Program can take students high in the sky

By MICHAEL CULVER

In 1997, the Be a Pilot program was initiated to attract more pilots into the aviation industry.

After a massive growth rate in the aviation industry in the 1960s and ‘70s, the number of qualified commercial pilots began to dwindle. By the mid-1990s, the aviation community began looking for ways to generate interest in aviation as a career choice. The result was the Be a Pilot program.

Since its inception, the Be a Pilot program has attracted about 250,000 registered students at more than 2,100 airfields.

“We want to reveal something most people don’t know; how easy it is to get a pilot’s license,” said Drew Steketee, president and CEO of the Be a Pilot program “We want to show people that there is a great adventure at local airports.”

It cost between $3,000 to $7,000, to earn a private pilot’s license. A student must complete a minimum of 40 hours of flight instruction and supervised practice flying and pass a 50 question written exam, along with a flight test administered by a Federal Aviation Administration designated examiner.

But for only $49, practically anyone can take an introductory flight lesson through the program.

To help us learn more about the program, The Collegian sent me and a photographer to take a flight lesson.

Having never flown a plane before, I was exhilarated by the mere thought of being at the controls of an airplane as it soared through the sky. My mind was racing with anticipation as we arrived at the airfield.

We had a brief, restless wait, then Alan Memley, our training pilot come into the room and introduced himself. Within minutes we were inspecting the 180-horsepower 1971 Piper Cherokee single propeller airplane we were about to use to fulfill our mission directives.

To me, the Piper was a beautiful sight. My pulse quickened as I climbed onto the wing and entered the cockpit.

After a detailed explanation of the instrument panel, Memley put the key in the ignition switch. It wasn’t anything fancy. You didn’t have to turn a lot of dials or flip multiple switches with flashing lights. In fact, starting the piper was almost the same as starting a car.

But that’s where the similarities ended. First of all, the throttle is a lever device situated where a gearshift would be on a car. The pedals on the plane are used for navigation while in the air, and while taxiing to the runway. In fact, the yoke stick, or steering wheel, is useless until the plane is off the ground.

Everybody tries to drive the plane like a car at first, Memley said. “It’s easy. You push on the right pedal, you go right. You push on the left pedal, you go left.”

After a short chatter with the control tower in which there were a lot of 411s and niners, we were ready to take off.

While holding the brakes, I pushed the throttle lever to 2,000 RPMs for a few seconds and then eased it back down to 1,000. I let off the brakes and the plane began to gain speed. Faster and faster, at 85 knots, or 75 mph, I pulled back on the yoke stick.

Almost without notice, the plane began to lift off the ground. It wasn’t bumpy. It was actually very smooth and you really couldn’t tell exactly when you left the ground except for the fact that everything on the ground was getting smaller and smaller.

After climbing to 1,000 feet, we hit some turbulence that felt as if something suddenly began pushing the plane up and down, but controlling the plane was easy. The view was incredible and the excitement was euphoric.

After a 30-minute flight, it was time to land, at which point I handed the controls back to Memley as he took over. After a steady decent and a smooth landing, we were back on earth safe and sound. I was left with a feeling of satisfaction, accomplishment and yearning. A yearning to do it again. This time by myself.

For more information on the Be a Pilot program, visit www.beapilot.com or call 1-888-BE-A-PILOT.