So You Want To Learn To fly

Ever since your mother duped you into eating those strained peas by pretending that spoonful of mush was an airplane, you've been fascinated with airplanes, flying, and the wild blue yonder. If you only knew how to fly, you could get away from your humdrum life (and that deceitful woman you call "mother") and fly free like the birds. But there's a problem: if you don't learn how to fly, you'll drop like a stone and crash. There are only two options: 1) become stinking rich and hire someone to fly you wherever you want to go, whenever you want, or 2) get a pilot's license. Option 2 is a tad cheaper.

With a pilot's license, you will be able to start a career as a pilot, fly friends and family around on weekends, pilot your own plane for business trips, compete in aerobatics competitions, assist with humanitarian or "search and rescue" missions… the list goes on and on. So read on, and get ready to learn how to fly, dear Icarus… but don't get too close to the Sun (your wings might melt).

A quick word about safety. Human beings are not, by nature, supposed to fly, so it's natural to feel some anxiety at the thought of learning how to do anything at 10,000 feet. While it's true that flying involves some inherent risks, it is about the safest form of transportation we have - much safer than driving. Cars are involved in 10 times as many accidents per vehicle mile as general aviation aircraft (that is, all aircraft except airliners and military). Aviation is heavily regulated by a host of safety standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), aviation's governing body in the United States. Your flight training will teach you how to fly safely and how to react during those rare occasions of emergency that are beyond your control.

If that doesn't assuage your fears, take heart: safety experts say that if you were born on a plane and flew continuously all your life, you'd live well past 100 before you eventually crashed (that is, if the food didn't kill you first...).