Back On Track!

Hey Everyone, I wanted to update you on what has been going on with my flight training. I recently flew my First Solo and will be uploading the video soon. I have been very busy with work and training that the blog was put on the backburner.

I have become great friends with a fellow pilot and knowing him has allowed me to expand my airport knowledge around California. We have flown to Santa Barbara, SLO, and San Diego which has been very exciting.

I will try to continue updating the blog and will always be flying.

Soon I will post some pictures of my recent flights and Fly Safe!

Videos

I have recently purchased a Brand New GoPro Hero 3+ Silver Camera and its safe to say I am having a blast shooting all over with it. I plan on recording most of my flight and putting together videos for everyone to see. I will be experimenting with different placement locations for the GoPro and if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Fly Safe

Flight Training Financing options

We all have to pay for flight school some day. Whether we have savings, loans, or are paying as you go. I wanted to make a list of different Financing options for everyone interested in flying. It can seem like a daunting task to pay for flight school but with the right resources it's easy. The following are some options that I have found scouring the internet for financing options. I am not affiliated with any schools or programs but, want to let everyone know my personal opinion.

Also if you have any other financing options that you know about please let me know and I will add them to the list!

1) Attend and Aviation College or University that Allows Financial Aid

There are many Colleges and Universities out there offer a degree in the Aviation field. Benefits of attending a College or University are:

• Many Airlines love to see that you have a degree in the aviation field

• Most Colleges and Universities allow students to apply for Federal financial aid which makes it easier to afford college and training up front.

• In addition to receiving your Pilots License you will be learning Classroom Skills that can benefit your future.

There are many Colleges and universities out there which allows many options to choose from. In addition to obtaining your degree you will be able to train and live with other students going through the same programs allowing for many resources to be available.

2) Attend an Accredited Flight Program that Allows Private Financing

In addition to Acreddited colleges and universities there are many "For-Profit" schools out there that allow students to acheive the same goals without going through the "School System". This type of program is popular for students who want to reach a specific goal in flight training and learn in a quick paced environment. Benefits include:

• Accelerated Training program that allow students to achieve the goals they want in a short amount of time.

• Private financing allows students to apply for loans so that they can afford training up front.

There are many programs out there that allow for students to acheive the same goals without obtaining a degree. This may be a great option if you already have a degree or want a fast pased learning environment.

3) Get a loan with Pilot Finance inc.

Pilot finance is a great option for student who are looking for a loan but are not in an accredeted program that allows financial aid. Pilot Finance inc. is a lending institution that allows student to apply for a loan to pay for some or all of their flight training. They do give loans based on you credit and the interest rate is based on credit also. Most part 61 and part 141 are supported by Pilot Finance inc. Check them out and see if that is something you are interested in. 

4) Get a private Loan with a Bank or Credit Union

Many banks and credit unions allow private loans for people who are approved. This option is similar to Pilot finance but is not flight training specific. Many banks or credit unions will give loans to people with good credit. Downside is if you do not have a co-signer or good credit you may have a higher interest rate or be unable to receive a loan.

5) Join the Military

Many people say that one of the best ways to become a pilot is to join the military. The military is a great option because it allows potential students to use their GI-Bill to pay for certain flight schools. The downside to the military is that you will have to serve a minimum term to receive this bill. Another option is to become a pilot in the Military. the only downside to being a military pilot is there is a long term commitment when becoming a pilot. If your goal is to become a commercial pilot then you may want to research other options before choosing the military. As of 2008 only 28% of pilots had a military background and that number is decreasing every year (sources: http://www.pilottrainingsandiego.com/).

6) Apply for a Scholarship or Grant to become a pilot

There are many Grants and Scholarships out there that allow students to recieve financing for their training. The nice thing about grants and Scholarships are that you can combine as many of them together as you want. There is a wide range of grants and scholarships available ranging from $50 to $10,000. Here are some links to get you started:

• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Flight Training Scholarship Program
• Experimental Aircraft Association Scholarships
• National Air Transportation Foundation Scholarships
• National Business Aviation Association Scholarships
• The Ninety-Nines Section and Chapter Scholarships
• The Ninety-Nines Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarships & Awards
• AeroClub of New England's Scholarship Program
• Aircraft Electronics Association Scholarships
• Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
• The Douglas Youst Memorial Aerobatic Scholarship

7) Pay for Flight School as you go

This is the option that I have chosen. Unable to receive any financial aid or loans I have decided to work while in flight school. This can be a hard route but there are many ways to accomplish your goals while working a full time job or part time job. Many flight schools have financing options to either pay as you go or place an amount of money in an account. Many people think that flight school will cost thousands of dollars upfront but if you talk to your flight school and can cost as little as $200 each time you train. I plan on putting together a finance guide that will help if you plan on a pay as you go training program.

If you have any other options let me know!

As always Fly Safe

Chris E

Contact Me

I want everyone to be able to Contact me if they have questions or have any advice for my blog.

Email : myfirstflighttraining@gmail.com
Facebook : Chris Evans

Flight Training Cost vs Salary

Soon I am going to publish an article talking about how to go about financing your flight training. There are many different ways to finance from loans to paying cash. I wanted to post a cool overview that I found about the Cost of becoming a pilot to the annual Salary of a pilot.

This graphic compares 4 different fields of study and in my eyes shows us that if we can figure out a way to pay for our dream of becoming a pilot then it will pay off in the end. I found this graphic from brownaviationlease who is one of my top blogs I follow.

Enjoy and Fly Safe!

Chris E

Inspiration

Today I decided to send an Email to Swayne Martin author of From Private to Professional Pilot. the response I received made me want to write this post to let everyone know how inspirational Swayne is.

Starting flight training as a Sophomore in High school Swayne has accomplished much more than most Kids Ahem... Adults his age. Swayne started his blog in 2012 about his journey through flight training and has created a very inspirational blog.

Before I re-started my training I would read Swayne's blog daily and his blog has helped me gain the courage and knowledge to start training again. Swayne's blog has everything from how to prepare for the FAA exam to His flight to First Flight Airfield in NC. 

One inspirational quote from Swayne that I really enjoy is :

"For aspiring pilots: What I have gotten from so many pilots online and off, is this: It is ALL about attitude. Make the best of what you have and remember what you are doing and why you are doing it. Just like in anything, there is a certain amount of risk that corresponds with becoming a pilot. The industry is ever changing, and it can be hard to figure out which steps to take in order to become truly "successful." In the end, the career can and likely will pay off if you work hard, stay positive, and keep your enthusiasm. Just remember why you started in the first place. "

I want everyone to visit Swayne's blog because without it I probably wouldn't be flying let alone writing this blog.

Thanks Swayne!

Fly Safe

Chris E

Stalls

Stalls... Potentially one of the scariest parts of flying but also one of the most practiced maneuvers a pilot can perform. A stall is when a planes wings no longer produce lift and the plane begins falling towards the earth. This may seem like a bad situation, and it could be but it is also able to be prevented and recovered from. 

Today we practiced powered and no power stalls and it was a very enlightening experience. At first I was a little nervous but, after my instructor taught me how to recover from a stall I was ready to take it head on. I decided we would start with no power stalls first seeing that we already were practicing slow flight and had flaps extended. A no power stall recreates the motions of landing and during the decent pulling back on the yoke to much that the plane is not moving forward enough to continue flying. I slowly pulled back on the yoke and watched as my speed decreased rapidly. As we were nearing the stall mark a horn sounded which tells the pilot that we were about to stall. In real world situations this is where you would take the hint and lower the nose enough that you would continue flying but, I was trying to break that barrier and purposefully stall the plane. I continued to pull back and finally we felt a shutter of the plane which is called a "buffet" and the plane started dropping. To recover I gave it full power and lowered the nose to the horizon. As the plane started to gain altitude and speed I raised the flaps one by one until we were smooth sailing... or flying rather.

After practicing this maneuver multiple times I was able to recover the plane with only losing 70-80 feet of altitude which is great for the first practice. 

Next we were going to practice Power on stalls which simulate a stall on takeoff. Similar to power off stalls but in a power on stall you already have full power which means you only have to lower the nose to the horizon to prevent the stall. I once again with full power pulled back on the yoke and watched as my airspeed dropped until once again I heard the horn. My instructor made sure to tell me that " in real world situations the horn is your symbol to lower the nose and prevent the stall" but, I again kept holding back until we felt a buffet and the plane stalled. I lowered the nose to the horizon keeping full power until I was no longer in a stall and began to gain altitude "normally" again.

One thing that surprised me in both stalls was the fact that the plane did not want to stall even though I was forcing it. By the end of stall practice my arms were tired from fighting the plane which is always a good thing. If the plane continues to want to fly then that's better for all of us. 

I was able to practice both stalls multiple times and by the end I felt very comfortable recovering from stalls in the case of an emergency. After practicing stalls we began steep turn which is whole new ball game. I will go over steep turns in my next post because I could talk about them all day.

Fly Safe

Chris E