How to Fly an Airplane

Learning how to fly a plane involves one-on-oneprotection from crosswinds,which can be very
lessons with a flight instructor. There are numerouspowerful and sway the plane.At larger airports, there
flight schools available. Where you choose to learn toare multiple runaways that are designed to maximize
fly can be dependent on many factors, a primary onecoordination and alignment between planes and
being location. If you live in a rural or country setting,winds.In general, however, it is much easier, and your
you may find that taking lessons is possible only at thelearning experience is more fruitful, if you do your flight
local country airport. In a larger urban area, you may flylessons in the country. You can focus then on your
in the company of larger planes and more traffic, akinlearning and mastering your flying skills. You can still
to driving a car in a busy, urban area or city.learn how to use radios and communicate with air
Gaining the experience of dealing with busy traffic andtraffic. Also, as part of the FAA regulations, you will still
a tower that is dealing with oncoming traffic, can be ahave to be able to land and take off at an air strip with
good experience for you in developing your skills toa traffic control tower.
deal with multiple, and varied environments. If you areThere are numerous flight schools available for
able to fly in a larger setting, flying in a rural area isinstruction, of which some are listed in the Resource
easier and enjoyable for you as new terrain versus ifsection. In general, flight instruction can be at a large
you begin flying in a small, rural area and then have to'approved' school or a not approved school. The large
land at a busy airport, and you feel overwhelmed byapproved schools were generally begun to support the
the rapid nature of events. At the same time, eachlarge influx of pilots necessary for military operations
area has its own strengths and weaknesses.and for airlines. The not approved schools mainly
Flying in a larger airport, you have to continuously dealcatered to the private pilots who wanted to fly for
with oncoming traffic and you spend a lot of timerecreational and small business purposes. All the
'taxing' or going up and down the runaway and to andschools have to go through the same certifications and
from the parking area. All of this time accrues andthe same rules. The smaller not approved schools
adds to your flight time instruction so you may end upgenerally have smaller budgets and teach at small
paying quite a bit simply by moving your plane at theairports with fewer students and have flight instructors
airport.that really earn quite minimally ($20 an hour after the
On the other hand, at a small airport, you generally onlyflight school fees are assessed.
have one runaway which does not offer much or any