Great Video. I'm familiar with Carrollton and when you pointed out Pgh, you were probably near my home towns of Portersville and Slippery Rock. Pretty cool, thanks.
Nice video young man. I'm 76 years old and earned my private, commercial, and instrument back in the late 60's. Used to own a Pa-28 160 but haven't flown in many years due to health issues. It brought a smile to my face seeing the joy you are experiencing. I remember that joy! I subscribed to your channel and look forward to more videos. God bless you.
My version of that was a historic schooner, 40’ long. Had 2 similar diesel fuel tanks, after I took out 2-50 gallon stainless tanks to lighten the boat for speed “to go to weather” (into the wind) and fuel consumption was similar. Speed, though, was about 95 mph slower. Following your dream in action. Nice job. Even my wife liked the video.
I'm a huge consumer of youtube. I've watched hunting, fishing, and outdoor videos for 6 years. This is one of the most captivating story telling videos I've ever seen. Keep up the awesome content man, just being you!
Ethan, You my friend are the hope of America! We need young people like you who are passionate and dedicated to chasing their dreams and willing to go through all the troubles and disciplines it takes to get there. The hard work shapes a man, chasing your vision and passion is so inspiring to an old pilot like me. Thank you.
Never. I'm trapped in a hell hole of a life and get to crawl out of it on my own while other have it easy. I hope one day that my heart gets rid of all this hatred. And that people with resources chose to help others and not be slaves of their own pleasures.
@@MrFujinko How do you know others have it easy? You don't know what people are dealing with. A video shows little to nothing. If people have worked and suffered for the resources they have, they're in no way obligated to give away to others, it's theirs to do as they like, completely. "I hope one day that my heart gets rid of all this hatred" A good start is to stop viewing people enjoying themselves as villains, you'd def enjoy yourself too if you had the resources to.
You got a smoking deal on that airplane! And there's nothing like the world of performance experimental amateur built. It'll change your life having that "magic carpet" ready for you whenever you're ready to go. Last thing, you have as much priority as any other (powered) airplane in the sky. Don't worry about what any controllers may or may not think of you. Just fly *your* plane safely and do not let ANYONE pressure you.
Nice video. Hint: rather than scrunching over to peek at the fuel level, use your phone to shoot a photo of the fuel tank. Do this regularly during flights and you can plot an accurate graph of fuel use over time (time stamp on each photo.)
Yes, . And perhaps I should not leave unsaid that one should never force one's body into difficult positions while PIC. Too easy to unwittingly push against one of the flight controls to gain that last inch of position, resulting in disaster. That's what killed John Denver.
Grinning from ear to ear for the whole 11 hours. Just awesome. And somehow he seems to keep a balance of safety and protocol with the "high" of flying his own aircraft. Impressive and amazing...and dare I say an example of the pinnacle of human achievement that so little money can bring so much freedom.
I have no idea why TH-cam thought I would like this, but, well, TH-cam was right for once. This was wonderful. There's just something wonderful about watching a young person enjoying life and exploring what it has to offer. I hope to see another video soon!
I'm a retired aerospace engineer and amateur glider pilot. IMO, I would always plan each leg of your cross-country trips using the following rules: (1) Always have a suitable landing area picked out ahead of time that is always within gliding distance if your engine quits (for whatever reason). That landing area could be an airport, airfield, or open field (including golf courses). (2) Select suitable locations (in #1 above) for power off landings by knowing the POWER OFF glide ratio of your aircraft, the direction and magnitude of the prevailing winds in real-time that you will only know on the day of your flight and as you are flying minute to minute. Don't calculate your predicted gliding distance based on ideal conditions. Leave lots of margin for error and higher winds than you anticipate. Put a buffer in. (3) After you take-off, always first climb to an altitude that can easily get you to your next "security blanket" landing spot in the event there is a power outage. Do not proceed beyond the reach of your last stepping stone, until you reach that altitude. And that altitude will vary from stepping stone to stepping stone, allowing you variations in altitude as you move along. (4) Practice, with an experienced instructor by your side, idle power descents combined with aggressive slips. By aggressive, I don't mean beyond the capability of you or your personal aircraft, but up to that limit. Slips allow you to slip into tighter spaces on the ground (helping to clear trees and power lines coming down) and it reduces your approach and ground run (if properly executed). This is an important maneuver to practice and be comfortable with. That way if you need it in an emergency, it will be an instinctively accessible tool inside your toolbox. You wont have to think about it or struggle with its execution (it's all we did in gliders because every landing is an engine out landing!). (5) If you decide to disregard rules #1-4, always understand the following: When you are flying beyond the power off gliding distance of a safe landing spot, you should think of yourself as temporarily being connected to a heart/lung machine. A heart/lung machine that is keeping you alive while you are flying in that manner. A heart and lung machine that is powered by your aircraft's engine. Because if that little 4 cylinder gasoline powered engine conks out - for whatever reason - it will stop powering your heart and lung machine that you are completely dependent on for life because the situation you are in is in violation of the rules specified in 1-4 above. You're a young man fulfilling your dreams. I like that, and I did too. But I grew to be an older man because even when I was young, I was successful at recognizing risks ahead of time and mitigating them as I went along. I wish you the best and happy flying!
@@jackroutledge352 I have not, but that's only because I only flew on a light basis, always within range of the airport. However, all of the pilots in our glider club who flew cross country flights competitively, invariably had to do off-field landings. It came with the territory with gliders if you wanted to try your hand at cross country flying. My point in the message above is so often I see youtube videos of pilots, especially young ones, who are flying over trees and congested areas at quite low altitudes. And if their engine quit, they would have to ditch on top of trees, powerlines, roads or buildings. Usually with fatal outcomes. And it appears as if these pilots don't even understand the potential risk they're taking. And maybe some do and are fully aware, yet they still decide to put the ultimate faith in their engine's reliability? Hard to say sometimes. I just hope they are making an informed decision and are willingly taking that risk with open eyes. As for me, I don't like the idea of being put onto a heart and lung machine powered by a glorified Volkswagen Beetle engine.
Excellent advice, and coming from a glider pilot, you definitely are an expert when it comes to properly managing the available energy for power-off glides. I only recently discovered just how fast and loud gliders can be! And that ultra light wing loading is practically magical. Sailplanes/gliders are the closest thing that we can come to natural flight like a bird.
@@pctrader841 I'm a very amateur glider pilot and I haven't flown in a long time. But what I know about what I said above was also drilled into me when I was learning how to fly gyrocopters. The gyrocopter I learned in was a 2 place Parsons old Bensen type. It was powered with a McCulloch 2 cycle drone engine from the 1950s. These engines had a high power to weight ratio, but they were only designed to power unmanned target drones. These drones were designed to fly one time and be shot down. They were not built to the standards of human carrying aviation like certified Lycomings or Continentals. These engines would conk out all the time. My instructor even had a crankshaft break on him in flight allowing the pusher prop to come off the engine and fly up through the rotor system, whacking one of the main rotor blades, which were fortunately made of very tough fiberglass material (and survived intact). So, the whole time we flew, every flight was to be within gliding distance of an open area for an emergency unpowered landing if it the engine gave out. Gyrocopters have very steep power off gliding ratios, like 2:1 (compared to a Cessna 152 with a glide ratio of about 10:1). They typically fly at very low altitudes, usually no more than at 1000-2000ft or so (and often less). If the engine quits, they come down very steeply, so you don't have a lot of flight time or horizontal distance to reach distant open areas. However, despite how steeply the gyrocopter came down, for the very reason it had such a steep glide ratio, you could tuck into very small spaces for landing. Its magic was that as you flared for landing it basically touched down at nearly zero forward speed. And if there was any significant headwind you could land not only with zero rollout - but technically - even land rolling _backwards!_ So, between flying gyrocopters with unreliable engines and gliders that had no engine? The concepts of never trusting your ability to stay aloft over landing unfriendly areas are just drilled into you. I personally would only fly a light single engine aircraft using those very same techniques.
What a great adventure, and bonus points for airport cat! I'm glad TH-cam recommended this to me, and I wish you all the very best for the rest of your flying.
As a full-time sailor, I can relate to much of your journey, and the other 80% of your journey that is unfamiliar to me - that's so fascinating! A 600lb craft with only 16G of fuel. Awesome video man!
OK I am IMPRESSED!!!! What a great journey for someone so young. I have no doubt you are super smart and incredibly responsible. We are blessed to have young people like you. You will be a very successful man and I wish you Godspeed, good health and many safe flights.
Just want to say this is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen a young person such as yourself do. The dedication, the discipline, the learning, and even the bravery involved in this FAR surpasses anything I or anyone I know was doing at your age. Congratulations! So cool to see. I’m sure you have an incredibly bright future ahead of you.
My sentiments exactly. He really knows how to shoot a video well, hitting all of the main points and not making a 2-hour video out of it. I look forward to more videos like this in the future.
I used to be a member of the CAP, and flying as co-pilot in the cessna was an experience i'll never forget, its been over 20 years since then and I can still remember the feeling. I've been longing to get back into the sky but finances make it unfeasible, watching your video helped bring me back the feeling of being in the sky again, so thanks.
Well done. I built a Sonex (#988) with the Aerovee like yours. Great flying little plane - ideal first aircraft for lots of fun. They're built like a brick outhouse with heaps of strength in the airframe.
That's a really good price. Really like the upgrades you've done for IFR/Night, looks like a really tidy setup. Great video too, got the balance of detail and story progression just right. Can't wait to see more
Great effort Ethan, I'm so glad you are emerging from the cocoon and beginning flying adventures in a practical safe way. you will have many more adventures and experiences if you keep on this path to aviation. USA is one the many countries I have flown the length and breadth of around the world where i have seen so many incredible things over so many years. after 55 years of flying in 27 countries I'm approaching the end of my flying career, which started as a teenager flying an experimental homebuilt around my home country, so I see an amazing future for you. take care, listen and learn, experience and enjoy this opportunity to see the world, a little bit at a time from a vantage point many will never experience and understand. this is a great youtube, please keep them coming as and when you can.
Who knows what the future holds, I have no intention to stop but I need to see how my new employer will choose to use my experience and skills, hopefully I will be back in the USA working with new customers soon!
Great video, you should be proud of yourself. I used to fly as a U.S. Naval Aircrewman out of NAS Brunswick (1990-1995) & loved it. I'm from NJ but had never been to Maine before & at the time the only four duty stations they had for P-3C Orion's (4 turboprops, antisubmarine warfare planes were Hawaii, California, Florida & Maine. Since I was the class honorman in the training squadron I got to choose where I wanted to go & picked Brunswick. It was a small base & was in a place where I could snowboard in the winter. I can't believe they closed down the base but the airport is now an executive airport. I loved my time in Maine & am grateful for it.
Thanks a ton! I currently work for a flight school out of brunswick. It’s a shame the naval base shut down. It makes a for a fantastic training airport with the long wide runways. Beautiful location!
This guy is possibly the most humble and affable pilot on TH-cam. So many of these people are so in love with themselves and are such megalomaniacs, but not Ethan. This was a major accomplishment, and it speaks for itself. He didn't remind us every 2 minutes how daring and impressive the feat was, the way lots of other TH-cam pilots would have. Thank you!
@@yeagermcbipper9008 What did he get wrong? I am new here and every comment is really sweet. Your comment is the only negative I could find, why is that?
@@yeagermcbipper9008 What did he get wrong? And what's your TH-cam channel, so that we can learn from the expert? Where are your videos showing us all how it's done? I'll wait.
I used to be a civilian contractor at Griffis Air Force Base. I remember driving to work in the mornings, seeing the B-52s on the runway next to my commute. NASA once contemplated using that massive runway as an alternate for Space Shuttle landings. Griffis was also the site of Woodstock 99.
I’m happy for you! Your enthusiasm comes through loud and clear! You have a radio voice and your diction is spot on! Just something to think about. Blue Skies!
Ethan - you are an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your journey so far. You obviously love what you do and it brings joy to others to see you having such a cool time!
My favorite kind of video "full flight adventure vlog", made by my favorite type of person "young adventurous new pilot" You did a wonderful job covering your dream flight, and you earned every single bit of it. Congratulations, God bless, and I hope to see you in many more flight videos.
As a passionate retired pilot (73) and former aero-space editor who covered Apollo, ASTP, & Shuttle programs, and interviewed many historic test pilots and astronauts, I am very happy to see a young man like you being as passionate as I was and still am, saving for and building his own plane, then barnstorming in the 3d millenium like in the old days. I am so happy to see and know that young men like you will keep alive the flame of the incredible and indicible (except to other pilots) joy of flying, of flight excellence, and the responsibilities that go with until the last flight, being both pro and empathic. I see you very well become an airline pilot, and a captain. May I ask you how young you are Ethan? Future is yours. Go on enjoying life at its fullest. A little hello from Belgium.
Your parents must be incredibly proud of you! The maturity and focus you demonstrate as a young man will serve you to great benefit throughout your life. I'm 47 and just starting my journey to get my pilots license. You are quite the inspiration. May good fortune and favorable winds be with you! Subscribed and I look forward to seeing more of your videos!
Congratulations, Ethan, on achieving something I never truly accomplished. Almost every time I climbed into the cockpit it was to instruct, fly someone somewhere, or haul a load to some customer. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but the pure unadulterated fun of taking off, looking outside and navigating purely VFR... a thrill I rarely experienced. Here you are, at your young age, and you've already done what so many of us dreamed of.... Wherever your aviation aspirations lay, understand something... You're Already There!!
Isn't that the truth Carl. After flying for many years with someone sitting behind me (military), someone on the left of me (Capt) and someone to the right of me (FO) I am now flying solo/VFR 100% of the time in my RV-8 and loving it.
Youngster, you make me so proud of you. With your flying skills and video expertise, you are the future of Aviation. Your mission is an inspiration to anyone who wants to buy, fly, and own an airplane “on a budget”. Well done
Wow. You’ve got yourself a sweet ride there. The purchase price was great and the per-mile cost is fabulous. Lovely to watch an articulate young man with a humble outlook.
@@dereknolin5986 If you pay 100% of the training, you are out of pocket about $7,000 to $10,000. If you have a pilot in the family to teach you, it costs $175 to take the pilot examination. Not expensive at all.
WOW.... only 16k !!!!!! / Nice plane, Nice vibe, nice speed, Nice emotional and feelings, Nice appreciation, Awesome content.... and a CAT (cherry) on the cake.... a very spot on propeller & compeller for all of us just waiting something (?) to start along on the very same path. Beautiful feelings ...
Such dedication and support is wonderful. I love how you used the camera as a 'second person' documenting you adventure. I know this will resonate with many "old Salt" pilots who back in their day, did everything they could to keep flying. Adventure awaits! Happy Landings.
yOUZZZ THE MAN ETHAN. LOVE YOUR JOURNEY!!! i'm left almost speechless. I am not a pilot, and I'm just getting interested and learning about what it is to fly these machines. This little plane is hilarious, yet badass. KEEP going and GODspeed!
The Algorithm brought me here. I gotta say I'm looking forward to seeing many more of your videos! As a pilot finishing my IR, I'm interested to see what was involved in the upgrading of the plane. Will you make a video on it? As another person said, you have a perfect mix of detail and progression. Cheers!
Ok, so when you had it all leaned out and temps like you want them, your burning 3.5 gallons at 100MPH. Man that's 28 MPG..! Your getting better gas mileage than my wife's used Rav4 and the Sonex cost less too. Hmmm, how do I convince the wife to sell the Rav4 and buy a used Sonex...? ;-) Well done Ethan, got your mission clear and then found the aircraft to meet said mission. Really like your upgrade choices as well.
Great video Ethan! Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I'm working on finishing up a Sonex Legacy Tri-Gear VW-powered plane, and look forward to doing similar trips in the future. Keep the videos coming!
It’s great to see another young pilot turn airplane owner. I’m also in my 20’s and building an rv12. I hope to travel around when it’s complete. Keep up the great work. Videos like this are inspiring!- Jacob 🛫
Good job and happy skies for you. The smiles on your face during the video made me really happy. I am 82 and rebuilding a 1954 E-35 Bonanza I have owned and flown since 1984. The upgrades are expensive for the GPS and ADSB in and out and I am looking forward to a few more hours of flying. I smile like you do when I am in the air and just around my Bonanza.
I hope you share more about your experience with the Sonex as a Cross Country plane. I’ve heard lots of mixed reviews on its suitability for XC, and I was told it really wasn’t possible to make a Sonex IFR. Let us know how it goes!
You are doing a great job on video and giving us pilots lots of great flight info to enjoy! Awesome flight plan and very attentive to the details that make a safe and enjoy full trip. I’m now a subscriber. Keepumcomming!
Brother 🙌🏻 totally loving your work! Excelente excelente 👍🏻!! Congratulations 👏🏻 so Cool you're ifr ing the Sonex! 3.5-4.5 gph is phenomenal and at 95-100 mph!! Looking forward to seeing more 👮🏻♂️✈️🛫🛫🛬🛩️
I subscribed to your video because I am so impressed with your accomplishments and with your poise/confidence. Our airport, KHAO houses 2 sonex aircraft (both taildraggers) so am very familiar with your kit. My best wishes for you and am positive that you will continue to enjoy your flight experiences.
Man I’m 19, wanting too go too a&p school,seeing this video just gave me so much inspiration! I hope once I graduate I can have a project similar too this and understand the bliss of flying
This was a joy to watch your flight. The views were spectacular. The cat was adorable and the airport, I believe it was in New York, - with nobody there completely creped me out! There's no way that I think I could have done that. All I was imagining was 🧟♂️ zombies! LOL You did good young man, you did good! 👌🏿🏆✈️
Man this is amazing! That journey mustve been an amazing experience (plus youve got a good amount of flight hours lol). Also the avionics look really great!
I live in the Vancouver, Canada area, where the Montains meet the Sea. You have a lifetime of flying adventures ahead of you, be safe and have fun in a life of flying.
Ok...this is a really cool airplane. The thing I love the most is the stick in the right hand and the throttle configuration in the left hand. Thanks for sharing. And can you give some performance specs and tell us what engine you have?
This is really fun to follow. I'd love to see more videos of your process. For example: you updated us on the instrument panel upgrades at the end, but hey... that could be a whole video on each one. I don't know anything about any of this, so telling us what those things do would be super interesting. Either way, I'm following you to see your journey, which is really fun!
This is great! You scored that airplane for that cheap, crazy cheap. Id love a sonex or a kitfox, but they have gotten so expensive the last couple years.
I enjoyed watching your video almost as much as you did living through it. The one recommendation I have that is within your budget is to buy an I-pad with GPS and then buy the Foreflight software, around $100/yr for the basic program. You can strap/attach the I-pad to your leg and it is great for navigation, weather, winds and a host of other features. By the way, I was born in Decatur, Illinois, and lived 4 years in Carrollton, MD, not the one in Ohio, (now called New Carrollton). My first flight training and solo was in a small Beachcraft Skipper, a 2-seat high-tail plane which is not much bigger than your plane. Keep going and thank your parents for supporting you.
Props to whomever raised you. It is very obvious they did/do a tremendous job. In your video description you mentioned something about how you worked and saved your money in order to achieve your goal of plane ownership. Great job, especially in our society today of wanting everything now without having to save and put in the work. Maybe there is hope yet for the younger generations.
Morris the "plane cat" probably is the chief mouse exterminator at the airfield.
The cat is actually inspector and security all in one!
Any more information this cat? Does he have an Instagram or anything like that? Adorable cat.
Great Video. I'm familiar with Carrollton and when you pointed out Pgh, you were probably near my home towns of Portersville and Slippery Rock.
Pretty cool, thanks.
Love that cat
I thought thst was a stray cat
Nice video young man. I'm 76 years old and earned my private, commercial, and instrument back in the late 60's. Used to own a Pa-28 160 but haven't flown in many years due to health issues. It brought a smile to my face seeing the joy you are experiencing. I remember that joy! I subscribed to your channel and look forward to more videos. God bless you.
That means a lot to hear people have been enjoying the video, thanks for watching!
Absolutely, my buddies Dad built an ultralight before he Passed, I’d love to fly it some day he’d have loved that. Thanks ✌️🇺🇸
My version of that was a historic schooner, 40’ long. Had 2 similar diesel fuel tanks, after I took out 2-50 gallon stainless tanks to lighten the boat for speed “to go to weather” (into the wind) and fuel consumption was similar. Speed, though, was about 95 mph slower. Following your dream in action. Nice job. Even my wife liked the video.
Ya know, you can get a sport pilots license without having to have a medical.
Aside from being in top shape physically and mentally, it takes big $ to fly but it sure is cool to think about.
I have not enjoyed a flying video as much for many years. $16k is an absolute no-brainer. May it bring you many years of happiness.
This guy can barely contain his enthusiasm. You know you're on the right track when that happens.
I'm a huge consumer of youtube. I've watched hunting, fishing, and outdoor videos for 6 years. This is one of the most captivating story telling videos I've ever seen. Keep up the awesome content man, just being you!
Ethan, You my friend are the hope of America! We need young people like you who are passionate and dedicated to chasing their dreams and willing to go through all the troubles and disciplines it takes to get there. The hard work shapes a man, chasing your vision and passion is so inspiring to an old pilot like me. Thank you.
He's certainly got that Airline Pilot voice already. I'd gladly fly with him.
Lol...I thought the same thing
His video is very nicely put together and the audio was also very good. Maybe a little more bass heavy than a typical TH-cam video but very clear.
Airlines should switch over to having their announcements sound like those hard to decipher announcement s on the subway platforms
i was about to say the same
it’s a voice over - dubbing. pretty distracting
This video made me happy. The random TH-cam algorithm brought me here. Glad to see people chasing their dreams.
Do you ever get joy from watching someone love what they are doing?
absolutely
Never. I'm trapped in a hell hole of a life and get to crawl out of it on my own while other have it easy. I hope one day that my heart gets rid of all this hatred. And that people with resources chose to help others and not be slaves of their own pleasures.
Piss Off.@@MrFujinko
wishing the best for you@@MrFujinko
@@MrFujinko How do you know others have it easy? You don't know what people are dealing with. A video shows little to nothing.
If people have worked and suffered for the resources they have, they're in no way obligated to give away to others, it's theirs to do as they like, completely.
"I hope one day that my heart gets rid of all this hatred"
A good start is to stop viewing people enjoying themselves as villains, you'd def enjoy yourself too if you had the resources to.
You are the kind of young man I love to see, a gentleman. Your parents much be very proud. Keep it up and GOD Bless
The kind society hates, white hetorosexual and male. Because we are better than all the rest.
You got a smoking deal on that airplane! And there's nothing like the world of performance experimental amateur built. It'll change your life having that "magic carpet" ready for you whenever you're ready to go. Last thing, you have as much priority as any other (powered) airplane in the sky. Don't worry about what any controllers may or may not think of you. Just fly *your* plane safely and do not let ANYONE pressure you.
Nice video. Hint: rather than scrunching over to peek at the fuel level, use your phone to shoot a photo of the fuel tank. Do this regularly during flights and you can plot an accurate graph of fuel use over time (time stamp on each photo.)
that's precisely what I thought when he send he hunched his head under the console, I would just reach down and take a picture with flash lol
Yes, . And perhaps I should not leave unsaid that one should never force one's body into difficult positions while PIC. Too easy to unwittingly push against one of the flight controls to gain that last inch of position, resulting in disaster. That's what killed John Denver.
Great suggestion!
I'd rather physically See my fuel level, when I'm 5,000ft in the air! LOL
@@v1rotation : Don't forget to remove it from your crutch before you go into the FBO! 🥴
Grinning from ear to ear for the whole 11 hours. Just awesome. And somehow he seems to keep a balance of safety and protocol with the "high" of flying his own aircraft. Impressive and amazing...and dare I say an example of the pinnacle of human achievement that so little money can bring so much freedom.
I have no idea why TH-cam thought I would like this, but, well, TH-cam was right for once. This was wonderful. There's just something wonderful about watching a young person enjoying life and exploring what it has to offer. I hope to see another video soon!
I'm a retired aerospace engineer and amateur glider pilot. IMO, I would always plan each leg of your cross-country trips using the following rules:
(1) Always have a suitable landing area picked out ahead of time that is always within gliding distance if your engine quits (for whatever reason). That landing area could be an airport, airfield, or open field (including golf courses).
(2) Select suitable locations (in #1 above) for power off landings by knowing the POWER OFF glide ratio of your aircraft, the direction and magnitude of the prevailing winds in real-time that you will only know on the day of your flight and as you are flying minute to minute. Don't calculate your predicted gliding distance based on ideal conditions. Leave lots of margin for error and higher winds than you anticipate. Put a buffer in.
(3) After you take-off, always first climb to an altitude that can easily get you to your next "security blanket" landing spot in the event there is a power outage. Do not proceed beyond the reach of your last stepping stone, until you reach that altitude. And that altitude will vary from stepping stone to stepping stone, allowing you variations in altitude as you move along.
(4) Practice, with an experienced instructor by your side, idle power descents combined with aggressive slips. By aggressive, I don't mean beyond the capability of you or your personal aircraft, but up to that limit. Slips allow you to slip into tighter spaces on the ground (helping to clear trees and power lines coming down) and it reduces your approach and ground run (if properly executed). This is an important maneuver to practice and be comfortable with. That way if you need it in an emergency, it will be an instinctively accessible tool inside your toolbox. You wont have to think about it or struggle with its execution (it's all we did in gliders because every landing is an engine out landing!).
(5) If you decide to disregard rules #1-4, always understand the following: When you are flying beyond the power off gliding distance of a safe landing spot, you should think of yourself as temporarily being connected to a heart/lung machine. A heart/lung machine that is keeping you alive while you are flying in that manner. A heart and lung machine that is powered by your aircraft's engine. Because if that little 4 cylinder gasoline powered engine conks out - for whatever reason - it will stop powering your heart and lung machine that you are completely dependent on for life because the situation you are in is in violation of the rules specified in 1-4 above.
You're a young man fulfilling your dreams. I like that, and I did too. But I grew to be an older man because even when I was young, I was successful at recognizing risks ahead of time and mitigating them as I went along. I wish you the best and happy flying!
Great advice! Have you ever had to perform a dead stick off field landing?
@@jackroutledge352 I have not, but that's only because I only flew on a light basis, always within range of the airport. However, all of the pilots in our glider club who flew cross country flights competitively, invariably had to do off-field landings. It came with the territory with gliders if you wanted to try your hand at cross country flying.
My point in the message above is so often I see youtube videos of pilots, especially young ones, who are flying over trees and congested areas at quite low altitudes. And if their engine quit, they would have to ditch on top of trees, powerlines, roads or buildings. Usually with fatal outcomes. And it appears as if these pilots don't even understand the potential risk they're taking. And maybe some do and are fully aware, yet they still decide to put the ultimate faith in their engine's reliability? Hard to say sometimes. I just hope they are making an informed decision and are willingly taking that risk with open eyes. As for me, I don't like the idea of being put onto a heart and lung machine powered by a glorified Volkswagen Beetle engine.
Great advice. Always have a plan, know the risks and mitigate them as best as you can. The rest you accept or don’t fly that day.
Excellent advice, and coming from a glider pilot, you definitely are an expert when it comes to properly managing the available energy for power-off glides. I only recently discovered just how fast and loud gliders can be! And that ultra light wing loading is practically magical. Sailplanes/gliders are the closest thing that we can come to natural flight like a bird.
@@pctrader841 I'm a very amateur glider pilot and I haven't flown in a long time. But what I know about what I said above was also drilled into me when I was learning how to fly gyrocopters. The gyrocopter I learned in was a 2 place Parsons old Bensen type. It was powered with a McCulloch 2 cycle drone engine from the 1950s. These engines had a high power to weight ratio, but they were only designed to power unmanned target drones. These drones were designed to fly one time and be shot down. They were not built to the standards of human carrying aviation like certified Lycomings or Continentals.
These engines would conk out all the time. My instructor even had a crankshaft break on him in flight allowing the pusher prop to come off the engine and fly up through the rotor system, whacking one of the main rotor blades, which were fortunately made of very tough fiberglass material (and survived intact).
So, the whole time we flew, every flight was to be within gliding distance of an open area for an emergency unpowered landing if it the engine gave out. Gyrocopters have very steep power off gliding ratios, like 2:1 (compared to a Cessna 152 with a glide ratio of about 10:1). They typically fly at very low altitudes, usually no more than at 1000-2000ft or so (and often less). If the engine quits, they come down very steeply, so you don't have a lot of flight time or horizontal distance to reach distant open areas.
However, despite how steeply the gyrocopter came down, for the very reason it had such a steep glide ratio, you could tuck into very small spaces for landing. Its magic was that as you flared for landing it basically touched down at nearly zero forward speed. And if there was any significant headwind you could land not only with zero rollout - but technically - even land rolling _backwards!_
So, between flying gyrocopters with unreliable engines and gliders that had no engine? The concepts of never trusting your ability to stay aloft over landing unfriendly areas are just drilled into you. I personally would only fly a light single engine aircraft using those very same techniques.
What a great adventure, and bonus points for airport cat! I'm glad TH-cam recommended this to me, and I wish you all the very best for the rest of your flying.
Thanks! You’re one of the inspirations for starting this channel. Even used your videos as a reference when designing the thumbnail haha
As a full-time sailor, I can relate to much of your journey, and the other 80% of your journey that is unfamiliar to me - that's so fascinating! A 600lb craft with only 16G of fuel. Awesome video man!
OK I am IMPRESSED!!!! What a great journey for someone so young. I have no doubt you are super smart and incredibly responsible. We are blessed to have young people like you. You will be a very successful man and I wish you Godspeed, good health and many safe flights.
Just want to say this is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen a young person such as yourself do. The dedication, the discipline, the learning, and even the bravery involved in this FAR surpasses anything I or anyone I know was doing at your age. Congratulations! So cool to see. I’m sure you have an incredibly bright future ahead of you.
My sentiments exactly. He really knows how to shoot a video well, hitting all of the main points and not making a 2-hour video out of it. I look forward to more videos like this in the future.
I used to be a member of the CAP, and flying as co-pilot in the cessna was an experience i'll never forget, its been over 20 years since then and I can still remember the feeling. I've been longing to get back into the sky but finances make it unfeasible, watching your video helped bring me back the feeling of being in the sky again, so thanks.
You are one cool young man! I am a USAF Veteran as was my late Dad. He would have enjoyed seeing this. Stay safe buddy.
I enjoyed watching this video very much. No airs, simplicity, adventurous dialogue and interesting technical details well explained
Sadly, 50 years too late for me, but great to see you smiling so much!
Be safe, enjoy your life!
It’s never too late I believe in you
This boyman will save us.
I can only imagine; how proud your parents are of you. What a great adventure and accomplishment.
Well done. I built a Sonex (#988) with the Aerovee like yours. Great flying little plane - ideal first aircraft for lots of fun. They're built like a brick outhouse with heaps of strength in the airframe.
How much do they run for?
That's a really good price. Really like the upgrades you've done for IFR/Night, looks like a really tidy setup. Great video too, got the balance of detail and story progression just right. Can't wait to see more
Great vid, great commentary, annoying "music".
@@jpkatz1435annoying comment
Great effort Ethan, I'm so glad you are emerging from the cocoon and beginning flying adventures in a practical safe way. you will have many more adventures and experiences if you keep on this path to aviation. USA is one the many countries I have flown the length and breadth of around the world where i have seen so many incredible things over so many years. after 55 years of flying in 27 countries I'm approaching the end of my flying career, which started as a teenager flying an experimental homebuilt around my home country, so I see an amazing future for you. take care, listen and learn, experience and enjoy this opportunity to see the world, a little bit at a time from a vantage point many will never experience and understand. this is a great youtube, please keep them coming as and when you can.
Who knows what the future holds, I have no intention to stop but I need to see how my new employer will choose to use my experience and skills, hopefully I will be back in the USA working with new customers soon!
Great video, you should be proud of yourself. I used to fly as a U.S. Naval Aircrewman out of NAS Brunswick (1990-1995) & loved it. I'm from NJ but had never been to Maine before & at the time the only four duty stations they had for P-3C Orion's (4 turboprops, antisubmarine warfare planes were Hawaii, California, Florida & Maine. Since I was the class honorman in the training squadron I got to choose where I wanted to go & picked Brunswick. It was a small base & was in a place where I could snowboard in the winter. I can't believe they closed down the base but the airport is now an executive airport. I loved my time in Maine & am grateful for it.
Thanks a ton! I currently work for a flight school out of brunswick. It’s a shame the naval base shut down. It makes a for a fantastic training airport with the long wide runways. Beautiful location!
This guy is possibly the most humble and affable pilot on TH-cam. So many of these people are so in love with themselves and are such megalomaniacs, but not Ethan. This was a major accomplishment, and it speaks for itself. He didn't remind us every 2 minutes how daring and impressive the feat was, the way lots of other TH-cam pilots would have. Thank you!
He's a garbage pilot that got so many things wrong that I don't know where to begin. You're a fool if you don't know better, either.
@@yeagermcbipper9008stop posting from Mom's basement
@@yeagermcbipper9008 What's the longest XC flight you've done? Upload a pic of your logbook entry to imgur and post the link here.
@@yeagermcbipper9008 What did he get wrong? I am new here and every comment is really sweet. Your comment is the only negative I could find, why is that?
@@yeagermcbipper9008 What did he get wrong? And what's your TH-cam channel, so that we can learn from the expert? Where are your videos showing us all how it's done? I'll wait.
Nice flying, Ethan! Looks like you had a ton of fun.
Thanks! Probably my favorite flying journey so far!
I used to live in Utica near Griffis AFB in the mid-80s when I flew for Empire Airlines. It used to be a B-52 base.
I used to be a civilian contractor at Griffis Air Force Base. I remember driving to work in the mornings, seeing the B-52s on the runway next to my commute. NASA once contemplated using that massive runway as an alternate for Space Shuttle landings. Griffis was also the site of Woodstock 99.
Love seeing the leaning during taxi. Gotta protect those plugs. Momma clearly didn’t realize no dummy!
I’m happy for you! Your enthusiasm comes through loud and clear! You have a radio voice and your diction is spot on! Just something to think about. Blue Skies!
Ethan - you are an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your journey so far. You obviously love what you do and it brings joy to others to see you having such a cool time!
I follow a lot of aviation youtubers, and this was a great video. Thanks for documenting your trip. Subbed.
What a nice chap! I wish you well in your flying career. Mine is now sadly over, but I shall follow yours with interest. Best wishes from Cornwall, UK
My favorite kind of video "full flight adventure vlog", made by my favorite type of person "young adventurous new pilot"
You did a wonderful job covering your dream flight, and you earned every single bit of it. Congratulations, God bless, and I hope to see you in many more flight videos.
As a passionate retired pilot (73) and former aero-space editor who covered Apollo, ASTP, & Shuttle programs, and interviewed many historic test pilots and astronauts, I am very happy to see a young man like you being as passionate as I was and still am, saving for and building his own plane, then barnstorming in the 3d millenium like in the old days. I am so happy to see and know that young men like you will keep alive the flame of the incredible and indicible (except to other pilots) joy of flying, of flight excellence, and the responsibilities that go with until the last flight, being both pro and empathic. I see you very well become an airline pilot, and a captain. May I ask you how young you are Ethan? Future is yours. Go on enjoying life at its fullest. A little hello from Belgium.
Your parents must be incredibly proud of you! The maturity and focus you demonstrate as a young man will serve you to great benefit throughout your life. I'm 47 and just starting my journey to get my pilots license. You are quite the inspiration. May good fortune and favorable winds be with you! Subscribed and I look forward to seeing more of your videos!
Great video. The Sonex is a terrific design. Good choice on the go-around, I’ve never once regretted doing that. 😂
I really like the instrument/comm/transponder setup in your plane. Simple, efficient, complete. Congrats on your purchase and journey.
Congratulations, Ethan, on achieving something I never truly accomplished. Almost every time I climbed into the cockpit it was to instruct, fly someone somewhere, or haul a load to some customer. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but the pure unadulterated fun of taking off, looking outside and navigating purely VFR... a thrill I rarely experienced. Here you are, at your young age, and you've already done what so many of us dreamed of.... Wherever your aviation aspirations lay, understand something... You're Already There!!
Isn't that the truth Carl. After flying for many years with someone sitting behind me (military), someone on the left of me (Capt) and someone to the right of me (FO) I am now flying solo/VFR 100% of the time in my RV-8 and loving it.
This is peak TH-cam, my friend. Awesome stuff!
Youngster, you make me so proud of you. With your flying skills and video expertise, you are the future of Aviation. Your mission is an inspiration to anyone who wants to buy, fly, and own an airplane “on a budget”. Well done
That's awesome! Congrats!!! That was my late husband's dream...to build and fly a Sonex. Great to see you're living your dream.
Never expected to see a pilot from so close to MY home! You're about 70 miles south of me. Kudos to your purchase and wishing you all the best!
Wow. You’ve got yourself a sweet ride there. The purchase price was great and the per-mile cost is fabulous. Lovely to watch an articulate young man with a humble outlook.
My spanish mind struggles to understand a young lad flying across a country on his own and it being somehow "affordable". Love this!
He didn't include the many thousands of dollars of training that led to a private's pilot license!
@@dereknolin5986 If you pay 100% of the training, you are out of pocket about $7,000 to $10,000. If you have a pilot in the family to teach you, it costs $175 to take the pilot examination. Not expensive at all.
Average speed near 95mph with zero traffic or slow poke left laners, and 22mpg, and with those views is incredible!!!
The transistion from cockpit video to google earth/map view was insane! Very creative
What a well spoken and intelligent video.
But not the "music". Ambient sound inhances.
WOW.... only 16k !!!!!! / Nice plane, Nice vibe, nice speed, Nice emotional and feelings, Nice appreciation, Awesome content.... and a CAT (cherry) on the cake.... a very spot on propeller & compeller for all of us just waiting something (?) to start along on the very same path. Beautiful feelings ...
the music, the scene and the vibe what more can you ask for. You are living the life.
From kenya. i loved each minute. the upgrades are F16-ish. I dream of having a plane in the next 5 yrs
Such dedication and support is wonderful. I love how you used the camera as a 'second person' documenting you adventure. I know this will resonate with many "old Salt" pilots who back in their day, did everything they could to keep flying. Adventure awaits! Happy Landings.
yOUZZZ THE MAN ETHAN. LOVE YOUR JOURNEY!!! i'm left almost speechless. I am not a pilot, and I'm just getting interested and learning about what it is to fly these machines. This little plane is hilarious, yet badass. KEEP going and GODspeed!
Outstanding! In one video, you seemingly went from rookie to Space Shuttle pilot! Congratulations! Very nice editing too! I'm subscribed
I’m about your age and this really inspires me to get back in the air. I’m very happy for you that are able to experience these adventures.
Thanks for being such a good role model for young, aspiring pilots and showing what it's like to live the dream!
You made it look so easy! Im glad you achieved your dream!
The Algorithm brought me here. I gotta say I'm looking forward to seeing many more of your videos! As a pilot finishing my IR, I'm interested to see what was involved in the upgrading of the plane. Will you make a video on it? As another person said, you have a perfect mix of detail and progression. Cheers!
Ok, so when you had it all leaned out and temps like you want them, your burning 3.5 gallons at 100MPH. Man that's 28 MPG..! Your getting better gas mileage than my wife's used Rav4 and the Sonex cost less too. Hmmm, how do I convince the wife to sell the Rav4 and buy a used Sonex...? ;-) Well done Ethan, got your mission clear and then found the aircraft to meet said mission. Really like your upgrade choices as well.
Much appreciated! I think you have a good case for trying to convince the wife haha
sick airplane, awesome taste in music!! love me some Beach House
I know nothing about flying nor what "good plane" is, but I'm just blown away that a plane can weigh so little but it does make sense. So incredible!
Great video Ethan! Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I'm working on finishing up a Sonex Legacy Tri-Gear VW-powered plane, and look forward to doing similar trips in the future. Keep the videos coming!
Thats awesome! It’s a fantastic design. I’m sure you’re gonna love the plane
It’s great to see another young pilot turn airplane owner. I’m also in my 20’s and building an rv12. I hope to travel around when it’s complete. Keep up the great work. Videos like this are inspiring!- Jacob 🛫
Great job Ethan! Very nicely done videography and narration, totally professional 👍
Good job and happy skies for you. The smiles on your face during the video made me really happy. I am 82 and rebuilding a 1954 E-35 Bonanza I have owned and flown since 1984. The upgrades are expensive for the GPS and ADSB in and out and I am looking forward to a few more hours of flying. I smile like you do when I am in the air and just around my Bonanza.
I so enjoyed your adventure, thank you for allowing so many to smile.
I hope you share more about your experience with the Sonex as a Cross Country plane. I’ve heard lots of mixed reviews on its suitability for XC, and I was told it really wasn’t possible to make a Sonex IFR. Let us know how it goes!
I like your voice. I could listen to you all day.
Great story. Looking forward to monitoring your progress. That Griffiss airport is the former air force base that serviced B-52’s; crazy long runway 👍
Living vicariously through you. Thus spake an old guy. I did fly gliders for one summer in my wild youth, but then, Life. A great memory
Cheap flying and smart upgrades...
You are doing it the right way, keep it up !!! 🇨🇦
You are doing a great job on video and giving us pilots lots of great flight info to enjoy! Awesome flight plan and very attentive to the details that make a safe and enjoy full trip. I’m now a subscriber. Keepumcomming!
Brother 🙌🏻 totally loving your work! Excelente excelente 👍🏻!! Congratulations 👏🏻 so Cool you're ifr ing the Sonex! 3.5-4.5 gph is phenomenal and at 95-100 mph!! Looking forward to seeing more 👮🏻♂️✈️🛫🛫🛬🛩️
I subscribed to your video because I am so impressed with your accomplishments and with your poise/confidence. Our airport, KHAO houses 2 sonex aircraft (both taildraggers) so am very familiar with your kit. My best wishes for you and am positive that you will continue to enjoy your flight experiences.
Took my first flight out of KSFM in 2018 - Six years later I'm loving life in an Airbus! Keep the hours coming in your logbook!
Super cool, Congratulation to this two seater plane, which is your own!!! Thanks so much for sharing
FANTASTIC STORY! Please update, glad you are okay. The whole local community is ❤
Glad to see you showed no reservations about going around when you didn't like what you were seeing on final approach.
This guy was always smiling, pretty Fricken Cool . . .
Man I’m 19, wanting too go too a&p school,seeing this video just gave me so much inspiration! I hope once I graduate I can have a project similar too this and understand the bliss of flying
This was a joy to watch your flight.
The views were spectacular.
The cat was adorable and the airport, I believe it was in New York, -
with nobody there completely creped me out!
There's no way that I think I could have done that.
All I was imagining was 🧟♂️ zombies! LOL
You did good young man, you did good! 👌🏿🏆✈️
Man this is amazing! That journey mustve been an amazing experience (plus youve got a good amount of flight hours lol). Also the avionics look really great!
What a great video. Your dialog, editing, and content are interesting, informative, and entertaining.👍👍
Uncommonly intelligent and mature young guy. Well done
I live in the Vancouver, Canada area, where the Montains meet the Sea. You have a lifetime of flying adventures ahead of you, be safe and have fun in a life of flying.
Ok...this is a really cool airplane. The thing I love the most is the stick in the right hand and the throttle configuration in the left hand. Thanks for sharing. And can you give some performance specs and tell us what engine you have?
Much appreciated 🙂 it’s an AeroVee VW engine, the sonex website has a great breakdown of performance/specs for their aircraft
Great video!
no way your here
This is really fun to follow. I'd love to see more videos of your process. For example: you updated us on the instrument panel upgrades at the end, but hey... that could be a whole video on each one. I don't know anything about any of this, so telling us what those things do would be super interesting. Either way, I'm following you to see your journey, which is really fun!
Cross country - reminds me of my Piper training days. AAAHH the memories!
You should check out We Be smoking in Osawatomie KS. You can park twenty feet from your table! Great food!
At first I thought your towbar was a crutch, LOL.
This is great! You scored that airplane for that cheap, crazy cheap. Id love a sonex or a kitfox, but they have gotten so expensive the last couple years.
I enjoyed watching your video almost as much as you did living through it. The one recommendation I have that is within your budget is to buy an I-pad with GPS and then buy the Foreflight software, around $100/yr for the basic program. You can strap/attach the I-pad to your leg and it is great for navigation, weather, winds and a host of other features. By the way, I was born in Decatur, Illinois, and lived 4 years in Carrollton, MD, not the one in Ohio, (now called New Carrollton). My first flight training and solo was in a small Beachcraft Skipper, a 2-seat high-tail plane which is not much bigger than your plane. Keep going and thank your parents for supporting you.
Fun video! I used to fly across the country - from CA to FL, FL to TX - all over, in my Pitts S-1S. Love solo flying! Congrats!
I remember getting my license and first car, that feeling of freedom, but having a plane???? That's a hole different type of freedom...good for u bro
Props to whomever raised you. It is very obvious they did/do a tremendous job.
In your video description you mentioned something about how you worked and saved your money in order to achieve your goal of plane ownership. Great job, especially in our society today of wanting everything now without having to save and put in the work. Maybe there is hope yet for the younger generations.