Somebody Has to Fly the Goodyear Blimp

Getting your pilot's license is just the start of a life in the world of aviation that can literally take you anywhere. While there is a lot you can do with just a Private pilot's certificate, it is always the starting point to flying helicopters, freight, charter or eventually becoming a pilot for a regional airline or even a major airline like Delta, United, or UPS.

But one specialized aviation job, that you may or may not have thought of, is flying the blimps that you see over stadiums during ball games or over big events like parades. But who is flying the blimps and how did they get that job? Somebody has to fly those blimps and your pilot's license is a good starting point into what could become a very fascinating job that is unlike anything else in aviation.

Steady As She Goes

Flying a blimp is not a fast-paced job in terms of the flying. Most of the time a blimp travels very slowly because, obviously, a blimp is large and cumbersome and it really cannot maneuver that quickly. It is designed to hover and move slowly over a ball game or racing event, so that a camera can cover the action from a "bird's-eye" perspective. The top speed you may reach in the air might be thirty-five miles per hour but don't think it is easy. You will still have to deal with the weather and the winds and that can be just as challenging as flying a big, fast airplane.

Another big difference when flying a blimp is that you will hover the craft fairly close to the ground compared to a faster moving airplane that flies thousands of feet above the earth. This takes a delicate touch and concentration. Sometimes you will fly as low as 1,000 to 1,500 feet above the ground which means at that height you have to be very careful of towers, powerlines, etc.

Showmanship and Promotion

Since blimps are used almost entirely for promotional or recreational purposes, your role as the pilot of a blimp almost puts you into show business. You are a good-will ambassador for your company, the event, and aviation. You are practically a celebrity. You will have a lot of interaction with people who come to see the blimp so you will enjoy far more socialization than you might as a airline pilot. Personally, as a pilot for a regional airline, I really enjoy greeting my passengers when they board and then again when they leave, but as a blimp pilot, you will probably face the public on many different occasions, at numerous events, and have to answer an endless stream of questions and pose for thousands of pictures.

Travel, Travel, Travel

By the very nature of why companies keep blimps and why events want their presence, a blimp's travel schedule from one event to another is virtually nonstop. So be sure you really enjoy seeing the world and that this kind of travel is what you are looking for. It's a great job if want to have an adventure and do something unique.

Where Do You Start?

If you wish to make becoming a blimp pilot a real objective, take your existing pilot's license and get your "lighter-than-air" rating as well. It won't be that much more added work and it positions you perfectly to fly a blimp later. Then you have to hit the streets, find the right company that is staffing for that job, start talking to their pilots and their chief pilot, and get your foot in the door. As you wait for the chance to work with the few organizations that do operate blimps, you can go ahead and get your advanced pilot certificates and ratings and log some quality flight time as a certificated flight instructor (CFI), charter pilot, bush pilot, etc., so you have a solid flying resume when you are ready to specialize in flying blimps.

Your Hired! Now What?

The "big break" you will be looking for is to get in on the ground floor with a company that owns and operates a blimp. You may have to serve your time as part of the ground crew of the blimp but that by itself can be a fascinating job. This is when you will learn the technical aspects of maintaining a blimp and the safety issues that go into keeping a big vehicle like that aloft.

Eventually, your prior flight experience and dedication to the blimp team will put you in line for a co-pilot position when it becomes available. And if the company decides to add a blimp or needs a whole new crew including a pilot, having been an experienced ground crew member with flight time, you will be in an ideal position to fill that vacancy.

Unfortunately the pay of a blimp pilot is not going to make you rich, so you are really going to have to want the job but you will see the world and you will have one of the most unique aviation jobs available today. And if you get to fly over the Super Bowl and have a birds-eye view of the biggest game of the year, well that's just another one of the great perks of being a blimp pilot.

Jeffrey is a captain at regional airline and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He flies the CRJ200, CRJ700, and CRJ900. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, a CL-65 (CRJ200) type rating, a Gold Seal Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) rating and Advanced Ground Instructor certificate. He has over 4000 hours total flight time.

He writes the blog "Almost the Speed of Sound" ( http://www.flycrj.com ) which is about his experiences, insights, and thoughts about being a pilot, a flight instructor, and an airline captain. He is also the author of "The CRJ200 Quicknotes Study Guide" which is available at http://www.flycrj.com/order.html

So You Want to Be a Pilot?

Are you interested in flying but you do not have the time and the money to make your dream of being a pilot come true? Becoming a pilot can be tough, with high instruction fees, gas prices on the rise and costly maintenance charges that lessons require. However, if you still want to be a pilot, then it is certainly not impossible. With some research and planning, you too can be a pilot!

Research

There are many web sites, text books and courses available for pilots online. It's a good idea to learn as much as you can about the basic of flying before going for full instruction at a flight school.

Lessons & Instruction

You can do your theoretical and technical learning at home, online, the library or anywhere, but you need hands on training as well and for that you need to enroll yourself in a training session at a flight school or airport. There are many small airports in rural areas that provide you good training experience at reasonable rates. Since the cost for instruction can reach thousands of dollars, often anywhere from 8-10 thousand dollars, it's important to save up and make sure you have enough money to finish the training that you started.

Become a Member of An Aviation Community

Become a part of the aviation world. Pay regular visits to web sites, blogs and take part in discussions. Try being a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and learn about the most important matters influencing the flying community today. Get caught up with the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA), this is a superb resource for providing knowledge on home built aircrafts and experimental aircraft. There may also be a local flying club around that is available to join. By meeting and talking with current pilots, fellow students and other enthusiasts, you will be able to ask them questions and learn from their experiences. When you socialize with other aviation enthusiasts you will learn more and may even get more employment opportunities.

Flight Simulators

Most flight schools and instructors will book you time with a flight simulator. These high tech computers or machines are a crucial component of any flying enthusiasts learning. With a flight simulator, you can literally practice take-off and landing, as well as flying without the danger or cost of practicing in a real plane.

Purchasing a Plane

Most people will not be able to purchase their own aircraft, least of all a new or modern one. However, there are often good deals to be had on older aircraft models. These aircraft may need some TLC or minor repairs, but this is also a good chance for you to get to know another aspect of flying, which is repair and maintenance of your own aircraft.

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The Cost Of Learning to Fly and the Private Pilot License

Since I started flying, I noticed that flight schools were not completely straight forward with the students. I was also a victim. Since that time I have grown into a Career Flight Instructor and was even a flight school owner. I owned and operated 5 airplanes and have had many flight instructors working for me.

One thing I always tried to do was be straight forward with students, telling them exactly what they were going to spend. Also to make sure they understand if they don't stick with their training, the more it is going to cost.

The first thing you want to make sure you do is commit to getting your private pilot license. Many people will start learning to fly and then run out of money because a flight school wasn't quite truthful about what it was going to cost. Another scenario is the student will let everything get in their way when learning to fly. In short many people won't get their license because they don't plan.

The first thing you want to do is plan. Would you just start building a new house without a plan? Probably not. So why do so many people just start taking flying lesson without a budget or plan? So I will familiarize you with some terminology that you will need to know and start you going thru this entire process. When you start looking around you will find a few things that are in the cost estimates of all the flight schools.

Dual Instruction: This is also known as flight instruction received. This is the time you are up in the airplane with your flight instructor. In the case of dual instruction the cost will include both the airplane and instructor.

Solo Time/Aircraft Rental: This is the time you will be renting the aircraft that is charged on a per hour basis like the dual instruction.

Flight Instructor: This is the charge per hour for the flight instructor.

There are some different ways that a flight school will word their cost estimates. One school may have DUAL INSTRUCTION in an estimate and another school may have Aircraft Rental and Flight Instructor.

I will give you some sample prices below

Flight Instructor Rate: $50.00 Per Hour

Aircraft Rental Rate: $96.00 Per Hour

Examples of a brief cost estimate from a flight school may look like this:

A: 40 Hours Aircraft Rental - $3,840.00

B: 20 Hours Certified Flight Instructor - $1,000.00

Total = $4,840.00

Another Flight School May have a cost estimate that looks like this:

20 Hours Dual Flight Instruction - $2,920.00

20 Hours of Solo Flight - $1,920.00

Total = $4,840.00

In a lot of cases this will be it. Some schools do try and make this a little more realistic. But in general they all will stay very competitive. Since flying is very expensive they like to keep their cost estimates as low as possible to get the students. You have to remember this is just pure business. So you may want to call it a scam or you may not want to call it that. I call it just telling the customer what they want to hear.

Now the FAA only requires 20 hours of dual instruction and 10 hours of solo for the private pilot license but there is still a minimum of 40 so you have to get them somewhere. I just put them under the solo hours.

Most of the schools will be honest about it if you start asking the right questions. You have to remember that there is a lot of competition in this industry and there aren't enough students to keep every flight schools planes flying 100 hours per month. Bottom line is they need to keep the planes flying or they go out of business. You will want to remember that the national average for private pilots is 65 hours. Most private pilot syllabuses are between 45 and 55 hours. There are to many things that need to get covered. If you want to be a safe pilot you should plan on over 30 hours of dual instruction.

With that said, you have just added another $2000 on to the above cost estimate. Remember this will also depend on the aircraft rental rates and the flight instructor rates. So you are already somewhere around $6,800 and you haven't included any books, materials, medical expenses, flight test fees and any other costs you may have. The first thing you want to do before you start learning to fly is PLAN. I tell all of my students to plan on at least $7,500. You may want to add a little to that estimate since people learn at different speeds.

Once you start, don't let anything get in your way. This is the best way to keep the cost down for a private pilot license. Remember that learning to fly is not like driving. You will need to be proficient in all the maneuvers and be a safe confident pilot. The quicker you can get it done, the better.

About the Author: Frederick Longe has been flying since 1985. He has owned many airplanes and owned a flight school in Mesa, Arizona . He has logged over 9,000 Hours of flight instruction alone. In 1998 Longe was awarded one of the first Master CFI Designations in the country by the National Association Of Flight Instructors. Frederick Longe also has Two Degrees in Professional Aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

You can find his book Airfreddy's Guide on Learning to Fly at the link below:

Learn To Fly, Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Manual

Or you can visit his main website at:

Arizona Flight Training and Instruction

Don't Fly Unless You Use This Checklist!

Before each flight, you do a preflight inspection of the aircraft that you are going to fly in. You make sure that it is airworthy, legal and safe to take to the skies. This is a very important step that you should never, ever skip.

Another item to check is one that might not be in your aircraft checklist. That item is you. Make sure that before each flight you go over the "I'M SAFE" checklist. This will ensure that you are just as airworthy and safe as your plane.

I – Illness: Make sure that you are not sick. You don't want to fly with a headache or other illness that will impair your flying ability.

M – Medication: You don't want to be taking any medicines that will make you drowsy or weaken your decision making capability.

S – Stress: When you are flying, stress is dangerous. Don't ever fly after a breakup, demotion at work, family problems, or anything that will take your mind off of the task at hand.

A – Alcohol: 8 hours – bottle to throttle. You can't legally fly within eight hours of consuming alcohol, or if your BAC (blood alcohol content) is greater than 0.04

F – Fatigue: If you are falling asleep at the wheel on your way to the airport… this is a sign to not get in the airplane. In other words, don't fly if you are too tired. This should be a no-brainer.

E – Emotion: Similar to stress, make sure that you aren't depressed or otherwise emotionally unable to act as pilot in command of your aircraft.

Another thing that is very, very important to avoid is "get there-itis." This is a disease that plagues many pilots. I'll tell you now, there is NOTHING worth risking your life over just to make a flight on time. Too many pilots feel that they just have to get there and they feel invincible and take great unnecessary risks. If flying conditions (weather especially) are too much for you to handle, find alternate means of travel, and enjoy your life.

Remember, if you are thinking about becoming a pilot, do it now. Now is the best time to learn to fly. Too many students regret waiting as long as they did to get their license. Each one is glad they didn't wait a minute longer. Good luck!

Matt Tanner is an experienced flight instructor in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He has been training private pilots throughout the United States for many years. Matt has compiled his extensive flying experience and advice into a book for people who want to learn to fly at http://www.privatepilotguide.com.

How to Get Your Pilot's License

There may be no better feeling than taking to the skies in your own airplane. While getting your pilot's license can be a somewhat long and expensive process, it will be worth it every step of the way. And the reward is obvious-you can fly!

Pilot's licenses are technically known as certificates. The more common term is license, and we'll stick to it.

There are different types of pilot licenses. The first and most common is the private license. This is the first step to flying. The private license allows you to fly only while obeying Visual Flight Rules (VFR). This means that you can see at least three miles in front of you. The private license also allows you to carry passengers. You can't, however, take their money for the effort. If they're good passengers, they'll help you with your flight costs. Fuel and aviation supplies can get pretty costly.

The other types of licenses are commercial certificates, flight instructor certificates, and airline transport certificates. Each license has its own acquisition process and inherent responsibilities. Above and beyond these, you can also add ratings for different aircraft and flight techniques.

But it all starts with the basic private license.

There are several prerequisites for obtaining your private license. You must first pass a medical examination by an Airman Medical Examiner (AME). This is a somewhat rigorous physical examination and it will cost you about $50 for the process. If you're under 40, this examination is valid for 3 years. Those of you older than 40 will have to take the exam after only 2 years.

You will also have to pass a test for the comprehension of English. This is the International language of aviation and it is vital for in-flight communication while traveling.

Age does play a role as you obtain your license. You will need to be 16 years old to get solo certificate and 17 years old to get a private license. There is no upper age limit; you simply need to be in well enough health to pass the AME examination.

Once you've jumped through these hoops, it's time for the fun part. You will need to spend at least 40 hours in flight. Twenty of these hours need to be completed with an air instructor on board. Another ten hours must be flown solo. Most students will choose to fly far longer before taking their flight test. A good average is about 60-80 hours.

Keep in mind that this doesn't include the hours you'll spend on the ground studying aviation manuals for your written exams.

All in all, you're looking at spending about $3,000-$5,000 for the necessary flight instruction and committing several months to the process. And once you've completed the process, you'll have a very special gift: the privilege of flight.

Robert Walls has been a pilot for over 30 years and in the aviation accessories and manuals business since 1980. Please visit his site http://www.bobsaviationsupplies.com

Essential Steps To Become a Pilot

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Whenever you see a plane passing over, do you wish you could be right up there with them? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to feel the freedom of flight by controlling the airplane yourself? Flying is not just for airline pilots, military officers and passengers going on a trip. You can learn to fly the airplane yourself.

More than 100,000 people take flying lessons every year. The biggest reason why these people do it is because they think that flying is fun. Another popular reason comes from business people who want to cover a larger territory. Some people want to make it a faster and easier trip to visit family and friends. There are dozens of other reasons, but you will find that the majority of people who learn to fly simply enjoy it regardless of what the ultimate need or goal is. There are only a few considerations to make in order to get started.

The first step is to find a local airport. It is good to select one that is near your work, your home, or along your daily route. I suggest selecting an airport that has a lower volume of traffic. Many pilots will tell you that some airports have very few people around and you will find yourself standing at the desk waiting for someone to show up. They may be working on an airplane, mowing the runway, or cleaning up around the hanger just to mention a few activities. Airport security has become tighter over the past few years. Chances are there is someone there who can help you if the door is unlocked. That person may be the local aircraft mechanic, a local pilot, or even the instructor you are looking for. It is safe to say that just about every airport has an instructor somewhere close by. Your ultimate goal on this trip is to establish contact with that instructor, or at least get the name and phone number of the person who can get you started.

Your first meeting with the instructor will likely go very well. One thing you can be sure of is getting an opportunity to spend time becoming familiar with the airplane. The instructor will want to know a little about you and your flying goals. You will get an opportunity to get to know them too. Most instructors have been around aircraft for a quite a number of years. They realize people who want to get a pilot certificate may have little or no experience with aircraft. New students often do not know how far they are going to go with lessons, so be up front. In fact, many instructors would rather have a person who knows little and admits to it over having a student who thinks they know a lot about flying. There is nothing to hide and no reason to be afraid. The flying community is a tight knit group who know there are rules and regulations we must all follow in order to keep ourselves and other aviators safe.

Before you and your instructor part company, there is a good chance you will get a ride. What seat you are in depends upon your willingness and the instructor's approach to teaching. You may discuss the various types and kinds of study material available and decide upon what method works best for you. You will need a pilot's logbook to keep track of your flying time and for your instructor to sign off on specific requirements. All of your efforts will be focused upon being safe, knowing the rules and regulations, passing the written exam and passing the practical tests.

Just remember, you do not need to make any life changing decisions to get started. If you find flying to be enjoyable, make the heavy life decisions as you progress. The lofty goals of becoming an airline transport pilot are not going to change the way you begin learning. The first lesson is the same for an ATP as it is for the person who just wants to have a little fun on Sunday afternoons while they just fly around for the sheer joy of flying.

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Is it Time to Sit up Front?

Are you one of those people that always ask for a window seat? Perhaps always watching the airplanes that fly overhead? As I was traveling from San Diego to Nashville on a Southwest flight I wondered how many people on my flight ever thought about being a pilot.

Maybe it's time to get a new view – from the pilot's seat of a small airplane! Flying a small plane is not as hard or costly as you might think, and it's a sure fire way to spice up your life and expand your mental thinking abilities.

Learning to fly will cost you from $5,000 to $9,000 depending on where and what type of plane you decide to fly. Many people grab one of those interest free credit card offers for 6 months to a year and charge the lessons. Others choose the "pay as you fly" concept. Either way 25-30 lessons later you will be sitting up front, taking your friends and family flying and seeing the world from a new perspective.

Flying lessons can be taken a few times a week or a few times per month, much like any private one on one training you set the schedule. There are two types of study in learning how to fly, ground study and in the airplane study. As a rule of thumb most of the time you will need one hour of home study for every flight lesson.. Flight lessons are from 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the goal of the lesson. Some lessons are shorter while others are longer.

After you complete your training in say 2-5 months, you may rent an airplane for a cost of $70-$150 per hour depending on how fast and how fancy the airplane is. Over 75% of pilots do not own an airplane, most because it is far less costly over a year. Airplane owners will tell you that a plane must fly 200+ hours a year to make ownership a wise move. Sometime airplane owners will purchase a plane and then lease it to a flight school to help defray ownership cost and even make money.

When you rent an airplane most rental companies charge a daily minimum flying time charge, this makes cross country trips possible since you only pay for the flying time, not the time the plane sits at your destination, while you have fun.

People become pilots for all kinds of reasons, some travel for business, some do fly themselves so that they can set their own schedules and avoid airport delays. Others learn to fly because it changes there outlook on life, builds self-esteem and allows them to create memories that last a life time. For me, the experience caused me to wake up and see life from a whole new viewpoint, it actually helped me in my non flying life. I think this was because of the sense of accomplishment and adventure I was experiencing has a result of learning to fly.

Some people I know just take enough lessons to fly solo" and say they did it. The cost of doing that can be less than $2000 at some flight schools.

People all over the world have been fascinated by flight for hundreds of years and with today's new technology such as that found in the new Liberty XL2 aircraft, flying safe fun airplanes has never been easier or more efficient. Whatever the reason people learn to fly, everyone that does it agrees that it is a life changing experience that lasts a life time. Maybe its because of the beauty one sees while flying, maybe its because flight training is where we get to experience and learn more about us and the weather we live in.

Gary Bradshaw owns http://www.pilotjourney.com a website that shares learn to fly information with future pilots. He is an FAA Gold Seal flight instructor and has been teaching for 6 years. Learning to fly changed his life and now he is on a mission to share this with others.

Read this Article if You Want to Learn to Fly

Have you considered taking flying lessons? Flying is so fun and it is not as expensive as you might think to learn to fly and then solo a plane. Once you have a few hours under your belt it will seem easy. Yes you have to take some tests and put in some hours taking lessons, but it is well worth it. And indeed, the freedom of becoming a certified private pilot and being able to go anywhere is so much fun.

You can take an introductory flight for around one hundred dollars to see if it is right for your. Simply look up "aviation" in your phone book and then look under the sub-heading FBO or Fixed Base Operator and make sure they have listed in their ad, flight school and then find out if they have the ninety-nine dollar special.

Flying is a lot of fun, but even better than that it gives you freedom, above the hustle and bustle and all that traffic. It is fun to look down on all those people stuck in the rat race, while flying above it all. The cars look like matchbox cars and the trains look like HO Scale Railroad cars. Try it for yourself and you will be glad you did. It is kind of like playing God for the afternoon looking down at civilization from above and it will give you a completely different perspective of life. Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow