The thrill of flying a plane is something that only a select few ever come to realize; at least, that’s what most people think. Truth be known, if you have enough coordination to drive a manual transmission car (stick shift) then you have enough coordination to fly a small plane. It’s easier than you think!  The flexibility you’ll gain in your vacation or business travel schedule is substantial. Imagine flying to Provincetown on Cape Cod for the weekend, or visiting friends in Palm Springs for Thanksgiving. The ability to come and go as you please is a wonderful alternative to rush hour traffic on a weekend or holiday. Getting your initial pilot certificate is also your first step on the road to a professional pilot career.

Earning a pilots license requires both ground school and flight courses with a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI.) The ground school can be done by video/CD-ROM courses, or by attending a ground school course at a local flight school. The flight courses are done in an aircraft under the supervision of a CFI. Once you become proficient, the CFI will give you permission to fly ‘Solo’, which is all by yourself! The Sport Pilot, Recreational Pilot and the Private Pilot certifications require passing a written test, which is what the ground school covers, and a flight test. With some studying and some practice, you too can join the ranks of being a pilot!

Take an Introductory Flight.

Not sure if you really want to learn to fly? Take an introductory flight! Many flight schools have an introductory lesson for around $99(US). The flight consists of you sitting in the pilots seat with a Certificated Flight Instructor in the co-pilot seat. The flight will usually last about 20 minutes and should give you a good ‘feel’ for flying. Click here for a discount flight certificate from beapilot.com .

Just a small percentage of the population fly planes, and even fewer numbers of those aviators belong to the Gay and Lesbian community. The NGPA, serves as a community center for the Gay and Lesbian aviation community. There are upcoming events scheduled throughout the year where our select aviation group can get together and do what we do best: Talk about flying! You’ll find a wealth of experience within the NGPA community which you can tap into to achieve your goal of becoming a pilot. Click to join NGPA.

Many areas of the country have local Gay Pilots groups. There’s no better way to get to know your area than to actually fly with friends already familiar with the local skies. NGPA keeps a listing of local gay pilots groups .

Depending on the kind of license you want to achieve, you can spend as little as $2,800-3500* to acquire your Sport or Recreational Pilots license with 20-35 hours of flight time. The next step up is the Private Pilots License, which generally costs between $4,500 and $6,500*. The good news is, you don’t have to pay for it all at once. Flying lessons are generally a pay-as-you-go scenario.* Prices vary between flight schools, type of aircraft, region, and number of hours required.

Flight school personnel change regularly, which makes it impossible to keep a current database of gay friendly flight schools. However, you can use the NGPA web site to your advantage: Just ask for help. When looking for a flight school, you can post a question on the NPGA Web Site Bulletin Board and ask for recommendations from someone in your area. As an NGPA member, you can also search the NGPA CFI Registry to locate NGPA members who are Certified Flight Instructors.

Becoming a pilot takes work and study, but the rewards are beyond words! Below you’ll find some web sites that can provide more information on the topic of learning to fly. Of course, if NGPA can be of assistance, please feel free to Contact NGPA .

Other related links

The below listed links are web sites that can provide further information on learning to fly:

www.beapilot.com
www.aopa.org/learntofly/
www.sportpilot.org
www.kingschools.com