If you are an aspiring pilot, you will want to know about these three things. Granted there are A LOT of things that you need to know when you are becoming a pilot but what it all boils down to is that you need to have accomplished these three things before you are considered real Private Pilot.

- Flight Time

- Your Checkride

- The Private Pilot Written Exam

So what do all these entail? Well, today we will explore these three things about flying a little bit closer and see what they are.

After you finish reading them, you will see that getting your Private Pilot License really as easy as 1-2-3.

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One of the most memorable moments of your life will occur on a relatively lonely airstrip, sitting at the end of a runway, with just one other person with you. It will be the first time you will take the controls of an airplane and take it out on your first flight lesson. The first time you fly an airplane is an event that makes the difference from any other kind of training because it is hands-on…and exciting. You are doing something that a very, very small percentage of the population ever do. You have chosen to get your pilot’s certificate and become a pilot. While lots of ordinary schools have hands-on training, taking an airplane into the sky is unlike any other classroom experience there is.

How does it start?

Well today we will talk about the process of getting into flight training, a little bit about ground school and what you can expect on your first flight lesson and beyond. Let’s get started.

If you want to fly, the first thing you need to do is visit a flight school or fixed-based operator (FBO) at your local airport. You can find them on-line or in the yellow pages. If you have never heard the term “FBO” before, an FBO is like a gas station for airplanes. They provide ramp service, i.e., fuel and parking, but a lot of times they provide airplane ground school and flight instruction as well. Sometimes they even rent airplanes and may have their own charter service. After all, once you pass the Private Pilot checkride, you will become certified by the FAA which means that you are qualified to fly an airplane and that you can take that plane up, handle different situations during the flight and return it to the ground safely. A flight school or FBO will allow you to rent their airplane so you can do just that.

So you have stopped by a flight school and talked to a certificated flight instructor (CFI) and discussed your flight training options. You like the instructor and you like the flight school, so you sign-up for ground school and your first lesson. When the day actually comes for you to do your first training flight, you can bet you will probably be a bit nervous. I know I was. It will be a nervousness that is mixed with excitement because soon you will be flying above the world in an environment you have never been before. After years of just admiring airplanes from afar and staring at airplane flight controls in pictures, you are now the one actually learning to control an airplane. You are learning how to fly.

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Often people I talk to are enthralled that I fly for a living. I get to go to the airport, fly a jet airplane and I get paid for it. Not a bad life! Almost everyone I have ever talked to admits an interest in learning to fly at one point or another.

Can you blame them? Flying an airplane is an awesome experience! It’s romantic. It’s fun! For a long time, it was the “Final Frontier” for the ordinary person.The unachievable! A dream that only other people made real.

Then I ask them, “Why haven’t you learned to fly?”

Usually they hem and haw and give reasons like: no money, no time, other commitments, too complicated…and the list goes on. I can understand and appreciate all of these reasons…but…becoming a pilot is more achievable now than ever before by becoming what is called a “Sport Pilot.”

So, in this article, we will discuss what a Sport Pilot is, some of the limitations, training, and privileges of being a Sport Pilot, physical requirements, and the different types of aircraft you would be allowed to fly.

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If you ask any pilot, they will tell you that their comfort level with their headset is very important to them. They do not want to have something that is very cumbersome, doesn’t allow them to hear when they need to be heard, and doesn’t help them block out the noise of the aircraft. For this reason there are only a few headsets on the market today that pilots would actually recommend to other pilots. There are a lot of options, but not all of the headsets on the market actually fit all of the requirements. One that has been surprisingly high quality and very functional in all aspects in the Lightspeed Zulu Headset.

The Lightspeed Zulu is a great option for pilots because it can provide the results that a lot of products that cost two or three times more can, and still provide the comfort that is necessary for pilots. Those who have tried the headset claim that it can stand up to big names such as the Bose Headset X, yet it costs about $200 less!

This headset is known for its noise reduction capabilities. The headset has been fitted with full coverage magnesium ear cups, which make it very light weight and also a better sound barrier than the plastics that are used for the ear cups on most headsets. When compared to even high end headsets, the Zulu had a noticeable better rating where noise reduction is concerned.

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AIRBUS has recently decided to prepare new cockpit displays to improve the cost of ownership of this system and to offer enhanced and new features.

The A320 and A340 families are the targets for the installation of these New cockpit displays which will be, in a second step, widely installed on the other new Airbus families.

The new cockpit displays involve the replacement of the Display Management Computers and the Display Units by new units with a minimum impact on the aircraft. It will be installed both in forward fit and retrofit conditions.

The new Display Units are no longer CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes), but LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) flat panels. The LCD is now a mature technology which presents very good optical performances, even better than the CRTs in sunshine conditions, and a larger display area for the same outside equipment size.

The new cockpit displays will greatly improve the maintenance costs and will provide benefits in terms of necessary volume for their installation, power supply requirement and weight.

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Helicopter engineering

Application of new technology to the ANGLO-ITALIAN EH101

Our confidence in the future and the new opportunities and challenges that we may look forward to are very much based on the benefits that the application of new technology has brought to today’s products.

The EH 101, designed by the partnership of Agusta and GKN Westland employs new technology extensively. The principal new product technologies employed are:

Advanced aerodynamic composite blades; A composite elastomeric hub; An active vibration control system (ACSR); Composite structural components and aluminium lithium structural components; Health and Usage Monitoring systems; An all digital AFCS automatic flight control systems; Electronic Instrument Systems; and helicopter Integrated Avionic Systems employing Dual Data Buses.

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The introduction of the internet has brought a lot of great changes to the travel industry. The industry has developed from local travel agents to online travel reservation ability. In other words, it is now possible for everyone to make their travel arrangements without assistance from agents.

There is need for you to look before you leap when making travel arrangement online. You need to know that not every information you come across online is actually true. Hence, it is always advisable to be patient when doing things on the web, especially anything related to your traveling.

A little time spent on the web will reveal lots of advertisement. Companies spend a lot of money annually advertising their products and services on the web. However, you need to beware. You don’t have to fall for every advertisement you see on the web.

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If you are considering cleaning aircraft or starting such a business, then you need to understand the importance of environmental regulations. First, I am sure you’ll have many questions and you might be interested in knowing that many airports vary in their NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permits.

So you are probably wondering “How do you address the run-off / wash water reclaim issues. (local ordinance and DEP / FAA regulations).” Very good question and as an aircraft washing consultant I am asked these types of questions quite often. So, here it the answer.

Follow the rules, pick up the waste water runoff as it puddles, vacu-boom it into a tank, take it to the wash rack and discharge it there. Some airports only allow washing at the wash racks due to their NPDES permits. If hangar’ed sometimes we do not use pressure washers when cleaning rather we wipe the aircraft off by hand. Many of our customer’s aircraft are kept immaculate.

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