Flight Level Aviation

Richard L. Collins

Sunday, June 06, 2004 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Rich Kaplan's Flight Level Aviation in Waynesburg, PA, offers a unique flight training program combining his extensive CFI-I expertise with an AST full-motion flight training device and optional in-aircraft training.
The flight training device, while not airline-grade, provides exceptional value through functional Garmin GNS 530 and other actual GPS navigators for deep proficiency, and simulates critical scenarios like engine and instrument failures.
Kaplan's program is designed to deliver a comprehensive and challenging "workout" for instrument pilots, covering everything from dead stick landings to advanced GPS operations.
At $500 per day, the training is considered a rare bargain for pilots seeking recurrent or initial high-performance single-engine training, resulting in increased proficiency and potential insurance benefits.

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A training hurricane in western Pennsylvania

I had been flying the full-motion flight training device (FTD) for a few minutes and was lining up for an ILS to Runway 4 at New York La Guardia when I asked Rich Kaplan, proprietor of Flight Level Aviation, the name of the hurricane in which we were flying. The motion system was grunting, groaning and pitching like a rutting hog, and the instruments were dancing around like crazy.