You Can Fly - 2022 Edition - 12

A
PRE-SOLO
Find a flight school. (You may have already
completed this step. If so, congratulations!)
There may be just one flight school at
the airport nearest you, or there may be a
couple. Tour them all, even if that means
visiting another nearby airport.
The flight school will connect you
with a certificated flight instructor, or
CFI. Interview that person. Ask them
about their teaching style, and discuss
with them your learning style. Schedule
a flight and see how it goes. A CFI's
approach can be casual and fun, or
professional and safety-oriented, or a mix
journey of a thousand miles begins with
one step, says the Chinese proverb. You-
yes, you, holding this magazine-have
taken that step. You've started an
amazing journey to become a pilot.
The road ahead may look arduous,
and it will be one of the hardest goals
you've ever achieved. Breaking down the
process into steps or phases makes it more
manageable.
The process of earning a pilot certificate
is usually broken into phases
like this: pre-solo, solo, cross-country,
checkride preparation, checkride. Each
phase builds into the next to produce
a safe, proficient pilot. Here's what to
expect with each phase, along with tips
from pilots who've been where you are
and want to see you succeed.
of both. Which approach will make you
feel at home in the airplane? Only you
can determine that. Remember: You don't
have to work with the first flight instructor
you hire if you don't think he or she is
a good fit (see " Miguel's Story, " p. 17).
Ready to fly? Great! In this phase of
training, the flight instructor will teach
you how to take off, fly, and land an
airplane. You'll also learn about aerodynamics,
such as how an airplane flies and
what makes it stop flying (stall recovery),
and also what to do if the engine
should cease running in flight-which
sounds scary but, with lots of practice,
will become second nature to you (the
airplane becomes a glider and you guide it
to the ground).
You will probably take off and fly
straight and level on your very first
lesson, with the assistance of the instructor,
who will sit in the right seat during
each dual session. The airplane you fly
has two complete sets of controls-yoke,
brakes, and rudder pedals-so that your
instructor can demonstrate and then have
you fly, and also so that the instructor can
correct you as you begin to work on the
more difficult aspects of flying. (Did we
mention landing?)
What is You Can Fly?
The four pillars of the AOPA You Can Fly program are designed to touch each of the critical phases of
flying-getting started, assisting in training, bolstering access, and life-long support.
High Schools-You Can Fly designed an aviation curriculum now in place at more than 400 high
schools across the country. The four-year aviation program teaches fundamentals, history, and career
options in tracks for ninth through twelfth grade students.
Flight Training-In addition to programs such as AFTA (see " We've Got Your Back, " p. 46), the You
Can Fly program assists and supports students, flight instructors, and flight schools through Flight
Training magazine, Flight School Business newsletter, online resources, and more.
Flying Clubs-Now you're flying, how do you stay in the air? Cost, time, and availability are the
downers of a flying life. Joining a flying club helps mitigate those bad guys while having fun and
making friends. The Flying Clubs team has helped more than 197 clubs get started-and keep flying-since
2014.
Rusty Pilots-And then one day you start over. You Can Fly knows that life circumstances can interrupt
a flying life, so it designed an easy program for " rusty " pilots to knock that rust off and get back
in the air. We've helped more than 10,000 pilots return to the sky.
youcanfly.aopa.org
12
FLIGHT TRAINING YOU CAN FLY 2022
COURTESY FLYING CLASSROOM

http://youcanfly.aopa.org

You Can Fly - 2022 Edition

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of You Can Fly - 2022 Edition