| Lesson 1
Date: Saturday 12/15/2007 Where: UZA Instruction: 2.5 hours (ground) Dual Instruction with Derek Alter Drinking from a fire hydrant: I got to UZA just before noon on Saturday. My instructor Derek Alter was waiting for me. Derek is a young guy, 24. He went to school for Flight Management and currently holds his PPL, IFR, Commercial and CFI ratings. Derek�s eventual goal is to become an ATP like his father. He is doing the CFI �thing� until he can get a job flying regional aircraft for an airline. The weather wasn�t great, after all, it is December. That being the case, I knew we weren�t going to be able to fly and Derek confirmed that. As I was a Part 141 student, I was given my student pilot kit, which weighed just over 30lbs. It contained everything I would need to study and obtain my PPL. If I had chosen to attend a Part 61 school, there would be no syllabus to follow for each lesson. You learn things randomly and on your own. I chose the 141 school because I wanted the structure of a syllabus and I could get a student loan for my training. Also, the GI Bill will cover 60% of the cost after I obtain my PPL at a 141 school. Derek and I started the ground work which was some introduction to general aviation. We went through the role of the FAA and the phases of training. We also reviewed category/class ratings and aviation careers. It was quite a bit to take in all at once, like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant. I was OK with this because Amy and I were driving up to Greensboro on Sunday, which would give me a chance to read through the textbook slowly and allow me to cover each topic in detail. The next week at work, I was able to study and take lots of notes. When I took lunch I would simply go into an empty conference room and read for an hour. I would read all I could to try and cover the topic from the previous ground lesson and try to cover some of the bold items for the upcoming lesson. Conclusion: Well, what can I say, flying lessons without flying. Not too exciting� |