If you’d like to start flying with me, you should live within a half hour’s drive to Montgomery Field. Montgomery is the closest airport to San Diego’s downtown (next to, of course, Lindbergh, where there is no flight training) – with easy access to all the freeways: 163, I15, I805, I8, 52. It has the advantage of an FAA control tower, an ILS approach and a large number of well-maintained airplanes operated by flying clubs. The clubs are based at Gibbs Flying Service, 3717 John J. Montgomery Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.

I instruct through the two largest flying clubs at Montgomery: Plus One Flyers and Golden Wings. The advantages to joining a club (over, say, a traditional flight school) are many. First, because there is much less overhead, flying club airplanes rent for far less than similar airplanes belonging to flight schools. Second, as a general rule, the instructors who teach in flying club airplanes have more experience than those who teach in flight schools. Third, flying clubs offer more choices: different types of airplanes for different objectives. Finally, flying in a club allows you to share experiences with other club members with similar interests. So, in order to fly with me you must first join one of the clubs.

Plus One offers new member briefings at 12 noon on the first, third and (if it occurs) fifth Sunday of every month. You can visit their website Plus One Flyers ... to get specifics regarding membership, insurance and costs – and you can print out their application from the website.

Golden Wings Flying Club generally conducts member briefings at 5pm on Tuesdays. You’ll need to call the club (619 281-8256) in order to schedule a new member briefing, and you can learn more about how they operate by visiting their website Golden Wings.

Both clubs offer a number of airplanes for rent and the ability to book online. Plus One has a larger fleet of a more varied type, but it has lots of members and sometimes it’s difficult to book an airplane on short notice. While Golden Wings has fewer airplanes, they limit the membership to about 20 per airplane – hence, you’ll often be able to book an airplane without much advance planning.

Prior to, or shortly after, commencing your flight training, you’ll have to obtain a Student Pilot Certificate which comes as part of your medical examination. Student pilots must possess at least a 3rd Class Medical Certificate from the FAA, and I can provide you with a list of Airmen Medical Examiners who practice in the San Diego area.

In addition, you’ll need to consider how you’ll plan to study for your Private Pilot Knowledge Exam. There are community colleges with courses designed for aspiring private pilots, there are scores of textbooks if you prefer studying on your own, and there is an entire industry of home study providers who offer knowledge exam test prep courses in various formats. Gleim sells the most popular test prep courses in book format. Sporty’s, ASA and King Schools offer test prep courses on DVD or CD-ROM. Having worked for King Schools for 6 years, I am partial to their way of teaching and, if you’re interested in purchasing a course from King Schools, I can help you with getting a discount.

Other than the private pilot knowledge exam (which I took in 1975 before King Schools created the test prep provider industry), I took all of my knowledge exams with the help of King Schools courses. The worst score I obtained was a 96 (out of 100) on my Flight Instructor exam. (There’s something about aerodynamics that makes my brains leak out of my ears.) You can get information about King Schools from any aviation magazine or on their website: King Schools.

Early on, you’ll need to buy a headset so that you’ll better be able to hear my pearls of wisdom ;>), as well as to minimize the engine noise in the cockpit. For years I’ve used an old Telex 3500 headset that the company has stopped making. When you get started, it’s best to buy an inexpensive headset until you’re sure that the flying bug has stuck. Then, after you’ve flown for a while and tried out a number of different headsets, you’ll find the one that’s best for your ears, and your pocketbook. Marv Golden Pilot Supplies, 8690 Aero Drive, #102, Marv Golden's Pilot Supplies ... right around the corner from Gibbs Flying Service, sells an inexpensive headset for $89.95 that will serve you well enough as you move forward toward your certificate.

While you’re at Marv’s, you might want to pick yourself up an E-6B flight computer ($11 - $29), a plotter ($5 – $12), and (if you’re feeling particularly flush) a kneeboard ($30 - $45) to help you write down important stuff on your cross country flights. You’ll also need a flashlight, ideally with a blue or red light to help your night vision ($23 - $49), once we start night flying, and a view limiting device ($11 - $29) for the three hours of instrument training you’ll need.

The prices listed were current as of January 2007.

That should cover it. If you’ve got more questions, don’t hesitate to email or call me at 619 890-2FLY (that’s -2359 if you’re alphabetically challenged).

Contact Glenn

© 2007, Stephen Glenn Daly

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