying anything else once you can master ILS approaches and long XC under the hood in the Tiger. I'm really envious and miss my plane. Enjoy this Tiger as long as you are a pilot. It is the best performing bang for buck and a great investment. Never flown any plane that performed better the the POH than a AA5B.

@@ManNomad Thank you for the tips! This is an AA1-B, so a little less power than a Tiger, but I love it nonetheless! I'll look into the carb heat settings as well. Its definitely a challenge here as our normal winds are 20-30 degrees cross and are 18 gusting to 35kts most days :) I really appreciate the feedback!

One more thing...The plane is extremely controllable and forgiving is stalls, to a point. If you are cross controlled and airspeed is dropping you can enter a snap roll and be inverted as I can attest during a cross controlled stall series. Good news is recovery is rapid if you use coordinated smooth input. Bad news...You can instantly loose 1000'+ in the recovery from inverted and pull enough G's to scare you. Plan any advanced maneuvers with and avoid abrupt airspeed changes at a safe altitude. Unusual attitude or acrobatic courses are fun and will give you instinctual inputs for a safe recovery from unusual situations. e.g. wake turbulence, accelerated stalls and weather induced abnormal attitudes.(if you haven't already)

AA1B is more like a submarine with wings. (affectionately) A little bit under powered, less forgiving, and bleeds off airspeed more rapidly. Same concept though. More critical to stabilize your airspeeds and fly by the numbers than a Tiger. As well as non-existent float if your speed is correct over the fence. under 500' rollout is doable. I think you said you came from a C206? Wow. That's like going from a semi truck to a Porsche 911 I did have carb icing one time in a AA1B and caused a significant and sudden power loss but minimized with leaning. The POH I have says to apply carb heat to check for operation and to leave on if "known icing conditions" Your high humidity in HI is a probable yes to carb heat before landing. Disregard the V speeds I gave. But amplify everything else. Super fun plane and more like a High performance experimental than a certified plane. Welcome the the fighter-pilot world. The 150hp ver. is a sweet mod in the future as well as aux tanks. If you ever are forced to land follow the checklist and COMMIT. have actions memorized. Crack the canopy and maintain/trim for best glide. As long as you are in control you can crash but will survive. Stall or loose control and the outcome is very bad. As witness to both. You will blow the doors off 152's for the same fuel flow. She is slippery for sure. Be aware she flies a lot different with two people than solo.

Thank you!

Thanks Gary! I loved learning in the Yankee!

Yes the examiner that gave me my ticket didnt beleve I could get a smooth landing in a grumman. So I put it on him...an old Cessna guy..lol@@NateVolk

It can be a tough transition from a Cessna to a Grumman! Once you get it dialed, its just like flying a much larger, heavier plane :)@@TheBurlisonBoys

Your right, im so happy i started on an AA1B N9992L and a TR2 N1608R because learning to fly a Cessna was a piece of cake,,lol . These 2 Grumman's as well know you can sit them down in a dime with just the throttle only where a Cessna just keeps floating and floating down the runway...@@NateVolk

Yeah! When you hit the descent and speed numbers they can land really short!@@TheBurlisonBoys

Nice! Catalina is on my short list of places to go land at this year!

Hi! Its top center, just under the No Hold sticker on the glare shield. It is basic IRF capable, a great way to train!

Its really not that bad once you get it figured out. They tell you to do something, you repeat it and do it. Doing that while learning to fly is fun for sure! I learned in class C airspace, pretty busy with lots of traffic and tour traffic close by. It really helps to listen to the radio when you aren't flying. LiveAtc . com is a good place to try and grab a feed of the radio calls. Try and understand what the controllers are telling people and picture the airspace in your head. Have fun with your training!

Hey, congratulations on passing your test, that is huge! Just enjoy the flying, it will be super challenging and then one day it will all just click. Have fun and be safe!

@@NateVolk Thanks. TBH your videos are great as I'm mentally walking through your journey with you and trying to pay attention as much as I can. I think watching these will make my time up in the air easier. What I like is that you give the entire flight as-is with no editing which helps feel like we're in your back seat. An hour just flew by - I'll probably watch these several times so I can take some notes too.

@@hefeibao Thanks! I started recording them so I could watch later and learn too. Unfortunately the complication of setting everything up distracted me from learning. I was too worried about getting the shots and I wasn't prepping right for my lessons. Spending time visualizing the flight before and after really helped me in learning. Have fun up there!

​@@NateVolk Will do. Thanks again for making/sharing these. A few good ones are better than a lot of bad ones anyway. Also, loving that Grumman, and now watching you flying it made me put it on my short list of which plane I'll buy once I get my PPL. Aloha from Seattle.

@@hefeibao They are super fun trainers! Very sensitive, but amazing to fly. A lot more work than a Cessna (like a sports car versus a big truck), but it makes you a better pilot in the end :)

I know, right! I had to have a conversation with him about that. Well, the hitting it mainly, but yes, also the holding :)

I'd suggest to just focus on it while you can. Look for scholarships and grants, there are tons available for young pilots. As for the plane choice, get whatever fits your needs that you can afford. You're going to need an IFR plane with at least 750 hours of life left on the motor :)

I would also suggest checking into the Civil Air Patrol for your area. 9th grade is a great time to get started learning to fly! Civil Air Patrol has a program for getting your pilot license. My other suggestion would be to go down to your local muni airport and just hang out,if there is a flight school pop in there and ask questions or offer to help with tasks like changing oil in the planes or washing/degreasing in exchange for some flight time....youll also learn more about the planes if you can get your hands a little dirty... talk to the pilots you see hanging around, talk to the mechanics (probably not while they are working though lol ) eventually, somone will offer to take you up even if its just around the traffic pattern. My advice would be just jump into this and dont look back..otherwise you will be waiting around your whole life for the right moment. Good luck to you and happy flying! As far as airplanes go i am currently looking a Grumman Yankee and a C150K Aerobat. Both have a $20k-ish entry point possible for a basic VFR platform, and have low operating costs.

That's great advice! I've been really enjoying flying my Yankee around. Its a handful sometimes in the Maui winds, but a great plane!

Right. Also keep in mind some context about the plane too. The no hold warning is really meant to keep you from holding on there when exiting and entering the plane, as it is a low wing aircraft, you always look for something to grab onto when climbing in or out. You can't see it, but at the top of the windscreen it says "hold". So the intention of the instructions are really aimed towards entering and exiting the plane. Its not that fragile that you can't hold onto the glare shield, or set your headset on it, or apparently hit it to emphasize a point :)

Yes and no. The guy is an excellent pilot and instructor. This video for sure helped him and me overcome some communication issues :) The rest of the training went very well, and I passed my checkride at 42 hours.

Yes, and also: "Unable to copy that phone number, I'm too busy flying" I think you won the comments! I laughed so hard I spilled my coffee.

@@NateVolk Glad I made you laugh... too bad i'm 2 years late to the party

A lot of the time when it is warm outside I will open it for some fresh air, and just for fun too!

@@NateVolk While flying or just taxiing?

@@ArqHPA you can fly with it open a bit up to 120 mph. Its super fun to slow down and open the top kind of like a convertible :)

@@NateVolk It would be like a dream!

@@ArqHPA It is pretty unique and amazing to be able to go fast, yet still open the canopy for the fresh island air!

It actually did happen, we had a partial engine failure at 250' after takeoff. Obviously he took over the controls, I called in the emergency, and we made the 180, landing safe downwind. He did the whole maneuver without spilling his coffee ;)

It was a great little plane! Cheap to own, cheap to operate, and relatively fast! I now have a Cheetah, same thing but with more power and 4 seats. They are great to fly!

@@NateVolk I've got a '73 Traveller

@@hughjarse4205 Awesome! I sold this little grumman when I left Hi last, ended up with a '79 Cheetah. I love these planes, they fly great!

Nah. That instructor is awesome!

lol, it is, especially at first. It does get easier though! And Maui is a class C airport, the second busiest and restrictive kind! Some smaller airports you don't have to get permission from anyone, just go :)

Possibly! If you see in the beginning, he's got his hand on the yoke and the cup at the same time :) He probably wouldn't do that during maneuvers or stalls, but for simple flying around and turns, he is more than capable of doing both :)

Many airports report the weather, Kahului has a voice recording that tells you wind direction, speed, gusts, temp, etc. You dial in a certain radio frequency and listen to the recording. It is normally updated every hour and given a code, a letter of the alphabet so that the controllers know you have the latest report. So calling clearance and telling them my requested departure with Romeo (R) means I have the weather info that was assigned the letter "R". If it has been updated since, they would tell me the current weather is Sierra "S". And the instructor gets paid the same whether he is in my plane or a rented one from the flight school. Actually he gets paid more because the flight school does not take a cut of his fees.

@@NateVolk Thank you. Did it seem to you that the instructor was testy? He seemed a bit so to me and a couple other viewers.

Sure, he was testy and a bit of a jerk that flight. But I flew a lot with him and can tell you that's not how he normally is. We've all been jerks at some point :)

Thanks. This was only the second flight. We did a lot of training in class Bravo airspace, mixing in with the heavies in Honolulu :)

Almost :) When you live on an island in the middle of the Pacific and want an instructor with more than 300 hours, your choices are limited, lol!

He actually was a great instructor, once we got some ground rules setup and got on the same page. The things I was able to learn from a 20,000+hr pilot you won't find in a fresh cfi or someone with way less experience. The plane actually does fine on its 108hp, if you fly it right. If you try to jerk it around you could want more power. Fly precise, on the numbers, and the performance is actually pretty good.

@@NateVolk They'll do a nice aileron roll, you can loop them (it looks like a script lower case L), but you'll fall out the bottom of a 4-point roll unless you get that nose super high on entry, there's not enough rudder :)

@@martinwalker5049 thanks for the tips! I'll not try that though, I get queasy on chandelles :)

Sometimes I taxi for fuel too :)

Thanks Justin! Yeah, he was testing me a bit for sure. I think I'm a much better pilot because of him and learning in the Grumman.

I bet! Hey, if it's not too personal to share, how much out of pocket/year does it cost you to own the Grumman? Not sure if I'll ever be able to afford to own one, but if you have a ballpark figure for ownership that'll give me something to aim at. Esp if you've had to have any overhauls or ad's done. TBO for most of them I see on Barnstormers is usually high and a few weren't current on AD's. Thanks! Kansas will for sure be cheaper than Hawaii, but I don't imagine by a great deal much.

@@KCdurt I've had it for a year ish. Spent maybe $2500 on it including a replacement radio, vor repair, and annual. Not bad at all and a lot of the things I fixed I knew we're wrong when I bought it.

Sometimes he's grumpy, but generally better now :)

Hahaha!

I doubt it. You clearly don't know this instructor and are making a generalized comment that just shows your ignorance. Thanks for watching though.

I don't have that luxury and had to learn in Charlie and Bravo :) It wasn't that bad for me, but it was a lot to handle the first 15 hours for sure! I have a friend that moved here and he learned at non-towered airports, and he can fly great, but he's terrified of Charlie and Bravo airspaces. I think whatever works best for each individual is great.

@@NateVolk I only have about 60+ hours or so, but never finished my ticket. I really hated radio work. You start worrying about what you are to say, instead of flying the plane. I remember listening to air traffic for hours and hours and practicing calls over and over before I ever got in the plane. Looks like you did awesome despite all that! Nice plane! Hope I can get back in the air one day. Thanks for reply.

Turned out to be a great instructor.

He did calm down a bit after seeing this video. He ended up being a phenomenal instructor!

Yeah, you would have missed out. He ended up being a great instructor once we got some issues sorted out. I'm super glad I stuck it out with him!

@@NateVolk Glad it worked out for you. I still would have fired him. No place in the cockpit for that kind of impatience.

Different strokes for different folks Glenn. From just this short view into my training, you are right. But I chose to stick with him, and things really improved. He's definitely made me a better pilot. I'd rather put the time in with an instructor that has 25k hours, than a new CFI at 300 hours. Sometimes you have to dig for the gold. I understand this doesn't work for everyone, but when it does, its magic.

Aloha Anthony! Maybe you should give a tough instructor a try. Someone who really cares about teaching you to fly properly, by the numbers, and manage stress, rather than a newly minted CFI who just wants to build hours and get out of teaching. I recently had a different instructor who gives you an incredible mental and physical workload while flying, I've never been so mentally exhausted, but the flight after was easy and I felt really confident in my piloting. He definitely got better after this video, and I learned a lot from him. Don't knock it until you try it :)

@@NateVolk Being an ass isn't necessarily being a good instructor. Many times this kind of instruction intimidates a student into silence.

Then those students should try an instructor that suits them. Some of us need someone to not coddle our feelings. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

Sure, you can taxi anywhere you want at a controled tower without contacting ground, as long as you don't cross the non-movement area line. At this particular airport, that line is basically at the runway, so you don't have to contact ground before you go. They actually appreciate the non-contact as most of the time they are handling both tower and ground. Plus, this lesson was more about flying and less about radio work.

maybe I guess?

He got a lot better after he watched this video. He’s actually not awful, he’s super experienced and taught me a lot!

Well, you calling him a jerk is like me calling you a jerk based solely on this one comment of yours. Doesn't feel fair does it? I don't know you and you don't know him. So, play nice. He's a great instructor and and even better pilot; we all have those days :)