Olhos sobre tela

existem muitos discursos prontos, alguns até muito bons, sobre o que devemos fazer com a quantidade de lembranças que carregamos no peito — ou não tão no peito assim, a gente sabe. calma, fui rápido…

独家优惠奖金 100% 高达 1 BTC + 180 免费旋转

Seven Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Pilot Training

I started training for my Private Pilot’s License as a stubborn, 15-year-old kid. I had no idea what I was doing, all I knew was that I wanted to fly airplanes.

I’m sure several of you find yourselves in a similar situation. Aviation, specifically general aviation, is something that seems to still be hidden in today’s society. It isn’t seen as a traditional or viable career path to several. It’s something that a considerable amount of people wish they could do. I’m here to tell you it is possible, I genuinely think that if you can dream it you can achieve it. Flying is a career path that I think is perfect for those who want an adventure, and good development within their careers.

At the time, I wanted to major in Finance and somehow “make a difference” in the financial world. After about a year of flying under my belt and deep-thought during the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized I would pursue aerospace engineering. This was a childhood dream that was brought back to my realization after I had started flying.

Flying isn’t always easy, but I think it is and always will be worth it. I believe aviation is a pathway that leads to a lifetime of adventure and learning.

Here are some things I wish I knew before I started flying:

I didn’t realize how expensive flying was. When I started seeing the bills slowly eat away at my already small bank account I realized that this was another major reason why people don’t fly.

I wish I had known so I could’ve spent more time saving up before starting training.

Although, there are several ways to reduce the financial burden of flying. One of the easiest is by limiting the amount of time you spend flying with your instructor, and this comes with studying more at home while you are away from the airplane. This really just comes down to knowing your stuff, and coming to each lesson over-prepared and very attentive.

For a career in aviation, you have to be invested financially I estimate it to cost as much as 2 semesters at a private college (about 60k to 75k in USD).

People do not consider how often you need to fly to maintain currency and proficiency. According to the FAA regulation FAR 61.57, to fly passengers and act as PIC (Pilot in Command) you must have done at least 3 takeoffs and landings in the same category, class, and type (if a type rating is required) in the preceding 90 days for currency. Flying is a perishable skill, you will forget important things if you don’t fly on a somewhat consistent basis. The cost of doing so can add up quite quickly, on the other hand, if you don’t fly consistently you will have to use an instructor to safely regain flying proficiency.

Flying is often seen as a “rich man’s hobby.” It is compared to sailing and cruising around in yachts. I cannot speak upon the skill that is required by sailors, but flying is more than just burning money in the sky; flying is a process that keeps you constantly learning and on your feet, if you’re doing it right.

When I first started flying I didn’t realize that there was any book-work involved. I thought that it was similar to driving, in the sense that you just flew with your instructor and practiced until you reached a certain level of proficiency. I had no idea. I don’t know if others have found themselves in similar situations to me, I didn’t come from an aviation family and I had only talked to one pilot before starting. I just went to my flight school and signed up.

Flying involves a lot of knowledge. The amount depends on your career aspirations, but any good pilot will always strive to know as much as they can. I think that being a pilot has very little to do with flying the plane and more to do with navigating, ensuring safety, and maintaining situational awareness. These skills and more are achieved through a greater understanding that goes beyond just flying the plane.

I originally thought those topics like airplane systems and basic aerodynamics were only useful to mechanics and engineers, but in your training, you learn that as a PIC (Pilot In Command) it is your responsibility to ensure that all systems are functional and safe. In hindsight, it seems obvious to me now but when I first started I thought it was odd.

The image that was initially in my head was firing up the airplane, putting the destination in the GPS, and departing and flying there. This is what the irresponsible pilot might practice, but a good pilot will understand that there is so much more depth to each practice before, during, and after each flight (whether a training flight or not).

This statement holds for a few reasons. The first thing that comes to mind is airline seniority, another factor to consider is the amount of time that it takes to get the ratings.

When you first get hired at an airline you are assigned a number called a seniority number. This number determines what place you are in line. Airline seniority is simply a concept of “first come first serve” adapted to the style of the airlines. If you want to be a captain at ABC Airways, for example, then you must have the appropriate place in line to upgrade. The seniority number is literally the numerical value that represents how “senior” you are within the airline.

This question’s answer depends on several different factors including your budget, the training environment you want to be in, how fast of a learner you are, and if you have other things going on. For example, if you take the university track and go to a school like Embry-Riddle your minimum amount of hours gets shaved off from 1,500 to 1,250 and you probably won’t have a lot of issues with the weather in Daytona or Prescott.

Training Environment

The training environment that you are in makes a great impact. This is because of weather and the type of flight school you sign up for. There are plenty of days where you will not be able to fly due to thunderstorms, wind, and more. Weather doesn’t have to be visible either, the wind could just be too strong for a training flight on a particular day. This also depends on what type of school you pick, you could pick a regimented school (Part 141) or a school where you fly as you can (Part 61). The benefit with part 141 is you no longer have any excuses, you are on their schedule. Additionally, the amount of hours you have to fly in order to get a rating becomes less which can cut down on the time and money you spend.

Budget/Supply of money

Training is typically retained faster and it is genuinely more effective if it is done consecutively- rating after rating. What do I mean by this? If you sign up for a school like ATP you can go “zero to hero” in as little as nine months. You quite literally sprint through all of your ratings. But, such a program comes with a lot of up-front costs. It’s not easy to shovel out a spare $80,000. For several, this becomes a limiting factor and training has to be spaced out. In my limited observation, this is not the cheapest, but that doesn’t necessarily make it less financially efficient (based on its results and benefits).

What type of learner are you?

Everybody learns, processes, and retains information differently. Some people might learn the information and retain it faster than others. If you like to learn things fast then you will learn things fast in training, but if you like to take your time to absorb things then training might take a longer time.

Do you have other things going on?

Chances are that the answer is yes to this question. You could be a student, full-time employee, a mother of two, or a part-time business owner- these are all things that become limiting factors in how fast you get your rating. They should be accounted for conservatively. When I first heard the number 40 hours for the private pilot license, I thought that it would be super easy and that I would get it done in two weeks, it took me more than two years to get it.

A quick note on flight hours: if you need 1,500 hours to get to the airlines realize that it will take a lot more than 1,500 hours of your time. There is so much more to it: the time spent pre-flighting the aircraft, the time studying, the time spent driving to the airport, the time “couch-flying,” and the time spent on the ground going over your flight plans with your instructor.

Eat the frog! Block out some time and start working towards your rating today!

When I first started training I didn’t realize that there were other good schools in my area. I naively thought that I should just train at the school that was recommended to me and not look at other options. I chose a great flight school, but this flight school was relatively more expensive compared to other options. So, do your research!

You can always take multiply discovery flights to see which school, or instructor you like the best. I picked the first school I thought of, and the first instructor I flew with. They were luckily good choices, but this is not always the case so scope out your options. I just got really lucky the first time.

Time of year may seem like an odd thing to consider, but some times within the year are not ideal for training at all. I don’t have as many issues, because I am based out of Florida. Training here can be done throughout the year, but weather can be a major issue in several areas with things like snow, icing, and more weather conditions to worry about. It would be best to pick a season where you can work on your flight training without being interrupted by the weather, or even personal obligations, and focus on the training.

I made the brutal mistake of not studying until it was time to take both the written exam and the check-ride. If I had studied before each flight, or before I started training I would understand what was happening and why when I was flying the airplane. I would even be able to practice the maneuvers and check-lists, this would have saved a lot of time and frustration.

Knowledge in aviation instills confidence, and confidence is a key element when it comes to flying. For example, if it was time to do a certain maneuver in your training, and you knew it then your instructor could critique your base of knowledge and build/refine it. Small things like this add up fast, you can save a lot of time in the air if you already know how to do it, without needing your instructor to demonstrate each maneuver to you.

In general, if you come to a lesson already knowing the content then you can build upon a good existing base of knowledge. By having this base of knowledge you allow for more space in your instruction to learn more complex concepts, you can understand more because there is more figurative “room” for you to fill.

The main reason I regret not doing my young-eagles flight earlier is that they give you a code to Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, which covers the ground school needed for any of your initial certificates (private, recreational, or sport pilot).

I had already bought a King Schools course, so I wasted money on that course. The ironic thing is that I ended up using and enjoying the Sporty’s Course more than the King Schools.

It is a common myth that one must have 20/20 vision to be a pilot. This is one-hundred percent FALSE. More than half of the airline pilots I see wear glasses.

This doesn’t mean that you don’t have to meet certain guidelines for both your vision, but also general health. To start you need a “third-class medical” administered by an aviation medical examiner. You need to have this completed before you fly an aircraft alone or “solo.”

My recommendation is that if you want aviation as a career get the medical class for the type of flying that you aspire to do, for example, airline pilots need a first-class medical. Why should you do that? I think this should be done to double-check that you do indeed meet the medical requirements, it would suck to do all of the work and find out your medical state won’t allow you to fly.

There is so much to know before you get in the plane and start flying. A lot of these things become more obvious as you fly and gain experience, but a lot of it might not be at first. By adhering to or considering these seven tips you will have a much smoother transition into the flying world.

Getting your first pilot certificate is one of the most rewarding experiences ever, whether you want to pursue aviation professionally or recreationally. I still remember the day of my check-ride so vividly.

You will learn so much apart from flying an airplane in the process of getting a certificate or rating, a lot of it will be things that aren’t related to aviation at all. At the end of the day, your first pilot certificate (private pilot certificate most of the time) is considered to be your “license to learn.”

Now, go out there and fly!

Olhos sobre tela

Seven Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Pilot Training

Add a comment

Related posts:

The git and github technology

Celebrating a Crazy Good Builder

Improved Ballpark Entry at Safeco Field in 2018