Purchase Flight Training: Taking the Short Approach by David Diamond

“Taking the Short Approach” was written as an aviation primer and provides an introduction to the whole flight training process. As freshman rely on seniors to learn the ropes, readers will find themselves turning time and time again to David Diamond’s guidance and recommendations.

Starting with a look at what’s involved in the initial decision to take flight lessons, Flight Training: Taking the Short Approach is a comprehensive orientation to flight training that tackles the subject of aviation training from the perspective of discovery rather than syllabus. Aviation is a circular subject that has no perfect point of entry when taught. There is no aspect of aviation that doesn’t require at least some understanding of another aviation topic. Short Approach does away with the traditional topic-by-topic approach to aviation instruction, instead allowing the reader to fall into the subject right from the start, helped along by the author’s conversational style and friendly humor in sharing his experiences. This book makes the ideal first read for anyone who intends to start flight training; it should be considered “Flight Training 101.”

Diamond does not assume any aviation knowledge on the part of the reader. His book is the ideal handbook for student pilots, covering such topics as why people fly, the process of learning to fly — including money matters, health requirements, time commitments, school and instructor options, and the tests involved — and the privileges and limitations associated with a pilot certificate. From there, the author dispels frequent concerns of learning to fly, such as the realities of engine failures, midair collisions, and weather. The airplane is covered with an orientation to the controls and instrumentation, and showing which maneuvers students will be flying throughout the pilot curriculum. The book concludes by discussing which gizmos can help with training, which can hurt the learning process, and which are necessary if not only for the “cool” factor.

Since the author is also an accomplished illustrator, the text is accompanied by some of the best full-color and 3D graphics found in any aviation textbook — readers will have a solid “mind’s eye view” of the flight training process. As a result, they will enter their flight training program completely prepared, knowing exactly what needs to happen to get their license, understanding what to expect and able to make the right decisions, so no time is wasted at the airport or in the airplane… “Taking the short approach to flight training.” Softcover, fully illustrated in color, 292 pages.

What readers are saying about this book:

Like all pilots that I know, I have read parts or all of numerous books on the subject of flight instruction, and this is clearly the best that is on the market in every respect. This is the first publication to provide the prospective or current student pilot a true, “real world” perspective of what learning to fly is really all about. I like the intuitive approach to the overall framework of the book, and this combined with the crystal clear explanations of at times difficult concepts and literally the best illustrations and diagrams that I have ever seen, serves to set this work apart from all others. Indeed, I think that history will confirm my belief that this book will set a new standard in the field. —Dr. Kenny Reed, Flight Instructor and L-39 pilot

I’m a good pilot and I thought I had good instruction. But this book contains a lot of stuff I simply hadn’t learned! This is the way it ought to have been taught all along. Makes me wish I didn’t have this day job, so I could fly more often! —Roger O’Donnell, keyboardist for The Cure, and private pilot

David Diamond has not just the Write stuff, but he’s a foremost expert at 3D illustration–a powerful and rare combination when it comes to aviation instruction. —Thomas Haines, Executive Editor, AOPA

The post Flight Training: Taking the Short Approach first appeared on Learn To Fly.

In my book Flight Training: Taking the Short Approach, I suggest how to go about choosing a flight school, certified flight instructor (CFI), books, tools, etc. I won’t regurgitate here what I wrote there, because I always get myself into trouble when wrestling technologies as complex as copy & paste.

But there is one thing I will copy from the book, because I think it’s so important:

No one will teach you to be a safe pilot. No one will teach you to be a good pilot. The pilot you become will reflect the personal commitments you make.

So, given this, I must not think flight schools or their CFIs play much of a role in a student pilot’s success—good or bad, they’re all the same. Right? Let me put it this way: flight schools and CFIs come a dime a baker’s dozen, and far too many of these “baked goods” offer little more than empty calories.

Not to pick on schools and CFIs specifically, though, I actually feel this same way about books and other educational resources too. In fact, a CFI is nothing more than a single “book” in the arsenal of resources that will feed your aviation knowledge. Choose a good book and you’ll get a great read; choose a bad one, and you’ll waste time. Either way, if you decide to read only that one book, you’re seriously limiting your knowledge.

“Hi, I’m your surgeon. I’m going to do a great job today, because I once read about this surgery stuff!”

For serious subjects like staying aloft and staying alive, one must consult many resources before making that first “incision.”

But, how do you know what you don’t know, when you don’t yet know it?

Your CFI becomes your guide, but that’s really all. And, like any primer you might use to learn something new, you want to make sure it’s well written, in a language you understand, and it’s enjoyable to read. After all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time together.

In subsequent articles, I’ll discuss a number of the things that are probably on your mind with regard to your flight training, including:

• What sort of flight school should I attend?
• What should I consider when choosing my CFI?
• Which books should I buy?
• Which tools will I really need?

Don’t waste time and money on the things that don’t matter. Trust me, the things that do matter will cost you enough of both.

I would love to hear your comments. Write to me in the box below.

About David

David Diamond is a writer and 3D illustrator focused on aviation, who lives in Northern California. Visit his blog and portfolio at www.AirDiamond.com.

The post No One Will Teach You To Be A Safe Pilot first appeared on Learn To Fly.

I didn’t plan to fly today, but the weather got the best of me. It’s midweek, so of course an airplane was available. Plus, my currency had lapsed and I need to take up passengers this weekend, so I knew I had to get to the airport some time before then.

Lunch today was the perfect time. I had a long morning of work, and a good, solid break was definitely indicated. I logged into the flight scheduler and booked the airplane. I checked DUATs, just to make sure the perfect weather wasn’t just a tease for some regulatory flight no-no like a TFR (temporary flight restriction). I grabbed a food bar, my (mini) flight bag, and off I went.

I’m lucky to work near my airport, so drive time was about 5 minutes. I checked out the airplane, did my pre-flight, got my clearance and took off. I fly out of Oakland International (KOAK), which can often be a real busy, no-nonsense airport, so it was refreshing how light the pattern traffic was at this time of the day.

I did full-flap, half-flap, quarter-flap and no-flap landings, and I threw in a short approach, just because I love them so much. (And I’m fond of the term.) I did some soft-field take-offs, with nose-high climb outs, just because so they’re so much fun too. (Fear not, I had lots of airspeed!)

All of my landings were “greased” but one, and I’m absolutely certain all eyes at Oakland were looking the other way for that one.

About 40 minutes later, I taxied back to my tie down and shut down the airplane.

• Total flight time: 40 minutes
• Total flight cost: $48
• Back to work before anyone noticed I was ever gone: Priceless.

For us pilots, the flight pattern is the fun stuff. Fortunately, it’s also the most affordable place to fly. If you ever think you don’t have time to fly, rethink what’s for lunch. Most of us could do well by trading in carbohydrates for carb heat anyway.

About David

David Diamond is a writer and 3D illustrator focused on aviation, who lives in Northern California. Visit his blog and portfolio at www.AirDiamond.com.

The post A Low-Carb, High-Altitude Lunch first appeared on Learn To Fly.

David Diamond says…

I’d sum it up like this: What do you want to do with your license? (a) Rent planes and fly for fun, or (b) work toward a more advanced rating with commercial aspirations.

If (a), I’d say save the money and learn Old School. The basics of learning to fly are the same, no matter how shiny the airplane; only the navigation particulars are affected. (I’m assuming that “new planes” means it comes with GPS and autopilot.)

If (b), I’d say learn in a “glass” option. (Again, are the “new” airplanes considered “technically advanced”?) If someone plans to fly in modern airplanes regularly and also get “glass cockpit” training from the get go, then the newer plane can really help cement them in the Zen of those advanced systems. (This option would also apply to anyone buying his or her own “glass” airplane.)

The only other concern I can think of is maintenance. If the old airplanes are really old, they might–might!–be prone to more downtime, which can adversely affect the momentum of his training.

More importantly than new vs. old, I’d choose a school based on:

• Reputation — Are they reliable? Good?
• Availability — Are the airplanes always booked, or can he get one when he needs?
• Cost of training — Does either offer a much better deal?
• Location — Far away flight schools are visited less often, in my experience.
• Traffic — My brain was far to fried after training sessions to stomach traffic!

Paul Hamilton writes…

It seems like the question is similar to asking whether one should teach their kids to drive in a more difficult stick shift or automatic equipped with GPS. I could not decide too easily, but the way to approach the answer in an airplane is similar.

Regarding where one should take their training? No easy answer. I would take an introductory flight with both and see what feels good as a start. Both count as legal training hours.

And, Greg Brown has this to say…

From my perspective it’s a no-brainer. As long as the older airplanes are well maintained and the instructor(s) is good, by all means take the closer airport. Driving 3x farther is just another impediment to an already challenging endeavor, another reason to cancel lessons, and another excuse to quit after a discouraging lesson. In wintertime the length of drive could determine whether lessons can be scheduled after work without going after dark.

As an aside, there are growing questions among some CFIs as to whether mastering glass panels actually distracts from learning fundamental airmanship during primary training. Certainly there’s no evidence that learning glass panel after mastering steam gauges has any downside except being an additional learning step. But the drive to the airport is the biggie, in my opinion.

In short, the older aircraft for learning purposes, seems to be the preferred advice. Once you know the older aircraft though, you can easily enough jump up to the newer aircraft with training. That advice would change if you have additional goals that would be more directly served by learning in the newer aircraft right away.

The post Choosing between newer and older planes first appeared on Learn To Fly.

During the course of typical flight training, we spend lots of time with our flight instructors (CFI). They become trusted advisors, so when they tell us something, we tend to accept it. When we hear other CFIs teach their students differently, we think how lucky we are to have the CFI who is right.

Given this allegiance, it’s often tough for a student pilot to consider “cheating” on his or her CFI. Perhaps we’re inherently faithful to the ones who said “You’re getting there!” each time we botched our first hundred landings; or, perhaps it comes from the wholly unconvincing tone of voice CFIs use while encouraging students to fly with other instructors:

“I think flying with another CFI could be good for you,” they say, as if suggesting decapitation as a cure for a brain tumor.

I had two CFIs during my training: the boy CFI and the girl CFI. The boy CFI taught me the basics, and when I figured I had taught him all I could about the management of a problem student, I moved on to the girl CFI. They worked together, so this wasn’t awkward at all. Nope, not at all.

Okay, that’s a lie—it was quite awkward. But, true to my nature as a troublemaker, I immediately sought ways to get them into disagreements about as many topics as I could. I figured a few good cat fights would—you know—help break the ice. At the very least, it would be entertaining for me to watch… And, dammit, I was the one with the credit card!

Most of the time, it was tough to get them going—they agreed on pretty much everything. But, one day I struck gold. Before I knew it, one of my innocent (really!) questions erupted into an airport lounge debate, the likes of which I could only previously fantasize. All I needed was Barry Schiff to play the part of Jerry Springer, and I swear I was seeing a whole new genre of hanger talk.

Here’s the synopsis upon which my innocent question was based…

The airport is tucked under the class bravo airspace of San Francisco International (SFO). In order to fly anywhere, we must consider the SFO airspace and, of course, avoid stumbling into it uninvited. Right next to the airport is the San Francisco Bay, all big and wet. The floor (bottom) of SFO’s airspace over the Bay is 2,500 feet.

My innocent question was, quite innocently: What’s the best altitude to fly across the Bay?

Much to my delight, Boy CFI and Girl CFI disagreed. Girl CFI’s opinion was, “Fly as high as possible, so if you lose your engine, you’ll be more likely to make it to shore.” That made sense, but Boy CFI saw it differently: “Stay at 1,200 feet to make sure you stay clear of the wake turbulence that comes from the jets headed into SFO.” Wow, another good point. Those jets were very low as they passed by, and I could see myself getting thunked on the fuselage by the wake of any one of them.

Others in the lounged weighed in, but no one could offer the most convincing answer. It was a debate with no resolution. No winner. There would be no closing thought for Barry Springer.

Only later did I realize that something did, in fact, come from that afternoon’s CFI slug fest. Each time I cross the San Francisco Bay now, I’m keenly aware of what could happen if I fly too high, or if I fly too low. Each time I cross, I choose an altitude; I don’t just fly an altitude. I learned more from conflicting opinions than I ever could have from a chart or an agreement between my CFIs.

About David

David Diamond is a writer and 3D illustrator focused on aviation, who lives in Northern California. Visit his blog and portfolio at www.AirDiamond.com.

The post Be Unfaithful to Your CFI first appeared on Learn To Fly.

I’m Dan Johnson, sort of the “blogmaster” around here. If you are thinking of learning to fly or already working on your pilot’s license, this site is for you. We’ll cover a multitude of topics around the subject of learning to fly, including …

• Why learn to fly?
• How do I begin the process of taking flying lessons?
• How do I make the most of flight training?
• Tips and suggestions that will help throughout the whole process.

Our featured bloggers are each highly respected aviators and ASA authors. This group of experts includes Greg Brown, Laurel Lippert, David Diamond and Paul Hamilton. Each of them are ready to share their knowledge with you here on the Learn to Fly Blog. For details on their background, check out the Authors page at anytime by clicking the Authors link at the top of any page in this site. In addition to our featured ASA authors, contributing bloggers will appear now and then.

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If you like to get involved and participate in this community, be sure to leave a comment about your thoughts and questions at the end of any blog post you wish.

Now, onward with the blog.

Have a good one and keep aiming for the skies.

**Dan

The post Announcing the Learn to Fly Blog from ASA first appeared on Learn To Fly.