Learning to fly with UKIAH AVIATION is a challenging new venture that can create a whole new outlook and an entirely new perspective on time and space. With this skill comes the freedom to go more places and do more things. It moves back the boundaries of your life.
As you grow in your piloting skills, you grow in other ways too. Your confidence builds and you feel good about what you're accomplishing. Becoming a pilot is lots more fun than it is work. There is the exhilaration associated with cutting yourself loose from the earth and climbing off into the sky.
When you become a pilot, you add a valuable skill to all your other skills. It is often a plus that sets you apart from your competition. It gives you a special kind of visibility that makes your boss and customers think of you as someone special. And it can help you do your job better because it can get you where you're going faster, more efficiently, and more economically--and it doesn't cost much for a skill that lasts a lifetime. Becoming a pilot is good business.
Learning to fly is a matter of study and practice under the guidance of a Certified Flight Instructor. You study things on the ground that you will practice in the air. And when you have fulfilled the requirements, you will receive your Private Pilot's License. Your flight instruction with UKIAH AVIATION is in a logical, step-by-step sequence. We are ready to begin it with you today!
TRAIN IN THE CESSNA 150
The Cessna 150 has been acclaimed as the most accommodating training aircraft by both students and instructors. The high wing makes landings easier and provides better visibility. At 7500 feet the one hundred horsepower airplane cruises at about 105 miles per hour. Rugged and friendly, with predictable and positive control responses, the Cessna 150 is a quality airplane which makes learning to fly a lot easier.
There are hundreds of thousands of people who have become pilots. Every month thousands more start their pilot education. They come virtually from every occupation and age group. Pilots represent a great cross section of our society. There is no typical pilot. The common denominator is a conviction they share that becoming a pilot is something they could do. So they did it. And you can too. If you are willing to accept the challenge, you too can become a pilot. The place to start is here and now.
THE FIRST THING TO DO: PLAN YOUR BUDGET
This budget is based upon how often you want to fly, and how long you plan to
take to obtain your license. If you fly approximately four times per month, you
will spend about $950.00 each month and could expect to complete the course in
about six to seven months. Training is more efficient if you fly two or three
times per week, and therefore you may want to allow more money per month and
plan on a shorter overall period of time for your training. The first month will
be the most expensive, as you will have additional costs such as books, medical
exam, and a flight computer.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
The FAA Requires a
minimum of forty hours of flight time when applying for a Private Pilot
Certificate. This amount of aircraft rental time will cost you $3,960.00. Of
this total flight time a minimum of twenty hours must be dual flight instruction
with an FAA Licensed Flight Instructor at your side. The Instructor fee is
$60.00 per hour, and therefore your dual instruction will add about $1200.00. You
can expect another $450.00 for miscellaneous expenses (books, supplies, medical
examination, and flight examination), for a total of approximately $5,600.00.
This is the minimum cost under the Federal Regulations. As with learning any
skill, people take different lengths of time to learn to fly an airplane. The
national average flight time required to obtain the Private Pilot Certificate is
around sixty-seven hours. The average flight time, over twenty years at Ukiah
Aviation, has been about forty-eight hours. This would cost around $6,700.00 for
your Private Pilot Certificate. Your Flight Instructor will be able to give you
a fairly accurate estimate of the time that is likely to be required in your
specific case after a few sessions in the air and a review of your proposed
flight schedule.
THE TRAINING PROGRAM
You will begin your course, with your Certificated Flight Instructor, building the foundation of knowledge and skills that you will need to become a safe pilot. These skills include the ability to inspect or 'preflight' the airplane, taxiing, use of a checklist, and the ability to follow procedures for a wide variety of activities.
During the lessons, your instructor will evaluate your performance, looking for areas where improvement can be made, as well as reinforcing the good practices that have been learned. Using such proven training techniques will help you build your skills at the fastest pace possible
Each time you fly an entry will be made in your personal flight logbook that details the maneuvers and tasks that were performed, the number of landings made, and the length of the flight. Some of the maneuvers you will be practicing include climbs, turns, descents, slow flight, stalls, emergency procedures, and many landings.
Prior to solo flight the student pilot must be examined by an FAA certified flight physician and receive at least a Third Class Medical Certificate. The FAA physical is comprehensive, but surprisingly simple in nature. The examination includes a test of your vision, hearing, blood pressure, and other factors including a review of your health history.
It is never too soon to begin preparing for the FAA Private Written Exam. A home-study program is available as part of your training with Ukiah Aviation. Your Flight Instructor will personally supervise your progress through the course material, and provide sample tests, and any additional assistance required to prepare you for the FAA Exam. A complete set of up-to-date King Video tapes and the recently releases Cessna Cd set--Cleared For Takeoff are also available as a pre-test review. A minimum passing grade of seventy percent is required.
At some time during this initial evaluation period, your instructor will decide that you are ready for solo flight. You will then conduct takeoffs and landings in the vicinity of the Ukiah airport under carefully controlled conditions. Entering the solo phase of the flight training is an important milestone for the student, yet there is no fixed time when a student must solo.
The next segment of your training is the cross-country phase which involves flying from one airport to another. This activity will consist of airborne navigation such as pilotage and radio navigation. Cross-country training begins with a few trips with your Flight Instructor which show you the procedures necessary to build your confidence before you set off on your own cross-country flights.
FAA regulations require at least five hours of solo cross-country flight time between airports more than fifty nautical miles from the departure point. One of these flights must be at least one hundred and fifty nautical miles, with one segment consisting of a straight-line distance of at least fifty nautical miles between takeoff and landing. During your cross-country flights you will complete three solo landings at airports with control towers. Upon completion of the cross-country requirements your Instructor will fly with you for at least three hours of night training, including one cross-country flight of over one hundred nautical miles. Finally you instructor will spend several hours with you preparing for your final checkride with an FAA Designated Examiner. Upon completion of your flight check you will receive your Private Pilot's Certificate, you are now eligible to take passengers with you and fly local or long-distance flights--The world opens up to you!
AN INTRODUCTION TO FLYING