Story: Let's Go Flying

Everyone has romantic visions of piloting an airplane through the Wild Blue Yonder. Most of us will probably never get beyond the fantasy stage because we think it’s too expensive or too hard to get a license. It’s time to think outside the box to see what you’ve been missing.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association developed a program called Let’s Go Flying to show everyone just how easy it is to learn to fly. For only $99 you can experience the thrill of flight at one of over 3,500 flight schools nationwide.

I chose Ed’s Flying Service at Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport, New Mexico for my flight. Ed Pavalka, the owner, has been flying 53 years and the family run operation is friendly, efficient and most importantly, close to my home.

My pilot for the flight was Ed’s son Bob who has been flying 33 years. Bob also told me he had two uncles, Chuck and Pete, who flew in “The Real War” and possible a relative in the Lafayette Escadrille, a squadron of American volunteer pilots in France during World War I.

I found him out on the tarmac pulling a Cessna 152 from a hangar. Bob put me at ease immediately with a friendly smile, firm handshake and casual demeanor. When it came to flying, he was all business concerning safety but managed to keep everything interesting and often amusing.

The plane was in fantastic shape and I learned a lot during the pre-flight walk-through. In a short and efficient manner I learned what to inspect for safety before every flight. It doesn’t take long if done right and the importance of this step can’t be overstated.

After the exterior pre-flight inspection, we climbed aboard and finished with the electrical and control panel settings. Don’t worry about remembering everything you have to check. Each plane comes with a factory checklist outlining the most efficient way to complete this step.

Soon, we were taxiing toward the end of runway 21, named because of its magnetic heading of 210 degrees. I’ve seen those numbers painted on runways all my life and never knew what they meant until now. Simple and effective.

We visually inspected the surrounding sky, announced our takeoff intentions and crossed the hold line and followed the yellow centerline to line up for our takeoff. Bob explained the settings for takeoff and even allowed me to control the steering of the plane using the rudder pedals. It wasn’t the straightest taxiing job but I kept it out of the grass.

The nose raised and we took with a smoothness seldom felt in the commercial aircraft I am used to. I kept my feet on the rudder control as we climbed and started a bank to the left. During the entire flight, I was encouraged to keep hand and feet on the controls to feel how the plane was controlled. The plane was responsive and while I wasn’t as smooth as Bob, I started to get comfortable with the controls.

We flew north along the Tularosa Basin over vineyards and small towns with the Sacramento Mountains on our right and the San Andres and Oscura Mountains on our left. We couldn’t get too close to the San Andres since Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range lay between us and those mountains. I wasn’t worried about being shot down but those bombers flying in and out of there are big and fast.

The view was fantastic and I saw thing from the air that I have driven by hundreds of times without a clue they were there. The perspective is hard to describe but when you get oriented you start to pick out landmarks quickly.

Way too soon, we were headed back to the airport and the approach and landing was as smooth as the takeoff. As we taxied back to the hangar, I knew it would be a while before the grin on my face went away.

For only $99 you can have a fun experience at a flight school near you and most importantly, find out if you have the desire to pursue your pilot’s license. It’s a bargain either way.
If You Want to Fly

There are a couple of different licenses you may be interested in. There is the regular Private Pilot license most of us are familiar with that allows you to fly non-commercial aircraft under Visual Flight Rules but there is also a Sport Pilot license that has less requirement to acquire and more restrictions. Check out the APOA website for more information on licenses.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires a minimum of 40 hours of flight training to get a Private Pilot license but Bob said that number is typically closer to 50 or 60 because of the ground school and cross country requirements. Of course, they type of plane you might choose to fly is as varied as they type of car you might drive. There are economy planes and luxury models, all priced accordingly. It might surprise you to know a good used plane can be no more expensive than some cars. Talk to your flight instructor for more information on what would be suitable to your style of flying.

The cost of getting a Private license can run between $5,500 and $10,000 depending on your instruction time, aircraft rented and fuel costs. A Sport license has about half the requirements of a Private license and costs accordingly. Plan on spending an hour to hour and a half at a time in actual flight training. The rest of your time is basically home study. There are great new study courses for the computer or DVD courses that make learning much easier. There are also a lot of online courses. I checked out one at www.sporty.com/courses for $199.

I asked Bob what was the first thing you tell people when they say they want to learn to fly. His response was, “Make sure you’ve got the money to start. Too many people start, spend a whole bunch of money and realize this is expensive and they quit.” Good advice! If you want to fly, check out all the expenses first and consider all of your options. If you still have the desire, piloting your own plane around the country is more fun than driving any day.

Let’s Go Flying Click Here for More Details

Ed’s Flying Service
3500 Airport Road
Alamogordo, New Mexico 88310
Tel: 505-437-4330, 800-367-9953 - Fax: 505-439-0195
Email: edsairplane@netmdc.com

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701
Phone: 301/695-2000 Fax: 301/695-2375
E-mail aopahq@aopa.org

The AOPA is a not-for-profit individual membership association that effectively serves the interests and needs of its members as aircraft owners and pilots, and establishes, maintains, and articulates positions of leadership to promote the economy, safety, and popularity of flight in aircraft.

Photos by Marilyn and Dave Shultz