April 13, 2014
This was the day of my very first flight. My instructor was Jonathan from Ventura Flight Training, based at Republic Airport (FRG). Our plane was N818VT (“Ventura 8″), one of five Piper Warriors in the Ventura fleet. My father sat in the back seat and took video. The flight was mainly to get a sense of the controls and experience what it’s like to be in the pilot’s seat.
The first thing that is drilled into you is the pre-flight checklist. It is the pilot’s responsibility to go through every item on the checklist, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem (“Not Checking Is Not An Option!”). The history of aviation shows that many mishaps could have been avoided if only simple checks had been done. Even professional pilots flying huge airliners have to do a full walk-around inspection of their aircraft.
The checklist on even a small plane like the Warrior is extensive. It is broken up into four parts: Pre-Flight, During Taxi, During Flight, and Emergency. Some items involve physical inspection (walking around the four corners of the plane – wings, nose and tail), some involve looking at instruments, and some involve pushing buttons or moving controls. I was told that that even when I eventually know the checklist items by heart, I should always use the written checklist. Here is the Pre-Flight Checklist for the Warrior (click to enlarge):
Piper Warrior II Checklist
Republic is located on the south shore of Long Island, about 60 miles east of Manhattan. It has two intersecting runways, 32/14 and 1/19 (more on nomenclature later). Different runways are used at different times depending on wind direction. We used Runway 19 for a straight out, southward departure which took us to the “practice area” above the shoreline, Fire Island, and the Great South Bay. We didn’t fly higher than 2,000 feet above ground level (AGL).
On the takeoff roll, Jonathan told me to push the throttle full forward for maximum power and to pull back on the yoke at 60 knots. He made it seem pretty simple, although I would learn later that a lot goes into preparation for takeoff.
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Once we were in the practice area, we did some basic maneuvers like climbs, descents and level turns. I had my hands on the controls but Jonathan was there at all times to keep us totally safe. It was actually a windy day and my dad bumped his head on the ceiling during the final approach.
The whole day was a great experience that got me totally hooked on flying. I think my parents were happy that I found something I love to do, but also a little concerned because like most people they thought of flying as kind of “dangerous.”
– Garrett C.
Republic Airport Diagram