November 06, 2007
Cockpits
Ever wonder what the cockpit in a particular jet/plane looks like? Click on the plane and it will show you the cockpit.
Two Great Books for Flight Training Introduction
So far in preparation for my future flight training, I have two great books under my belt: Your Pilot's License by Jerry A. Eichenberger and Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying by Wolfgang Langewiesche.
Your Pilots License is a great book to begin with. It's very basic in its conception and it explains to you what to expect in training, how much it will cost, some flight theory, explanation of procedures, etc. Very much enjoyed it. I wanted a little bit more though.
Stick and Rudder was awesome. Very geared towards more flight theory and how the wings and the ailerons works, how wind behaves, how lift is lost and gained in relation to nose attitude and Angle of Attack, etc. It was an excellent second book to read to psyche me up for training. I highly recommend these two books to get you going in flight training.
Your Pilots License is a great book to begin with. It's very basic in its conception and it explains to you what to expect in training, how much it will cost, some flight theory, explanation of procedures, etc. Very much enjoyed it. I wanted a little bit more though.
Stick and Rudder was awesome. Very geared towards more flight theory and how the wings and the ailerons works, how wind behaves, how lift is lost and gained in relation to nose attitude and Angle of Attack, etc. It was an excellent second book to read to psyche me up for training. I highly recommend these two books to get you going in flight training.
November 04, 2007
Log Time in a Piper PA-30 out of AHN
Friday afternoon I logged about 30 minutes of quality flight time in a Piper PA-30 Comanche with my girlfriends father. Did about a 15 minute pre-flight, taxied out and we were off! During the flight he taught me how to trim the plane (adjusting the trim tab on the elevator) so that you're not constantly adding pressure to the yoke making your arms fatigue quicker. It amazed me how little pressure is required once you do this. Did some navigation, some 30 degree turn maneuvers and plenty of sight seeing. I'm totally hooked. I was totally engaged the whole time I was in the air.
The desire is getting stronger and stronger to get my pilots certificate. My training should start pretty soon. I've decided that I'll do my training locally out of AHN with an independent flight instructor. Makes much more sense to me to do it this way since I'm not to keen on getting instruction from young lads just trying to build time for the majors.
The desire is getting stronger and stronger to get my pilots certificate. My training should start pretty soon. I've decided that I'll do my training locally out of AHN with an independent flight instructor. Makes much more sense to me to do it this way since I'm not to keen on getting instruction from young lads just trying to build time for the majors.
October 09, 2007
Independent Flight Instructors
I'm currently thinking about going the route of finding an Independent Flight Instructor for my flight training instead of going to a flight school. I came upon a school called Skyblaze Aviation based out of Dekalb county in GA. I spoke with a flight instructor named Pascale and she gave some me great advice about flight training in general.
The biggest eye opener after reading the letter on her website was realizing how little flight time instructors need in order to teach others to fly. They may be well qualified and give great instruction but I would feel much more comfortable creating a real relationship with my instructor rather than feeling like I'm going to school and having time constraints with airplane rental times, etc.
"You see, many instructors are just "building hours" until they can get on to the next phase of their careers. They are only instructors because they have to be, and as soon as it's no longer necessary, they're gone. At the same time, they may have the bare minimum number of hours themselves that "qualify" them to teach others. What matters is your personal flight instructor not necessarily the flight school."
I'm glad I read this and spoke to Pascale because it changed my perspective on my goal of gradually becoming a flight instructor. The old adage still stands - success is all about the relationships you build with others - including your flight instructor.
The biggest eye opener after reading the letter on her website was realizing how little flight time instructors need in order to teach others to fly. They may be well qualified and give great instruction but I would feel much more comfortable creating a real relationship with my instructor rather than feeling like I'm going to school and having time constraints with airplane rental times, etc.
"You see, many instructors are just "building hours" until they can get on to the next phase of their careers. They are only instructors because they have to be, and as soon as it's no longer necessary, they're gone. At the same time, they may have the bare minimum number of hours themselves that "qualify" them to teach others. What matters is your personal flight instructor not necessarily the flight school."
I'm glad I read this and spoke to Pascale because it changed my perspective on my goal of gradually becoming a flight instructor. The old adage still stands - success is all about the relationships you build with others - including your flight instructor.
September 26, 2007
Discovery Flight
Went on a discovery flight today with Firefly Aviation at Ben Epps Airport and basically got the bug for flying. I'm hooked. I had a great time and it was really exciting to sit in the seat of a Piper Warrior and take the controls. We went through a pre-flight check of the plane and we taxied out on the runway. The instructor and I flew around the airspace for about 45 minutes doing a couple of maneuvers, talking about my goals as a pilot and sightseeing some local Athens, GA landmarks. It's amazing to see things in perspective from 2500 feet(mean sea level). The instructor had some great credentials and we got along pretty well which is very important when choosing an instructor. Still need to a little more research before jumping into anything. Must avoid being impulsive when it comes to such an important decision. All and all the flight was amazing and I'm left wondering when I'll be behind the yoke once again.
September 20, 2007
Choosing The Right Flight School
What I've read so far there is no right and better flight school. It seems the best choice is the one that follows and meets your aspirations as a pilot. My particular goal at this point is to get my Private Pilots Certificate and eventually get my CFI (Certified Flight Instructor Certificate) so I can teach flying to other students and gain some good airtime. With that being said, the most important thing to do now is focus on the quality of instruction for my PPL.
I'm looking at two schools. Firefly Aviation is local here in Athens and The Flight School of Gwinnett is 45 minutes down the road. I love the fact that Firefly is local and 5 minutes from where I live. That will definitely cut down on the costs when it comes comes to commuting. Less gas, more flexible with scheduling lessons, smaller school, etc. The Flight School of Gwinnett is Part 141 which makes the training more rigid but I'm not really convinced that matters much in my situation. Seems like they are more concerned with the marketing aspect of the rating to get people in.
I'm looking at two schools. Firefly Aviation is local here in Athens and The Flight School of Gwinnett is 45 minutes down the road. I love the fact that Firefly is local and 5 minutes from where I live. That will definitely cut down on the costs when it comes comes to commuting. Less gas, more flexible with scheduling lessons, smaller school, etc. The Flight School of Gwinnett is Part 141 which makes the training more rigid but I'm not really convinced that matters much in my situation. Seems like they are more concerned with the marketing aspect of the rating to get people in.
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