Taxiing: (you “drive” a plane on the ground using your feet)
Engine starting: (the basic techniques used in starting an airplane engine)
Four fundamentals of flight: (the four basic maneuvers which are the basis of aircraft control)
Flight controls: (how you control the aircraft)
What to study:
Principles of flight: (it explains what makes a plane fly)
FirstLesson
TSA requirements:
A one time “discovery” flight can be made without proof of citizenship. No flight time will be logged as it is not an official lesson toward a rating.
Requirement for U.S. citizens: (as stated in the following document, you must bring one of the listed proof of U.S. citizenship. A current U.S. passport qualifies and may be the easiest form of proof.)
Requirement for NON U.S. citizens:
I recommend you watch the following videos to obtain the most out of your first lesson.
Do not feel like you have to memorize all the information. The idea here, is to have you be exposed to some of the new concepts and skills you will experience in your learning how to fly.
If you feel like studying some more, the two following free books by the FAA are the best sources of knowledge. They are the reference material for the private pilot rating.
Airplane flying handbook: (the main “how to fly” book)
Read chapter 1,2,3
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/
Pilot’s handbook of aeronautical knowledge: (the main knowledge book)
Read chapter 1 through 8
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/
The first flight will be conducted in a four places Cessna 172.
We spend about 30min preflighting the aircraft and going over key concepts.
The flight last about 1hr and we fly to an altitude of up to 5000 feet above the ground.
The whole experience takes about 2hours. Morning between 10.00am and 12:00pm are usually the calmest, weather wise.
The price is based on the amount of time we spend on the ground and in the air. So if you are having such a blast that you want to extend the flight, it can be accomodated, scheduling permitting.