This Way Up

You've been dreaming about it since you were little. The exhilarating sensation of flight. You've gazed into the sky and watched airplanes whisk their passengers to far away lands. You've read about Lindberg and The Right Stuff. You've always dreamed of flying. But you thought it would take too much time, or that it was too expensive. Maybe you thought only daredevils became pilots. In the following you will learn that flying is easy, affordable, accessible and most importantly, safe.

It's so simple. Learning to fly is a lot easier than people think. You don't have to become a commercial or military pilot to fly. You can be part of general aviation. Today there are thousands of people, just like you, learning to fly. They come from all walks of life and have a variety of reasons for wanting to be a pilot. Some fly to expand business opportunities. Others to explore careers in the aviation industry. Some are looking for an activity they can share with their family. Most fly for the sheer fun of it. Whatever your reason, there are just a few basic requirements you will have to meet in order to fly solo.

You must...
...be at least 16 years old.
...be able to read, speak and understand English.
...pass a basic medical exam.

That's all. If you meet these requirements, you can fly. (You can actually fly at any age, but you must be 16 to solo). You don't have to be John Glenn or Chuck Yeager, just a regular guy. In fact, you don't have to be a guy at all. Female pilots have been around since the Wright Brothers and today are an ever growing segment of the pilot population.

Now let's address the issue of safety. More so than anything else, safety comes first in the general aviation industry. In fact, safety is the foundation of flight training. Today's training aircraft are engineered and built to rigid federal standards and are constantly checked to make certain they are ship shape. Also new technology, like GPS (Global Positioning System), makes navigation safer than ever. Innovations in weather tracking radar and radio communications, combined with the world's most sophisticated and safest air space system, make today's general aviation aircraft one of the safest vehicles ever invented.

Once you've made the decision, it's time to begin training. Pilot training consists of both ground and flight courses which cover flight rules and regulations, flight planning, navigation, radio procedures and weather. In order to receive your certificate, you must pass the Federal Aviation Administration written exam (rules and regulations) and then the fun part - the flying exam. As a pilot, you choose the level of involvement you want. The more you take on, the more stringent the FAA requirements. From a private pilot certificate to an air transport pilot certificate. It's up to you.

The best part is, you don't even have to own an airplane in order to fly. Instead, you can rent an airplane, much like you would a car, or share ownership. As far as the cost of obtaining your private pilot certificate, most people can do it in an average of fifty-five hours of flight time and a cost of around $5000. And we can save you as much as 10% of this with special programs.

Like a philosopher said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step" and your first step is to get into an airplane and see for yourself. To get started, contact us at (508)-997-0620 or email us.

See You in the Sky