Learning to Fly, tough but worthwhile

A person today who is contemplating learning to fly has to overcome quite a few obstacles in today’s environment. I thought a few comments about the state of aviation training might be interesting to those who still dream of flight.

Real wages are lower, costs are higher and restrictions have in general become more onerous. There are still ways to do it, and I will try to help with some insights. My comments are my own and have not been influenced by corporate or personal gain.

I have been a flight instructor for some time as well as an aircraft owner for about 30 years. My comments are my own.

The heyday of flight training in the last 50 years occurred in the late 1970’s until the mid 1980’s. With the increase of lawsuits filed against manufactures and parts suppliers during this period aircraft manufactures shuttered their doors or operated at a very low build rate. Until the general aviation recovery act passed in 1996 (which limited manufactures liability) this was the situation. Cessna started buildings planes again during this period and a few other manufactures entered the business. Diamond of Canada Cirrus and a few others. But the numbers of aircraft built were but a faint echo of the numbers from the decades before.

The reason is simple. Cost. Cost of everything from fuel, insurance parts, and of course the planes themselves. I can say that when I earned my CFII in the early 1980’s it was an exciting time to be an instructor and charter pilot. One starved to death but we had a ball. We flew almost every day, in all kinds of conditions, and it was a dream come true. Over drinks (after flying not during) we would complain that we were making just above minimum wage. I remember one fellow instructor saying that was a fair price to pay not to work in a cubicle. I believe that still to this day. If I had not been suckered into the so called American dream I would have flown more and cared about status and all that crap much less.

I believe first one must understand ones motivation before committing the resources to learn this skill. First some truths. Owning a private airplane is not practical from an economic standpoint. If you are married and a man, most wives will not tolerate your passion for a mechanical device, or it’s expense. If you have one that is supportive stay with her, that is rare. Unfairly perhaps, if you are a woman and have a passion for aviation you will have many admirers. I will be one of them. If you are at heart a romantic and love a challenge nothing in your experience will give you more satisfaction and more inspiration than aviation. If you take on this activity for the love of it you will be fine. If you try to justify it by the numbers you will be disappointed. I have avoided such conflicts by staying single but committed. My wonderful partner does not give a damn what flying cost and neither do I. A friend of mine put it best. " I drank, flew and chased girls using half my income, I wasted the other half."

If I was to start today, I would rent for a few hours a Piper Cherokee or better yet beg borrow or steal an hour in a Bonanza - any Bonanza. If that experience does not answer your doubt about wanting to fly nothing will. If the bug bites I would purchase a simple airplane for your first 100 to 200 hours of learning and gaining experience. I would recommend a Cessna 150 built in the thousands decades ago. A very nice one can be had in the mid to high teens. You can fly it for two or three years and sell it for about what you paid for it. Insurance is cheap, and maintenance is manageable. Trade-a-Plane is a great place to start looking for one. Another great little plane if you live at the lower altitudes is the Beech Skipper. Well made and equipped with a comfortable cabin and wonderful handling you can’t find a nicer two seater. Either airplane will fly in the high 90’ to low 100 knots of airspeed while burning little fuel. If you can find one with basic IFR equipment, so much the better. Do not be seduced by the modern glass panels. They are very expensive and are not needed for basic training. Although there is a move afoot to go to the newer LSA’s (light sport aircraft) as trainers and light personal aircraft. I feel that except for special circumstances. these new aircraft are overpriced and are unable to handle anything above light winds. It has been noted by operators in the training arena these aircraft are somewhat delicate. There is one great advantage though, no medical exam is required to fly one. For older pilots or pilots with conditions that prevent a third class medical to be renewed the LSA’s offer a chance to keep flying. As long as you have a current drivers license you can self certify that you are fit for training in and operating an LSA. Although LSA aircraft are generally limited to VFR (visual flight rules) for many casual pilots that is all that is needed.

Speaking for myself, as long as I am able, I will teach and fly in the IFR arena. In the teaching venue, basic is best. I would implore any student to learn, at least at first, basic IFR skills in a basic IFR aircraft. No toys to make it too easy. I believe that a simple marker beacon, localizer glide-slope setup with a DME, makes a good IFR trainer. The work is harder and the learning curve is steep, but the satisfaction is great. Only with the basics can the scanning skill and interpretation needed be mastered. The larger panel GPS displays may make a pilot too dependent on what is really a glorified video game. That is fine even ideal for situational awareness in bad conditions. However I feel a higher level of skill is necessary especially at the beginning. I learned to fly IFR in a VERY basic airplane. 30 years later I can still close my eyes and re-live the first time I shot an approach to minimums in fog. Right at 200 feet the mist parted and the runway magically appeared. Still to this day I can fly partial panel (when the primary instruments have failed) better than anything else. You should strive to have the skill necessary to handle the airplane when all the systems are not working. In VFR or IFR. Only then will you have the confidence to be a safe pilot. In closing I am selling my business and going back into flight instruction, in the bay area or possibly the island of Oahu. Better to live modestly doing what is fun and worthwhile than chasing a brass ring always slightly out of reach.

Flying, no feeling like it anywhere else. Good Luck in pursuing your dream.