Mentoring Aviation, Planting The Seed

Men and boys who follow aviation and are engulfed and addicted to many or all of its aspects generally can trace their interest to an adult in their early life. This is not meant to be a sexist remark that excludes women from aviation, I have met Patty Wagsstaff, and she would offer an argument. But aviation has traditionally been the bastion of men and boys for much of its history.

The Philippines is full of young aviation genius ready to be exploited and cultured by an interested adult. What I refer to is the talent even the youngest Filipino boy has for constructing a kite. I am continually amazed at the variety and ingenuity of these simple flying machines. Almost always made from discarded plastic bags and Tocino sticks they float above my Mactan home at every conceivable altitude. On occasion they are merely towed skillfully down a winding alley narrowly evading electric wires (sometimes). Others soar in the prevailing winds above the island. Gracefully hovering as stationary sentinals overlooking the barrios.

The makers are natural aerodynamicists, without formal education, let alone aerospace engineering. They fully understand fluid dynamics, strength to weight ratios, center of pressure, COG, and meteorology.

What boy in any culture can resist the lure of flight?
I sit at evening time making paper airplanes, they teach me kite making, I show them the joy of untethered flight. We connect. no language required. I guess it is the boy in all of us that drives us.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots Real World Training

Authors: Jeff Van West and Kevin Lane-Cummings

Publisher: Wiley (http://www.wiley.com/)

ISBN: 978-0-7645-8822-8

Price: $29.99(USD): $35.99 (CAN) : £19.99 (UK) Street price $16.99 USD

Self promotion text

“It’s the next best thing to being up there – Why use Microsoft Flight Simulator for real world training? Because it gives you the best possible head start and enables you to learn at your convenience. Flight Simulator provides scenario-based training that lets you practice handling in almost any situation. It offers advantages you don’t get in a real plane – the option to set up any kind of weather or equipment failures, stop midway and redo a procedure, or get the view from outside the airplane. FSX isn’t a game. It’s a training mission for virtual and real aviators alike.”

What you get

You get a hefty 725 page paperback book, downloadable flights to do in conjunction with your reading, along with the necessary charts in PDF format. Also available for download are two bonus chapters and the practical test standards for each of the license ratings discussed in the book.

First impressions

The book is huge. Just the amount of paper and ink makes it seem like good value. The book’s illustrations are all black and white. Color versions of the images used are available on the web site. The number of chapters and subjects is impressive taking 13 pages to list. Looking through the subjects covered is daunting, but the work is obviously comprehensive.

Starting out

You will want to download the 3 zipped files of missions / charts / details etc from the publisher’s web site. The books introduction tells you exactly where to get the files from and where they need to be installed. The first chapter deals with getting FSX set up properly for the purposes of the book. It discusses PC specs and how these affect the performance you can expect to achieve within FSX, the different types of controllers used for simulation flying and the best settings within FSX to use with the tutorial flights. The book also assumes that you will be using it in conjunction with lessons at a real world flying school and so also gives hints and tips on finding the best school and instructor for you. The authors do suggest that finding an instructor with FSX experience would be beneficial especially so if they can set up scenarios for you to go through that you will be dealing with on your next lesson. FSX now has support for multi-players within the same aircraft if rain stops play and your instructor is amenable you could go through your lesson virtually with you at home and them at the flying school.

First Flight

Chapter two discusses the principles of flight in sufficient detail and explains the basics without getting too technical. Then it introduces us to the default Piper Cub.
The authors explain that the main shortfall with using FSX as a training aid is the lack of peripheral vision which real world pilots rely on to inform them of the attitude of the aircraft in flight. Simulator pilots rely much more on the instruments because they lack the real world cues. The reason for using the Piper Cub is the distinct lack of instruments to look at and a more open uncluttered cockpit so you can focus more on the horizon and get used to relying on it as you would do in a real aircraft.

The first flight within FSX raises the initial bad point, unlike the missions included in FSX or Rod Machado’s training flights there are no in-flight instructions included. The good side is there are none of the patronizing verbal compliments permeating the FSX missions. You basically load the saved flight and then have to fly with the book in one hand and your joystick in the other. Concentrating on both at the same time is impossible so prepare to become acquainted with the pause key. On the plus side the authors do include saved video’s of many of the flights so you can get an idea of what you are expected to do and how to do it prior to undertaking the flight yourself.

As an undertaking the concept and its execution are remarkable. Intensely detailed down to specific FSX recommendations for best performance, it is an awesome undertaking. Given the limitation of simulated flight, you could easily learn to fly with this book. In my mind it would be especially suited to learn systems and procedures where actual flying is secondary to learning navigation, radio use, and cockpit procedures.

Clark Aviation Flight Training

Clark Aviation is the premier flight training center in the Philippines. Located at Clark Ecomomic Zone on the site of the old Cark airforce base, it offers state of the art pilot instruction for the commercial pilot.

Opened in 2006, Clark Aviation has quickly become recognized as one of the leaders in Philippine based flight training.

Clark Aviation is a member of Alpha Aviation Group's global network of International Aviation Training Centres. Alpha Aviation Group is a UK based company with extensive experience in training and management within the aviation industry. The sister company, Alpha Aviation Academy Europe operates advanced training on various systems and modern fleet aircraft.

Clark Aviation is one of the pioneers of the new ICAO Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL), which has been developed specifically to train ab-initio airline pilots. Following an integrated 12 month residential training programme, successful cadets will graduate with a commercial pilot licence that allows them to fly as co-pilots, already fully qualified on the Airbus A320.
Some features of the training curriculum follow:

• Progress is dependent on competency - not hours
• Flight instruction hours increased over current requirements (240 vs. 200)
• Utilization of modern training methodologies as practised by airlines
• Emphasis on modern jet aircraft techniques rather than light aircraft techniques
• Continuous assessment process throughout training
• Modern simulation technology allowing weather and environmental effects
• Comprehensive and integrated training syllabus

Clark Aviation also offers Airbus A-320 training for commercial pilots, and through it's sister company Bond Aviation, training in a number of other current fleet aircraft. you may email Clark Aviation for more information: mailto:pilot@alphagroupclark.aero

Or you may visit their link at the right to access their web site.

New FBO in Dumaguete

The following press release was supplied by Mr. Blair Saceda, one of the principles involved with a new FBO and flight training opreation to start at Dumaguete airport, Negros Oriental.

The School name is Aviation Link Asia Flight Training Center, its main office is at Pilipinas Aero Hangar, Plaridel Airport, in Bulacan. The school owns 2 Cessna 150's and is also leasing 2 other Cessna 150's. Right now the school is awaiting the release of its Air Agency Permit and the certification of its aircrafts.

When opened, the school will offer PPL,CPL,FI,GI Programs. It will also lease planes for other purposes such as aerial video/photography, coastline project inspections for NGO's & intro flights for aspiring pilots.


Blair Saceda

Learning to fly in the Philippines

There are two methods of learning to fly in the Philippines. That is if you only desire to fly for recreational or personal reasons. These programs are available to both foreign visitors and Philippine citizens.
The first method is to take the standard PPL course culminatiting in a Private pilots license. The Philippine license is recognized in any International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) member country. U.S., Britain, etc. The conversion process varies from country to country.

This course requires 40 hours of dual and solo instruction, ground school and a medical certificate. The basic requirements are as follows;

• Be at least 16 yrs old to get a Student Pilot's License, 17 for PPL liscense
• Read, speak, & understand English.
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance. Check out http://www.nbi.doj.gov.ph/ for more info.
• Immigration Clearance
• X-Ray & ECG (submit at Air Transportation Office)
• Medical Exam (ATO honors FAA medical)
• Notarized Application Form
• ID Pictures (2x2 & 1x1 white background, white polo shirt or preferably pilot's uniform).
• Payment of corresponding fee.

The cost (based on the minimum hours required) about 280,000 Pesos, or about $7000 USD. depending on the current rate of exchange. This only an average fee, actual costs can vary depending on where you take your instruction.

If you would rather not go through this amount of training and expense, learning to fly an ultralight aircraft may be your alternative. There are active Ultralight clubs and flight schools in the Philippines. One, Angeles City Flying Club, uses the standard U.S. training manual written by Curtis Hughes and published by the United States Ultralight Association, Inc. (USUA).

Flight training is similar to the PPL course, but much shorter and less technical. Their is no license issued by the Philippine Aviation Authorities for this pilot training, You will be issued a certificate to fly ultralights which is recognized by the Philippine government. Airspace restrictions may apply depending on where you learn, and where you will eventually fly .

The full training course will include a least 30 flying hours. Of these a minimum of 10 hours dual and 10 hours solo are required. There is no formal separate ground school; the ground school is conducted in conjunction with the actual flight instruction. There is a written test and check rides are given in one of several tandem aircraft.

Maneuvers required are:

• Straight and level flight
• Climbs/descents
• Stalls, power on/power off
• Emergency procedures
• Slow flight
• Turns around a point
• Normal and crosswind landings

• Slow flight

Dual instruction in a Rans S12 will run approximately 3700 Pesos per hour ( 90 USD). Flying an average of 2 hours a day it would take about 8 days to first solo and 16 days to get the Sport Pilot Certificate.

Happy flying!

See links at the right for detailed information for each type of license.