Training

Ten years ago, the aviation industry was fed up, and the FAA needed help to fix the problems that had developed within the process of testing applicants for pilot certificates and ratings. So, what was the issue? Essentially, instructors and prospective pilots had two separate tests (the written exam and the practical test) to prepare […]

As pilots, we try not to draw too many parallels between driving a car and flying an airplane, because they don’t have much in common aside from moving your body quickly through space. One place this really rings true sits in front of you when you get into the cockpit: the instrument panel. It’s the […]

I have heard it many times: “I have always wanted to learn to fly, but I don’t have perfect vision.” The idea that pilots need 20/20 vision is truly a misconception. And while there are some medical conditions that would disqualify you from becoming a pilot, most can be overcome. Only one eye? No problem. […]

Because you are reading this special issue of Flying, you’re probably considering taking flying lessons. As someone who has been in your shoes, permit me to give you an invitation… and a warning. Fifty years ago, Flying gave me an invitation that completely changed my life. On a September evening at a drugstore newsstand after […]

Every pilot takes a unique path in learning to fly, based on circumstances, location, access—and just plain luck, in certain cases. You’ll make a positive approach, though, because you’ve identified a resource in Flying that lays out the path for you by considering where you’re starting, where you’d like to go and these key steps […]

Just as any goal worth pursuing takes honest effort to accomplish, so does learning to fly. The effort takes the shape of time and money invested—of which we all have only limited amounts. In order to properly budget both, so you can achieve the goal of flight, you need an understanding of what to expect. […]

A flight school (otherwise known as an aviation training organization) conducts the business of teaching people to fly. It can take on a variety of guises, from the small, traditional flight school at a local airport using a light aircraft or two all the way to those international ATOs that train pilots for the airlines—and […]

There are a few moments in life that are truly memorable. It might be the day you held your first driver’s license, a crazy party to celebrate your 21st birthday, your very first kiss or the birth of a child. For most pilots, the first flight lesson is an experience that will trigger the limbic […]

Learning to fly most any aircraft requires you to work one-on-one with a professional pilot called a certificated flight instructor—which refers to the FAA credentials that this person must hold. You may have worked closely with an instructor when you learned to drive, scuba dive, ride a horse or any number of similar activities, so […]

So you’ve started flight training, but it’s just not working the way you expected. You’ve got a sinking feeling that you and your flight instructor just aren’t communicating like you should—or you have a downright distaste for spending any time at all with this person who is serving as a primary mentor in your aviation […]