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| Fly Today with W.A.! |
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Tel. (330) 334-4600
info@wadsworthaviation.com |
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We offer excellent services: |
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Quality Flight and Ground Instruction |
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Safe, Affordable Aircraft for Rental and/or Instruction |
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Test Center and Complete Pilot Supplies on Site |
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Learning to Fly at Wadsworth Aviation
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Have you ever wondered what it takes to
become a pilot? Well, you've come to the right place! In learning to
fly, getting there really is half the fun!
The left-hand column below explains everything involved in flight training,
while the right-hand column explains everything covered in our ground school.
Learning to Fly: Flight Training |
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Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a pilot? Well, you've come
to the right place! In learning to fly, getting there really is half the
fun! Over the course of your training, you will have many adventures you
will always remember. And there's hardly a pilot who doesn't remember
their first solo!
Your flight training will consist of several phases, all designed to provide a safe, rewarding, and enjoyable flight training experience:
Your flight training will most likely start with an introductory flight with an instructor. You will by flying the airplane from the very first flight (under the instructor's watchful eye). You will start with a series of gentle turns, a brief explanation of some of the airplane's instruments, and some other items you will need to be familiar with.
After your intro flight, you will learn some basic flight maneuvers, such as takeoffs and landings, steep turns, and some emergency procedures.
During this phase of your training, you will likely be attending ground school to prepare for your first solo.
(For more information on ground training, see the right half of this page.)
When you and your instructor feel you are ready, you will perform your first
solo flight. While this flight will be short (just three takeoffs and
landings on your own), it will be an experience you will never forget!
After your first solo, you will be endorsed or "signed off" by your instructor
to fly within a few miles of your home airport. This will allow you
to practice maneuvers in the airplane, without having your instructor on board.
Cross-Country Training |
You are now able to take off and land on your own, but most flights won't
just take place in the traffic pattern of your airport. Like most people,
you probably want to fly (and learn to fly) so you can go somehwere!
During this part of your training, you will spend some time flying alone to
practice your maneuvers (the some maneuvers you first learned in your pre-solo
training). In addition, you will spend some time flying with your
instructor to learn how to find your way in an airplane from Point A to Point B.
You will learn several different methods of navigation, including:
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- Pilotage: Navigating by identifying cities,
roads, railroads, bodies of water, and other landmarks. This is the oldest
method of navigation, and you will learn how to do it, just as the earliest
aviators did.
- Dead Reckoning: Flying by using a compass, watch, airspeed, and wind
information to calculate a straight-line path from your takeoff at Wadsworth to
your landing at another airport.
- Electronic Navigation: Using ground-based beacons called VORs to fly
"roads in the sky." You will also learn how to navigate to other airports
using satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
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| You will refine these skills over the course of several cross-country flights
with your instructor. |
Solo-Cross Country Training
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| Your cross-country training will culminate in a series of solo cross-country
flights. On the first, you will fly to an airport over 50 miles away and
return. On the second, you will fly to at least two other airports (one
over 50 miles away), with a total distance of at least 150 miles. |
Towered Airport Procedures
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| During your cross-country training, you will train in flying into the airspace
around larger, tower-controlled airports, such as Akron-Canton Regional Airport,
Mansfield-Lahm Regional Airport, and even Cleveland-Hopkins International
Airport. You will perform takeoffs and landings at one or more of these
airports, learn how to interact with Air Traffic Control (ATC), and experience
the thrill of flying into the same airports as the airlines. |
Night Flying
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| You will also receive training on flying at night, including differences in
nighttime versus daytime navigation. You and your instructor will also
complete an exciting nighttime cross-country flight. |
Emergency Instrument Training ("Flying Under the Hood")
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You will spend a number of hours flying "under the hood," that is, flying only
by reference to your flight instruments. This is designed so that if you
accidentally fly into clouds or bad weather, and you cannot see the horizon, you
can find your way back to good weather. While this training will not allow
you to fly into bad weather, it will improve your emergency skills.
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Pre-Checkride Practice
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| At this point, your training is nearly complete. You and your instructor
will begin intensively reviewing everything you have learned up to now, to
ensure you are ready to become a private pilot. |
The Checkride
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| In order to receive your pilot certificate, you will need to complete a test
with a highly experienced pilot called a Designated Pilot Examiner or DPE.
You and the DPE will first discuss many aspects of flying while on the ground.
Then you will fly with the DPE to demonstrate your skills. You will be
demonstrating the same maneuvers you were trained in, and you will show that you
can safely navigate and handle emergencies. |
| Once your test is successfully completed, the DPE will sign your logbook an
issue you a Temporary Pilot Certificate. From then on, you will have all
of the privileges of a Private Pilot! |
Our Flight Instructors
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Rick Hopkins - CFI, CFII
Dale Warren - CFI
Dave Cacioppo - CFI, CFII
Michael Bentfeld - CFI, CFII, CFIME
Ammie Brigger - CFI
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| For more information or to schedule an introductory flight, call Wadsworth Aviation at (330) 334-4600, or Click Here to send an e-mail. |
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Learning to Fly: Ground School
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In addition to our flight training,
Wadsworth Aviation offers quality ground instruction as well. Why Wadsworth Aviation?
- Smaller Class Sizes - Allowing personal guidance and participant interaction.
- Real-life experiences are presented, along with the theoretical material.
- Instructors dedicated to teaching.
- Affordable rates.
The ground school course lasts an average of 15 weeks and costs $130, plus the
cost of books. The ground school book kit costs $221.95. This kit
also includes items that would be useful for your flight training, such as a
logbook to record your flight lessons. Wadsworth Aviation stocks all of
the required books and other materials for the ground school course.
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Dave Houk - Ground School Instructor
Steve Flener - Assistant Ground School Instructor
For more information or to schedule an introductory flight, call Wadsworth Aviation at (330) 334-4600, or Click Here to send an e-mail.
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