Accelerated Flight Training

FAA Knowledge Testing in Full Swing....Again

2010-01-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

You may have heard the rumors circulating that CATS testing facilities (including ours) were "off-line" indefinitely.

We are pleased to tell you that after a 3-day hiatus, testing has resumed in full-tilt!
Testing at SunState Aviation includes the full array of all FAA sponsored tests from Sport Pilot to Airline Transport Pilot and all the FAA Mechanic tests including the Inspection Authorization (IA) test.

What you may not know is that our testing center also administers some non-FAA sponsored exams such as Pharmacy, Chiropractic and Loss Prevention.

New Year's Resolution: Add Value to Your Pilot Certificate

2010-01-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

You worked hard and invested a lot of time and hard-earned money into getting your Private Pilot License. You've pondered adding an Instrument Rating to your certificate but struggled to justify the expense.

Maybe we can help.

For starters, if you are an aircraft owner, chances are your insurance agent has already told you about the 25% discount you will receive when you get your Instrument Rating.

2008 Cessna 182T Skylane equipped with the Garmin G1000, GFC700 Integrated Auto-Pilot and Synthetic Vision Technology

Just thought we would remind you about that.

And how can you put a price on safety?

With an Instrument Rating you have the ability to fly on an instrument flight plan, in constant contact with ATC who is watching your every move on radar.

Kind of like your own personal guardian angel.

You will fly with greater precision and confidence than ever before after completing an Instrument Flight Training Course. And, have a deeper understanding of how to get the most out of all those fancy gadgets on your instrument panel.

Get the picture?

So, what are you waiting for?

Do yourself a favor for 2010 and get Instrument Rated.

Happy Holidays from SunState Aviation

2009-12-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

With proper training, mid-air collisions can be avoided

The staff and management team at SunState Aviation want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year!

We hope your plans for 2010 will include a visit to see us for some more flight training for a new rating or pilot proficiency.

See you soon!

Learning To Fly - Where do I start?

2009-08-19T06:19:00.001-07:00

Once you've settled in your mind exactly what your goals are for learning to fly, the next step in this process would be to decide when and where you should train. If your schedule and finances will allow, we recommend attending one of our accelerated flight training courses. Why accelerated training? Remember, we talked about MAXIMUM VALUE and MAXIMUM QUALITY. In an accelerated course the student is removed from his/her normal day to day environment and completely immersed in the subject matter of learning to fly an airplane for the duration of the training course. The goal here is not so much drinking from the proverbial fire hose, as much as it is maximizing your learning curve. Concentrating your efforts over a short period of time maximizes the retention of information as well as quickly reinforcing the required motor skills. Quite simply, it is the difference between earning your pilot license in 45 to 50 hours instead of 75 to 80 hours.

We strongly recommend shopping around and checking out all of your options. Right now you are visiting SunState Aviation's web site, but we would encourage you to shop, call, email, browse, take notes and then make an informed choice. To be totally honest; we may not be the flight school that is best suited to your own personal needs and goals, but the only way you would know that for sure is if you have done your homework!

Here are some things you should look for as you are shopping for that perfect place to learn to fly:

New and late model aircraft that are meticulously maintained to meet or exceed FAA standards.
A structured training syllabus (ground and flight) that is FAA approved
Experienced flight instructors who are closely supervised by an experienced Chief Flight Instructor
All flight instructors consistently follow the training syllabus (no lone rangers doing their own thing. Lone rangers are only out to milk you and build hours. If they are not all following the syllabus, they are not doing you any favors)
Flight instructors who are completely knowledgeable about the avionics in the training aircraft
Itemized cost estimates for absolutely everything involved with reaching your goals
Does this flight school require full payment in advance? (If they do, run, don't walk in the other direction!!!)
Does the flight school have an FAA approved level III or better flight simulator?
Does the flight school return your phone calls and/or emails? Is the support staff courteous and helpful?
Where will you take your FAA Knowledge Exam (written test)? Where will you take your Practical Test?
Can the school accommodate your scheduling needs, whether an accelerated program or a self-paced program around a busy and demanding work schedule?

Your Decision on Learning To Fly - Why do you want to learn to fly?

2009-08-18T05:08:00.000-07:00

Learning to fly is a major decision which should be entered into advisedly. Let's face it: Learning to fly is not cheap and you want to be assured that you will be getting maximum VALUE and QUALITY for your money. And since we are talking about money, the first thing you should be settled on is that there are some things in life that you SHOULD NOT be looking for the cheapest deal! This is especially true when you are choosing the right flight instructor or flight school. Again, you want MAXIMUM VALUE and MAXIMUM QUALITY to ensure that you complete your training in the most cost and time efficient way possible and complete your training knowing that you have been trained to be a safe and proficient pilot. This post (and the ones to follow) is designed to help you arrive at an informed choice and to also let you know exactly what you should expect when it comes to your pilot training.

The first step in this process is for you to ask yourself: "Why do I want to learn to fly?" The answer to this question will help you and your flight school of choice to guide you in the right direction and make some basic decisions to help you arrive at your ultimate goal in the most efficient way possible. Some people want to learn to fly airplanes professionally as an airline pilot or a charter aircraft pilot, etc. Others want to learn to fly airplanes for business purposes, such as sales people with large territories, business owners with multiple locations, people who want to fly for personal transportation and folks who just want to fly locally for the fun of it. What ever YOUR reason for wanting to learn to fly airplanes, you should let your flight school and/or flight instructor know exactly what your goals are, as this can and will affect how your training is conducted. A good example of this would be the person who just wants to fly locally for the fun of it verses the business owner with multiple locations throughout the US. The business person will want and need to fly long distances in higher performance aircraft and sometimes fly in less-than-perfect weather. This calls for an emphasis on advanced avionics, an instrument rating, a high performance endorsement and quite possibly some additional flight time with a qualified instructor pilot to satisfy some insurance requirements. The guy who is happy to just "fly around the patch" on the weekends would simply need a Sport Pilot, Recreational Pilot or a Private Pilot License.

More to come...

Instrument Rating Requirements

2009-07-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

It is very important to know prior to embarking on an instrument flight training course exactly what is required of you, both in terms of the pre-requisite flight requirements as well as what will be expected of you during the training itself.

Here is a brief outline of both the pre-requisite as well as the flight training requirements:
1. Hold at least an FAA private pilot certificate.
2. Be able to read, write, and speak in the English language.
3. Hold a current FAA airman medical certificate.
4. Receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course. Subjects to include the following:
a. Federal Aviation Regulations
b. IFR-related items in the Airman's Information Manual (AIM)
c. ATC system and procedures
d. IFR navigation
e. Use of IFR charts
f. Aviation weather & weather services
g. Operating under Instrument Flight Rules
h. Recognition of critical weather
i Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)
j. Crew Resource Management (CRM)
5. Pass the FAA instrument rating knowledge test with a score of 70% or better.
6. Accumulate flight experience (14 CFR part 61.65):
a. 50 hr. of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hr. must be in airplanes:
(1) The 50 hr. includes solo cross-country time as a student pilot, which is logged as pilot-in-command time.
(2) Each cross-country must have a landing at an airport that was at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 NM from the original departure point.
b. A total of 40 hr. of actual or simulated instrument time in the areas of operation listed in 7. below, including:
(1) 15 hr. of instrument flight training from a CFII (a Certified Flight Instructor with an added rating authorizing her to give instrument instruction).
Of course, you are going to need a view limiting device for the instrument flight training....
Foggles/View Limiting Device - IFR Training Foggles can be worn alone or with regular eyeglasses.
(2) Cross-country flight procedures that include at least one cross-country flight in an airplane that is performed under IFR and consists of:
(a) A distance of at least 250 NM along airways or ATC-directed routing
(b) An instrument approach at each airport
(c) Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems
(d) If the instrument flight training was provided by a CFII, a maximum of 20hr. may be accomplished in an FAA approved flight simulator or flight training device.
7. Demonstrate flight proficiency (14 CFR part 61.65). You must receive and log training, as well as obtain a logbook endorsement from your CFII on the following areas of operation:
a. Preflight preparation
b. Preflight procedures
c. Air traffic control clearances and procedures
d. Flight by reference to instruments
e. Navigation systems
f. Instrument approach procedures
g. Emergency operations
h. Post flight procedures
8. Successfully complete the instrument rating practical test.

More to come....

Accelerated IFR Flight Training

2009-07-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

Instrument flight training and IFR flying. My favorite subject to talk about!

Before I got my ,instrument rating, I used to think that the instrument rating was "what separated the men from the boys" when it came to pilots. Of course now I know that's not necessarily true, but still, there is a true sense of pilot professionalism when you can file an IFR flight plan and go fly in the system.

Now, I would be remiss here if I were to somehow communicate (either intentionally or unintentionally) that by taking an instrument flight training course and getting an instrument rating, that you can charge right out and make a flight in hard instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). You may be legal at that point to do just that, but there is LEGAL and then there is SAFE.

According to a recently published report by the Air Safety Foundation (ASF), weather related accidents are on the rise. In spite of all the new technology available in GA aircraft these days, pilots are still getting themselves into deep trouble with the weather. I think this underscores the need for HIGH QUALITY INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TRAINING!

Next post - how to choose the right IFR training facility....

Accelerated Training for Advanced Ratings

2009-07-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

I used private pilot training as an example in previous posts, but what about advanced ratings such as an instrument rating, a multi engine rating, etc.?

All of the same principles apply here too.

I would add however that if you are going for some kind of an advanced pilot rating, you already have some basis and reference from previous training experiences, so you already know that regardless of which flying school you ultimately choose, there is a partnership dynamic at work here where hopefully, if both parties are equally committed to the end goal, there is little else which can prevent you from achieving your objective on time and within budget.

In other words, assuming you have chosen a good flight school; you will get out of it what you put into it.

There is no pilot training magic wand. You have to do the stuff and your flight school / flight instructor is simply there to facilitate the whole process, provide the syllabus, the equipment and some guidance along the way. No study, no rating. Right?

What about Ground School?

2009-07-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the most important aspects of choosing the right accelerated flight training school. The ground training or "ground school".

All flight training is broken down into two basic categories: ground school and flight training. The ground school is for the brain and the flight training is supposed to take the stuff you put into your brain during ground school and APPLY that knowledge in the airplane. Of course, the FAA has knowledge exams - some people still call them "written tests" even though these tests are administered on computers nowadays - and the knowledge exams are designed to measure the amount of knowledge you retained in the gray matter during ground school.

Now, ground school comes in a multitude of shapes, colors sizes, etc. but the logic behind it is all still pretty much the same in the more traditional sense.

Getting you prepared for the FAA knowledge exam.

Now this is fine except that this kind of approach to ground school is missing the real point or intent of ground school! It's one thing to be able to pass a relatively simple multiple choice exam, quite another thing to have that knowledge translate into becoming a SAFE AND PROFICIENT PILOT!

Now, some flight schools do get it.

These are the ones that use a more INTEGRATED approach to ground school and flight training. Just as the word implies, this more up-to-date method of training takes the ground school and the flight training and meshes them together. The way it's supposed to be done!

With an INTEGRATED pilot training syllabus, each ground lesson is actually preparing the student for his/her next flight lesson in the airplane - or simulator in some cases. This way, the entire training program is following a structured pathway and both the ground lessons and the flight lessons are complimenting each other, hence increasing the students retention of the knowledge and skills.

Make sure the flight school you choose uses some kind of INTEGRATED pilot training syllabus. If the flight school representative seems to not understand what this is all about then they probably don't have one.

More to come.....

7 Days, 14 Days, 21 Days. Which One is Right for Me?

2009-07-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

If you have spent any time browsing the internet for an accelerated flight training course, I'm sure you have noticed a wide variety of offerings - anywhere from 10 days to 30 days for a Private Pilot training course for example.

So, why the big difference? Isn't the shortest one the best one?

Well, some flight training centers seem to think they can attract more customers by offering the shortest course. But not so fast! - pun intended ;-)

The FAA requires a MINIMUM of 40 hours of flight training time - or 35 hours in some part 141 schools - in order to obtain a Private Pilot License. Add to this almost an equal amount of "ground training" as well as exams, exam prep, etc.

SIDE BAR: Hardly anyone can complete their training in the FAA's minimum time. Actually, the national average time to complete training for a private pilot license - according to the FAA - is closer to 60 to 75 hours!

In order for the average person to complete private pilot training in a 10 day accelerated flight training course, that person would need to fly at least 4+ hours per day - not counting all the other stuff. Now, anyone who has taken any flight training can tell you that after four hours of intense flight training, the brain and body are basically fried. The learning curve is past it's peak and too much instruction in one day can actually be counter-productive.

There comes a point where the human has reached the maximum amount of information input on a daily basis. In my experience with accelerated flight training courses, the average person can tolerate about 2 to 3 hours max of flight training and about the same amount of ground studies per day. Anything more is information overload and is simply not productive.

More to come...

Is Accelerated Flight Training for You?

2009-07-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

I have to say, that I am a strong believer in accelerated flight training - in MOST cases. There are of course exceptions to every rule but when it comes to selecting the method by which you plan to become a pilot or add another rating to your pilots license, an accelerated flight training course - done correctly - is the most cost and time efficient way to become a safe and proficient pilot.

That was the quick and easy answer, now let's get down to the nitty gritty details of how this accelerated flight training works. Like I said, if you are looking to become a pilot or add a rating to your pilot certificate, accelerated training is right in MOST cases and for most people, but not all.

If you can take the time out from work, school, family, etc. to dedicate 2 or 3 weeks to really focus - and I mean FOCUS - and get the job done, then the accelerated route is definitely for you.

Of course, not everyone can do this. After all, two to three weeks is a long stretch away from home for many of us. However, some accelerated flight training providers are able to provide flexibility for scheduling and many have chosen the option to break up their training into shorter segments. Just be prepared to add some additional time in the big picture if you need to approach it this way.

Why?

In between segments, some of the knowledge and skills gained in the previous segment will go bye, bye, so on the return segment you can count on the first day or two just getting back up to speed before plowing into some new concepts.

More to come....