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Web Training Manual In an Industry first, our web Training manual is available. Information Request form can be found at the bottom of the page. Quaker State Powered Parachutes Training Regiment Reflects This Thought, “Sport Pilot is for Fun Not Transportation”
When I started flying the in the early eighties, there was always the idea in the back of my mind of getting all the ratings and flying “heavies”. However, the realities of a full time job, committed relationship and community activities soon made me realize that the Piper Warrior I bought after getting my private ticket was as “heavy” as I was going to get. It was also costly. $5600.00 for the ratings and another $35000.00 for the airplane. $1000.00 or so each year for the annual’s plus approximately $200.00 a month for hanger fees. I did go places – airport to airport – all over the country but it was work! A thousand hours of work.
In the 1990’s I had flown into an air show and, as fate would have it, I took a ride in a powered parachute. Now this was fun! The BFI exemptions also made it easy and affordable. Sport Pilot has now replaced the exemptions but powered parachuting is still fun. They are not designed for transportation; they are designed for serious recreation.
From a strictly financial standpoint, I could have traveled a hundred times as far on a train or a piece of “heavy metal” for the same amount of distance I traveled in my Warrior.
A PPC pilot seldom travels more than 50 miles from his home airport or “launch site”. They prefer to follow roads, tree lines, ridges, railroads or rivers, or anything else they want to. This is “pilotage”. Not Way Point, DME or holding pattern type pilotage but “seat of your pants” pilotage. If you want to go to another airport or launch site, pack it up in its mobile hanger (trailer) and take it there. A whole new world of exploration awaits you there!
I recently heard an FBO giving a speech about the fixed wing sport aircraft he sells comparing them to GA (general aviation) aircraft and their advantages for transportation. There was no emphasis on the limitations of sport pilot; namely fair weather or daytime only flying. I can tell you from experience, even with an IFR rating, using a small plane for planned transportation is “iffy”. I think such presentations are misleading as we are not training private pilots, we are training sport pilots. They may go on and use their sport rating as a stepping stone to a private pilot’s license but they come to us for sport licenses and that is what we should be committed to. A student can legally become a PPC sport pilot in less than 20 hours but just as 40 hours is unrealistic for private pilot, so is 12 or 15 hours to sport pilot. My average is 30 hours for the students I have trained. My focus is on training a recreationally oriented pilot. This pilot will be trained to fly locally with only a short cross country solo being required.
Since sport pilots are not allowed into controlled airspace without private pilot type training we teach them how to avoid it not operate in it. With two people and fuel it is difficult to load PPC’s outside of their center of gravity limits so we don’t spend a lot of time on weights and balance other than the basics and the manufacturer’s gross weight recommendations.
Number one: I want the student to enjoy learning how to fly an open-cockpit, low and slow aircraft. If you are not having a good time, what’s the point? I don’t think anyone can enjoy flying if the airplane is in charge of you! Mastering of the aircraft includes adequate preparation for the type of flying you are going to be doing.
Number two: we are flying aircraft with light wing loading and so must be very respectful of Mother Nature. The PPC pilot must be more keenly aware of what the winds are going to be doing and what to expect as the day progresses. We are training for fair weather flying – recreation! Not transportation so it is going to be day VFR only. Students have to know enough to determine if the weather for the total durations of the flight is going to be fair.
Number three: since most of our flying is done relatively close to our home airports, we need to know how to operate in a professional and safe manner when mixing with other aircraft. Cessna’s and Piper type GA aircraft have performance envelopes far above our own. Again, it can be fun and with proper instruction, perfectly safe.
Number four: we are again back to fun. One of the advantages of teaching PPC’s is that the aircraft are so forgiving. Near impossible to spin and you would really have to work at stalling one. If you did manage to stall, it would recover on its own. With proper attention to gross weight we are flying probably the safest aircraft on Earth.
Private pilot training is for transportation; sport pilot is for fun!!
This article has excerpts which were taken from an article in “Mentor” written by Terri Sipontzi from Precision Windsports in Lynchburg, VA.
Joe Fenstermacher Private Pilot/Sport Pilot PPC/CFI PPC/SPE
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