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JANUARY 2009 Volume 3, Issue 1 |
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 Welcome
to Reach For The Sky, EAA's monthly
e-newsletter written and created for people who
are interested in learning how to fly. This
month Certificated Flight Instructor Steve Krog
explains how to properly handle an in-flight
emergency by "thinking ahead of the
airplane."
In this month's
"A Personal View," Patrick Lofvenholm
of Ada, Oklahoma, describes the joys of flying
and explains the transformation process one goes
through on their way to earning a pilot's
license.
As always, feel
free to forward your copy to someone who might
like to receive the newsletter. And remember,
you don't need to be an EAA member to subscribe.
Note: If you're a
pilot just starting out and would like to share
your story, or if you have a question about flight-training,
drop us an e-mail at LearnToFly@eaa.org.
In
this issue ...
- Emergency
Operations - Steve Krog, CFI, Editor
- What You're
Asking - Questions for your instructor
- A Personal
View - You Only Live Once -Why Waste It?
- Patrick Lofvenholm
- Aviation
Glossary - Learning the language
of flight
- This
Month's Poll - When's the best
time to fly?
Emergency
Operations
By Steve Krog
Aircraft used for
today's training purposes are very safe and
seldom experience a serious malfunction or
emergency situation. However, that doesn't mean
that a problem will never happen. Pilots still
run out of fuel or leave oil caps off. So, in
preparation for a possible emergency situation,
you'll be given emergency procedure and forced
landing practice.
Though very rare,
one can never predict when an inflight emergency
might occur. If you followed the news recently,
a US Airways flight made an emergency landing in
the Hudson River shortly after taking off from
LaGuardia Airport. Airline pilots undergo
intense emergency flight training at least once
each year and review the procedures before every
flight. US Air Captain Chesley B.
"Sully" Sullenberger's training
certainly paid a handsome reward: All 155
persons on board survived the ditching.
[ Read
more
]
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Update:
Earning My Wings: A video blog about learning to
fly |
| By
Brady Lane
 I
did it - I soloed!
As soon
as my wheels lifted off runway 27, I was
overcome with excitement, confidence and
adrenaline. It was an incredible feeling
to look over and see an empty right
seat. "I'm doing this. I'm actually
doing this," I said out loud
moments after takeoff.
Three
times around the pattern and three
landings!
Of my 14
total hours now, .6 are logged as Pilot
in Command. It's hard to describe the
amazing feeling of accomplishment after
soloing for the first time. This will be
a day I'll never forget!
Visit the
blog to watch the video.
==============
Using cockpit cameras, Brady is
recording video of every flight lesson
and posting them at www.EAA.org/wings/.
He encourages you to visit the blog
regularly for updates and invites you to
leave comments and questions.
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Q&A:
What you're asking
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| Common
questions for the instructor from beginning flight students
Q. I’m
interested in learning more about LSA
training. I live in Berkeley,
California, adjacent to Oakland,
California.
A: My
first suggestion would be to do the
following: 1) Visit www.sportpilot.org,
2) Scroll down the left side and click
on “Find an Instructor.” 3) Pick a
state – in your case, California -
click “Go” and the entire list of
instructors and/or flight schools in
California that provide flight training
in light-sport aircraft will appear.
Scrolling down the list, I find that
Bennie Harris, who is located near
Oakland, provides LSA training in an
Aeronca Champ. His phone number is
510-633-1972.
[ More
questions ]
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A Personal
View - You only live once - why waste it? |
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| By
Patrick Lofvenholm
What are your
thoughts when you hear people talking about
flying their own plane? “Those guys must be
rich!” “Who can afford to fly with gas
prices the way they are?” “I wish I could
fly!”
Well, even if you
don’t have these thoughts, you should still
consider flying. There is no greater thrill than
taking charge of an airplane, lifting off into
the sky, leaving the earth below and getting to
your destination quicker, and in a more exciting
manner than in a ground-trapped vehicle, even if
your destination is nowhere. [ Read
more ]
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fuselage
- the body of an airplane. That part to which
the wing, tail, and landing gear attach, and
which, in a single-engine airplane, usually
carries the engine.
interphone system
- a communication system normally carried out
between in-flight crewmembers using microphones
and earphones.
rudder -
the movable vertical control surface used to
rotate the airplane about its vertical axis. The
pilot operates the rudder by the movement of the
foot pedals in the cockpit.
useful load
- weight of the occupants, baggage, usable fuel,
and drainable oil. The difference between
maximum and empty weight.
[ more
glossary terms
]
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Last
month's poll: We
asked, "Weather permitting, how often do
you plan to take flight lessons?" A
majority of you responded "Twice a
week" with 43 percent of the total votes.
Coming in second was "Once a week"
with 22 percent, followed closely by
"Other" with 21 percent. Nine percent
of you said you plan to take flight lessons
"Once a month," while the least
popular answer was "Every other week"
with 5 percent of the votes.
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Did you know .
. .
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In Europe, the first
regularly scheduled daily, sustained, passenger carrying
flights "between nations" or
international are credited to the French Farman Company (Lignes
Aeriennes Farman). It flew a regularly scheduled passenger
flight between Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium, in
1919.
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According to the U.S.
Air Force, The F-117A Nighthawk is the world's
first operational aircraft designed to exploit
low-observable stealth technology. That means it is very
hard to detect with conventional radar systems. The Night
Hawk is also a precision-strike aircraft, meaning it is
very accurate. By using stealth technology, the F-117A can
operate in areas where other aircraft would be at great
risk. The element of surprise is one the F-117A's best
defenses.
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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 http://www.eaa.org/membership/benefits.asp
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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Copyright Martin
Leeuwis and Ton Van Andel
Woodfield Publishing
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