Insights

Curiosity prompts you to read the flying publications displayed on newsstands, and you become duly impressed. Beautiful airplanes. Amazing technology. That impression, however, evaporates after you visit the local airport. The training airplane you’re shown is not so glamorous and you certainly don’t see the advanced technology. That’s OK.

Do not lose interest.

Your first priority is to fly and get above the billboards, roadside trash, and traffic jams. To enjoy that and the beauty and grace of flying, you need wings; to become a competent pilot you must master the basic fundamentals of flight. That does not require a glamorous airplane or advanced technology. In fact, if that becomes your obsession for initial flight training, you’re making a big mistake.

Proper aviation training is just like life itself. First you learn to crawl, then walk, and then run. Good training occurs in that sequence: basic airplanes, cross-country airplanes, advanced airplanes with advanced technology.

Do military pilots start their training in the latest and most glamorous aircraft available? Not a chance. They, too, start from the beginning in something that’s suitable for mastering flight basics.

Technology cannot compensate for the lack of proper, basic flying skills. You must master those skills in order to become a safe, competent pilot. The airplane you were shown at the airport is your ticket to enjoy this wonderful endeavor. Earn your pilot certificate the proper way and then, if you so chose, move upward and onward with respect to airplanes and technology. Your wallet is the limiting factor. So what? Your objective is to enjoy flying. Fly what you can afford and smile.

Your first concern will be to find an experienced instructor. That’s understandable, but not necessary. A young, newly certificated flight instructor is perfectly capable of teaching you to fly properly providing he uses a comprehensive training syllabus and, if associated with a flying club or flight school, has proper leadership.

At the flight schools I managed, I never hired experienced instructors, only brand-new ones who possessed obvious enthusiasm, proper knowledge, and good communication skills. I gave them standardization training, comprehensive syllabi, and proper leadership, which worked well for everyone involved.

You’re concerned about aviation safety. Do you ever obtain good news from the media? Seldom, if ever. They terrorize us by headlining heinous crimes, accidents, and despicable human behavior. Flying is safe, extremely safe—but yes, it’s risk management, as is walking across a busy street. Flight training publications contain numerous recommendations for operating safely. I’ve been reading aviation accident reports for more than 50 years, and here’s my opinion: 99 percent of general aviation accidents are caused by sheer stupidity, poor judgment, or lack of proficiency. The vast majority of pilots fly safely and enjoy every minute they’re airborne, but you never read about them or the thousands of safe flights that are conducted daily.

You’re concerned about airplane structural capability. It’s true that when airplanes collide with something, they crumble. Airplanes, however, are designed to deal with turbulence and hard landings. In that regard they’re built like tanks. There are specific airspeeds that, if adhered to, will keep you safe in any flight condition you encounter.

You’re concerned about required flight time. The national average for private pilot training is about 70 hours. Some students require more time, some less. The time spent learning to solo is an excellent barometer. If you solo within 15 to 18 hours at an extremely busy, tower-controlled airport, you stand a good chance of finishing close to the national average.

Required flight time depends on several variables, but the three that I carefully evaluate during presolo training are student awareness, the ability to divide one’s attention, and ability to multitask—three traits that are mandatory for pilot certification. When deficiencies occur, some individuals can overcome them, some cannot. You and your instructor can easily make that determination during presolo training.

Headsets with boom mics are usually worn during flight training, and that can lead to too much talking by the instructor, a distraction that will hamper your retention. You should know how to perform each lesson’s task before you go to the airplane, a determination that instructors make during preflight briefings. In the air, after the instructor demonstration, it’s your turn to practice quietly. Your instructor should let you think the situation through yourself. If you make a mistake and don’t understand why it occurred, ask why. If the instructor can’t answer that question, he’s not an instructor.