Best Place to Learn to Fly?

Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

So, lets hear it!

Riverside Ca.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

So, lets hear it!

Southern California. Weather has a huge effect on how often you can
fly. I trained at SMO Santa Monica and was able to fly almost every
day. Now I live in Oregon, and there are nowhere near as many
opportunities.

SoCal all the way. Plus, you get to learn in a busy airspace that'll
prepare you to fly almost anywhere. It's a great learning environment.

I live in upstate NY, and while you can't fly every day, the weather isn't
terrible, it is inexpensive (relative to So. Calif.) and there are
interesting places to fly to close by (but not as many as So Calif.). There
is a club where I live (I'm not a member) that costs $350 to join, $25 a
month dues, and has five airplanes from a Cherokee140 at $50/hr wet, to a
Dakota at $85. The instructor is $22/hr.

On the other hand, I just spent four days in Albequerque, and the weather
there is sweet! Blue skys all the time, you have a hard time finding a
cloud. I actually heard a forcast where they said that there might be a few
clouds on Thursday. Not solid overcast like we get here, a few clouds.

Brad


wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

So, lets hear it!

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

If you were trying to cram the instruction into a month, it'd be important
to live somewhere that has good weather almost all the time. But if you have
a few months and a very flexible schedule, you might consider living
somewhere that has more interesting weather (the Northeast, for example), so
you can encounter a variety of weather conditions during your training.
Similarly, if you prefer to learn at a small airport, you might still
consider one that's not far from complex airspace and large airports, so you
can gain familiarity with both kinds of environments. Somewhere near
mountains might also be good if you'd like to include training in mountain
flying.

--Gary

Go to New Mexico. You can fly every day, enjoy breathtaking mountains and
it is very inexpensive.



wrote in news:1116650149.869157.26980
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

So, lets hear it!

Brad Salai wrote:

I live in upstate NY, and while you can't fly every day, the weather isn't
terrible, it is inexpensive (relative to So. Calif.) and there are
interesting places to fly to close by (but not as many as So Calif.). There
is a club where I live (I'm not a member) that costs $350 to join, $25 a
month dues, and has five airplanes from a Cherokee140 at $50/hr wet, to a
Dakota at $85. The instructor is $22/hr.

On the other hand, I just spent four days in Albequerque, and the weather
there is sweet! Blue skys all the time, you have a hard time finding a
cloud. I actually heard a forcast where they said that there might be a few
clouds on Thursday. Not solid overcast like we get here, a few clouds.

We call that "clear" in PA! :-)


Matt

You may want to try along the Southern Ca. coast during the summer and then
come inland during the winter.
wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

So, lets hear it!

If your looking for quality training, look at Florida. There are tons of
flight schools, among them are the very best with brand new fleets of
Cessnas, Diamonds, etc.


wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

So, lets hear it!

wrote:
Hi folks,
If you want to learn to fly and have half a year or more to take off
and live anywhere in the USA, where would you go to learn to fly?

Fort Collins, Colorado!

Mountains, high density altitude, warm days, cool nights (it cools off
every night), learn to fly in a fun environment, ~50 miles north of
Denver, so close access to class B, C, D, AND we have "uncontrolled
airspace nearby" (difficult to find east of the Mississippi River), or
the coasts.

Rocky Mountain National Park is within 50 miles. Aspen and Steamboat
Springs are easy driving and flying distance... hot springs pools
in the mountains...

Did I mention the beauty of Mountain Flying?

Beautiful!


I ask this because I have the opportunity in 2006 to live anywhere
(preferably in the US) to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 5. I am
25 years old now and am self-employed and therefore can live anywhere
for the time being on a moderate income of around 50K.

Yup... I got the bug at an early age... and fresh out of college at
age 21, I learned to fly... now 52, and do not regret the time or $$
invested. I'm conducting flight training, and am a checkpilot for
Civil Air Patrol doing mountain search and rescue... airborne!

So, if I could focus all of my time and energy on flying lessons, where
would you go? Alaska? Seattle area?

Sea level is nice, but learning to fly at a higher altitude (5000 feet
MSL) gives you a much better education about aerodynamics and density
altitude.

You CAN't focus all of my time and energy on flying lesson. You won't
retain enough information... much better to take 3-5 months, fly 2-3
times a week in varying weather conditions and LEARN cross wind
operations and high density altitude operations.

In your SPARE time, go see the countryside.

In your SPARE time, go soaring (soaring is when you are going up...
gliding is when you are going donw), at the local gliderport,
Colorado Soaring Association, Owl Canyuon Gliderport (4CO2).
http://www.soarcsa.org/

I am just interested in a PPL, not commercial, but I want to learn from
the best. I also prefer small town airports to big metros.

Here we are! Friendly little small town airport (Fort Collins
Downtown Airport), FAA designator = 3V5. Near enough to Denver,
Colorado to do "big city things", yet far enough away to be peaceful.

So, lets hear it!

Since you asked!

Check us out at: http://poudreaviation.com

Or... my mountain flying web page... with writeups and a few pictures
and descriptions about mountain flying. The PATTERN altitude at
Leadville, Colorado, USA is 11,000 MSL! I am there often, flying in
the mountains (safely) is GRAND!

http://users.frii.com/jer/

Send email, give me a call.

Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 227 Young Eagles!