Exec 1 Aviation

Every day there is someone just like you who has taken their checkride to become a Pilot. Although the average student pilot is 32 years old, women, men, girls and boys of any age can learn to fly an airplane. However in order to fly solo you must be 16 and in order to receive a pilot license you must be 17 years old. There are pilots from every occupation and every geographic location around the world, so with a little time and dedication, you too can become one too. Exec 1 Aviation is dedicated to teaching new pilots and we look forward to meeting with you.

There are three basic requirements for learning to fly powered airplanes in the United States.

You can apply for a student pilot certificate if you are at least 16 years old. When you're 17, you can apply for a private pilot certificate. There is no maximum age limit because it's health and not age that determines a person's ability to fly well.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires everyone who wants to be a pilot to pass a routine medical exam every two years. This requirement ensures that pilots do not have medical problems that could interfere with their ability to fly safely. Allowances are made for many physical limitations. For example, glasses and contact lenses are perfectly acceptable. The physical exam can be obtained anytime from one of many FAA approved physicians. If you're planning to learn to fly, it's advisable to complete the physical exam early in your flight training to assure you qualify.

As with any other skill you master, flying is learned step by step by step. It's a fascinating experience. But it's not particularly difficult. It can be learned by practically anyone who is willing to invest some time and effort.

Pilot training has two aspects: ground training and flight training. Ground training takes place on the ground. It covers flight rules and regulations, flight planning, navigation, radio procedures, and weather. In the next phase, flight training, you learn how to fly by actually controlling the airplane yourself. Under the supervision of a certified flight instructor, you learn how to take off, land and fly cross country (from your home airport and then back again).

Millions of people have learned to fly. By the time you're ready for your private pilot certificate, you'll be secure in the knowledge that you're a safe and competent pilot.

Only the skills that you'll learn in your flight training program. Perhaps the most important element in successfully learning to fly is desire. If you have the desire, you've already begun!

All flight schools must follow the same FAA mandated criteria but at Exec 1 we feel we have a superior program as an approved Cessna Pilot Center. The Cessna program is presented in CD ROM format and allows you to pursue the better part of your ground training in the comfort of your own home. This will included a mixture of training from your Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) individually or as part of a ground training class. CFIs have been specially trained and examined by the federal government to ensure that all of your training is the safest and most effective possible.

The flight training itself is conducted with you personal CFI. You'll learn to fly in an airplane that was developed especially for student pilots providing them with the best possible flight training environment.

Deciding to learn to fly is obviously the first step, and often the most difficult one. Before you make the big decision to take flying lessons, you may want to experience flying in a small plane. At Exec 1 Aviation we offer this experience at a reduced cost in what we call a Discovery Flight. Once you've viewed your community from the perspective of a general aviation aircraft and have felt the sensation of flight, you'll most likely know that piloting is for you.

Most students at Exec 1 Aviation receive their private pilots certificate after about 45 hours of flight time, including time spent with an instructor (dual time) and time spent flying alone (solo time). Training will includes some night flying, some instrument flying (flying solely by reference to the airplane's instruments), and some cross-country flying. The minimum time required by federal regulations to receive your private certificate is 40 hours of flight time.

You can fly in the early morning, during the day, or on weekends. Scheduling your flying is up to you and your instructor.

How long it takes to accumulate flight time is largely up to you and your instructor. Usually two or three hours flying per week is a good learning rate, with more hours during weeks when cross-country flights are made. Statistics indicate that the average student pilot completes the requirements for a private pilot certificate in four to six months. Depending on the schedule and number of hours spent flying, some people will complete it sooner and others will take longer.

Your instructor will introduce you to the different flight school aircraft and help you choose which airplane is best suited to you. You may switch from plane to plane during training but it's best to fly the last ten or so hours in the aircraft you'll be taking your checkride in. This way you'll be comfortable with it's general layout and characteristics. Also during the first lesson, you'll be briefed on the instruments, controls, and equipment in the plane and on what to watch for when you're flying.

After the preflight briefing, the two of you will take off. When aloft, and under the close supervision of your instructor, you'll take control of the airplane. The controls will be suprisingly light and responsive in the air withe the airplane wanting to fly itself. It will be unlike anything you've experienced before. At this time you'll realize the exhilaration of flight, and most likely will become impatient awaiting your next lesson.

There is no test required for a student pilot certificate, only the physical examination. But before a private license is issued, you must pass two tests. One is a written FAA examination, a practical exam on flying rules and regulations. You'll also have to work out the details of a hypothetical flight for this exam. But don't worry; you'll have done it all before in planning the cross-country flights you made as part of your training program. Exec 1 is an FAA approved testing facility.

Following this exam is a practical examination of your flying ability. Here you take a designated FAA examiner for a checkride to demonstrate your ability to maneuver the airplane safely and confidently. You'll have practiced the maneuvers many times before, and your flight instructor will have prepared you thoroughly. The FAA offices are next door to ours so booking an examination time is quick and easy.

Flight training costs vary, but at Exec 1 Aviation you can expect to pay an average of $5700 for your private-pilot flight-training program. Compared to the costs of training in other business skills, becoming a licensed private pilot is a good value. Prorated over a lifetime, it's probably one of the best bargains you'll find, and the investment in becoming a pilot is a solid investment in your future.

Is flying safe?

General aviation airplanes are built to rigid federal specifications, and they are constantly checked and rechecked to make sure they are mechanically and structurally safe. At Exec 1 Aviation we are required to, and do perform complete inspections of the airplanes after every 100 hours of flight. In addition, people who fly are trained to be much more safety concious than say those who receive a drivers license. As the pilot-in-command of an airplane, you're also in command of most of the variables that affect safe flying. Safety is the most important word in the general aviation vocabulary.

Your flight instructor will emphasize training you to operate the airplane safely. Flying as pilot-in command of an airplane puts you in charge. A well-built and well-maintained airplane in the hands of a competent, prudent, and well-trained pilot makes flying safer than almost every other form of transportation.

An aircraft engine is a piece of finely built machinery that is designed to keep running. However if the improbable should happen, you won't fall out of the sky. An engine is needed to climb and to propel your aircraft at cruise speed, and an airplane is designed to descend slowly at a gradual glide without that engine. You'll simply do what your instructor trained you to do during practiced engine-out manuevers. You select the nearest safe landing site and land there without the assistance of engine power.

Life Insurance - The insurance companies have come to learn how extremely safe flying really is. Most new policies don't even mention general aviation flying. If you have an older policy, restrictive clauses for private flying can often be removed at little or no cost.

Liability Insurance - At Exec 1 Aviation there is $2 million liability insurance included in the cost of your rental fee. However we strongly recommend taking out additional renter's insurance for your own protection. It's a low cost supplemental policy that should cover other liability issues or any excess costs beyond Exec 1's $2 million limit. Check with your insurance agent or contact us and we'll put you in contact with an agent that specializes in this type of supplemental insurance.

Not at all! Of course, owning your own general aviation airplane will give you complete freedom to set your own schedule and do your own thing. Along with that, you'll have the pride of Aircraft Ownership; like nothing you've known before. Exec 1 Aviation is your Iowa Cessna Aircraft dealer, so if would like more information on ownership, speak with Darrel Marshall or JR Boesen. They can explain the nuts-and-bolts of aircraft ownership and how it could benefit you.

Often, several pilots go together to purchase an airplane and form a club or partnership. This will often keep the airplane busier as well as splitting up the investment and expenses of ownership.

The biggest percentage of pilots find it best to utilize a rental aircraft. At Exec 1 Aviation we have a large assortment of Rental Aircraft with varying rental rates.

There are many factors to consider in renting or buying an aircraft, but a good rule of thumb is it's best to rent if you fly less than 180 hours per year and you are probably better off buying if you or your aircraft are flying more than 180 hours per year.

You'll never be quite the same person you were before. You'll have access to a whole new world of personal freedom. You'll think of travel in terms of hours, not miles. You'll know what it means to make your own schedules, go your own way, far above the crowds, the congestion, the hassle, and the annoyances of ordinary transportation.

You'll find a new sense of personal fulfillment in your ever-growing flying skills. You'll push the old boundaries of your life forward and you'll have the opportunity to plan, seek, and find new experiences that will enrich your life in countless ways. You'll gain greater self-reliance and confidence. Through you own initiative and effort, you'll be a master of our 20th century's most distinctive and rewarding art.