Getting Started – Aurora Astra

What I “Discovered”!

September 15, 2017January 1, 2018sierralimafoxtrot

0.9 hours logged towards my licence!

The discovery flight was very successful; although, to call it a discovery flight is a bit misleading. The instructor who I intentionally booked the flight with turned it into a full blown first lesson, which I was quite happy with. We started off in the club office. Attila, the instructor, gave me a quick into to reading the flight board and determining the planes status, current weather conditions, and forecasted weather. We then sat down and discussed my goals and reasons for getting my PPL, and did a pre-flight briefing. Read more →

The Discovery Flight

September 8, 2017January 1, 2018sierralimafoxtrot

“Discover what it’s like to fly for only $99” – The lure to the discovery flight is exciting and intriguing to all of us that dream of cutting though the sky under our own control. Most flying schools offer these opportunities to try out flying and the prices are typically reasonable. They can be bait for the unsuspecting student, or an opportunity to see what the school and perhaps a prospective instructor have to offer. Read more →

Choosing a Flight School

August 7, 2017January 1, 2018sierralimafoxtrot

I have discussed in the previous blog entry how location, cost, instructors, aircraft types and features, the social flying community, and safety record all are playing into my decision on selecting a flight school. Perhaps there are more items I should consider, but this is what I am focusing on in determining where to go for my PPL.

It’s all about the dolla, dolla bills y’all!

August 6, 2017January 1, 2018sierralimafoxtrot

It is commonly know that all great things take time – and time is money. While such proverbs do not apply in all cases, when it comes to getting your private pilots licence (PPL), they do.

I am blessed to have a great friend that I trust very much who is near the end in his PPL training. This has given me a great resource to get a first hand account of the costs associated with getting ones licence. Other resources like websites and youTube videos are also good resources. Everything must be taken with a grain-of-salt, but if you do enough research you start to see some common themes.

The three things I am going to focus on right now are:

1. Minimum Hours

2. Budgeting for the “Real” Costs

3. The Impact Your Schedule has on Costs

Welcome! Let me introduce myself…

August 4, 2017January 1, 2018sierralimafoxtrot

Austin Flying his Kite

My name is Shane. Nice to meet you.

I am guessing you have stumbled across my site because like me, you have an interest in flying. Perhaps you are an old seasoned pro who has flown craft that most of us can only dream of, or perhaps you have never even been on a plane and have no understanding of how these magical machines defy the grasp of gravity. Maybe your somewhere in between.

The purpose of my site is to tell you about my journey in the world of aviation from today onwards, and perhaps help you on your journey. But before we worry about the future, let me tell you about myself and my past – every story has a prelude.