Learning to Fly Part 1 - Ground School

In January of 2005 I was working through the crossword puzzle of the Technician, the school newspaper at NC State University, during a break between classes. I saw a small ad near the puzzle for ground school that was beginning in a few weeks. Hmm...

I mentioned in an earlier post that I've always wanted to fly. As far back as middle school I can remember being really interested and wanting to learn. I don't know why I didn't look into it earlier in life. I think for a long time I talked myself into believing it was just for rich people who had a ton of money to spend, and that it would be a long time before I could afford to do it.

Seeing that ad prompted me to investigate a little. I went home and checked out the web address on the ad. The address led me to the website of the Wings of Carolina Flying Club. I was interested so I dug deeper. The flying club had included a page on their website that discussed learning to fly, the time commitment, as well as the estimated cost.

Now, I wasn't rich at the time (still not!). I didn't make a ton of money. But I was working almost full time as a waiter, and living off of the financial aid I received for school. So, for a while, I was able to put every penny I made as a waiter into savings. Voila: I had the money to fly. I emailed to sign up for the ground school, and received the schedule and other information.

My first night of ground school was my first lesson in weather. That day in Raleigh it snowed. If you're from NC you understand that, when it snows, everything shuts down. I called the instructor and asked if the ground school was still on. He sounded surprised that I was calling. Apparently it wasn't snowing in Sanford, which is where Wings of Carolina is located. So, the lesson was that weather isn't the same everywhere. Imagine that.

I got there early (one thing that playing football taught me, always be early) and was the second or third one there. I gave a polite "hi" and sat down to wait. Over the next little while more people showed up. In all I think there were 30 or so people. Next the instructor came in. We quickly found out that he's a nice guy but concerned only with safety and getting down to business. The ground school was ten weeks long, and we had A LOT of material to cover. We dove right in.

We all went around the room, introduced ourselves, mentioned why we were there, and class began. We started by taking a look at and purchasing all the materials including text books, study guides, testing materials, flight computer, and a few other odds and ends. From there, we began with the million dollar question: "How does a plane fly?" We went through the principles and various theories of lift, why it works like it does, and how a plane produces it. We also discussed the four forces of flight (lift, gravity, thrust, drag). This conversation led directly into the control surfaces and how the pilot controls the plane.

By this point the 3 hour class was over and all went home. There were lots of questions asked and good discussions. To be honest it was a bit of a sensory overload. I questioned whether or not I really felt like learning all of this new information while I was trying to do school and work at the same time. The questioning didn't last long, however. I found myself more interested in the flying than what I was learning in school (still am more interested in it, actually). It was awesome. I was finally learning about something that really mattered to me.

The next 9 weeks were the same. Sensory overload, tons of questions, lots of discussion, mental exhaustion, and enjoyment learning about my passion. The most difficult class to follow (and stay awake in) was the review of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). Super important to know and understand, but mundane and a bit boring. No problem, it was leading towards flying an airplane.

The ground school ended and I was given an endorsement by the instructor to go take the official FAA knowledge test. I took this test on a special computer at the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) at the Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA), which is where Wings of Carolina Flying Club is located. It's a timed, multiple choice test. You can miss only a certain amount and then you fail. if you pass, you're passing score is good for two years. You then have two years to get the flight training required for the private pilot certificate.

Learning to fly is a lot of information, but if you love it, it's worth it. It takes a lot effort, determination, and studying, but the rewards are great. Next time I'll write in detail about the flying portion of my training. It was a lot of fun.