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October 2007 Volume 1, Issue 2 |
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 Welcome
to the
second issue of Reach For The Sky, EAA's
monthly e-newsletter developed expressly for
individuals like you who have an interest in
learning to fly. Response to the first issue has
been tremendous. To date, nearly 4,000 aviation enthusiasts have subscribed, and that
number continues to grow daily. But the more the merrier - if you know someone
who might like to receive the newsletter, feel
free to forward your copy. And remember, you
don't need to be an EAA member to subscribe.
In
this issue ...
- First
Flight (Part One) by Steve Krog, CFI,
Editor
- "The
Dollar Ride" by Maj. Jill
Long, U.S. Air Force Instructor Pilot
- The Perfect
Trainer; by Dave Hirschman
- Aviation
Glossary
- This
Month's Poll - "What sparked your
interest in flight training?"
Got a question
about flight-training? Drop us an e-mail
at LearnToFly@EAA.org.
Where
to start
First
Flight (Part 1)
By Steve Krog
You've
made your decision to pursue a sport pilot
certificate and you've done your homework
locating a reputable flight school and qualified
flight instructor (see September
2007 issue). You have visited the flight
school and met the instructor. An appointment
was made and today you are scheduled for your
first flying lesson. What should you expect? If
you are like most beginning flight students,
you'll probably arrive at the airport at least
30 minutes early. You're a little anxious and
excited and you don't want to be late for the
first lesson. The additional time before the
first lesson can be spent becoming familiar with
the flight school and its surroundings.
You've been
looking forward to this day and now it has
arrived. Apprehension is common. You're not
quite sure what to expect but you are ready to
accept the challenge! Read
more
 The
things a pilot will do for a dollar!
By
Maj. Jill Long
One of
the great things about being a pilot is you can
always "re-experience" the awesome
adventures from your aviation career. Like your
first flight, your first solo, or your first
victory roll. (Well, not everyone gets to
experience that last example, but we all can
recall the first two.) As a full-time flight
instructor for the Air Force and part-time air
show pilot, I get many opportunities to relive
those awesome flight experiences. In fact,
here's one that happened not too long ago.
Read
more
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A Personal
View: The perfect trainer |
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By Dave Hirschman
 What airplane provides the best training
platform for learning to fly?
High-
or low-wing doesn't matter. Metal, fabric or
composite are all just fine. My favorite
training aircraft have certain things in common,
though, and here they are:
- Tandem
seating (that's front and back), with the
instructor occupying the rear seat.
- Sticks
- not yokes.
- For
tailwheel training, trainers should be
blind in the three-point attitude so that
the student cannot see straight ahead while
on the ground.
- Primary
trainers should have as few instruments as
possible and no stall warning horn.
- Push-to-talk intercoms are far superior to
the voice-activated variety in any airplane.
Read
more
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| Aviation
glossary
touch-and-go
- Landing
practice wherein an aircraft does not make a full
stop after a landing, but proceeds immediately to
another take-off. This is a frequent practice when
learning take-offs and landings, provided the
runway length is long enough to do so safely.
ground
speed -
The actual speed that an aircraft travels over the
ground (its "shadow speed"); it combines
the aircraft's airspeed and the wind velocity
relative to the aircraft's direction of flight.
conventional
gear - Having two
main landing wheels at the front and a tail wheel
at the rear (as opposed to a "tricycle
gear" with two mains and front or nose
wheel.) Conventional gear aircraft are popularly
called "tail draggers". A Piper J-3 Cub
is an example of this.
More
glossary words >>
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This
month's poll
Last
month's poll: Cessna
dominates trainers
In our inaugural poll conducted last month,
"What type of aircraft are you currently
training in?" more than 2/3 of respondents
(327 of 468) who are currently in flight lessons
were doing so in Cessnas. The next most
mentioned airplane was Piper with 37.
View the complete results
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A moment to
join, a lifetime to fly
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 If
you’re preparing to become a pilot, the EAA
community is here for you. Membership gives you
access to the collective passion, knowledge,
experience, and support of 170,000 members
worldwide. You'll get to participate in EAA
events, connect with fellow members, and have
access to the tools and resources to get you
airborne. Join the fun by visiting www.EAA.org/memberbenefits
today.
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Reach for the Sky - EAA's Guide to Learning
to Fly and Light-Sport Aircraft
|
 EAA’s
guide to learning to fly and light-sport aircraft
is a resource to help anyone take the first
steps toward becoming a pilot. Whether you want to
have fun in a powered parachute or one day want to
command a Mars mission, Reach for the Sky is a
great place to start. It is
available
as a PDF
that will take a few minutes to download with a
high-speed connection.
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