Learn to Fly (Rewritten!)

Rewrite of my June 17, 2011 "Learn to Fly" post. It needed some work! This was also posted on my new "test" blog site, at WordPress. Check it out and let me know which site you like better, I'll be hosting from the one voted as the favorite!

So you want to learn to fly?

Many don’t know where to begin. If you’re like I was, until someone points you in the right direction it’s really hard to believe that it’s even possible. So what does it entail? Lots. Not to worry, it’s easy enough to show you where to start.

To give you a little bit of background, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that certain minimums be met before you ever become a private pilot. Their regulations require that a person who wants to become a private pilot must

·         Log at least 40 hours of flight time

o   20 need to be with an instructor in the airplane

o   10 solo (no instructor on board)

The 10 hours solo is similar to a teenager with a permit who is required to “log” so many hours with his/her parents. The main difference being that once your instructor feels you are ready to solo, he/she signs you off and sends you up on your own, usually for a short amount of time. During these hours, while you do not need your instructor with you, you cannot carry any passengers (sorry no friends or family just yet!).

What is important to remember is that while the minimum is only 40 hours to test for a private pilot certificate (in some cases that can be shortened to 35), the average I see is usually anywhere from 65-80 hours and depends on a variety of factors. You will be able to apply for your private pilot license in a shorter amount of time if you fly 3 times per week versus once per week. If you’re older you will most likely take longer to learn the fundamentals than the newly-graduated high school student. And then, sometimes it just comes down to…having a “knack” for it (and in that case sometimes these other factors don’t matter!). Some just pick up new skills faster than others, and most know where they stand. I’m probably as average as average can be. Not too fast but just not quick enough to brag either (bummer…)!

Alright, so there’s clearly A LOT of flying to be done…but not so fast! There’s a catch. There’s studying to do too. Don’t panic yet, if you’re not one that was ever great at self-study, there are ground schools and of course your flight instructor to sit with and learn in a classroom environment. Yes, you will have homework (you should), and while there’s no letter grade system (usually), you do need to give your instructor a reason to be confident in you, your ability, and your knowledge. When your instructor feels you are ready, he (or she) will sign you off to take the FAA Private Pilot Written Test which is required to be done and passed before you meet with an examiner to take your private pilot test (“checkride”).

There are some key milestones on your journey to becoming a pilot. The first (and most exhilarating in my opinion)? Solo. No more instructor sitting next to you, at least not in the short 30 minutes that it may take to do your first three takeoffs and landings all by yourself. Next are your two solo cross countries and last is your private pilot checkride.

Let’s tie everything together here for a moment before we get into the last stages of your training. The following is what you accomplish along the way and the order, more or less, which you do it in:

·         Introductory flight lesson

o   Most flight schools offer a discount, flat rate, so you can “get your feet wet” and decide if flying is for you

o   Usually after this lesson, if you’ve decided you loved the flight, you schedule your next lesson and set up a plan with your instructor

o   The introductory lesson is often done with an instructor that is available on the spot, and doesn’t have to be the instructor you continue on with, but once you choose your instructor (whether it be that first guy, or the guy that looks really experienced!) it would be best for you to stay with that instructor for the remainder of your training (unless you’re just not “meshing”, and even then you should try to work through it)

·         Pre-solo flights with your trusty instructor

o   This is more a stage that anything else, in this portion of the training you are flying with your instructor and accomplishing all the flight training that is required prior to you being endorsed to go solo

·         Pre-solo written test

o   Usually done a lesson or two prior to the lesson you are expected to solo on

o   The test is administered by your instructor. It is not an “official” written test that the FAA gives, it is simply a required test that must cover regulations applicable to a student pilot, questions on your home airport, and questions specific to the airplane you will be soloing in. Once you are done, your instructor will sit down with you and go over it, correcting it to “100%” as you go – and that’s it!

·         Solo flight

o   The morning, afternoon, or evening you solo, your instructor will have flown with you and made sure that you could land without him/her saying or doing anything – and all done safely without any doubt of your abilities (I like to say proof beyond a reasonable doubt! We want to be sure you’re going to come back safe and sound!)

o   After the short flight with your instructor he/she typically signs you off and sends you right back out again

o   Don’t be worried if your knees are shaking when you get out of the airplane, you’ve just done what most have never done!

·         Cross country lessons (ground and flight)

o   What does the FAA define as cross country flight that you can use toward your license?

§  A flight with a landing at an airport more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure

§  The rules you will follow as a student pilot and that you need to meet to take your private pilot test are more strict than this but when you hear cross country, this does not mean traversing across the entire country or multiple states (although it could!); it can be as short as flying from one airport to the next nearest or as long as around the entire world

o   These lessons include (not limited to)

§  Learning new takeoff and landing techniques

§  Learning to fly (and land!) at night

·         You will log flight training at night including a night cross country and 10 night takeoffs and landings

§  Cross country planning and procedures

·         You must receive and log a minimum of 3 hours cross country flight training

·         Cross country solo flights

o   After you receive the proper cross country training (both ground and flight) you will be endorsed to fly cross countries solo

o   You will need to log 5 hours cross country time solo

·         Checkride prep

o   Your “checkride” is the practical test that comes at the end of all your training and is described in the paragraph below

o   When you’re ready for your practical test you’ll be endorsed to take it and usually during this “checkride prep” stage of training the checkride will be scheduled

o   This portion of your training will include flight and ground training as your instructor sees necessary to prepare you for your private pilot test

o   The only requirement that you would fulfill in this step is to meet the practical test rule which states that you must receive and log 3 hours of flight training in preparation for your practical test within the preceding 90 days

§  English translation: your instructor will make sure that you have flown with him/her for at least 3 hours in the 90 days leading up to your test

·         The Practical Test

o   Here’s where you get to brag about your vast knowledge and display your amazing flying skills!

o   More explained below

 

Your flight instructor will sign you off for your “checkride” when he/she feels confident in your abilities, knowledge, and decision-making. Your checkride will be with an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner and includes both an oral and a flight. For completion of the oral you and the examiner sit down together and the examiner questions you on a variety of topics (your instructor will prep you on what these can and will include). The examiner will quiz you until they feel they have an understanding of your knowledge.

The oral can be as short as a couple hours or as long as three or four or more. The reason for the vast differences in length? One big one is your answers. Are you answering well? The oral will usually be shorter. The other difference is in the examiner.

Is the examiner like your Uncle Ernie who can’t stop talking and adding in personal stories and experiences? If so your oral will no doubt be longer than “normal”. I prefer this guy! On the opposite scale, some examiners are strictly business, and this might suit you better…you’ll certainly be done sooner. If you have the option to choose an examiner then…examine yourself – you know you the best. Do you want to be in a stressed or relaxed environment? Which do you perform better in? Do you like stories and a conversationally-driven test, or do you like to get to the point, and so on…

After the oral (usually on the same day), the examiner goes flying with you in the airplane you’ve been training in and tests you on various procedures and maneuvers. This flight is usually around two hours. Afterwards, if you’ve passed both the oral and the flight, you will be an FAA licensed private pilot! You’ll deserve it too!

The last question usually comes down to cost. How much is all of this?

It depends largely again on factors I mentioned earlier, such as frequency of lessons, learning ability, and the airplane you fly in (what the hourly rate is). Plan on $8,000 to $10,000 and don’t be surprised if you go over budget for an unexpected reason such as weather delays. Keep in mind too, I’ve seen guys pass in the bare minimum 40 hours and I’ve heard of one guy taking 200 hours. The number mentioned is based on 50 hours and can vary depending on the flight school, their airplanes, and the instructors they have.

·         Does the school have newer or older airplanes?

·         Does the school cater to a “get ‘em in and get ‘em out” mentality or is it focused more on quality and customer service?

·         Are the instructors there more experienced / considered life-instructors or are they on their way to an airline (i.e. working for cheap)? Such differences can make thousands of dollars in difference.

·         No two schools are created alike.

·         Don’t believe that the cheapest one is the best, and don’t believe that the one with the greatest pitch or the largest number of students is either.

o   Schools cater to different kinds of customers. Find the school that fits you.

o   The school with more students is more often airline-driven – maybe this fits you if you’re looking to pursue a career in aviation.

o   The smaller school that costs a little more but has beautiful new airplanes and a customer-oriented staff may be for you if you’re looking to fly for business or recreationally

§  Looking to buy your own airplane? These schools often allow their instructors to teach in “outside” aircraft, i.e. an airplane not provided by the school itself

 You have to think of flying as a lifetime experience. Once you have your license, you will always have it, it never expires! There are also many uses for it: business trips (see my July 1, 2010 “To Fly or Not to Fly: The Benefits“), leisure trips to exclusive fly-in resorts and camping sites, day trips to visit friends for golf or to grab a bite to eat (breakfast, lunch, or dinner and back), simple “get-out-of-the-house-itis”, and many more I’m forgetting! Think of flying as a hobby. You wouldn’t necessarily give a second thought to the “costs” of your RV, boat, vacation home, or new car…it becomes a part of your lifestyle, and as such you see it in terms of value, and not cost.

Still interested in lessons?

Your first step is to find out as much as you can about your local airport. Is there a flight school on the field? There are several sources you can go to in order to find out: You can start with a simple google search. Try “flight lessons [city, state]” and see what you get. You may also try www.aopa.org/learntofly/school/index.cfm – a database of flight schools, but not a complete list just yet. If you’re not having any luck try http://www.airnav.com/, click on “Airports” and type in your city and state. Scroll down to near the bottom and you will find businesses on the field listed. Flight schools aren’t ALWAYS listed there, but it’s a start. If you find a flight school through one of these methods, but it’s the wrong airport, try calling the place and see if they know of any flight schools in your local area – they should be more than glad to help! The same goes for any businesses you may find on the airport, i.e. a maintenance shop, fixed base operator (FBO), or pilot shop. Any of these places should be more than willing to help an aspiring pilot!

Step two: Go to the flight school and ask questions. If the person you are greeted by doesn’t know all the answers to your questions, they will certainly try to find someone who does. This will usually be a flight instructor or manager.

Lastly, if you have any questions or comments you can also comment below and I will get back to you!

Happy flying,
Up in the Air

Interested in flight lessons?

Looking into flight lessons and don't know where to start? Visit my post, "Learn to Fly" from June 17, 2011 for more information.

Cirrus SR22 Grand Forks, ND "KGFK"

The post takes you through the overall process and if it isn't detailed enough, comment below. I'll respond back and then update the old post with a FAQ section. Anything more I can add is great, because I couldn't possibly think up all possible questions or issues you might come across - and it'll help both you and your fellow future pilots! I'm also happy to look up flight schools in your area if you aren't sure where to start or which school would be best, just let me know!

Also, if blogging or sifting through blogs isn't your forte, like me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/memoirsofaflightinstructor!
 
To great flying experiences,
Up in the Air

From Sea to Sea

From California to Florida,  North Dakota to Missouri, Massachusetts to Colorado...A LOT of moving! But I have lots to be grateful for and one of the many is the experience I've had in all of those states. Mountain flying, winter flying, wind flying, sun flying...lots and lots of different conditions.

From airport hopping with friends to hopping down a runway with students (of course it wasn't me)!

Trinity Center Airport, CA "O86"

Rejoicing in the cool evenings to wallowing in my flying-induced credit card debt.

One of my crazier moments, I couldn't find my helmet! ~2007?

From basketball on the ramp to eating greasy food and delicious pie at Nancy's airport truck-stop.

Who said work had to be boring? Auburn Airport, CA "KAUN"

Nancy's Airport Cafe, Willows Airport, CA "KWLW"

I've had a great time and can honestly say without any doubt that I am the luckiest in-debt student I have ever known! So here's to flying and wonderful times, from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the Golden State to the Sunshine State, and let's not forget the Mid-west and it's wonderful people!

South Beach, Miami, FL

Have fun and don't forget to be the most blessed of the blessed!

Up in the Air

Is there a right way to change the runway?

I'm stubborn...very stubborn.


I flew into a non-towered airport today with two runways. It was mid-morning, so the wind had shifted at some point from calm to out of the south. The runways were 10/28, 18/36. Winds shifting between 170 and 200 at 6-7 knots. There were a couple other airplanes in the pattern for 1-0, and I imagine they had been there for the past hour or so since they were using that runway. And here I come, out of the Northeast, looking to set my struggling student up with the fewest worries. No tower, calmer winds, and so on. We set up the way we should for runway 1-8, calling inbound, saying our intentions to cross mid-field and enter back on a right 45.

One of the instructors already there jumps on and tells me "a couple aircraft are already using 1-0".

What do I do? Of course this had to be on an off-day, a day I'm not in the greatest of moods (a whole blog could be made into why no one should fly in a bad mood!)...So I reply "Winds are at 1-8-0, at 7 knots, I'm trying to switch it up to the more favorable runway"...and I bluntly add in, "go back to [insert home airport here] airport and get your crosswind practice there!" Shouldn't have said that, I know, but again...not off to a great start for the day.

"The wind is barely noticeable, you'll be okay."

Now we're attacking my skills? "Just trying to teach my student right, trying to use the right runway."

Eventually the couple of planes switched over and continued on as if nothing happened.

So I have a question today...did I take the right action?

I could have easily entered the pattern for runway 1-0 and dealt with the light crosswind/tailwind and gone on with the day. But at what point do we say there needs to be a change? Winds were forecast to be out of the south for the entire day, so at what point does someone finally say "let's make a change!"

Whether my actions were right or wrong (disclaimer: I'm still learning, as everyone should be, especially when it comes to flying!), should someone be met with an angry voice on the other side of the mic? Is that really constructive? I guess with every "family" there are going to be confrontations, I'm just sad to hear it when everyone is learning. My student, his student, everyone.

I've had the reverse happen to me. Being at an airport, winds changing, and someone else coming in and changing to the new runway. It's inconvenient, yes, but since when is an inconvenience a bad thing in aviation? Only when you don't accommodate for it?

Please, opinions are welcome, I'm open to new or better ways to handle situations! We are only able to make decisions to the extent of our experience, training, and the experience of others!

And to brighten my day (and hopefully yours), here's a photo that I added to my Instagram account (took it off the coast of Florida). I just discovered Instagram, and I'm going to sound like an advertiser here but it's pretty much amazing. Share photos, search and browse through other's photos - My excitement will probably wear off, after all I did just learn about it yesterday! :)

To more learning experiences!

Up in the Air

The Black Hole

I don't know if I've ever met a pilot who didn't believe they were above average. If any one who is reading this is a pilot - you know what I mean - you're probably thinking it too. I know I am. I can't say that I would even consider myself less than an above average pilot. I can admit my instructing skills can still use much improvement - but that's easy to admit, I'm new to it. But when it comes down to the skills of flying, I really do think I'm good. I'm being honest too. I know inside that it is entirely possible that I'm wrong and I'm not above average, maybe I'm just average (I don't think I can bring myself to consider below average...). Even in everyday situations in life - we feel that given a situation we can handle it. We can handle it better than most. Until you experience a situation that was said to be tough first hand you don't think it's as tough as it's made out to be.

Have you ever heard of a black hole? I'm not talking about those holes out in space that scientists say we get sucked into and I'm not talking about internet black holes that drop clients (I really don't know what I'm talking about there...), but I'm talking about the black hole in aviation terms. The black hole you were warned about by your flight instructor or your ground school instructors (if you went to one). The ones you encounter when flying into an airport that has little surrounding features to help guide you to touchdown. For those who have no experience flying - it's basically featureless terrain. If an airport is surrounded by fields, and those fields are snowed over, there's nothing to use to judge distance and height. Same thing can happen at night. Take a look at the following short video.



The video was a landing I did at Georgetown airport in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at night after one of our famous trips to Willows airport for greasy food and chocolate pie. There were absolutely no visual references to judge where I was at on my approach. Lucky for me, I had been there earlier in the day and knew where the obstacles were (by that I mean pine trees!) - so the whole way down I at least knew I wasn't going to hit anything. I was being so cautious that on the first approach I ended up coming in way too high. I was past the half way point and still floating (3000' runway). At that point, I thought, well, I'll just go around and do it again (probably a bad decision). I added full power and began slowly retracting the flaps. I lifted the gear handle to bring the gear up. The gear wasn't coming up.

My 1972 Piper Arrow had an old gear switch that didn't allow the gear to come up below a certain airspeed as what was considered a "safety precaution" (I wasn't so happy with it at this point). You could chose to change that manually whenever you wanted (located just by the flap handle) - but it was hard to tell sometimes which way you had it set up. Apparently mine was activated! Fun time to find out. From earlier that day, I knew there were trees off the end of the runway, this time on the departure end, and I was worried. With my little Arrow fully loaded (all 4 seats filled), it wasn't climbing out as fast as I wanted it to. I was nervous. For the first time, I was thinking, "what if we didn't make it". With a little bit of light from the moon I could see the outline of the trees on nearby hillsides, but in the pitch black I had no idea where I was in relationship to the ones below me. To this day, I don't know how close I came - maybe I cleared it by a lot, maybe just barely. I nursed the airplane to traffic pattern altitude (maybe not the proper way to say it since it was my pride that was hurt and not the plane) and waited for the airspeed to increase until I could bring the gear up (in the darkness I hadn't been able to find the override switch and defaulted to just flying the airplane).

When I finally landed the second time around, I was close to shaking, and my friends had surprisingly landed ahead of us (that's another long but funny story I may have to tell later). I had always been warned about the ominous "black hole", but I had always wondered why anyone made a big deal about it. After all, could it really be a problem for such a great pilot as myself? Don't let that happen to you, you may not be as lucky as I was. The factors sure set me up for disaster - night time, in mountainous terrain, no lights, a full airplane, and an incomplete knowledge of my airplane's configuration. Don't be caught by surprise. Sometimes, situations are tougher than you think, and I'm still learning that!

Fly safe,
Up in the Air

Dreaming of the day...

Who has ever dreamed of flying? I used to have dreams when I was little about flying just above the town where I lived. I'd dream of waking up, going outside, and leaping into the air from my house. I'd go off on a sight-seeing tour of everything around where I lived. Funny thing is I could never really control where I went, it was always like one of those dreams where you try to run, but you can't no matter what you do. I felt like I was along for the ride - with myself of course. But I always enjoyed those dreams. Sometimes I remember those dreams when I'm flying, and it's hard to believe that it's real life - I wouldn't except for the fact that I really can control where I go!

One of the first sites I ever saw when I began flying was the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn, California.

It is considered the tallest bridge in the state and is featured in the movie "xXx" in which Vin Diesel drives a stolen red Chevrolet Corvette off it. Do I like the movie? Not really, but I love that scene mostly because of all the memories I have from the bridge. I grew up in Auburn, and I thought it was so fun to cross - little did I know I would soon circle around it in an airplane!


Not too far off, I constantly enjoyed the view of the Sutter Buttes (also known as "Sutter Butts" to myself and my flying friends), the world's smallest mountain range. They are located in the central valley of California, and from where I flew out of, they were on a direct flight path to Willows airport - an airport about an hour away that serves the greasiest food - but oh is it good!

Look closely at this one, San Francisco Bay is in the distance, with fog blanketing the city.




















I'd love to say I've been from sea to shining sea in an airplane, but I haven't quite yet. I did get to see one of my favorite little towns on the northern coast of California, Mendocino. The first try was a failed attempt - it was fogged in, with no way of getting in. But my friends and I were finally successful!


It's barely been 5 years since the first time I started flight lessons, but I have had some of the most amazing experiences thanks to some great friends and a supportive family. These are just a glimpse of some of the wonderful places I've seen - there will be more to come soon. In the meantime, I patiently await my medical (well perhaps not so patiently).

In honor of a friend,
Smiles,
Up in the Air

What are you doing?

It's funny what people will do when they are scared out of their mind or when they have no idea what they should do. I had a student once who was both scared out of his mind and didn't know what to do. He was my very first student (maybe the fact that we were both scared out of our minds had something to do with it?...Just saying...). I could tell from the start that he was scared - scared of this one maneuver - stalls. That's basically when the wings aren't producing lift anymore - that's not as bad as it sounds, at least when you're five thousand feet above the ground in a controlled environment. When practicing all you need to do to recover is lower the nose, sometimes all it takes is releasing a little bit of back pressure, and wait until you gain airspeed to return to normal flight. I can't remember anymore exactly which type of stall we were practicing, whether we had power-on or off, but I do remember his reaction. The first few stalls we did were a little nerve-wrecking for him, and I was ready to call it quits to give him a breather, but he insisted on doing a couple more.

We set the airplane up for a stall, slowly raising the nose, letting the airspeed drop off. All of a sudden, as if he had lost patience, he yanked the nose back quickly - which caused an immediate stall. He was so abrupt he shocked himself. As the nose quickly fell down through the horizon, he let go of everything and gave out a little bit of a shriek. Before I knew it we were pointed nearly vertical towards the ground.

I was never far away from taking control - but I also wasn't expecting him to let go of everything. Always watch closely when someone is scared or apprehensive about doing something. You really don't know how they will react. I couldn't expect my brand new student to recover from a situation he put himself in when he doesn't know what to do. If he doesn't know how he got there, he definitely won't know how to get back. That's the same for everyone in life.You can't fix something that you don't know how to fix, and you won't fix it until you know how to. Sometimes the best course of action to take is letting go, let go and let the person you trust handle the situation, or whatever it is that needs letting go. My student trusted in me, trusted that I could help him when he had no idea how to help himself . Sometimes we all need to do that. If we pay attention, we can eventually learn how to handle even the toughest situation.

Back to my student. Will my student need to learn how to recover from a situation such as the one he put us in? Of course. I don't want anyone whom I've taught get a pilot's license if I don't know how they'll react in a tough situation. Did my stomach twist a little when all of a sudden the nose of the airplane was pointed towards the ground? Yes, I was a little shaky until the end of the flight, but I didn't let go of the controls. At some point in my flying career, I'm sure I would have done the exact same thing - but that point is in the past, at a time when I wouldn't have known how to recover either.

To clear skies,
Up in the Air

Welcome!

I hope to write this blog for you, perhaps the aviation enthusiast, maybe the person who is simply clicking through blogs trying to find someone to follow. Maybe you're a person who simply wants to follow someone, or maybe one who wants to learn more about flying. Whoever you are, I hope you find this interesting, funny, emotional at times, and hopefully, not a complete waste of your time. I will try my best to be brutally honest about my life as a flight instructor - and in doing so I plan to tell the stories as they happen - whether it makes me look like an idiot, my student, my friends, or maybe even you (well maybe not that...)! I also hope to look back someday and realize how little I knew (come to think of it I probably won't know much then either).

For the time being, relax and enjoy! Suggestions are welcome, because I hope to make this a learning experience for me as well!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Up in the Air