Over the years, myths, media, and the movies have brought about many misconceptions about the aviation industry. Truth be told, most of the general public doesn’t realize how safe, efficient and cost effective it is to fly.
Here are 10 things about flying you won’t believe:
1 – You can earn your pilot’s license in as little as 40 hours of training.
Seriously – did you know that the Federal Aviation Administration requires a minimum of 40 hours training for someone to get their private pilot’s license? There are numerous cases of students acquiring their license within six months. It’s not as complicated as you would think. Now don’t start to panic next time you get on a commercial airplane as airline pilots require considerably more training.
2 – Most commercial airline pilots start off with 1500 hours of experience.
If you’re interested in working for the airlines, your training goals aren’t that far away. The FAA only requires 1500 hours experience along with your Airline Transport Rating (acquired through additional testing and training).
3 – There are over 15,000 airports in the United States and over 40,000 worldwide.
Looking for a place to go? If you landed at a new airport every day, it would take you over 40 years to land at every airport in America. How’s that for adventure?
4 – You can be any age to fly.
Think you’re too old? Think again. There are plenty of pilots in their 80s and 90s. Think you’re too young? No way! You only have to be 16 years old to fly solo (under an instructor’s watch) and 18 years old to actually get your license.
5 – Once you’re a pilot, you can take off at a moment’s notice.
Feel like running to Texas to get your favorite Mexican dish? Let’s go! Want to fly down to Florida to get some sun? Load in! Want to catch your favorite college sports team? With your pilot’s license, you determine your schedule, not the airline!
6 – Compared to traveling by car, the safety record of aviation is extremely safe.
General aviation has about one-sixth the accident rate of driving. Why? The training is much more rigorous than driving, and safety is a very serious matter when flying. To ensure there are no mechanical concerns, airplanes are inspected not only annually, but every 100 hours of operation, every 50 hours, and right before every flight.
7 – You don’t have to own an airplane. You can rent.
This is a common misconception. Many believe that you have to OWN an airplane in order to be a pilot. When you train for your license, you will have the opportunity to utilize the airplanes available at the flight school. With over 15,000 airports nationwide, there’s always a place to rent a plane once you’ve finished your training.
8 – You can purchase an airplane for about the same price as a luxury vehicle.
Sure, if you wanted to you could spend $10 million on an airplane, but did you know that many late-model used airplanes can be purchased for around $30,000?
9 – You don’t have to sit in a classroom every day. Training can happen on your schedule.
It’s not like you’re going back to college – you can get your pilot’s license while training on your own schedule, at your own pace on your own budget. Want to train three mornings a week? How about only two times in the evenings? Thursdays only? Saturdays? You can determine when and how often you want to train. Instructors work around your schedule.
10 – Pilots represent less than 1% of the American population.
Less than 600,000 people have their pilot’s license. Think you can do it? It’s easier and more affordable than you think. Call and tell us what your dream is!
Established in 2010, Tennessee Flight Training provides affordable flight instruction from award winning, FAA-certified instructors and offers state-of-the-art equipment. The flight training facility is based at Nashville International Airport. More information is available at www.nashvilleflighttraining.com or by calling (615) 366-9192.