May 15th: International Learn To Fly Day

[Lindley]

For anyone who's even thought about learning how to fly at some point, there's a good opportunity coming up:

http://www.learntoflyday.org/

Many flight schools and airports will be giving presentations, free or cheap ground school introductions, and maybe even free or cheap "adventure flights" to those interested. This event is aimed at people who have never been up in a light plane before but might be interested.

There's an event-finder on the website, so check your local area!

You might even find there's an airport closer to you than you thought. Many people aren't aware of all the little ones scattered all over.

For those in the DC area, that same weekend is the Joint Services Open House at Andrews AFB, which will include a major air show featuring the Blue Angels:
http://www.jsoh.org/

 

[tharpdevenport]

Thanks, Lindley.

I've never flown, or even been next to an airplane. I just searched the locator for events and there's one right at our airport. I'm thinking about going!


Even if I don't get to be in a plane for a free ride (I can't afford shit), it'll still be fun, and I'll bring a friend's digital camera and take some pictures and post 'em here.

 

[Yoda]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VQ_3sBZEm0[/yt]

Sounds cool. I'd love to learn to fly, and since I've all but resigned myself to the fact that I can't afford a house in SoCal... maybe I should just buy a plane

 

[TheBrew]

I did this once; they let actually let me land (though the actual pilot was there every step of the way)! It is a lot of fun and if I could afford it, I would get my pilot's license.

 

[Jadzia]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V7deGPlQpU[/yt]

 

[John Clark]

Cool. I'll have to see if any of our local places are doing it

 

[TrekkieMonster]

Thanks for this info, Lindley! I have wanted to learn to fly since I was a little kid. I'm fortunate to have had a friend and a former roommate who flew, so I've gotten to go up with them a few times ... which both made me more interested and more scared (by all that you have to know and remember, not the flying itself.)

There's an event about 5 miles from my office. I very well may have to check this out!

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm learning to fly. But I ain't got wings.

Actually, I did something similar to this in the early 80s. I took a helicopter lesson, and actually got to work the controls.

 

[Lindley]

I want to try a helicopter some time. They look like fun. Shame they're even more expensive to fly than planes, and less useful.

 

[Canadave]

Sadly, looks like there's only one of these going on in Ontario, and it's literally on the other side of the province.

 

[1001001]

I'm learning to fly. But I ain't got wings.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ[/yt]

 

[RJDiogenes]

'bout time!

 

[Yoda]

Nothing against Tom Petty... but not as good as Foo Fighters.

 

[1001001]

Nothing against Tom Petty... but not as good as Foo Fighters.

Bah!

Tom Petty was making great rock and roll when Dave Grohl was in diapers!

 

[Yoda]

The wheel of time turns and all that, and now Dave Grohl is making great rock while Tom Petty is in diapers!

 

[Lindley]

For those near DC:

I just spent several hours hanging out with Sean Tucker, one of the headliners at the Joint Services Open House and Airshow. I watched him practice his entire aerobatics routine, twice. It's seriously impressive, and he's a pretty cool guy himself.

If you're anywhere near Andrews Air Force Base this weekend, come see the airshow. Seriously. He can make the airplane flip around the pitch axis. And the bit where he skids the thing along 10 feet above the runway at nearly 45 degrees to the direction of travel is just neat.

For those in New Jersey:
Free introductory flights are being offered by a place in NJ!
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/arti...1/newsfront/Learn-to-fly-at-Sky-Manor-Airport

For those near Toledo:
Introductory flights offered for $99 (that's a good price):
http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/weather/Growing-your-wings--learning-to-fly-dm

 

[1001001]

The wheel of time turns and all that, and now Dave Grohl is making great rock while Tom Petty is in diapers!

Foo Fighters are pretty fucking awesome, actually.

 

[Lindley]

Well, I spent the day at the Warrenton Faulquier Airport open house, with the GMU Aviation Club. I got to fly a couple of times in the Columbia 400 owned by a GMU professor who works with the club; it's a fantastic aircraft. The first flight the professor (who is also a CFI) was at the controls and I was in the back, and he demonstrated some fancy maneuvers including using a parabolic course for momentary weightlessness.

Since I'm one of the few club members who actually is a licensed pilot already, he let me take the controls for the second flight. I did everything except adjusting the power settings for cruise, although of course he was talking me through each step of the landing (always wise when trying out an unfamiliar aircraft for the first time).

The 400 is fast. We were booking along at 170 knots indicated without even trying.

If that weren't enough, throughout the whole day there were various aircraft doing fancy tricks over the field. One Steerman in particular kept going up and doing rolls and loops in the aerobatic box above the airport. That was pretty neat. Just a precursor to tomorrow's show at Andrews, of course.....

 

[Lindley]

A reporter's experience:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/ent...iving-0/1273727948162300.xml=&coll=3#41681889

The House of Representatives made some noises in approval of this new May 15th tradition:
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2010/100513learntofly.html?WT.mc_id=ebrief

More stories:
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2010/100515iltfd_frederick.html