Your Introductory Flight
An introductory flight is an amazing opportunity for you to experience flying. Most flight schools and instructors charge only $59 for an introductory flight. Just call a local flight school and give it a shot. You will find that flying is not much more difficult than you previously thought. But, it is a lot more fun!

We suggest that you request an early morning or late afternoon flight with the objective of flying in smooth air, which will be more enjoyable for you. Windy conditions will make your flight bumpy. Reschedule if appropriate to ensure a very positive experience and maximum enjoyment.

Helpful Organizations
Problem and Solution
Nonpilot Pilot Training
Be A Pilot
Experimental Aircraft Association
FAA Flying Start Program
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Civil Air Patrol
What to Expect

Gleim Online Ground School (OGS) course content is based on the Gleim Knowledge Test books, FAA Test Prep Software, FAA publications, and Gleim reference books. The delivery system is modeled after the very successful Gleim FAA-approved online Flight Instructor Refresher Course.

  1. Online Ground School courses are available for:
    1. Sport Pilot
    2. Private Pilot
    3. CFI/CGI
    4. FOI
    5. Instrument Pilot
    6. Commercial Pilot
    7. ATP
  2. OGS courses are airplane-only and correspond to the study units in the Gleim FAA Knowledge Test books.
  3. Each course contains study outlines that automatically reference current FAA publications, the appropriate knowledge test questions, FAA figures, and Gleim answer explanations.
  4. OGS is always up to date.
  5. Users achieve very high knowledge test scores, and a near-100% pass rate.
  6. Gleim Online Ground School is the most flexible course available! Access your OGS personal classroom from any computer with Internet access 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Your virtual classroom is never closed!
  7. Save time and study only the material you need to know! The Gleim Online Ground School Certificate Selection will provide you with a customized study plan. You save time because unnecessary questions will be automatically excluded.
  8. We are truly interactive. We help you focus on any weak areas. Explanations of incorrect answer choices help you learn from your mistakes.

Helpful Organizations

Gleim cooperates with and supports all aspects of the flight-training industry. Organizations that help recruit people to aviation in general and flight training in particular receive emphasis. These include: BE A PILOT, EAA, AOPA, and the CAP.

Problem and Solution

The success of the airline industry since the advent of large jet transport airplanes in the 1960s has been overwhelming. Most people believe airplanes are to be ridden in as a passenger, rather than flown as a pilot. In contrast, when you see a nice automobile, you usually project yourself into the driver's seat and imagine yourself driving it.

We want you and others to do the same with airplanes. Imagine yourself in the left seat as the pilot. Try it, it's fun: Imagine yourself flying the airplane as the pilot when you see airplanes overhead. Next, stop dreaming and start flying!

Nonpilot Pilot Training

Make use of Gleim to learn more about pilot training. This "Learn to Fly - Become a Pilot" booklet provides IDEAL advance preparation for introductory flights offered by BE A PILOT, EAA Young Eagles, EAA Flying Start, AOPA's Project Pilot, and the Civil Air Patrol.
  • Pages 2 - 12 are introductory
  • Pages 13 - 18 explain airplanes and how they fly
  • Pages 19 - 24 explain basic flight maneuvers

Thus, you should read and understand pages 13 through 24 before your introductory flight so you enjoy the most benefit and learn exactly what's involved in flying an airplane.

Be A Pilot: Introductory Flight

Be A Pilot is an industry-sponsored marketing program designed to inspire people to "Stop dreaming, start flying." Be A Pilot has recruited flight schools to participate in the program and offers a $99 (or less) introductory flight certificate that can be redeemed at a participating flight school.

The goal of this program is to encourage people to experience their dreams of flying through an introductory flight and to begin taking flying lessons.

For more information or to receive a flight certificate, you can visit the Be A Pilot home page or call 1-888-BE-A-PILOT.
 

Experimental Aircraft Association: Young Eagles Program

The Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) Young Eagles Program has set a goal of providing a free introductory flight to 1 million young people ages 8 through 17 years old.

The Young Eagles Program is intended to help young people understand the important role aviation plays in our daily lives and, at the same time, provide insight into how an airplane flies, what it takes to become a pilot, and the high standards flying demands in terms of safety and quality. Most importantly, a Young Eagles experience offers a new perspective on the world in which these young people live, providing a unique, "Eagle's eye" view of their homes, their schools and their communities.

FAA Flying Start Program

The Flying Start Program, sponsored by EAA and its affiliate, the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), could be your first step in learning to fly. Offered by local EAA members at sites across the United States, Flying Start is a 60-minute program that walks interested individuals through the process of learning to fly: what it costs, how long it might take, safety, instruction, and subsequent flying and social activities associated with flight. Flying Start, working closely with Be A Pilot, is one of the main distribution points for the $59 flight certificates previously mentioned.

For more information about the Young Eagles or Flying Start programs, visit the EAA home page or call 1-800-564-6322.
 

AOPA's Project Pilot

AOPA Project Pilot asks AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) members to take an active role in finding potential new pilots and offering them advice, help, and encouragement as training progresses. Student pilots who have an active, concerned mentor are much more likely to complete their training than those who do not. This mentor program is AOPA's primary means of distributing Be A Pilot literature. Call 800-872-2672 or visit AOPA's home page.
 

Civil Air Patrol: Cadet Orientation Flight Program

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadet Orientation Flight Program is designed to introduce CAP cadets to flying. The program is voluntary and primarily motivational. It is designed to stimulate the cadet's interest in, and knowledge of, aviation. Each orientation flight is approximately 1 hour, follows a prescribed syllabus, and is usually in the local area of the airport. Except for takeoff, landing, and a few other portions of the flight, cadets are encouraged to handle the controls. The Cadet Orientation Flight Program is designed to allow five airplane flights, but you may be able to fly more.

For more information about the CAP cadet program nearest you, visit the CAP home page or call 1-800-FLY-2338.
 

What to Expect

Congratulations! You have taken the first big step toward learning to fly by scheduling
  1. Your introductory flight through BE A PILOT,
  2. Your Young Eagle airplane ride with the Experimental Aircraft Association,
  3. Your first Cadet Orientation Flight with the Civil Air Patrol, or
  4. Your first lesson or other flight.
Now that your flight is scheduled, what should you expect? Fun, excitement, and the thrill of flying, of course!

You will meet your instructor (or pilot), and if this is an introductory flight, your instructor will probably take you directly to the airplane you will be flying, after a short briefing of what to expect. When you arrive at your airplane on an introductory flight, your instructor will perform the preflight and answer any of your questions. On your first flight lesson, you will do the preflight inspection along with your instructor. During your first few flight lessons, your instructor will go into great detail about what to inspect -- with the goal of forming the same habit in you.

When the airplane passes the preflight check, you will get into the airplane with your instructor, who will help you adjust your seat properly and explain the flight controls and the instruments. Fasten your safety belt and shoulder harness before beginning the procedure to start the engine and taxi out to the runway. Notice your instructor is using a checklist to ensure that all of the steps are done in a logical order and that the airplane is safe to fly.

Your instructor may let you taxi the airplane, which you steer with your feet by pressing the rudder pedals.

As all of this is happening, you may say to yourself, "This is great, but how will I ever learn to do all of this?" Remember that, at one time, your flight instructor, airline pilots, and even astronauts were sitting where you are now. This is a new experience and it is natural to feel overwhelmed. You will not be expected to know everything at the beginning.

After all of the checks have been done, your instructor will assure you that the airplane is ready for takeoff. This is why you are here! Your instructor will taxi the airplane out onto the runway, line it up with the centerline, and move the throttle to full power. Most instructors will have you keep a hand on the control yoke and both feet on the pedals. Follow your instructor's movements on the controls, but the instructor is flying the airplane.

LIFTOFF! Now you are flying! That seemed pretty easy, and as the airplane climbs higher, the view is breathtaking. Your instructor will inform you that you have the controls. Yes, you are now flying the airplane. Your instructor will demonstrate how to fly straight-and-level, make turns, and climb and descend. These maneuvers are briefly described here and explained in more detail in Basic Flight Maneuvers.

  1. Level flight means flying at a constant altitude by keeping a reference point, like the airplane's nose, in a fixed position relative to the horizon.
    1. The altimeter is an instrument that measures altitude and is used to determine whether level flight is being maintained.
      1. If altitude is being lost or gained, the nose of the airplane should be moved up or down in relation to the horizon, and then the altimeter should be checked to determine if altitude is being maintained.
    2. Pulling back or pushing forward on the control yoke moves the nose up or down.
      1. The control yoke is also called a control wheel or control stick. In some airplanes, it is a stick that can be moved right or left and forward or back.
  2. Straight flight means flying in a constant heading, or direction. You should form an imaginary line by selecting two or more reference points, like roads, towns, or lakes, that are directly ahead of the airplane. Then keep the airplane headed along that line.
    1. The wings should be kept level by using the ailerons. The ailerons are controlled by turning the control yoke left or right.
  3. To turn the airplane, you must turn the control yoke, or wheel, while pressing the appropriate rudder pedal with your foot. In other words, to turn left, you must turn the control wheel to the left and press the left rudder.
    1. To come out of a turn, you must turn the control wheel in the opposite direction and press the opposite rudder. In other words, to roll the wings level while turning to the left, you must turn the control wheel to the right and press the right rudder.
    2. These control pressures should be gradually and smoothly released as the wings become level and the airplane again enters straight-and-level flight.
  4. Climbs. To cause the airplane to climb, you must pull back on the control yoke and adjust the throttle to increase the power.
    1. To level off from a climb, lower the nose of the airplane by gradually pushing forward on the control yoke.
    2. When the airspeed reaches the desired speed, reduce the throttle setting to the appropriate power setting.
  5. Descents. The airplane loses altitude in a controlled manner. Reduce power with the throttle and lower the nose by pushing the control yoke forward to maintain the desired airspeed.
    1. To end the descent, you should raise the nose to a level attitude and, at the same time, increase power to the desired throttle setting.
After 15 to 20 minutes, your instructor will inform you that it is time to return to the airport. Your instructor will perform the landing and explain what is happening. As you exit from the runway, your instructor may let you have another try at taxiing the airplane.

Once the airplane is parked and secured, and you have all your belongings, your instructor will answer your questions regarding the flight and how to begin flying lessons. You may also be able to schedule your first flight lesson.

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