If learning to fly a plane is one of your dreams, you may be eager to start flight training. Learning to fly will be one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences of your life. There are many new things that you will learn over the course of your training, and the early stages may seem like a steep learning curve. Here is a sneak peek at some of the lesson components that you can expect when you start on this journey.
Ground Handling
One of the first things you will learn is how to inspect your aircraft before each flight, use checklists, and taxi safely in various wind conditions. Safety always comes first, and being safe starts on the ground.
Takeoffs and Landings
As a novice pilot, you may think that there’s only one way to take off in a plane. However, during flight training, you’ll learn that there are several different types of takeoffs, including standard takeoffs, crosswind takeoffs, soft field takeoffs, and short field takeoffs.
The same thing holds true for landings. As you learn more about the art of being a pilot, you’ll find out that you need to learn how to land with a crosswind, on short runaways, soft grass fields, and on many other types of terrain.
How to Handle Emergencies
Although emergencies are rare, they can still happen. A significant portion of your training will be dedicated to dealing with a variety of emergency scenarios. At the end of your training, you will have the confidence that, in the unlikely even of an in-flight emergency, you have the skills to land safely.
Performance Maneuvers
Much of your time in the air will be spent practicing performance maneuvers. These are exercises designed to build your aircraft handling skills. For each skill, there are specific parameters that you will be tested on. You will practice each until you are consistently exceeding the flight test standard.
Cross Country Flights
Perhaps the most rewarding part of flying is actually going somewhere. In the later stages of your training, you will practice navigating to other airports within the region and eventually be making these flights on your own as part of your solo exercises.
You will be surprised how rapidly your skills will develop with each lesson and how rewarding it feels to accomplish each goal. Guaranteed smiles with every flight!
