How to take to the skies and become a pilot

Hello! Today I will talk about how you can come to heaven, what you need to do for this, how much it all costs. I will also share my experience of training as a private pilot in the UK and dispel some of the myths associated with aviation. There is a lot of text and photos under the cut 🙂

First flight

First, let's figure out how to be at the helm. Even though I study in London, I try to fly in every country I visit. In all countries, this is done in approximately the same way.

San Francisco from 3000 feet, sunset

First of all, you need to find the nearest airfield to us. For Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan it makes sense to open maps.aopa.ru and look at the airfields there. In Europe/USA, you can just google airports. We need small (Heathrow won't fit!) airfields as close to the city as possible. If the search returns nothing, you can install a trial version of ForeFlight / Garmin Pilot / SkyDemon and see the airfields on the map. In the end, you can ask the opinion of familiar pilots (if any) or look for aviation chats in Telegram.

Here is a list of airfields known to me for some cities:

• Moscow
  • Aerograd Mozhaisky
  • Vatulino airfield
• St. Petersburg
  • Aerodrome Gostilitsy
• Kiev
  • Airfield Chaika
  • Aerodrome Borodyanka
  • Gogolev airfield
• London
  • Elstree Airport
  • Biggin Hill Airport
  • Stapleford Airport
  • Rochester Airport
• Paris
  • Saint-Cyr Aerodrome
• Cannes, Nice
  • Airport Cannes Mandelieu
• Rome
  • Rome Urban Airport
• New York
  • Republic Airport
• San Francisco, Oakland, Valley
  • Hayward Executive Airport

After we found the airfield, we need to search its website for information about flight schools. In principle, you can immediately start googling the flight school. If you couldn’t find a flight school, look for some “flights on airplanes in St. Petersburg”. Our task now is to find someone who is ready to show us the world of aviation.

Now it remains only to contact the one we found. We call, we ask for the opportunity to ride a plane at the helm (in English this is trial or gift flight), we book a day convenient for us and that's it. Nothing more needs to be done.

You are only one call away from a real flight on a real plane. Contrary to popular myths and stereotypes, you do not need to pass VLEK (flight medical examination) or pass theory exams for this. Works even when you are just a tourist. Even if you have no idea how to fly a plane at all.

Such a pleasure will cost about $ 220 per hour. This figure includes: the cost of fuel, the fee for maintaining the aircraft on schedule, the salary of your instructor, and the fee for taking off and landing at the airfield. The cost may vary slightly depending on the country (in England a little more expensive, in Russia a little cheaper). Yes, this is not the cheapest pleasure, but at the same time it is not cosmically expensive either. You don't have to be a millionaire to rent a private jet. And you are usually allowed to take passengers with you, and they can also share the cost of the flight with you.

I emphasize separately: it's very easy to go to heaven, it only takes one call from you. And it's worth it. No words, photos or videos will convey the sensations that open up during the flight. Each person has their own. This is a feeling of freedom, inspiration and new horizons. Holding your own life in your own hands is a little scary at first, even with an instructor nearby. However, after the first flight comes the realization that you still have to try to start taking risks. Flying is no more difficult than driving a car, it just takes a fair amount of knowledge to fly safely. The instructor is in charge of safety.

Be prepared to not be allowed to take off and land on your first flight. Typically, airfields for private aviation are not very large and have a number of local features (trees at the end of the strip, a short strip, an unpaved strip, a “humped” strip). Exceptions for those who like to fly in the simulator and pilots are almost never made. However, the amount of new information will go over the edge anyway, so you won’t be bored 🙂

Curious body of water near Rome

Pilot licenses

Ok, let's say you got a flight and now you want to have your license. Is it hard to check this? The answer depends on what kind of license you want. There are three main types of licenses.

PPL (Private Pilot License, private pilot license)

Capabilities:

• Non-commercial flights on airplanes. In other words, you do not have the right to earn money on it.
• However, in some countries you can share the cost of fuel with passengers (yes, you can take passengers on board)
• You can fly on a huge range of aircraft, ranging from piston to some jets.
• You can not fly on aircraft that are certified under a commercial license (for example, Boeing or Airbus)
• You can rent planes from a bunch of flying clubs, or you can buy your own (and it's a lot cheaper than you think)
• The license is valid worldwide, the only restriction is that you can only fly aircraft registered in the country that issued your license (in America you can fly with a Russian license on a Russian aircraft)
• You can come to Russia with a foreign license and get a Russian license with little or no training (thus unlocking all Russian aircraft). This process is called validation.
• Can cross international borders

Requirements:

• Medical certificate of airworthiness. Sufficiently loyal requirements, including on vision
• Completed theory course, the easiest. More details below
• The presence of a small amount of flight time (42 hours in Russia / 45 in Europe / 40 in the States)
• Passed practice exam

Lakhta Center, St. Petersburg

Commercial licenses are hidden under the spoiler

CPL (Commercial Pilot License, Commercial Pilot License)

Capabilities:

• All the same as for PPL
• Work in airlines or business aviation
• Flights on passenger liners

Requirements:

• Availability of PPL
• Approximately 200 PPL flight hours
• More stringent medical screening
• More stringent exams

ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot License)

Capabilities:

• Everything is the same as in CPL
• Ability to work as an aircraft commander on airliners

Requirements:

• Availability of CPL
• Approximately 1500 CPL flight hours
• Usually nominated for this license by the airline

As you can see, each next license level requires the previous one. This means that by obtaining a private pilot license, you will unlock the opportunity for yourself to obtain a commercial license, and in the potential future - to go to work in an airline (does not work in Russia, they still want a college diploma).

In addition to licenses, it is worth mentioning the so-called ratings, opening up additional features for each type of license:

• night rating - flights at night
• Instrument rating — flights in instrumental conditions (for example, in fog). Also gives the ability to fly over airways
• Multi Engine Rating - flying on aircraft with two or more engines
• type rating - flights on a specific aircraft model. Usually these are complex aircraft, like Airbus or Boeing.
• And a bunch of others, according to your taste and imagination

Here and below we will consider the features of learning on the PPL - in the absence of the author of everything else 🙂

Landing in London

Before training

There are many organizations abroad that standardize licenses, but two stand out so far:

• FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) - US licenses
• EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) - licenses for the whole of Europe (that is, you can fly a French aircraft with an Italian pilot's license)

To obtain an FAA license, they usually fly to Florida. There are good weather conditions and a large selection of schools, but the prices are not the cheapest. Alternatively, you can study in the central part of the States (for example, in Texas), where prices will be slightly lower.

EASA is received in Spain, the Czech Republic or the Baltic countries. They have a good balance between the weather and the cost of training. After completing the training, both licenses can be easily validated in Russia.

Of course, no one is stopping you from learning to fly in Russia too. However, it is worth noting that in Russia there were situations when flight schools were closed, and the licenses of their graduates were revoked. A well-chosen flight school protects you in many ways from such situations, but no one can give you guarantees.

In good schools, a lot of attention is paid to flight safety, psychology and the development of the correct commanding character. You will be taught to meticulously check checklists, analyze the weather very carefully, avoid absolutely any risks in all situations and make the right decisions. Accident statistics show that it really works.

Also pay attention to the format of training. Some flight schools offer to pay all the necessary hours of flight at once, some offer to buy portioned packages of 10 hours, some simply offer to pay separately for each hour of flight. Choose a learning format that is convenient for you. If, for example, you live nearby, the most convenient format would be hourly payment. Keep in mind that there is no requirement to complete training within a specified period - you can fly at least an hour a month until you reach the required number of hours.

Theory is sometimes taught on the spot, sometimes given as part-time study from books. In the States, instructional videos may also be offered.

Take a close look at the condition of the aircraft, pay attention to how well the instructor “trains” you into the procedures during the trial lesson. A good instructor should teach you to read checklists thoughtfully and not ask you to skip them, especially when there is enough time.

Finally, it makes sense to pass a medical check before starting training. The European certificate is given very loyally, practically nothing is required of you. The Russian VLEK, which everyone loves to scare so much, is also very simplified for private pilots. However, there is a risk of not passing, and it is better to find out about this before you start spending money on training. In Russia, this is generally a legal requirement.

Manhattan, New York

Theory

From here on, I will talk directly about studying for an EASA license. In other countries, the details will be different.

The theory is not as scary as it is painted. You will need to read several books and prepare for 9 theoretical exams.

• Air Law - air law. Learn about the types of airspace, flight rules, border crossings, requirements for aircraft and pilots.
• Operation procedures - they will tell you about some procedures, such as extinguishing a fire in flight, landing on wet runways, working with wind shear and turbulent wake from other aircraft.
• Human Performance and Limitations. Optical, auditory and spatial illusions, the effect of sleep on flights, aviation psychology, decision making, first aid.
• Navi — navigation in the sky. Navigation calculation, wind accounting, correct recognition of landmarks, correction of errors in navigation, fuel calculation, basics of radio navigation.
• Communication. Communication with dispatchers, flight procedures in airspaces of different classes, urgency and distress signals, crossing airspaces and militarized zones.
• Meteorology. How clouds and wind are formed, which clouds cannot be flown into, what dangers await at the borders of weather fronts, how to read aviation weather reports (METAR and TAF).
• Principles of Flight. Where does lift come from, how the keel and stabilizer work, how the aircraft is controlled along three axes, why stall occurs.
• Aircraft General Knowledge. How the aircraft itself is arranged, its systems, how the engine and all the instruments work.
• Flight performance and planning. Calculation of aircraft balancing, its loading, required for the length run

Yes, the list looks impressive, but the questions on the exams are quite simple. Some people just memorize the answers. However, I would not advise doing so - each of these items is necessary and can save your life.

Flights to the Moscow region, the vicinity of Vatulino

Practice

Practice often begins in parallel with theory, and sometimes before.
You'll start with the basics - the effect of control surfaces and engine thrust on aircraft behavior. You will then be taught how to steer on the ground and maintain a level and straight flight in the air. After that, you will have to master the correct techniques for climbing and descending. In the next lesson, you will be shown how to make turns correctly, including climbing or descending.

Then a little extreme will begin. You will start to fly slowly, with the stall alarm sounding, then the stall itself and, possibly, a spin (yes, almost all training aircraft can do this). Here you can also be taught how to perform high-bank turns and get the plane out of a spiral - another very insidious thing. As you understand, this is necessary to develop the ability to avoid such situations, and in cases of situations themselves, to safely get out of them.

Then, finally, the so-called conveyors at the airfield will begin. You will fly in a rectangular pattern around the airfield, learning to take off and, yes, landing along the way. After you learn how to confidently land the plane, including in a crosswind, without an engine and flaps, you will be trusted with the holy of holies of any cadet - the first solo flight. It will be scary even if you feel like a bird in the air.

From now on, you will be given more opportunities to fly on your own. Heaven does not forgive uncorrected mistakes, and you will have to realize this alone, without an instructor guiding you. You will learn the most important skill of a commander - the skill of decision making. Of course, at the same time, they will follow you very carefully from the ground (and in which case they will definitely help).

Then flights along the route will begin. You will begin to fly to other airfields, get out of situations when you are lost, plan route changes in the air, try to intercept radials from radio beacons. You have to fly to a certain point and turn back, then fly to another airfield and finally, possibly fly to a large controlled international airport. And all this at first with an instructor, then on your own.

Then you will begin to prepare for the exam. To begin with, you will have to make a large and difficult flight along the route, with several stops at airports. On one's own. This is called cross country solo. Then you will repeat some of the exercises from the very beginning to make sure you can pass the exam.

Well, the exam itself. Consists of several sections, takes several hours. His task is to make sure that you can fly not perfectly, but safely.

In Europe, you will still need to pass a practical radio communication exam and possibly a separate English proficiency exam. The latter won't be much of a problem after reading the books and practicing radio communications you'll learn on the fly 🙂

Sunset flights are amazing, but you can't do without sunglasses

Inspiration

Aviation is not just flights. This is an opportunity to realize much more than is available to us. This is an opportunity to learn to be responsible, deal with mistakes correctly, listen to other people and inspire them. This is an opportunity to learn the right decisions, the right team management, the right assessment of one's own resources, risk management and security assessment. This is an opportunity to be anywhere and see the cities familiar to us from completely different angles.

This is an opportunity to get acquainted with one of the most curious communities, where almost always the guys try to help each other. An opportunity to meet many interesting people and make new friends in almost every corner of the world.

I repeat once again that not a single text, video or photo will convey the sensations even from a minute of flight. You need to come and try everything yourself. And it's not that hard at all. Come to the sky, try yourself in it! Here's some inspiration for you:

• My РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram, where I regularly talk about my flights
• heavenly stories Denis Okan
• Channel Pilot's Notes on youtube
• Channel kudri.fm on youtube
• Channel mentor pilot on YouTube (in English)

Taking this opportunity, I want to express my deep gratitude to all those people who reviewed the article before publication.

Oncoming you on takeoff, and maybe even hear each other on the frequency!

Source: habr.com