Welcome you to the wonderful world of flight.  You may be just curious about  learning to fly  . . . or this may be the time that you have finally decided to pursue a life long dream of becoming a pilot.

Whatever your reason, I want to welcome you to one of the most exciting endeavors the world has ever known.  Becoming a pilot immediately puts you in a very elite crowd.  Less than one-half of one percent of all Americans are licensed pilots.  This makes you unique.

Becoming a pilot enables you to do everything from performing lazy circles in the sky to becoming a professional pilot with career opportunities in major corporation flight departments, charter companies, airlines, the military . . . or even in the rapidly emerging civilian space program!

Regardless of your reason for wanting to become a pilot, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. 

First, the learning process must be ENJOYABLE.  Nobody is looking to add another burden on their already complicated life.

Second is the pursuit of quality instruction.  Like everything else in life, you can find shortcuts in flight training.  There are "accelerated" courses, bargain price courses, and courses taught by young, inexperienced instructors looking to build logbook hours so that they can qualify for a better paying flying job.  In this regard, flight instruction is like brain surgery.  It is one endeavor that you want to receive the very best instruction from the very best aviation educators.

The third thing to keep in mind are training costs.  These costs correlate closely with the quality and frequency of instruction you receive.  Experienced flight instructors are skilled at imparting knowledge quickly and efficiently.  They can rapidly identify your unique training needs, strengths, and weaknesses. 

Frequency of training also impacts total training costs.  The more frequently you train in a given week, the faster you will learn, and the quicker you will complete the training program.  This has a direct bearing on total training costs. 

One very important consideration regarding your training costs is your flight instructor's commitment to see you through the entire course of instruction.  If your instructor finds it necessary to pass you off to another instructor so that he or she can pursue a higher paying flying job, your total training cost will increase by at least 30 percent!  Before you engage a flight instructor, obtain an assurance from that person that they will remain with you throughout your entire course of instruction.

A fourth consideration is the actual training experience you receive.  Some flight instructors restrict their training activities to local practice areas and multiple landings and takeoffs at nearby airports.  Some instructors restrict their flight instruction to only sunny, calm wind days.

You are paying to become a safe and proficient pilot.  You want to use your pilot certificate to fly your friends and family to distant cities throughout the year.  You must be certain that your training experience has equipped you for long cross-country flying, day and night, winter and summer.

Any discussion of flight training would not be complete without addressing flight safety.  Safety is, in fact, JOB ONE in all aspects of aviation.  Flight safety results from quality instruction and demonstrated learned behavior.  Any shortcuts taken in flight training will be reflected in the probability of safe a outcome in every flight you take!

So, welcome to the wonderful world of aviation.  I am looking forward to working with you.

Safe flying,

Bob Miller, ATP, MCFI
Master Certificated Flight Instructor