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Guidance Helicopters - pilot training in Arizona
Prescott, Arizona – On August 17, 2011, the Guidance Academy Scholarship was established by Guidance Aviation of Prescott, Arizona to provide financial assistance to students in need who are enrolled in the Yavapai College Professional Pilot Program pursuing their Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Professional Pilot – Helicopters.
Guidance Aviation is donating $11,000 in the month of August 2011 to Yavapai College Foundation to kick off the fund and plans to donate at least $15,000 per semester which totals at least $45,000 per year.
The scholarship was created by Guidance Aviation’s CEO John Stonecipher, working with Mr. Steven Walker, Director of the Yavapai College Foundation and Mr. Paul Kirchgrabber, Director of Development, Yavapai College Foundation.
On August 26, 2011, the establishment of the Guidance Academy Scholarship will be announced officially at the Guidance Aviation Student Recognition BBQ at the Guidance Aviation flight training facility at the Prescott airport (PRC). In attendance will be Dr. Penelope Wills, President, Yavapai College. Guidance Aviation’s CEO, John Stonecipher, will be presenting an $11,000 check to Dr. Wills at the ceremony.
Learn more about Guidance Aviation, a career placement academy specializing in high altitude flight training in both helicopters and airplanes.
A remote-control airplane show in Brighton, Colorado became the site of an FAA investigation when a remote-controlled model and a biplane collided. The collision was captured on an amateur video.
In the video, the remote-controlled plane, reported to be an AJ Slick model, is hovering over the runway. As the model continues to hover, the biplane, which according to the preliminary FAA report is an Acroduster Too with a smoke system, comes in for a low pass with smoke on and impacts the model. The biplane suffered minor wing damage, but was able to fly away and land safely. The model appeared to be beyond repair.
According to an FAA spokesman, the investigation is in early stages, but investigators have viewed the video and begun a file. Federal Aviation Regulations govern the operation of aircraft, but there are no regulations pertaining to the operation of model aircraft. Further complicating the situation, the event is reported to have taken place at a small, private airfield, so it is unlikely that this collision will result in any enforcement action or other sanctions.
Matthew Everett is a private pilot, aviation writer, and frequent contributor to AviationSchoolsOnline.com. You can follow him on twitter @leaving_tf or find his blog at http://leavingterrafirma.com.
Aerobatics are fun and exciting, but there is a very serious side to performing aerobatics — sometimes things break. An Argentine airshow pilot recently faced one of the scariest situations flying has to offer after the wing of his Rans S-9 separated from the airframe in flight. The good news is that he had installed a BRS ballistic parachute in the aircraft and he escaped with only a burned foot.
The pilot, Dino Moline, came out of the incident with minor injuries, but the airplane is likely down for the count. Moline was performing for more than 3,500 spectators at Show Aereo 2010. The event, which took place in the northeastern Argentine town of El Trebol, was sponsored by a local flying club.
The pilot was flying a RANS S-9, a popular kit-built aerobatic plane. According to the kit manufacturer, the aircraft is rated for +6 and -4 Gs. The wing separated during an inverted, negative-G maneuver as the pilot pushed into an outside loop. The entire event was captured on video where seconds after the wing spearates, the parachute is deployed.
Source:
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/
ParachuteSavesArgentineAirshowPilot_203143-1.html
Matthew Everett is a private pilot, aviation writer, and frequent contributor to AviationSchoolsOnline.com. You can follow him on twitter @leaving_tf or find his blog at http://leavingterrafirma.com.
Discover three ways to ensure quality training
Let’s face it, helicopter flight schools are not cheap. With the average price for attending a heli academy pushing $80,000 to $90,000 it’s important to make sure you’re getting the best training you can.
First of all, do your homework and choose your helicopter school carefully. Be sure not to pay all training costs up front, and avoid schools that require large sums to be paid in advance. For more information on these topics, check out these articles:
Five Things to Consider When Looking at Helicopter Schools
Flight Training – Another Warning About Paying Up Front
In his latest article, guest writer Matthew Everett reveals three key ways to get the most from your helicopter school. “Flight training of any sort is a difficult and often expensive undertaking. It is also a collection of some of the most rewarding experiences you will have. For these reasons, it is important that you strive to get the most from your training experience. As they say, your pilot’s license is a license to learn and you should always do what you can to enhance your knowledge.” Read the full How to Get the Most From Your Helicopter Flight School Experience article here.
Please let us know what you think!
Reach your aviation goals faster
Whether you’re launching a new career or just want to learn to fly for fun, you probably want to get your pilot certificates and ratings as fast as possible. On the career side of things, the faster you earn your ticket, the sooner you’re eligible to enter the workforce and start your pilot career, and possibly get a better seniority number to boot. If you’re flying for fun, I’ll bet your busy schedule makes it hard to get to the airport for more than a lesson a week, and at that rate it will take 6-8 months to get your private pilot license.
I can tell you from personal experience that accelerated pilot training is the way to go for all of the reasons listed above, and plenty more. In my case, I earned my private pilot certificate the old fashioned way, fitting training in to my daily work and family life, and it took about 6 months to finally take my check ride (I passed!). When the time came for me to earn my instrument rating, I knew there was no way I was going to get it finished in less than six months without going through some type of accelerated pilot school. After completing a DVD ground school and passing the written exam on my own, I chose to contact one of the 10-day IFR rating schools and scheduled a week and a half off. At the agreed upon time, my CFII showed up in my home town and we began an intense, nine-day training schedule that included at least eight hours a day of training both in the plane and on the ground (using books and an IFR simulator), and, believe it or not, homework. When the tenth day rolled around, I was ready for my check ride and passed! I had done in ten days what normally would take six months.
Last summer, I made a mistake. I started training for my Commercial pilot certificate, and actually was very close to being ready. My mistake was not forcing the training to be accelerated. You can all guess what happened… life got in the way, winter rolled around, and here I am this summer without a commercial ticket. I now know that all of my future training will be accelerated because this really is the best way to reach your aviation goals, professional or recreational.
Since I’m such a firm believer in accelerated training, I asked one of our guest writers, Matthew Everett, to write an article on the three types of accelerated pilot schools that cater to the professional-minded pilot. The article makes a great case for fast-tracking your pilot training and is a quick read. Take a look and let us know what you think. Also, give us your feedback on your training experiences.
