Purchase Be a Sport Pilot from ASA by Paul Hamilton

Learn what it takes to get a sport pilot certificate and experience the excitement and adventure of becoming a pilot flying a fixed wing, 3-axis (airplane) light-sport aircraft. Join instructor Jeff Reynolds as he takes Paul Hamilton through pilot training – from first flight to flying solo, to preparing for the checkride. Then join Paul as he takes you through the concepts you need to know to earn your pilot certificate. Basic learn-to-fly principles presented can be used for ultralights or fixed-wing LSA. The beautiful cinematography features plenty of in-flight footage that captures the thrill and adventure of flying a light-sport aircraft. Includes booklet with worksheets and checklists for an interactive learning experience.

Watch the Movie Trailer, which includes scenes from the DVD:

Video no longer exists.

Program Outline:

• First Flights, Fundamental Maneuvers: Ground Operations, Straight-and-Level, Turns, Slow Flight, Climb/Descent
• Student to Solo, Practical Maneuvers: Steep Turns, Stalls, Spins, Ground Reference Maneuvers, Takeoffs and Landings, Communications, Collision Avoidance, Emergencies
• Solo to Pilot, Further Study: Responsibilities, Checklists, Aircraft Performance, Weather, Navigation, Maps, Airspace

Special DVD features:

• Scene selection
• Movie trailers
• Digitally mastered
• Interactive menus
• English digital audio
• Main feature total running time 01:15:00

The post Be a Sport Pilot: Learn to Fly a Fixed Wing Light-Sport Aircraft first appeared on Learn To Fly.

• Lifestyle. Imagine living your dream. What lifestyle do you want to create for yourself? With so many types of aircraft, you can to choose what you want, what’s best for you.  
• Speed. If you want a new and sexy airplane that burns half the fuel and flies as fast as your friends at the airport, look at the new, top-of-the-line LSA high-performance composite airplanes, such as the Gobosh 800XP and the Cirrus SRS.  
• Versatility. If you want to store your aircraft in a trailer similar to sailplanes, to travel around the country in your motorhome, or save money on hangar rent, consider an airplane with foldable wings, a Weight-Shift Control (WSC) or a Powered Parachute (PPC), all of which are easily transported.  
• Taking it slow. If you want to fly low and slow above the countryside for a great view, look at the two ultralight type aircrafts, which are now classified as an LSA: Trikes (a.k.a. Weight Shift Control, WSC) and Powered Parachute (PPC) models.  
• Limited budget. If you want to own your own aircraft but have a limited budget, consider the ultralight type airplanes (WSC and PPC) and the new Experimental LSA bolt-together kits. In fact, with the easy to assemble bolt-together kits, you can now do your own maintenance, which saves you money on upkeep. You can also purchase an aircraft as part of a group, so everybody shares expenses.

What is your situation?  How do these factors help you to choose the right LSA? Post your comments and questions in the Comment section below the video. 

About Paul

Paul Hamilton is recognized as an expert in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. He is a pilot, flight instructor, aviation engineer, consultant, writer, video producer and business owner. Through his company, Adventure Productions, Paul specializes in teaching and informing people about flying (especially LSA) including students, pilots, instructors, mechanics, engineers and aerodynamicists.

The post Choosing the right Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) for Yourself first appeared on Learn To Fly.

The higher power-to-weight ratio in modern light sport airplanes—plus the new weight-shift and powered parachute aircraft—opens up more places to safely takeoff and land. You can now literally live the dream of flying into and out of your own property, small fields, beaches and narrow dirt roads.

Where would you like to be flying your LSA? Let me know in the Comment section below.

About Paul

Paul Hamilton is recognized as an expert in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. He is a pilot, flight instructor, aviation engineer, consultant, writer, video producer and business owner. Through his company, Adventure Productions, Paul specializes in teaching and informing people about flying (especially LSA) including students, pilots, instructors, mechanics, engineers and aerodynamicists.

The post Where can I fly Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)? first appeared on Learn To Fly.

Better visibility. LSA are designed to have better visibility, whether you choose one that’s considered “low and slow” or meant for a cross-country adventure. The powered parachute, Trike and the open cockpit conventional style airplanes have the best visibility. Each of them has no cockpit enclosure that would inhibit your view of the scenery all around you. Even the high performance S-LSA airplanes have better visibility out the windows.

More landing options. Depending on the type of aircraft you choose, you can even land on the beach, a small field or a lake.

More affordable. Since LSA are less expensive to purchase and operate, it’s more affordable for most people to own their own aircraft.

About as fast as Cessna 172. More and more, I am seeing the new high performance LSA airplanes replacing the old standard Cessna 172 used for transportation, because they fly about as fast and are less expensive to operate.

Although there will always be aircraft that fly higher and faster, from the single engine to the twin engine airplane, from the propeller to the jet, from the jet to the rocket. There is an increasing number of professional airline pilots—the ones who fly some of the fastest and farthest—who are transitioning to all types of slow and simple LSA. The reason, they say, is that LSA are simply more fun to fly.

Tell me why you are considering Light Sport Aircraft in the comments section below.

About Paul

Paul Hamilton is recognized as an expert in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. He is a pilot, flight instructor, aviation engineer, consultant, writer, video producer and business owner. Through his company, Adventure Productions, Paul specializes in teaching and informing people about flying (especially LSA) including students, pilots, instructors, mechanics, engineers and aerodynamicists.

The post Why fly a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)? first appeared on Learn To Fly.

The conventional airplane style is the one that everyone recognizes. It has a narrow body with a propeller on the front, two wings and a tail. Examples range from the veteran standby Piper J-3 Cub to the modern advanced Icon A5.

The other two popular categories have been operating as “ultralights” for over 30 years. First of those two is the Powered Parachute (PPC), the simplest aircraft in the world to operate and it flies at one speed—about 30 knots. You can think of it as “the dune buggy of the skies.”

As pictured here, the Powered Parachute is a cage structure pushed by a propeller on the back and carried by a square parachute above.

The second is the Weight-Shift Control (WSC), commonly known as the Trike. It is much like a hang glider, but includes an undercarriage and engine so it can take off and climb same as regular airplanes. It can fly at many speeds ranging from 20 to 100 MPH depending on the make and model. The Trike can be considered “the motorcycle of the sky.”

Easy to learn

Each of these three LSA styles are easy to learn, but vary in their ease of operation. The Powered Parachute is the easiest with only one axis of control—that is, roll. The Weight-Shift Control (“Trike”) comes second easiest with two axes of control: roll and pitch. The standard, conventional airplane style has three-axis control (roll, pitch and yaw) making it the most difficult of the three. The less axes of control, the easier it is to fly.

What do you think of these different LSA styles of aircraft? Put your comments and questions into the Comments section below.

About Paul

Paul Hamilton is recognized as an expert in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. He is a pilot, flight instructor, aviation engineer, consultant, writer, video producer and business owner. Through his company, Adventure Productions, Paul specializes in teaching and informing people about flying (especially LSA) including students, pilots, instructors, mechanics, engineers and aerodynamicists.

The post Which aircraft are considered Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)? first appeared on Learn To Fly.

Actual aircraft models within the LSA category are extremely varied and include fixed wing, powered parachute, and weight-shift control categories. There is a number of existing “standard category” aircraft that meet the criteria of LSA, the most common of which is the Piper J-3 Cub. In the next few days, I’ll post FAQs that tell you about the different kinds of LSA aircraft, their maintenance and inspection requirements, as well as specific models of LSA. Subscribe to the newsletter or RSS feed to keep informed.

Regardless of the model, all LSA are guided by these specifications:

• Non-pressurized cockpit
• Two-person maximum, such as pilot and passenger or instructor and student
• Single reciprocating engine
• Fixed propeller and landing gear
• Maximum speed of 120 knots in level flight, full power
• Maximum stall speed of 45 knots
• Maximum gross weight of 1,320 lbs (1,430 lbs water)

For the newly certified LSA, there’s a Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) category. It represents a new set of rules that govern the design and manufacture of aircraft in the LSA category called “consensus standards” developed by industry and the ASTM, while being approved by the FAA. It allows pilots, manufacturers and the FAA to collaborate throughout this new process. Most significantly, this allows more control to be given to the aviation industry, and less to the government. It allows greater adaptability and quicker innovation; it also provides for an affordable certification for LSA.

What questions do you have about Light Sport Aircraft and the Sport Pilot License?

About Paul

Paul Hamilton is recognized as an expert in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. He is a pilot, flight instructor, aviation engineer, consultant, writer, video producer and business owner. Through his company, Adventure Productions, Paul specializes in teaching and informing people about flying (especially LSA) including students, pilots, instructors, mechanics, engineers and aerodynamicists.

The post What is LSA or Light Sport Aircraft? 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.

Throughout my life, I have learned that there will always be airplanes that can fly higher, faster and farther relative to what I am flying at the time. Pick any plane. I’ll name one that is better by the higher-faster-farther definition.

As you learn to fly, I am certain that you too will be tempted in this same way — it’s perpetuated by the opinions of wise aviation people you will meet. Be aware that it is not necessary to climb the higher-faster-farther ladder if you want to fly.

Understand that there are many types of aircraft that appeal to people for many different reasons. To pursue your passion for flying, continuously ask yourself:

“How high, fast, and far do I want to go?”

My Story

Coming around to my own answer to that question has had both frustration and adventure in it. But I believe my story will demonstrate why you should ask yourself the question at the beginning of your flying lessons and throughout.

At the beginning, my primary set of wings was a hang glider. It’s a thrilling, challenging, exhilarating and adventitious form of flying. This highly developed flying wing was the result of the work of Leonardo De Vinci, Otto Lilienthal, the Wright Brothers, and the NASA Rogallo wing, followed by 30 years of evolution.

Right out of college, I went to work for Lear Fan (Bill Lear of the Lear Jet), a company where everyone was involved in aviation. The consensus among my new mentors was that I needed to get into a flying club and start taking lessons in a “real” airplane. This was the first time I was hit with the “higher, faster, farther” challenge. And, by that definition, everything was “better” than my hang glider. So, I willingly followed this qualified advice and started lessons in a Cessna 150 and a Piper Cherokee PA-28.

I shared my new flying airplane experience on a visit with my doctor, who was also a pilot with his private instrument rating. As you might expect, he too had an opinion about what qualifies as the best plane to fly. “You need two engines if you want to fly safe,” said my doctor. “I have a Cessna 310, so I’m not forced down if one of the engines fail.”

I started wondering how these words of wisdom—that twin-engine planes mean safer flying—would affect my future in aviation.

Fast-forward some time. I struck up a conversation with a person waiting in line to board a commercial flight. His bag had a Boeing name tag on it, so I asked, “Do you work for Boeing?”

“No,” he replied. “I am a consultant on their commercial jet development program.” The ensuing conversation showed me that he was an informed and seasoned professional. I had to know what he preferred to fly. “Jets only!” he exclaimed. “Turbines are much more reliable than pistons.” He spouted off some impressive figures backing up his claims, and summed up saying, “Turbines just go round smoothly and reliably.”

With my engineering background and knowledge, I found his statement is hard to argue with. I agreed that aircraft turbine engines are more reliable than reciprocating engines.

I was beginning to think the first piece of advice—to fly a reciprocating single-engine—was getting a bit risky, but if I wanted to follow the higher-faster-farther path, that was my next step along the way.

Justification for the Safety Advice

Armed now with all this advice from people I greatly respected, one day I chose to make a more detailed preflight inspection of an engine than my instructor prescribed. In fact, on this day I insisted that we go to the extraordinary step of taking off the cowl and looking inside the engine compartment. We were amazed to find an orange shop rag in a position where it could have gotten into the cowling flap and stop the cooling flow—a potentially unsafe situation! This must be what the twin and jet guys were talking about, I thought, as their words about reliability and safety rang true in my mind. Apparently, the plane’s annual maintenance and inspection had just been completed, accidentally leaving the shop rag behind.

What a relief that I insisted on taking the extra time to do a thorough preflight. This was a good lesson, teaching me to perform a comprehensive preflight of an aircraft before every flight.

Unfortunately, during my next preflight inspection of the airplane engine, I found another surprising problem–a baffle that was loose. The instructor shrugged it off saying, “This is a club training airplane and the students take their toll on it.”

Yikes! Was this what I should expect from my airplane when learning to fly? Should I really be depending on others to determine my safety while flying?

The credibility of the higher-faster-farther advice was increasing and started to make more sense to me with my training airplane experiences. It appeared worth it, I thought, to climb the ladder and continue up this airplane pecking order. I continued some flying lessons in that Cherokee but it simply was not the same feeling, so I went back to pursue my first passion of flying for fun.

The lure of flying hang gliders—even adding an engine—simply beckoned me too much. Nothing compares to the freedom of flying with the wind in your face, each moment intense and invigorating. Even though I agree with the advice I received about twin prop and turbine engine planes, I enjoy hang gliding too much to let go of it. It’s the one form of flying that most resembles flying like a bird.

I continued to wonder, though, if I was making the right decision. Should I go back to the climb, riding the pecking order up to jets?

Final Confirmation from the Fastest

As an aircraft engineering consultant, I had the chance of a lifetime to meet astronaut Gordon Cooper. To me, he represented a pilot at the absolute top of the pecking order. Can you guess how many jets Gordon flew to pilot a rocket? You can bet that it’s an impressive list. I wondered though, what plane was he flying these days?

After a business meeting, Gordon and I walked out to his airplane, which was set up to fly with a unique fuel mixture, the topic of our business meeting. The airplane itself was a well used, single-engine Piper Super Cub. Nothing about it met my expectations about what Gordon would fly, with respect to the higher-faster-farther wisdom I had received.

So I had to ask, “Gordon, you have flown the fastest, highest and farthest of all the pilots in the world. Do you really enjoy flying this slow single-engine airplane?” Without hesitation, Gordon answered, “More than ever! I enjoy flying when I can relax and not work. Testing jets (especially rockets) is intense with extreme pressures. This plane offers me the sweet simplicity I need to just enjoy the experience of flying.”

That conversation helped me to appreciate flying more simply—for the delight and enchantment of getting up in the air just for the fun of it with the wind in my face.

Today, with my focus on flying Light-Sport aircraft, I know many commercial jet pilots who like to fly single engine airplanes, trikes and powered parachutes for the fun of flying.

The Answer

Learning new skills in higher and higher performance aircraft is fun and challenging, but it is not necessary to climb the ladder and work your way up the pecking order. You should choose the level that fits your lifestyle. Having that clarity will allow you to focus solely on what drives your passion for flying.

About Paul

Paul Hamilton is recognized as an expert in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category. He is a pilot, flight instructor, aviation engineer, consultant, writer, video producer and business owner. Through his company, Adventure Productions, Paul specializes in teaching and informing people about flying (especially LSA) including students, pilots, instructors, mechanics, engineers and aerodynamicists.

The post Which aircraft is right for me? 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.

Share your love

If you find the Learn to Fly Blog valuable, please share us with other aviators and enthusiasts by clicking the Share link at the bottom of each blog post. It will lead you to many ways of posting a link to us on your other sites, like Facebook and Google.

Getting your fix and participating

If you are like me, you’ll really find the RSS feed and email subscriptions helpful to keep up with the topic. (See the top of the right column.)

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.