Students
If you're a student pilot, or thinking about learning to
fly, joining Crosswinds might be a good choice.
Our main Flight Instructor (CFII), is 
Ron Kelley.
Ron is an exceptional CFII who regularly performs our members'
biannual reviews, check-rides or just passes on his many hours
of flying expertise. Feel free to contact Ron, via e-mail
(ronk@crosswindsflying.com) if you have questions.
Participation in the club is a great way to learn more about
flying through interaction with other members. We are different
than a flight school in that we own the planes and have a
strong interest in taking care of them - we are also the ones
flying the planes. We keep rates low because club volunteers
do as much as possible to keep the planes in top condition.
Information
There are numerous references on the web for new pilots including:
If you haven't taken your aviation medical you can find
an Aviation Medical Examiner at http://ame.cami.jccbi.gov/.
You don't need a medical to take begin instruction but will
need it before you can solo - it's just a good idea to get
it out of the way. The medical form is provided at the doctor's
office but here's a copy for your review: http://www.leftseat.com/pdffiles/8500-8new.pdf.
Requirements
The FAA requires 40 hrs of flight instruction although most
pilots need 50-70 hours of flight instruction - no matter
where they take instruction. There's also ground instruction
with your instructor and self-study. A written test (actually
given through a computer testing service) is required (the
written test can be taken at any time) as well as an oral
test and flight test with a FAA Designated Examiner at the
end of training. If you fly at least twice a week you can
probably finish in six to nine months or so.
Estimated Costs
|
Training item
|
Estimated Cost
|
| 50 - 70 (Dry Tach Time) hrs
in our Piper Warrior |
$2,250 to $3,150
|
| Fuel (roughly 7 gal per hr 100LL in the
Warrior |
$1,750 to $2,450
|
| Instructor (30 or 40 hours) |
$750 to $1,000
|
| Club Initiation (student pilots get a discount) |
$250
|
| Club dues (roughly for a year) |
$900
|
| Books, tapes, headset, ground school |
$500
|
| Ballpark rough total cost for training |
$6,400 to $8,250
|
A good general estimate after you join Crosswinds and begin
your flight training is around $90 to $100 per hour
depending on fuel prices and whether or not you're solo or
dual.
Stuff
For training you don't need a lot of pilot gadgets. Our planes
have intercoms so you won't need a portable intercom. You
can easily spend another $1,000 to $2,000 on a handheld radio,
GPS, noise canceling headset and other gadgets that are nice
but not essential for initial flight training. Your flight
instructor will tell you what supplies you need to start.
|
