Each station:
Pre-Flight Inspection: Before each flight, the airplane has to be inspected. The interior and exteriors need to be checked. All of the pieces on the outside should have some give to them, but not too much.
Airplane Operation: Operating an airplane should be an extremely easy task. We learned that you should be able to fly a plane with only 3 fingers on the joystick. We were able to climb into the cockpit of one of the planes and look at the cockpit and instruments up close.
Navigation: We were able to look at an official FAA map with all of the different beacons and such. We learned about restricted airspace and free airspace. We also learned about different flight paths and how to read them.
Pilot Training: Becoming a pilot is not very hard to do. All you have to do is get a certain amount of hours of flight and complete some courses, and you get your pilots license. It is more difficult to become a commercial pilot, and working with an airline requires over a thousand hours worth of flight experience.
Maintenance: There are many different types of airplanes and airplane components. Each different airplane is built in a different way, based on the purpose of that plane. Airplanes don't usually require maintenance, but there are a lot of factors involved in an airplane, so maintenance can be tricky.
Airplane Operation: Operating an airplane should be an extremely easy task. We learned that you should be able to fly a plane with only 3 fingers on the joystick. We were able to climb into the cockpit of one of the planes and look at the cockpit and instruments up close.
Navigation: We were able to look at an official FAA map with all of the different beacons and such. We learned about restricted airspace and free airspace. We also learned about different flight paths and how to read them.
Pilot Training: Becoming a pilot is not very hard to do. All you have to do is get a certain amount of hours of flight and complete some courses, and you get your pilots license. It is more difficult to become a commercial pilot, and working with an airline requires over a thousand hours worth of flight experience.
Maintenance: There are many different types of airplanes and airplane components. Each different airplane is built in a different way, based on the purpose of that plane. Airplanes don't usually require maintenance, but there are a lot of factors involved in an airplane, so maintenance can be tricky.
Conclusion Questions:
What is one thing you learned? I learned that flying a plane seems much easier than I originally thought. The owner of the flight school told us that a pilot should only have to use 3 fingers if hes flying correctly. That may just be because the owner is a very experienced pilot, because I don't think I'd be able to do that.
What is one thing you heard and already knew? I heard that the aviation industry is very old and most planes are based off of very old models. I knew this already from doing my own research on flight and owning a plane, and most personal/beginner planes are very old.
What would be one question you would ask if you had the chance to go back? I would ask how much it costs to buy/store/maintain an airplane annually. I am interested in obtaining my pilots license and I am interested in how financially demanding owning a plane is.
A tip to make the trip better for next year is to have a little bit more time and possible explore more of the outside of the airport.
What is one thing you heard and already knew? I heard that the aviation industry is very old and most planes are based off of very old models. I knew this already from doing my own research on flight and owning a plane, and most personal/beginner planes are very old.
What would be one question you would ask if you had the chance to go back? I would ask how much it costs to buy/store/maintain an airplane annually. I am interested in obtaining my pilots license and I am interested in how financially demanding owning a plane is.
A tip to make the trip better for next year is to have a little bit more time and possible explore more of the outside of the airport.