PRIVATE PILOT GROUND SCHOOL: Feb-May, 2008
The Club's initial expectation was for about 6-8 students. How surprised and thrilled we were when 23 enthusiastic and wonderful students signed up for the program. Graduation photos can be found here.
The Private Pilot course of instruction included the following topics:
Those who participated got to see, up close and first hand, exactly what goes into the maintenance of our aircraft. They also got to witness the care, pride, thoroughness, and professionalism of those Club members involved in our maintenance activity.
On Friday, March 21, Brandon and Cheryl-Annette Parker along with Dennis Harwell went on an orientation flight in the Piper Archer to Ardmore, Oklahoma. Cheryl got to fly in the front seat on the trip up to Ardmore and Brandon got the front seat on the flight back to Greenville. These orientation flights are designed to help students appreciate the practical aspects of the material covered in the classroom.
On April 12, Darryl Washington and Jeff Burns had an early morning orientation flight in the Piper Archer to Lancaster and breakfast at the Runway Cafe.
On each of these flights, students get "hands-on" time at the controls and an introduction to basic flight maneuvers, navigation, communications, and operational procedures. The Private Pilot Ground School began with 23 students who started as strangers and then, as if by magic, became great friends through the interaction of each session. We have a very diverse group of students who all seem to get along very well in spite of the 3 hour classes after work each Tuesday.
Congratulations to Dr. Jeff Nelson, our first student to successfully pass the written test. All-in-all, we had a great class with many enthusiastic students. Some will go on and begin their formal flight training and others will take their now found knowledge back to the workplace and be more informed as they tackle their daily challenges.
|
The
first Private Pilot Ground School of 2008 took place from February to May. Classes
were held on 13 consecutive Tuesday evenings from in the McCulloch Room of the
L-3 Communications Recreation Hall.
Airplanes
and Aerodynamics
The
Club invited students to visit the hangar one evening in early March during the
Annual inspection of the Piper Archer.
In
addition, ground school students are offered the opportunity to participate in
a free orientation flight in one of the Club aircraft.
On
Saturday, March 22, John Thompson and his guest along with Dr. Jeff Nelson got
their turns on another orientation flight -- this time to Lancaster, Texas. Jeff
got to fly in the front on the flight up to Ardmore and John took his turn in
the front for the return to Greenville.
Just
before midday on April 12, Mark Hansen and Lee Windham flew in the Archer to Lancaster
for a Runway Cafe lunch.
One
of the students, Dr. Jeff Nelson, did something really unusual and actually read
all of the material well ahead of when it was presented in class. As a result
of his proactive approach and earnest desire to master the material, Jeff passed
the FAA Written Exam in Rockwall with a perfect 100% score.