learn to fly: What exactly is an intro flight and should I take one.?

Most flight schools offer what is called an intro flight. Most of the flight schools will participate in the BeaPilot intro flight program. You can go to

Be A Pilot

and Print out a certificate for a $59 intro flight. You just take that to a participating flight school in your area and go up for a ride.

In every case your intro flight experience is going to be different depending on the instructor. Some instructors will spend a lot of time explaining the preflight and post flight procedures and on and on. I have found that most people over the years that want to do intro flights just want to see if they like being in a small airplane and don’t feel like getting a sales pitch the first time at it. Basically you just want to get in the air and do it.

Length: Most intro flights will be short. You can expect to be in the airplane about ½ hour. Once again the experience will be different depending on the instructor. I have seen some very frustrated students after an intro flight and some very happy. Of course almost all of my intro flights end up flying with me. 

Do I get to fly. Once again that will depend on the instructor. Some instructors won’t let you touch the controls and basically take you for a ride. Others will let you fly the entire time. I personally try to let the student fly the entire time. That’s why you are there right. I would ask the instructor you plan in flying with if you are going to fly or not. If they say no, you may want to fly with someone else.

Can I log the flight time: The answer is yes you just have the instructor sign the logbook and that time will count towards your private pilot certificate.

Can I do more than one intro flight: You can do as many as you like. There is no limit, most lfight schools won’t let you fly with all of their instructors for $59. After you do the first one you will probably have to pay the hourly rate for the instructor and the airplane. So if you would like to do multiple intro flights go to different flight school.

I do have one student that back in 1996 he told me he did something like 15 intro flights before he flew with me. I was shocked. But to each his own, I wouldn’t suggest doing that many because all that time you paid for is basically no good toward soloing or your private pilot certificate. Yes you can log the flight time but you are not really covering the subject areas needed to solo. You are just out there having fun.

So I would contact a few flight schools go out to them and talk with some different instructors and then decide who you want to fly with and then do one maybe two intro flights.

Airfreddy



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