After several years of thinking about it you finally made the decision to go out to the local airport and find out about taking flying lessons. The guy (or gal) behind the counter is seemingly too friendly and is trying to sucker you into something. Right? Wrong! That gal (or guy) behind the counter probably loves their job more than most people do and their only motivation is to share their enthusiasm for flying and somehow eek out a living doing it. This is the essence of being a pilot and the very foundation of the general aviation industry.

Taking Flying Lessons

So what can you expect on this first trip to the airport? Expect the person behind the counter to be a qualified Flight Instructor certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. In the aviation industry, flight instructors are called Certified Flight Instructors (CFI). Getting this certification is no easy task. To be a Flight Instructor takes a great deal of time, hard work, practice and a lot of money these days. You can rest assured that the person knows what he or she is doing.

Your Flight Instructor is used to answering questions about taking flight lessons. Don't worry if you are nervous about flying; many people are - until they actually sit in the cockpit of an airplane and fly!

Trainer Aircraft

Expect your CFI to take you outside to see a typical trainer aircraft, like a Cessna model 152 or model 172, or maybe a Piper Cherokee 140. In any case, the airplane will have at least two seats and maybe even four. They will explain the concept of flight using their hands like miniature airplanes to illustrate the principal theory of flying airplanes.

They will walk you around the airplane, pointing out parts of the aircrat and the proper terms for those parts. The concept of a pre-flight check will be briefly presented. Expect to be confused and overwhelmed but trust your instructor. Aviation is a new world, open for you to discover. Learning to fly is part of that discovery. And confusion for the first few lessons is very normal.

Your First Flight is a Discovery Flight

Now it is time to "go up."

Your Flight Instructor will show you how to start the engine, turn on the radio equipment and taxi the airplane. Taxiing the airplane is neat because it's just like the tricycle you had when you were a little kid. Can you believe it? The plane steers on the ground with your feet just like your tricycle did. Once airborne the instructor will point out familiar terrain and maybe fly over your house so you see what that looks like from above. Cool, except the roof needs pressure cleaning now.

If the instructor is so inclined, and most are, s/he will let you make the takeoff. Make the takeoff? Yes! Make the takeoff. It's no big deal because this is what instructors do for a living. Letting people make takeoffs is an important part of their job and an important part of your flight training. Hey - you have to start sometime!

After a few easy turns, climbs and descents, it's time to go back in and land. If your instructor is a good one s/he will let you land the plane. Land the plane? Yes! It's no big deal because that's what instructor do for a living. They let people land airplanes while they just sit there and watch. Sit there and watch? Yes, that's right.

Trust me, you will land the plane and the flying bug will have hooked you. Just ask my wife.

If you liked this information about the first flight lesson, please pass it along!