Let's Go Flying December Newsletter

In This Issue:
Airlifts spread holiday cheer to children    |    Online aerodynamics course
It's a car payment    |    Aircraft sharing Web site

Live the Dream

GA brings a lift to troops in Iraq
While overseas, these troops (pictured right) used what little free time they had to take a private pilot ground school class. Some even completed the written exam from the war zone. Read more >>

Woman with no arms learns to fly
Tucson-based motivational speaker Jessica Cox, 25, knew once she started flying lessons in a Cessna that she never would be able to finish. The Cessna wasn’t designed for someone born without arms. Read more >>

Airlifts spread holiday cheer to children
Many children this holiday season will be looking to the skies—not for a sleigh with a man in a bright red suit and eight tiny reindeer, but for a pilot in a small airplane. Read more >>

Gone flying? Submit photos and video of the experience!

Start Flying

Aerodynamics course offered online
Thanks to AOPA's Air Safety Foundation, Let's Go Flying now offers a free online course—Essential Aerodynamics. Essential Aerodynamics covers spins, stalls, and fundamental concepts that explain how airplanes behave. Visit the Let's Go Flying Web site to take the course.

It's a car payment
Many people fork out $300 to $500 per month in car payments over 36 to 60 months. When I average the cost of flight training for my sport pilot certificate over just 12 months, it falls right in that range. Wow, I live my dream for a short-term car payment! Read more >>

Aircraft sharing Web site
What do pilots do when they want the benefits of owning an aircraft but can’t afford the cost? They share. The Aircraft Partnership Association is a new Web site designed to connect likeminded pilots who are looking to share aircraft ownership. Read more >>

First Steps • Types of Certificates • Time and Cost
Choose a Flight Instructor • Safety • Take Your First Flight

Aircraft of the Month

Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2bx Glider
Glider flying requires FAA pilot certification but not an FAA physical examination. In addition, you only have to be 14 years old to solo a glider. Most gliders launch from runways and grass strips on tow ropes behind appropriately certificated tow planes. Cross-country flights of greater than 1,000 miles are not uncommon in gliders. Competition is available at all levels from local to international. Visit Schempp-Hirth's Web site

Ask a Pilot

Question: How old is too old to begin flying lessons?

Answer: Say “student pilot,” and most people think of a youngster chasing a dream. In reality, today’s fledgling is likely a middle-aged adult. The average student pilot today is in his or her 30s, and the typical average active pilot is a decade older. In addition, more than 25 percent of all U.S. pilots with current medical certificates are in their 50s. Some pilots learn to fly after they retire.

Do you have a question about flying? Ask a pilot! Call 877-58-PILOT, or send an e-mail.

In the Blogs

Here are some recent highlights from our Let's Go Flying blog page.

A dream deferred no longer
By Todd McClamroch
For 30+ years I have been an aviation enthusiast. I can often be found looking up at the sky for passing planes, going out of my way to drive by local airports and, of course... Read more >>

Professional pilot path: Corporate pilot
By Paul Tocknell
I am a flight instructor and corporate pilot from Dayton, Ohio.  I am 30 years old and started flying when I was 18, which gives me 12 wonderful years of flying professionally. Read more >>

Aviation Calendar of Events

Airports all across the United States offer weekend activities, from pancake breakfasts and barbecues to car and air shows. Find out what’s going on in your area! You can search by city, state, or geographic region.

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