Becoming a Pilot
How long have you dreamed about flying?
If you’re like many of us in the Flying Particles, you can remember craning your neck from an elementary school playground, tracking a plane across the sky and thinking, “Someday, I’ll do that!” So, when’s that someday going to arrive? How about now?
For others of us, personal flying has become the antidote to the commercial airlines. No waiting in line in your socks, removing your belt. No timetable restrictions or limits on where you can go. Whether you’re going for business or pleasure, you’re finally in charge.
Imagine
Taking your family to the Sierra foothills ghost town of Columbia. By car, over two hours; by plane, about 30 minutes.
Spending the day at the pumpkin festival in Half Moon Bay. You can get there in about 20 minutes.
How about Napa or Monterey (3o minutes each)? Or, if you have business in Fresno–hey, someone has to do it–you can be there in an hour. Have your meeting and be home in time for dinner. Further afield, LA awaits you a little over two hours away; Las Vegas beckons in under three. And those are door-to-door times: No extra time needed for shuttles, check in, boarding, baggage claim and all that other garbage.
Still not sold? Okay, forget practical. You can be flying for goodness sake. There are few achievements in life as satisfying and liberating as soaring into the sky in complete control, executing a precision flight plan and then touching down again on runway two-five right.
At Flying Particles, we make learning to fly safe, fun and affordable. See, we’re a not-for-profit club–a group of aircraft owners who share the same passion for the freedom of flight.
How Easy is it to Become a Pilot?
No doubt, it’s a challenge. Flying skills require commitment and determination. Then again, we all earned our wings, so it’s nothing that you can’t accomplish if you set your mind to it. Read about earning your private pilot license and the costs and requirements.
What Can I Fly?
You mean what can’t you fly. We have a fantastic variety of planes – from very affordable two-seat trainers like our Cessna 152, to capable four-seat planes in high wing (Cessna 172), heavy hauling Cessna Skylane, and low-wing varieties such as the (Piper Archer II) and high-performance, retractable Mooney M20J
Who Will Teach Me?
At many flight schools, the “instructors” are young pilots who are, themselves, just out of training. These kids have a goal: Build flying time and work towards an airline job. Teaching you is just the way they accomplish their goal. Some are great instructors, others less-than-great.
At Flying Particles, our Certified Flight Instructors are club members. Take a look at the lineup. You’ll find retired airline pilots, Livermore Labs PhDs and more–all of them highly experienced pilots. And all of them instruct because they love to teach students how to fly.
Why Train at Livermore?
If you train at Livermore, you’re in for a treat. It’s central location is an easy drive from most Bay Area cities. More important, the airport lies in a sunbelt – east of the much of the coastal clouds and west of Central Valley winter fog. That means more sunny days for training than practically anywhere in the area. Last, Livermore has an active control tower, unlike smaller airports. So, from your first flight you’ll be practicing your communications skills with ATC (air traffic control).
Can You Suggest Any Other Resources?
AOPA’s You Can Fly: A great informational overview for future pilots – and those dreaming of the day….
