Are you a pilot? Planes and Guns

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Very interesting thread, need to jump in before mods lock it as "not what we do at THR." I certainly qualify for the OPs criteria, having been a gun nut all my life and getting my private license in Alaska in 2005.
Curious about some of the posts here. " I have a Single engine land [SEL] and a commercial." I thought you needed a multi engine to get a commercial?

On topic, but I can't answer the OPs question because pretty much everyone in Alaska owns guns, so I can't break it down to pilot/non pilot.
 
Private Pilot SEL; ~1K in a lot of fixed-winged things with half that in my own C205. Neither commercial nor instrument but neither rating requires a multi-engine ticket.

Most pilots I know are into guns and shooting, also if and when I find out about it, that is: Most would rather talk flying than shooting, I think.

The connection is likely to be incidental as most are also here in TX :D.

I'll comment as a neuropsychologist: Most pilots and gun-people are into the "being prepared to be in control of situations" mindset and many are gadget-people, too.

Otherwise, I've not thought of much of a connection.

Airplanes and flying are two of only a small list of things I like better than guns and shooting.

Will
 
Well my flying is generally connected to hunting[hence shooting] Scouting sheep, moose, etc. But when I depart Anchorage to the North I pass over a large and very active range and often look down and wish I'd gone shooting.
 
jim in Anchorage said:
Curious about some of the posts here. " I have a Single engine land [SEL] and a commercial." I thought you needed a multi engine to get a commercial?
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Nope -- completely separate ratings (Comm ASEL vs Comm AMEL). You can even go all the way up to ATP SEL, too.
 
Are you posting a poll on an aviation site to get the info and the correlating it to THR since the pilots that are here are gun enthusiasts you'd want to correlate to a population of pilots that might be gun enthusiasts from a flight site.
 
ATP-commercial airline pilot flown everything from Metroliners to 767's.
Commercial:rotorcraft. Mostly in CH-53E's

Total hours +17,000

Shoot every chance I get, have a nice collection going. Lots of shooters at work.

Don't see the correlation between the two. Shooters are in all professions...
 
cfullgraf said:
Never had an activity that combined planes and firearms in one event.
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I was thinking along the lines of flying to a match or flying to a hunting trip but strafing is good.:)

But, gun pods and ammunition would have probably put me over gross.
 
I haven't flown in over 10 years now, but flew enough in a warrior to get a private license. Had plenty of friends that went on to be airline pilots. I've been a controller at Cleveland ARTCC for the past 8 years, and a tower controller two years prior to that. I've noticed no difference between pilots or controllers and the rest of the population in terms of % of gun enthusiasts.
 
Well hacker you got me on that one. I would have sworn ATP needed a multi engine rating. Don't know just got my private ticket is all.
 
Frosty Dave said:
I fall into that category, SEL and Instrument, ~1000 hours PIC. I know more shooters than pilots these days and in my world the shared interest tends to be amongst we more mature folks but no so much in the younger guys.

I do know one guy that used to shoot coyotes from the back seat of a Piper J-3. One day he followed the target through the prop and shot the tip off. But I guess you didn't ask about that close of a correlation. :)
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That is way too close for comfort!
 
Sad but true. The amount of legislation they have been aiming at general avaition is almost as bad as how much they have been going after guns.
 
Maybe someone at the AOPA could shed some light on the correlation.
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Talked to AOPA, but their response was that they don't allow firearms in their advertising so they don't collect data and aren't interested in helping.
 
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Long ago and far away, I read an article in South Africa* about a guy who mounted two A-5 Browning 12 gauges to the frame of his ultra-light aircraft. Egyptian geese were considered pests and he would take to the skies and engage the unwary flocks.

Too bad Youtube wasn't around then.... :cool:



* article was in the local SA magazine Magnum....
 
I'm not a pilot, but when I was a student pilot in flight school, flying lessons sucked up any and all money that could have went to guns. :eek:

Luckily, there was an aviation mechanic student in my dorm that had some guns. He took me shooting a couple times. In fact, the first AR I ever fired was thanks to him.
 
pilots and guns

I have a atp single and multi engine land with type ratings in Cessna 550 560 citation xl and Cessna 650 and Iajet commercial rated helicopter. I also hold cfi and cfi instrument. I have 18000 hrs in single and multi engine land and jets. I have 14 years as simulator instructor in the above mentioned jet aircraft and I do not know how many hrs that is. I also am a gun owner with several different makes . Now that I am retired I do more shooting than flying but I love doing both.
 
I've been a Private Pilot for twenty years with about 1,100 hours, and an aircraft owner for about fifteen of those twenty. Most of my hours are in my Grumman AA5B Tiger which I've owned since 2001.

A lot of my pilot friends are avid shooters, so there must be something in our DNA. When you are pilot in command, you are totally responsible for your actions, and safety of yourself, and your passengers, people on the ground etc. Gun ownership carries a similar responsibility/accountability, imho.
 
Are you a pilot?
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Yes. Helicopters and fixed wing. 22,000 hours. Retired now.
Buckcase.gif


Taken just after 9-11.
We didn't need no stinking government agency to tell us we could or couldn't be armed. :D

BuckMP40206png.gif

There were very few pilots (and mechanics) I knew that weren't into guns to some extent. This MP40 belongs to a mechanic friend.


.
 
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I'm technically a liscensed pilot (PPL-ASEL) but I haven't been up in a few years. It's an expensive hobby. I may try to take it up again when finances allow.

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2
 
I started target shooting at 16, earned my private pilot lic. at 20. The GI bill helped me with my education and I ended up with CMEL&S Flight Instructor, Instrument rated. Made my living flying in the bush mostly, although I did spend a couple of summers flying floats off the East River in NYC, that was interesting. Now retired and shooting a lot more than ever before. I owned a Super Cub for a while, I do miss the flying, but you need to know when you've maxed out your cheating death allotment.
 
Not me, but my brother flies an Airbus for a major airline. He's a casual shooter - Glock 9mm, .22 rifle, an a shotgun.

He said at one time there was a program where you could go through training and be armed in the cockpit. Basically you would have to carry your sidearm in a locked box to and from the aircraft. He also said one of the gun manufacturers would give you a discount if you purchased a gun for the program.
 
Commercial SEMEL with Instrument Certificate. Also CFII-MEI.

But my love is flying upside down. Pitts Specials (hence the name), Extras, Sukhois, Yaks, Decathlons, Skybolts, and others. Taught competitive aerobatics and formation.

Here is me teaching a student to land an S-2B model Pitts.

image_zps62f2d181.jpg

Now I'm an aviation lawyer helping pilots and operators and flying a bunch. And I love guns and competitive shooting and all things Smith and Wesson revolverish.

25-5.jpg
 
I'm into all types of firearms, have all my hours for my PPL, but have yet to take the verbal and practical. Hoping to buy a plane here soon as part of a business venture.
 
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