EAA's Learn to Fly Newsletter

JUNE 2009 Volume 3, Issue 6

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 Certified Flight Instructor Steve Krog walks us through the second step in planning your first cross-country flight. In this month's "A Personal View," we are reacquainted with Amy Gesch, who first appeared in this e-newsletter one year ago when she was in the midst of earning her private pilot license. Now with a pilot's license under her belt and a wealth of aviation experience, Amy looks to earn her sport pilot instructor's license, allowing her to spread her passion for aviation to others.
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... Planning Your First Cross Country - Part 2 - Steve Krog, CFI, Editor Update: Earning My Wings video blog - Brady Lane, EAA multimedia journalist What You're Asking - Questions for your instructor A Personal View - Amy Gesch - One Year Later - Amy Gesch Aviation Glossary - Learning the language of flight This Month's Poll - How many hours have you flown? Did You Know? - Facts and information on the world of flight

Planning Your First Cross-Country - Part 2 By Steve Krog Planning is vital when flying a cross-country trip. Good planning always includes a thorough review of the airports enroute and especially the airport of destination. Without planning how will you know what to expect at your destination? Does the airport have more than one runway? Will it be long enough to land safely? Is fuel available if needed? What service is available if a minor mechanical problem is encountered? All of these questions and more are easily answered if you know where to look. [ Read more ]

Update: Earning My Wings: A video blog about learning to fly

*By Brady Lane* First Solo Cross-Country
I was more nervous before this flight than any others up to now. Leaving my home airport for the first time with no one else in the plane is a big milestone, and to be honest, downright nerve racking. Those nerves were good though, because it made me study the sectional chart for hours and hours the day before my flight. I also made sure to read every bit of information available about the airports and runways I'd be landing at. With the fuel topped off and virtually no winds, I took off for my first airport - Portage (C47) about 50 miles away.
It was an awesome feeling when I spotted my first airport from the air and an even better feeling when I landed at it. After navigating and landing at my second airport, Dodge Country (UNU), I headed home. When I landed on Runway 9 back at Oshkosh, I was overcome with adrenaline and excitement. At that moment, I remember feeling like a real pilot for the first time. I'm curious if this is the point in other student pilots' training when they first feel like a real pilot. Let me know on the blog. I know there are numerous benchmarks in the training process-but this was a great one for me. - Brady
============== 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.

Q&A: What you're asking

Common questions for the instructor from beginning flight students

Q: I am interested in learning to fly and obtaining a sport pilot license. But I'm colorblind. I've been told that color blindness would prevent me from getting a license. Is this true?

A: Color blindness is not a disqualification for obtaining a sport pilot license. However, depending on the degree of color blindness, it may require that you fly with some restrictions. For example, if you are unable to interpret or differentiate between the red and green colors, you may be restricted from flying in Class B, C, and D airspace even if you obtained training and a logbook endorsement for flying in these airspaces.

Color blindness is more restrictive should you pursue a private pilot license. You would probably carry the restriction on your license that prevents you from flying at night, depending upon degree of color blindness.
[ More questions ]

A Personal View - Amy Gesch - one year later

By Amy Gesch

Editor's Note: Amy Gesch is a very bright and driven individual who has been badly bitten by the flying bug! One year ago Amy's first exposure to flight appeared in this newsletter. She was in the midst of working on her private pilot license. One year later, she has accomplished quite a lot in spite of limited funds. Her ingenuity and her persistence have helped her accomplish a lot in just one short year. I think you'll find Amy's update both interesting and inspirational.

A year ago, I was one giddy recipient of a private pilot's license. At first, I didn't know what to do ... I didn't feel all that different. Then, I began to explore all that the wide world of aviation has to offer! [ Read more ]

airframe - the structure of an aircraft without the powerplant. It is generally considered to consist of five principle units - the fuselage, wings, stabilizers, flight control surfaces, and landing gear.

empty weight - the weight of the structure of an aircraft, its powerplant, and all of the fixed equipment.

instrument - a device to show visually or aurally the attitude, altitude, or operation of an aircraft or aircraft part. It includes the electronic devices used for automatically controlling an aircraft in flight.

ramp - the apron or paved surface around a hangar used for parking aircraft.

[ more glossary terms ]

Last month's poll: We asked, "What was your favorite ground school subject?" The majority of you said "Navigation" was your favorite subject with 35 percent of the total votes. "Aerodynamics" came in second with 17 percent and "Aircraft system" came in third with 15 percent. "Radio communications" and "Weather" were tied for fourth with 11 percent each, while the least favorite ground school subject was "Emergency procedures and scenarios" with just 7 percent of the total votes.

Did you know . . .

The longest flight on record was Steve Fossett's around the world (and then some!) flight that lasted 76 hours and 45 minutes.

The service ceiling, or how high a specific airplane can fly, can vary widely. In general terms, sport and recreational aircraft can fly up to about 20,000 feet; airliners and corporate jets can fly climb to over 40,000 feet and military aircraft can fly even higher. The SR-71 "Blackbird" had a service ceiling above 85,000 feet one of the highest flying aircraft ever. The rocket-powered X-15 flew as high as 350,000 feet and, of course, the Space Shuttle can obtain earth orbit.

A moment to join, a lifetime to fly

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.

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.