Many students and aviator hopefuls go through the rigors of flight training and become a pilot because they have long been intrigued with the idea of flying.  It is exciting, fun, cool… they develop a passion for soaring high above the ground where the rest of us live out our daily lives. If you have been around aviation for more than a day or two, you will probably agree that there is no shortage of people talking about the passion of aviators. One thing that is rarely talked about however, is the skills acquired while going through the flight training experience, whether that be at a four year institution or at the local flight school at a nearby airport. 

Virtually everyone who’s ever seen an aircraft fly overhead has probably wondered just how to
become a pilot. Sadly, only a minuscule slice of the population ever pursues an answer to that question. In addition, an extremely high percentage of flight training prospects quit without obtaining a license. Why the high dropout rate? One opinion is that many of them dive into training without fully understanding the commitment necessary to earn their wings.

So, want to know how to become a pilot and succeed where so many others fail? The secret can be summed up in one word: planning. Before you can hope to succeed, you need to understand what you’re up against. To do this, you need to ask the right questions before beginning your quest for a pilot certificate.

If you’re pondering pursuit of a pilot’s license, you might imagine the bulk of your educational training will involve learning to put the aircraft where you want it to go. While this is certainly true, you might not realize the profound impact other disciplines have on pilot education requirements. In short, an aviator must learn a little about a variety of subjects in order to satisfy the FAA’s established knowledge requirements.  

The iPad or iPad 3… I myself am still confused as to what Apple has decided to call its latest tablet in the marketplace.  From what I can tell it looks, smells and acts like iPad 1 and iPad 2 but just has a faster processor, better graphics and a sharper display.  Sounds like iPad 3 makes the most sense and for my purpose will herein be referred to as such, now Apple was that so hard?  In all seriousness, for anyone in aviation and flight training it is important to stay current with the latest technology trends and how they can impact the industry. 

So the National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS) is coming up next week and their is a lot of chatter in the air about the "1500 hour rule" as the latest hot topic of discussion, as it very well should be.  This recent NPRM is going to have huge effects on all parts of the industry from the commercial side all the way through to the educators.

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Over the last several months, China has been seen quite a bit in the world of aviation; from the purchase of Cirrus by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft to the massive demand for pilots in Asia, there is much to be discussed.