34 5 6
A FEW WORDS FOR THOSE
OF YOU SCARED OF FLYING AND
NOT INTERESTED IN ANY OF THIS
According to Ivy McIver, many
people actually start lessons as
a way to get over a fear of flying;
it can also help mitigate motion-
and airsickness. “When you’re
in control and you’re focused,
your anxiety level goes down,”
she says. “You’re the one directly
affecting your destiny.”THERE’S NOTHING dangerous
about it, per se—there aren’t
sharp objects down there; if any-
thing were to catch fire, shoes
probably wouldn’t make much
of a difference. Some planes
have no a/c, though, and the
plane produces heat, so sweaty
feet might be an issue—slip-
ping off the pedals, for instance.INSTRUCTORS HAVE THEIR
private license, instrument
license, commercial license,
and an additional flight-
instructor license. They’re
often people accumulating
hours toward becoming an air-
line pilot; sometimes, they’re
retirees who want to put their
years of experience to use.
IF YOU’RE the only one going
up, you’ll need to do a flight
review with an instructor every
two years. The length of that
process may depend on how
frequently you’ve f lown in
the interim. If you’re plan-
ning to take passengers up,
though, the FA A has additional
requirements.Who
are the
instructors?Can I fly
barefoot?And then do I
need to maintain
my status as a
legal flyer?THE FAA REQUIRES 40 hours in
the air before you can take your
license exam, but most people
spend more time training. For a
regular person with a full-time
job, who can fly maybe two times
a week, it’ll take probably three
or four months to complete
training. Weather a lso fa c t ors
in if you’re trying to learn in a
Pennsylvania winter; a Florida
location will mean weather
isn’t as much of a factor. Once
your instructor deems you
proficient, you apply for the
FA A to send an examiner out to
fly with you. You’ll have an oral
examination first where you
answer questions about things
like aerodynamics, safety, and
airspace rules. Then you do
a f lying practical—just like
getting in the car with a DMV
examiner when you get your
driver’s license.How long do
lessons take? Am I
working toward a
certification?Popular Mechanics’
“discovery flight”
instructor Ivy McIver
of Cirrus.The Cessna
152 hasn’t been
in production since
1985, but is still
a popular—and
safe—training
aircraft.