You're wondering what it would be like to fly an
airplane?
Whether it's for a career change, business travel, a fun and rewarding
personal
challenge, or to fulfil a dream, why not try it out?
Could I Really Learn to Fly an
Airplane?
I would be happy to take you up for an introductory
flying
lesson, with no obligation. The lesson can be booked any time in
daylight
hours., and is subject to suitable weather. After a few minutes in the
classroom,
discussing the controls of the airplane and what to look for in the
air,
we would get into a Cessna 152 airplane and go for a half hour
flight.
The airplane is equipped with dual controls, so that you would fly
the
airplane yourself for most of the flight, with me explaining what
to
do, and helping you out as required.
Flying an airplane does not require extrordinary skill,
reflexes
or bravery, but it is a LOT of fun. I am a Transport Canada licensed
flight
instructor, working out of Pacific
Flying Club at Boundary Bay Airport in Delta, BC. My students
range
from teenagers to retirees and come from all over the Lower Mainland
and the
world.
If you are thinking that there is some reason you could
not
learn to fly an airplane, let me debunk it on my Frequent Excuses List.
What
Does it Cost?
A half-hour introductory flight costs $40, and
can
be given as a gift. Contact a school near you for more information on
training costs. Realize that most schools quote based on the minimum
legal time to complete a licence and it is not unusual for your
training to cost 50 per cent more than that. Student
loans
are available to those pursuing aviation as a career.
How Much Time Does it Take?
Each lesson takes about two hours start to
finish.
That includes a classroom briefing on the exercises to be flown,
discussion
of the weather and other conditions for the flight, preflight
inspection
of the airplane, refueling if required, about an hour flight in the
airplane,
and a postflight review of the lesson. You will also often be
required
to do about twenty minutes of homework: reading, memorization,
or
other preparation for your next flight. The groundschool trainingwill
be another forty hours, usually two evenings a week, for three hours
each,
but alternatives can be arranged.
The whole course of training for a private licence will
typically be
about 50 or 60 lessons. That means that flying every day, twice
a
day, you could complete the licence in a month. Weather
typically
intereferes with such ambitious intentions, but more often it is
available
cash, time or motivation that limits the frequency of lessons. You can
learn to fly
taking
lessons once a week or even less, but it will take more lessons as well
as
more total time, because of the tendency to forget things over the
week.
Twice a week is usually effective, and should get you the licence within
a year.
Who Shouldn't Learn to Fly?
If you have serious medical or mental problems, you probably will not
be
able to hold an aviation medical, but I
know of
students who have completed the dual instruction part of the training
just
for the knowledge and the experience.
Students who don't want to learn to
fly,
but are taking lessons merely to fulfil their parents' wishes rarely do
well.
It sounds silly to say that you shouldn't take flying lessons
unless
you want to learn to fly, but I'm saying it anyway. The desire to fly
is
a prerequisite for taking lessons.
What Exactly is Involved?
These are the current requirements of the
Canadian
private pilot licence
Valid aviation medical
certificate,
class 3 or higher
45 hours flight training from a licenced instructor, covering all the
required
exercises
40 hours groundschool
Score of at least 90% on the written PSTAR test of air regulations
Score of at least 70% on the written test to obtain your Aeronautical
Radiotelephone
Operator's
Certificate
Score of at least 60% in each of the four sections of the PPAER private
pilot
written exam
Recommendation from your flight instructor
Passing mark (50%) on a flight test with a Transport Canada examiner
See my Flight Training Process
page
to find out more about what to expect while learning to fly.
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This page written 12 July 2000 by Robyn Stewart.
Last revised 2 February 2005. |
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