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Instruction You'll Never Know Unless You Try It: Your First Flight Whether you intend to fly for business or recreational purposes, there are few things in life that provide the thrill of flying. Flying is one of the safest modes of travel, provided a pilot exercises good judgement, knows his aircraft's limitations as well as his own, and has a solid foundation of training and experience. So if you're ready to experience the fun and exhileration that piloting an airplane can bring, it just takes a phone call to set up an introductory flight. An experienced Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) will meet with you for a few minutes to go over the basics of flight, the requirements needed to earn your certificate, and to answer your questions. Next, you'll be off to a Cessna 172, a safe, four-seat, easy-to-fly airplane that, on average, you'll be flying on your own in 15-20 hours! You'll walk out to the flight line and spend another ten minutes or so learning how to preflight the aircraft , go over how the flight controls work (rudder, ailerons, elevator), and begin to make sense of the array of guages and instruments you'll be needing for the next hour. Then, sitting in the left seat (you're the pilot!), you'll go over some checklists, tune in to Ground Control to get clearance, and finally, turn the key. As the airplane comes alive (along with your awareness of why you didn't do this sooner), you'll head out to the runway, make a final check of your engine and flight systems, and then push in the throttle. At around 55 knots (slower than you probably drove on the Beltway getting to the airport), you'll ease back on the yoke and, at that moment, will officially open a new page in your life...your pilot's logbook. A minute later, you'll be climbing to 2500', high above the masts of the sailboats on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay below. About 8 minutes after that, you'll be over the Eastern Shore of Maryland, flying over the Chester River area, or perhaps heading south toward Rock Hall. Just think...in six months to a year, you could have your private pilot's certificate and heading a Phoenix Aviation Aero Club plane off to Ocean City for the day, avoiding all that traffic you see below as you pass over the Bay Bridge. Martin State is a towered airport and staffed by Maryland Aviation Administration air traffic controllers (FAA certified), so your flight instruction will, by necessity, include extensive radio training. Martin's 7000' x 180' runway is one of the biggest a student pilot will ever see, and you can't beat the view of the Chesapeake as you sharpen your takeoff and landing skills. In short, you'll be training at an airport other students will only dream of flying to someday. Copyright © Phoenix Aviation Incorporated 2003. All Rights Reserved.