Picking a flight school

I'm finding myself motivated to take a few lessons and I'm getting
conflicting opinions as to how to pick a flight school. As you can see from
my moniker, I'm from Dallas and Addison Airport has quite a few schools.

One opinion was that Addison was a good choice because they'll have more
modern aircraft and more proficient schools.

The other opinion that seems to make sense is to pick a flight school
outside of the city in a rural area to get away from the traffic and the
Class B airspace. I could see how you could burn up a lot of your time on
the taxiways at Addison and once in the air, use up more time getting to a
practice area. I'm afraid that I'd only get 30 minutes for my hour.

Opinions?

Dallas

Boeing Field, in Seattle, is beneath the SeaTac Class B...but ATC has
designed flight paths and altitudes allowing fairly easy arrivals and
departures from BFI. Before I moved to BFI, I instructed at a small
uncontrolled field about 30 miles north of Seattle. It was and is a popular
airport and it was not uncommon to wait a few minutes before there was a gap
in the line of arrivals. Conversely, at BFI the tower did a fair job of
sequencing arrivals and departures and delays, while not totally absent,
were no worse than those at the uncontrolled airport.

The big difference is that my students from the little airport would not
come down to BFI, no matter how many cups of coffee I offered, while my BFI
students flew up to the uncontrolled airport without a second thought.
Summary: Use Addison...you'll be better off in the long run. The worst thing
you can do to yourself is to develop a reluctance to fly into class B, C, or
D, because they aren't going to go away, while little airports disappear
every week.

Bob Gardner
"Dallas" wrote in message
.net...
I'm finding myself motivated to take a few lessons and I'm getting
conflicting opinions as to how to pick a flight school. As you can see
from
my moniker, I'm from Dallas and Addison Airport has quite a few schools.

One opinion was that Addison was a good choice because they'll have more
modern aircraft and more proficient schools.

The other opinion that seems to make sense is to pick a flight school
outside of the city in a rural area to get away from the traffic and the
Class B airspace. I could see how you could burn up a lot of your time on
the taxiways at Addison and once in the air, use up more time getting to a
practice area. I'm afraid that I'd only get 30 minutes for my hour.

Opinions?

Dallas

Bob Gardner wrote:
Summary: Use Addison...you'll be better off in the long run. The worst thing
you can do to yourself is to develop a reluctance to fly into class B, C, or
D, because they aren't going to go away, while little airports disappear
every week.

I agree with what Bob said. I trained at Hanscom Field (BED) just under
the Boston shelf and have never had reason to regret it. Learning at a
larger controlled field will complicate things initially but equip you
better for the long run especially if you're going to go on to bigger
things.

As for ground delays, you will find that many of the larger fields are
pretty quiet during the middle of the day so if you have any
flexibility you should take advantage of that. If it makes you feel any
better keep in mind that all that time you spend on the ground can be
logged so you're not ****ing money completely down the drain

-cwk.

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
[...] Before I moved to BFI, I instructed at a small uncontrolled field
about 30 miles north of Seattle. It was and is a popular airport and it
was not uncommon to wait a few minutes before there was a gap in the line
of arrivals. Conversely, at BFI the tower did a fair job of sequencing
arrivals and departures and delays, while not totally absent, were no
worse than those at the uncontrolled airport.

While I can attest to the efficiency with which the BFI controllers move
traffic at that airport, and that that sort of efficiency is the norm,
rather than the exception, I will also provide an important caveat: those
airports ARE busier, and CAN cause greater delays.

BFI is the one airport around here (the Puget Sound area) where I have sat
on the ground for 20 minutes waiting for a takeoff clearance, and where I
have had to circle outside their airspace for 15 minutes waiting for
permission to enter the Class D. I don't know which "uncontrolled field
about 30 miles north of Seattle" Bob is referring to, but the busier ones --
Harvey Field in Snohomish, and Arlington Airport in Arlington -- have never
caused me that kind of delay, and I was based at Harvey for more than a year
(so I have more than just passing experience with the airport).

I still think controlled airports have a lot to offer, with respect to
training and with respect to day-to-day operations. IMHO, the benefits even
outweight the disadvantages. But don't go into it thinking there's no
disadvantages at all.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
BFI is the one airport around here (the Puget Sound area) where I have sat
on the ground for 20 minutes waiting for a takeoff clearance, and where I
have had to circle outside their airspace for 15 minutes waiting for
permission to enter the Class D.

Permission to enter Class D airspace??? It has been a while since I've flown
in class D (or C) airspace, but I don't remember ever needing 'permission to
enter'. I do remember that permission (and a transponder) is required for
class B airspace. I guess I'll have to reread my Far/Aim again before I go
to/through those airspaces.

Or is it just that BFI Class D is in/under/near a Class B that permission is
required?

-Greg B.

"N93332" wrote in message
...
Permission to enter Class D airspace??? It has been a while since I've
flown in class D (or C) airspace, but I don't remember ever needing
'permission to enter'. [...]

IMHO, you are being needlessly pedantic.

One of the responses a controller (Class C or Class D) can give you is
"remain clear". This denies you access to the airspace, and without a later
transmission from them telling you that you may enter, you may not.

I call this "permission". I don't know what you call it, but the fact
remains that you need that permission.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"N93332" wrote in message
...
Permission to enter Class D airspace??? It has been a while since I've
flown in class D (or C) airspace, but I don't remember ever needing
'permission to enter'. [...]

IMHO, you are being needlessly pedantic.

One of the responses a controller (Class C or Class D) can give you is
"remain clear". This denies you access to the airspace, and without a
later transmission from them telling you that you may enter, you may not.

I call this "permission". I don't know what you call it, but the fact
remains that you need that permission.

Ok, I apologize! I was wrong about required permission to enter class D.
Sorry!

(I'll go back and crawl in my hole)...

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
BFI is the one airport around here (the Puget Sound area) where I have sat
on the ground for 20 minutes waiting for a takeoff clearance, and where I
have had to circle outside their airspace for 15 minutes waiting for
permission to enter the Class D.

N93332 wrote:
Permission to enter Class D airspace??? It has been a while since I've flown
in class D (or C) airspace, but I don't remember ever needing 'permission to
enter'. I do remember that permission (and a transponder) is required for
class B airspace. I guess I'll have to reread my Far/Aim again before I go
to/through those airspaces.
Or is it just that BFI Class D is in/under/near a Class B that permission is
required?

Permission is the operative word for CCAS! Says so right in the regs.
For CDAS and CBAS you must have a clearance.

"Bob Gardner"
Summary: Use Addison...you'll be better off in the long run. The worst
thing
you can do to yourself is to develop a reluctance to fly into class B, C,
or

Well, it seems unanimous. I am a little surprised, I expected to hear that
a little country airport was the way to go.

while little airports disappear every week.

They do? Where do they go?....

(just kidding)


Dallas

"Dallas" wrote in message
.net...
I'm finding myself motivated to take a few lessons and I'm getting
conflicting opinions as to how to pick a flight school. As you can see
from
my moniker, I'm from Dallas and Addison Airport has quite a few schools.

One opinion was that Addison was a good choice because they'll have more
modern aircraft and more proficient schools.

The other opinion that seems to make sense is to pick a flight school
outside of the city in a rural area to get away from the traffic and the
Class B airspace. I could see how you could burn up a lot of your time on
the taxiways at Addison and once in the air, use up more time getting to a
practice area. I'm afraid that I'd only get 30 minutes for my hour.

Opinions?

Dallas

Being under a Class B shelf doesn't immediately mean you will be flying at a
busy airport. Is Addison considered a "reliever airport" for DFW? What
types of planes use Addison and how frequently? Are there scheduled air
carrier flights? Is it where lots of bizjets come home to roost?

I trained at a Class D under Class B and it made for a very nice mix of
sometimes busy / sometimes not. One day you're number four or five for
takeoff, the next you have the airport all to your self. You might be
behind a Cub or you might be in front of a Citation Jet...all very cool
actually.

Also, you get a chance to interact and communicate with lots of different
types of controllers which can help to aleviate "mic-fright" more easily
than if you only encounter them once in a great while.

I agree with Bob Gardner: Being able to handle the ATC mix is a good thing.

Good Luck and be sure to post over at rec.aviation.student as well...

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
AZ Cloudbusters
Chandler, AZ