If You Ever Wanted to Learn to Fly, Now is the Time |
How does it start?
Well today we will talk about the process of getting into flight training, a little bit about ground school and what you can expect on your first flight lesson and beyond. Let's get started.
If you want to fly, the first thing you need to do is visit a flight school or fixed-based operator (FBO) at your local airport. You can find them on-line or in the yellow pages. If you have never heard the term "FBO" before, an FBO is like a gas station for airplanes. They provide ramp service, i.e., fuel and parking, but a lot of times they provide airplane ground school and flight instruction as well. Sometimes they even rent airplanes and may have their own charter service. After all, once you pass the Private Pilot checkride, you will become certified by the FAA which means that you are qualified to fly an airplane and that you can take that plane up, handle different situations during the flight and return it to the ground safely. A flight school or FBO will allow you to rent their airplane so you can do just that.
So you have stopped by a flight school and talked to a certificated flight instructor (CFI) and discussed your flight training options. You like the instructor and you like the flight school, so you sign-up for ground school and your first lesson. When the day actually comes for you to do your first training flight, you can bet you will probably be a bit nervous. I know I was. It will be a nervousness that is mixed with excitement because soon you will be flying above the world in an environment you have never been before. After years of just admiring airplanes from afar and staring at airplane flight controls in pictures, you are now the one actually learning to control an airplane. You are learning how to fly.
Hopefully you studied hard and paid lots of attention during the ground school portion of your training. Flying an airplane isn't like studying English literature or American history. Every bit of knowledge you get in the classroom will have direct and important application when you taxi an airplane onto the runway and take to the air. So really learn, ask questions and leave no question unanswered in your eagerness to understand and comprehend every detail of this complicated and important field of learning. Granted, during ground school there will be many things that you will understand but have no practical foundation for but that you have to learn anyways. I guarantee though that you will be amazed when you are flying along and you have that "ah-ha" moment when you correlate the information together and it becomes crystal clear and you understand everything. Wait for it, because it is truly a wonderful experience.
Finally you are strapping yourself into the left seat of that flight school airplane as your flight instructor is strapping themselves into the right seat for your first flight lesson. At this point, you may be feeling a little anxious. Don't worry though, your flight instructor will be there every step of the way to guide you and encourage you. From this point on, the left seat will be your classroom and your instructor will be sitting in the right seat to help you. You will have most of the flight instruments on your side but you and your instructor will share flight controls. The passenger seat of the cockpit of a training airplane has parallel controls so if your instructor senses you need help and needs to explain something, they can take over and demonstrate the technique for you in actual flight practice. There is no better learning situation than this.
From the moment to arrive at the airport for your first flight till you tie-down the airplane, it will be a flurry of events, instructions, and information. And chances are you will only remember a portion of what your flight instructor is telling you because excitement will be dominating your thoughts. You will go through every aspect of the flight and there will be checklists of things to be mindful of from the moment you sit down at the controls to the end of the flight when you have landed the airplane and have stepped out onto the tarmac with one flight successfully in your logbook. You will have covered all of this in the classroom but you might feel overwhelmed when you are actually in the process of a flight lesson because you will not only have to remember dozens of things to check off, you are dealing with the sensations of flying an airplane.
But don't worry because your instructor knows that especially on this first flight, you will not be an expert at every aspect of the flight. They will help you start the engine, taxi it onto the runway, handle the radio communications and assist you with the take off. During the flight, your instructor will be having as much fun as you watching you discover the fun of flying, banking the plane, gaining altitude, changing directions and dealing with the atmosphere around you. And when the time is right to land the plane, the most important part of the flight, your instructor will be very involved and maybe handle this first one for you so you can get on the ground safely with a good learning experience behind you.
In conclusion, during your first flight lesson, pay attention, ask lots of questions and get comfortable with what is going on. If you feel some nervous jitters in your stomach, that's normal. Just relax and remember your training. In the flight lessons ahead, you will handle the controls more and more until finally you are flying the airplane and making the radio calls during the whole lesson. It takes time and if you fly often you will notice your skills improving steadily and that you get more and more out of every lesson. It won't be long before you wonder why it was so difficult for you in the beginning because now everything seems so easy.
I hope you've enjoyed this article. We have talked about what the first few steps are towards becoming a pilot and what you can expect as you take your first lesson and beyond. You will never forget your first lesson and the first time you take an airplane into the air. Becoming a pilot is a wonderful process and you should enjoy every aspect of it as you take that first important step toward becoming a pilot.
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