HangarTalk.com» Flight Training

Professional Flight Training

Dan Bartram — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 04:06:32 +0000

After I decided to look yet again for another certified flight instructor in the Atlanta area, I found Falcon Aviation Academy down at Falcon Field (KFFC) in Peachtree City, Georgia. I had heard of them before, but never checked them out. They are what is known as a Part 141 school because they adhere to Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. By adhering to these standards, one can actually proceed through the various certificates and ratings a bit faster. This is much like a traditional school with classes and a syllabus for each stage of your training. Pretty much what I was looking for.

Of course, I’m not planning at this point on being a professional pilot – in the sense of getting paid to fly. However, the idea of being a professional in the cockpit has always appealed to me. After all, if you are going to do something, you should do it well. After discussing my options and spewing forth my goals to the Chief Flight Instructor, he gave me some numbers on what it would cost and approximately how long it would take to finish up my instrument rating. Surprisingly, the hourly CFI rate was only $5 more per hour than what I was paying and the aircraft rental rate is higher because of what it is….more on that below. I can emphatically say that so far I am getting a great value for my money.

Don’t get me wrong – you can certainly get professional flight training outside of a non Part 141 environment. In fact, you should expect to get professional flight instruction no matter where you go. That is not always the case, of course.

I am not taking part in the Part 141 program, and am training under Part 61. However, I am benefitting from the Part 141 structure – the whole place is a very professional environment.

As for the aircraft – this was actually a very nice surprise. Thus far in my training I had flown old Cessna 152s and Cessna 172s, plus the thoroughly “plain jane” looking Alarus CH-2000. While I did like the fact that the Alarus had a Garmin 430 GPS, nothing I’ve flown thus far compares to my new bird – a DiamondStar DA-40 equipped with the Garmin G1000. That was the biggest cause of the increase in my hourly rate, but man is it oh so worth it! In my next post, I’ll discuss my flights so far in this very nice glass cockpit equipped aircraft. Needless to say, I’m definitely hooked on technically advanced aircraft (TAA).

Flying the Alarus

Dan Bartram — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 18:43:27 +0000

Like many private pilots, I am “working on my instrument rating.” I put that in quotes because I’ve actually had my private pilot certificate for 2 years and still do not have the IFR rating. This is due to many of the typical reasons – family, work, money, availability of airplanes, etc. However, I have recently found a new place to fly and they have two CH2000 Alarus aircraft on the line. Since I had done all of my primary training in C-152s and C-172s, I was actually excited for the chance to fly something else. Even better, both aircraft were practically new – each with less than 1000 hours. Up to that point, the newest airplane I had flown was built in 1982.

I’ve flown about 5 hours in the Alarus, mostly getting checked out and getting my flight review. So far, I’m quite happy flying this little trainer. It’s not fast, it can’t carry much, and is not exactly the sleekest looking bird on the ramp, but it does have a great instrument panel (IFR certified) including a Garmin 430 GPS. The aircraft flies great and the visibility is superb. In my area, it’s also about the cheapest aircraft you can rent, especially since they are new and in great condition. It was built for training and does exactly what it was designed to do.

Along with the transition to the Alarus came a transition to my 3rd CFI since getting my private certificate. The previous two CFIs were great, but both came across opportunities they could not pass up. The one I have now is retired and instructs full time – I’m hoping I can finish up the rating sometime this year.

The Fringe Benefits of Flying

Dan Bartram — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:00:25 +0000

If you are a student pilot, or are interested in learning to fly one thing I can tell you is that this experience is likely one of the most rewarding ones you could ever have. I remember my private pilot checkride like it was yesterday. When you pass your checkride, you are joining an elite group of people who have all gone through a training program that encompasses a wide variety of subject areas, all of which require a minimum amount of mastery to be a safe pilot.

Probably the best part of being a pilot is the confidence you gain. Every time I go flying, even if it is just around the pattern for touch and gos, I am rewarded with a great sense of accomplishment. It reminds me that I have a skill not many people have.

This confidence certainly carries over into other areas of your life. I recently had about a 6-month hiatus of not flying (that will be the subject of another post) and it really wore on me. For me flying is a release – being able to put some altitude between me and the ground has a renewing affect on me.

So if you are currently learning to fly, don’t give up! If you are interested in learning to fly, then by all means go do it! The rewards are many and you will be glad you did.

The Collaborative Convective Forecast Product – What's That?

Dan Bartram — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 04:12:37 +0000

I live in the southeastern U.S. and flying here in the summer is not only hot, but wraught with thunderstorms. Here is where the CCFP comes in. This ‘weather product’ (i.e. map) indicates where convective activity is likely to develop. Areas are outlined in one of two colors – one color is for “high confidence” (50%-100%) areas and the other is “low confidence” (25%-49%). Each area is also shaded to depict the coverage from sparse to solid. The information is produced several times daily during the ‘severe weather season’, which roughly correlates to when Daylight Savings Time is in effect.

You can find the CCFP on the Aviation Weather web site.