Introductory Flight
 

Hey guys, I'm brand new here and have dreamed of being a pilot for as long as I remember. My second cousin flies for American Airlines and when I was four years old she took me up in a Beechcraft. Ever since then, I've been hooked but constrained by money etc. I'm in college at UConn right now, and will be done next year. I met a kid here who's a CFI who I'm going to talk to him within the next couple days, but I'm wondering if I can get some info on something really quick.

I want to take an intro flight. My birthday's in a week and my parents asked me what I wanted, and when I mentioned this they were pleasantly surprised. However, everytime I try to search for details on it it's just advertising for it. What should I expect? Anything to do to prepare? Will I get to do an actual takeoff, or just fly at 3000 feet? Things like that...


I'd really appreciate some help..sorry if this information is around but I'm having trouble finding it. I hope this is just the beginning of a long aviation hobby! Thanks!

Oh you poor, poor soul...

Familiarize yourself with the flight controls and what their functions are. Other than that, enjoy the experience. I would let you do everything from taxiing to landing while helping you out. However your instructor may be different. Read the stickies in this subforum before you embark on this journey.

Good luck.

Welcome to APC, Red Sox. You are going to be seeing something really new on your first flight and I hope you enjoy the experience. Knowing the basics of the airplane would be the best use of your time until your flight. Perhaps you could find a book at the library on basic flying. Your instructor will gauge how well you mesh with what you doing and they will decide how much control to give you. The general rule is to give students as much control as safely possible though, so expect to fly the whole time. Disco flights are usually around 30 minutes. He or she will "ghost" the flight controls and tell you what to do. You can even land the airplane. The hardest thing to control when ghosting a student in these airplane is the throttle, so keep a light hand there and don't resist if the instructor does something over your hand. Have fun. Take a camera. Offer the instructor a tip.

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and to everyone else, thanks! that was really helpful

Your GoogleFu is a bit weak. Here is a commentary on my discovery flight back in 2006.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ha...ht-report.html

Have fun! You'll really enjoy it.

He was alluding to the abysmal state of the airline industry. Go learn to fly and enjoy yourself in the process. If you start thinking about a career as a professional pilot at some point, make sure you do enough research to understand what you are really getting into...there are a lot of myths and misconceptions out there.

I'm just looking to get a private license, I'm getting an MBA from the UConn school of business so I'll probably do something with that full time

Rickair is correct on my sentiments. Sorry for the overly brief reply - I'd been up all night positioning to Europe and just couldn't formulate a serious reply (I also forgot to add the :D, which would have clarified my intent).

Now, more rested and only slightly more insightful, I'd pretty much echo what the others have posted to you. Personally, when I did discovery flights, I let you do as much as you were comfortable with (some people I actually had to coax to get to fly the airplane). As others have said each instructor is different, but it SHOULD NOT just be a sightseeing flight where you never touch the controls.

Have a great flight, and if you decide to take lessons check back here as needed for advice from a good group of people from diverse backgrounds.

If you decide to pursue aviation as a career, try cutting your arm off with a potato peeler first - it's likely to be less painful! :D

He said as a hobby...don't be such a tool

The discovery flight is just that, to discover what it is to fly. I wouldn't worry about anything other than just enjoying the experience. Depending on the instructor, they will let you do a lot, or a little. This flight is an informational period to get you some basics of what it takes to learn to fly, and some basic skills that you can cram into a very small amount of time.

So learn a little, have some fun, and good luck on the lessons if you get sucked into it!

He says in his post that he is looking for a hobby. Are we as pilots now so down on the industry that we don't even recommend it as a hobby?

Have fun redsoxfan910! It is an absolutely wonderful experience to fly.

USMCFLYR

I endorsed the hobby, I just suggested some research before pursuing a career. I tend to assume anyone who finds their way to APC has at least vague career leanings. Unlike a few others I don't tell people not pursue the career, I just try to ensure they have enough food for thought to do the research in advance.

thanks guys

I did an Intro flight a few months ago in both planes and helicopters. They are so much fun and if you prove to your instructor that you are not a complete idiot, he will let you do most if not all of the flying. He will ususlly make the first turn on the taxi and let you do the rest. Don't get discouraged if you cant stay on the centerline (I had a hard time with that), anyways he will do all of the radio communications and you will line up on the runway. The instructor will push in the throttle and he uses the rudders to stay on the centerline. You control the yoke on the takeoff and he will give you the rudders once you are about 500 feet agl. You will then fly the plan all by yourself (the instructor may make minor corrections) to about 2000 feet. There the instructor will show you a few turns and you will take over and do the same turns. Right about then the instructor will say "Alright, time to head back" and its been 45 minutes. Time flies on an intro flight... trust me. You will descent to pattern altitude and depending on the instructor, he might let you do the landing. So all in all, you will do about 95% of the flying.


Have Fun!

agreed... not sure why the people in this industry have such a terrible attitude about it. If youre going to keep b!tching and complaining every chance you get, get out. There are plenty of people behind you that would love to be in the seat. Passion and drive... not because the commute is tough, or the pay is bad... but doing it because they love it. I mean, isn't that why we got into this profession in the first place? Or did some of you do it for the money? If the latter... i understand your bitterness. If not... count your blessing and remember you're in the Flight Levels when everyone else is in a cubicle wishing they had another job...

Sorry I'm done ranting.

Aviation is just like pools and boats: dig a big hole and a put your money in it....

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