Since I missed the beginning of both the flight training as well as the ground school, I wanted to say a few things about the ground school. The last post has some of my experiences with the first few times I went up in a plane.

The ground school class is just like any college course. Twice a week my class and I meet in a room at the airport and learn about everything private pilots need to know. The first few lessons were about some of the FAA regulations, the airplane’s parts, the structure of the airplane and basic aerodynamics. After the first month, we started to get into the systems of the airplane. This incorporates the power plant (engine and propeller), fuel system, heating, oil system and braking systems. Every plane is different so I won’t go into the specifics for the plane I’m currently training in. In the first two months, the areas which needed more time were aerodynamics and aircraft systems. Basically, for aerodynamics, we learned what makes a plane fly. It wasn’t really hard but it was a lot of material. We went over stability, being streamline, stalling, spins, and emergency procedures.

There have been two tests so far in the class. The first test wasn’t so bad. In order to stay in part 141 I needed to get at least an 80% on it. I ended up with a 96%. Out of the 50 questions, I got two wrong; two questions which I would have gotten right if I read the answers more closely. The second test was centered on airport operations. Taxiing, navigating around the airport and radio communications were all covered in the second part of the class. Also, radar and air traffic control was explained. The second test was a little harder than the first, but not so bad. I ended up with a 94% on it and was able to stay In 141. For an understanding of part 141, vs. part 61, go to the ‘License’ page.

Personally, the ground class is generally more challenging than the flight training. Some of my classmates think the flying is harder. I find the flying easier because it’s what I signed up for. I like learning about how airplanes work and their systems, but I’d rather be up in the air than on the ground.

This week starts the third and final part of the ground school for private pilot. We’ll start with navigation, and end with a review for the third test as well as the private pilot ground school FAA exam. Again, look to ‘licenses’ for an explanation of the FAA’s role in training.

So I didn’t want to ignore the first month and a half or two months of my training. I wanted to explain a little about things I was worried about and how I felt after those first few flights. At the time I didn’t know it, but after a month or so, I realized that those first few flights, and the things I felt, were going to be some of the best experiences of my life; and it got better and more fun with every flight!

One of the first things I learned, but anticipated, was that flying takes dedication and perseverance. Learning to fly, learning and understanding regulations, deciphering weather information, and talking on the radio to ground or tower control is like learning a new language. There are terms and phrases that are only relevant to aviation. (Example: I always heard other pilots saying ‘wilco’ to the tower and ground control. This is a military term meaning ‘will comply’). Learning any of these things, as well as everything else in aviation can be challenging. But I feel that if you love aviation, like me, and are willing to put in the time, it’s not very hard at all.

In the first three weeks, I found myself being intimidated from things that I barely notice today (2 months into training). One of the most intimidating things for me was using the radio. During my first flight, my instructor did all the talking. However, on the second flight, I had to do it all. My instructor made me rehearse the radio calls with him before I pressed the button to talk on the frequency. It was still nerve racking knowing that anyone tuned into that frequency could hear what I was saying. What if I made mistake, or didn’t know what to say? One thing that my instructor told me, which was reassuring was that my base airport as over 300 students pilots. The tower and ground controls are use to people saying the wrong thing and messing up. It’s easy to be intimidated by the radio, but you’ll get use to it very quickly.

Another thing that I was uneasy about was finding my way and knowing where I was going, both in the air and on the ground. Navigation, as I learned a month into my training, is a section learned in ground school. The training grounds around my base airport are close enough that with 30 seconds of leaving the grounds, you can make out the airport on a clear day. Again, my instructor helped me a lot with where to go, what altitudes to be at and what speed I need to fly at. Every once and a while today he’ll still correct me for things I’m doing wrong.

The first few flights were some of my favorite lessons. Taking off for the first time felt amazing. It was a moment I had been anticipating since I was 12 years old. However, the first time I was at the controls and I had to do the takeoff was unforgettable.

Hello fellow aviators! This is my first post for this blog. The main objective of this website/ blog is to share my first hand experiences as a student pilot. When I was looking for flight schools a few months back, I had a hard time finding out what it took to become a pilot. Every school explained how I need to get a private pilot license, then an instrument rating, then a commercial license, and finally a flight instructor’s license. After a while of searching, I knew exactly what steps I needed to take from memory. What I was looking for was what the training was like. What are the hardest obstacles to overcome? Or how many hours does the average student pilot take to get his or her private pilot license? I couldn’t find any blog, website or flight school that could tell me information like this.

Anyway, I found a state college near my house, applied over the summer, and was accepted the very next day. (I already have a degree from another state school, so I guess the dean of affairs figured I would be accepted if I applied during the normal application timeframe). Once I started my flight training, my family wanted to know what it was like to fly. I went to my grandparent’s house after every flight for the first two weeks to explain exactly what I had done in that day’s lesson. Finally, I decided to share my flight training experiences with everyone. I’m trying to give people things to know about the training before they start their own training. Things I would have liked to know before I started my training, or any type of information I feel would be beneficial to a person trying to decide if flying is for them. (However, I will say that if you’re trying to decide about a flying career, or even to keep it as a hobby, you’ll need to give it 100% effort every single day and at every flight lesson, as well as the ground lessons.)

I have been trying to “build” this website for the past few days, (I’m not even close to being computer ‘savvy,’). I decided to start this blog two months into the training as well. So the posts from here are going to be my current experiences. As for the first two weeks of training, you can email me any questions you have. I understand that the first two months usually make or break you’re outlook on flying, as well as many other things, but I want this blog to be as authentic as possible. If I tried to go back and write about a past experience, I’ll have to embellish a little or make up emotions I was feeling. My posts will be within a day or two of any flight. In addition to the flight lessons, I’ll post about other things such as ground school lessons, aviation related field trips, or anything I think would be helpful to you as a future, or current, student pilot.

So I hope you enjoy my experiences, and more importantly, find them educational. Good luck with your training!