President's Perspective

Be A Pilot Will Help You Reach The Skies

If you've dreamed about being a pilot but have not yet taken your first flight, this issue of AOPA Flight Training magazine may be your ticket to a lifetime of adventure.

Bound in all copies of this month's magazine is a coupon good for a $49 introductory flight lesson at any of more than 1,600 participating flight schools across the country. This valuable coupon is from Be A Pilot, the industrywide group focused on making more people aware of the advantages of becoming a pilot. (We hope that if you don't need it, you will pass along the coupon for a discounted first flight lesson to a friend or family member who shares your aviation interest.) AOPA was very instrumental in establishing Be A Pilot some five years ago, and we have been a major financial supporter. This year I chair this worthwhile project, which is supported by more than 40 companies, publications, and associations serving general aviation.

Is this the moment to realize your dreams? Whether you are currently in training or a "wannabe," no doubt you've already considered the advantages of learning to fly, including the ability to whisk friends and family to the beach or the mountains for a weekend. Or the unique business advantage of being able to travel rapidly from point to point, bypassing crowded major airports and the delays that characterize airline travel today.

You've probably also considered the obstacles. Learning to fly is not inexpensive, and never has been. But don't lose perspective: The honest average cost of $4,000 to $6,000 for earning a private pilot certificate is roughly the same as just one semester at a public college or university (tuition, room, and board). Compared to private ski lessons, the $125 for an hour on the slopes with an instructor makes an hour of dual flight instruction look cheap! Learning to fly also involves a simple medical exam by an FAA-certificated doctor, and the ability to do eighth-grade arithmetic.

Beyond that, all it takes is desire and determination. And remember that once you've earned a private pilot certificate, it doesn't expire. (There are a few modest currency requirements if you haven't flown for awhile.)

Pilots come in a variety of sizes, colors, genders and personalities, but the one thing they share is delight in the fellowship of the sky. You may know some pilots who would be happy to tell you about the adventures they've enjoyed.

But if you're like most people weighing an introductory flight, you can't help but question whether you have "the right stuff" to command of an aircraft.

Thanks to some research into pilot personalities done over the years by AOPA and the FAA, I may be able to help you with that question. Despite the diversity of the pilot population, there are personality characteristics that tend to show up more often than not. A pilot is competent, skillful, and both conservative and adventurous. Flying dictates that a pilot is methodical, practical, systematic, and has a personality that prefers order, rather than chaos. Pilots tend to be more extroverted than introverted; socially reserved but pleasant; self-confident but easy-going; and don't feel the need to "get in touch with feelings." Those who fly tend to like numbers; are more likely an engineer than a liberal arts graduate; and enjoy mastering complex tasks. Pilots also tend to be self-sufficient, and they prefer short-term rather than long-term goals. Pilots are energetic, have a low tolerance for imperfection, are inflexible at times, and have a great need for high achievement.

If two or more of those descriptors apply to you, and you are not already flying, use the $49 Be A Pilot coupon to quell any nagging doubts about "the right stuff." (If your coupon, which should be opposite page 16, is missing - or if you would like one to give to a friend - download one from the Be A Pilot Web site at www.beapilot.com .)

After you use that coupon, if you are enthralled by the sky - as all pilots are - most airmen will agree it's worthwhile for you to join AOPA for the almost limitless resources available to help keep your flying fun, safe, and affordable.

Among the benefits of AOPA membership are unlimited free access to AOPA's toll-free member assistance hotline which is staffed by experienced pilots and flight instructors; the members-only section of AOPA Online, the nationally recognized AOPA Web site ( www.aopa.org); and your own copy of either this magazine or the widely acclaimed AOPA Pilot every month. For more information on the value of an AOPA membership for those learning to fly, visit the Web site (www.aopa.org/join/).

Not a pilot yet? As the Be A Pilot program emphasizes, "It's time to stop dreaming and start flying."