Flight Training in West Virginia

Cities in West Virginia with Aviation Schools:

Asbury
Barboursville
Beckley
Bluefield
Bridgeport
Buckhannon
Caldwell
Cassville
Chapmanville
Charles Town
Charleston
Cheat Lake
Clarksburg
Cross Lanes
Cunard
Dawson
Dunbar
Elkins
Erbacon
Fairlea
Fairmont
Gassaway
Grafton
Granville
Harpers Ferry
Hedgesville
Hinton
Huntington
Hurricane
Inwood
Jones Springs
Lewisburg
Martinsburg
Montgomery
Morgantown
Moundsville
Parkersburg
Weirton
Wheeling

Choose the Best Flight Training Courses in West Virginia

Follow this easy five-step plan to find the best flight training in West Virginia to prepare you to become a pilot. You've made the decision to attend flight training in West Virginia and you want to become a private or commercial pilot in West Virginia. You know flying is in your future, but now what? How do you get started with flight training in West Virginia? So, what's the next step?

The good news is that the road to flight training and becoming a pilot is very defined. Unfortunately, sometimes the road is a little hard to find. If you're not sure how to become a commercial pilot, keep reading for an easy five-step 'flight' plan that will see you through to your pilot qualifications.

1) Test the waters of flight training programs

Don't immediately run out and sign up for the first flight training course you find. Start with a small step; find a school or independent flight instructor that will take you up for an introductory flight. These are usually pretty inexpensive, maybe $100 to $150 for an hour.

The benefit to introductory flight training is that you get to experience flight training in a small plane with an instructor. You'll definitely learn a lot in that hour and you should actually get to take the controls. The key takeaway for this exercise is to establish whether you actually like controlling the plane.

2) Make sure you're medically qualified*

Ask any pilot and they'll tell you that the hardest part of flying isn't actually controlling the aircraft, it's the paperwork. The truth is, there is a lot of paperwork, but no more than any other licensed professional. The paperwork creeps in a little bit early in flight training, but for the most part, it's just you and your instructor and eventually just you flying free. The next step is to find flight schools, whether large or small and contact them. Whether you actually visit the schools or you call or email, you want to get a little bit of information before you commit yourself. You want to talk to them about your goals. You also want to talk to them about their school and staff.

Now, this may come as a shock, but there is one vital piece of paperwork that should be handled very early, maybe right out of the gate -- the medical certificate. The process isn't terribly different from a typical doctor's visit, but you have to select from a list of specific doctors, known as Aviation Medical Examiners, and you have to fill out a form.

The doctors typically charge a fee for the visit, but they give you a pretty thorough physical and if you pass you'll be issued a student pilot / medical certificate. You can find out more about specific requirements on the FAA medical certification FAQ. This isn't meant to scare you away, but flying is a serious business and everyone wants to make sure everybody is safe.

Getting your medical out of the way early on will keep your training from being interrupted while you have to sort out a medical issue, like switching medications, or worse finding out you'll never be able to solo.

* a medical certificate is not required for those earning a Sport Pilot Certificate. However, Sport Pilots must have a valid state driver's license

3) Consider your flight training goals

You need to be honest and ask yourself a few questions. First, what are your goals; what's your plan? Maybe you're looking for a new hobby. Perhaps you're tired of booking airline tickets last minute and you're looking to fly yourself to that next business meeting. Why does this matter? Flight training isn't one-size-fits-all.

The program that is perfect for the twenty-year-old future airline captain isn't necessarily perfect for the fifty-year-old bank CEO. So, as boring as it sounds, take a few minutes and ask yourself what your intentions are.

4) Find the right flight training course or school in West Virginia

The next step is to find flight schools, whether large or small and contact them. Whether you actually visit the schools or you call or email, you want to get a little bit of information before you commit yourself. You want to talk to them about your goals. You also want to talk to them about their school and staff.

If you're looking for a school that will let you zip through the ratings on your way to a job interview, you want to know how many instructors they have on staff, how many other students they have, and how many aircraft they have available. All three of those items will directly affect the speed with which you can complete your flight training.

You should also ask whether you will have one instructor or several. It may seem strange, but you may have chemistry with a certain instructor that will benefit your learning more than finishing faster.

If you are looking to get into an airline and you don't already have a four-year degree, you may want to look for a university program, such as the University of North Dakota's Commercial Aviation Degree, that will let you complete your flight training and four-year degree at the same time.

5) Enjoy your flight training in West Virginia

The final step is to pick a school and have fun. Learning to fly is incredibly rewarding. You will learn a lot about yourself and meet some of the most interesting people. The most important things are that you understand that no one wants to see you fail and remember that any flight school can provide the same result; the difference is in how well it fits you and your goals.

How much does Flight Training cost? Like anything more significant than buying groceries, pilot training has a certain level of associated costs. If you're in the process of finding a Flight Training or even if you've already started pilot training, you may find yourself wondering, "How much is too much?"

The good news is that pilot training costs consist of a few basic building blocks; the bad news is the costs can fluctuate for a variety of reasons.

Average Costs In The USA For Various Types Of Flight Training in West Virginia

Sport Pilot License - $3,000 to $5,000
Private Pilot License - $6,500 to $12,000
Private + Commercial License - $10,000 to $16,000
Private + Instrument + Commercial - $18,000 to $24,000
Private + Instrument + Commercial + ATP - $30,000+

Flight Training Instruction Costs in West Virginia

Depending on the pilot training course, the FAA requires a minimum of 35 or 40 hours before you can qualify for a Private Pilot Certificate. Most students actually take longer, averaging about 60 hours of training. While this is certainly an important item to consider, there are plenty of other items that are often overlooked. Exam fees, both written and check ride, books, and other materials are an important part of Flight Training costs.

Exam fees can range from anywhere from $100 to $400 or more depending on the examiner. Books and other materials--like a flight computer, logbook, and navigation plotter--are less costly, but combined can add up to around $100 or more.

Flight Training Scholarships in West Virginia

A question that often comes up when you're considering flight training is whether or not there are scholarships available. The short answer is "yes", but that doesn't really help much when it comes to finding these often elusive sources of funding. The real trick with flight training scholarships is realizing that it takes time and energy to find, apply for, and receive them.

None of them just drop in your lap, and like college scholarships, there are more small scholarships than large ones. You're more likely to find several scholarships that add up to a substantial dollar amount than you are to find a single scholarship to cover all of your training. So, where can you find scholarships? As a start, you might want to consider the following: Flight Training, aviation organizations, and conventional scholarships.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft Facts Stabilator

A movable horizontal tail section, called a stabilator, is a control surface that combines the action of both the horizontal stabilizer and the elevator. Basically, a stabilator is a horizontal stabilizer that can also be rotated about the horizontal axis to affect the pitch of the aircraft.

Fun Aviation Facts - Pilots Eat a Different Meal

There are various rules which are imposed by different airlines, but there is one common rule that states pilots must be fed a different meal from the co-pilots. The copilots are encouraged to eat different entrees to guard against cases of food poisoning.

Best Flight Training Courses in West Virginia

When deciding what is the best Flight Training for you, it is important to consider your flying and flight training goals. Once you've finished training, what kind of flying do you want to do? Are you learning to fly as a hobby? Do you want to learn to fly as a career? More importantly, are you seeking an airline career? When choosing a Flight Training, answering questions like these is important to establish which kind of school will best meet your needs.

Choosing the right flight training course in West Virginia is critical. All flight training courses and schools in West Virginia are not the same. Most large flight academies near West Virginia specialize in "ab initio" or "from the beginning" training for people who want to become commercial, airline, or corporate pilots. On the other hand, local Flight Training in ~ train for a wide variety of missions, including people who just want to fly for fun.

Local Flight Training Schools near West Virginia

The place that usually comes to mind when you think of airplanes is your local airport. If you want to learn to fly, your local airport is a great place to start. Even the smallest fields usually have at least one part-time or even full-time instructor that is fully qualified to teach you to fly. Larger fields may even have multiple Flight Training opportunities in West Virginia.

For the hobbyist, this is great, flight training is typically pay-as-you-go and self-paced. For those that want or need to go at a faster pace, the local airport may not be the best place to get flight training near West Virginia.

Local Flight Training typically offer at least Sport or Private Pilot programs, and some can train all the way to ATP. Local schools may have a few aircraft available for training and rental, and most have facilities for ground training such as classrooms, flight planning rooms, and even small flight simulators.

Recommended for people who want to fly for fun, or as a profession.

The advantages of using a local Flight Training could include access to a variety of aircraft, training close to home, lower costs than some flight academies, and access to training facilities.

Disadvantages could include limited training for advanced ratings and possible downtime of small fleets due to maintenance issues.

University Flight Training Schools around West Virginia

Finally, for those looking for an airline career who don't have a four-year degree, consider an aviation degree program at one of the many colleges and universities that offer them. These programs allow you to combine the four-year degree, which most airlines require, with flight training in West Virginia. When it comes time to graduate, you will be a commercial pilot with a degree in hand ready to fly for the airlines.

Flight academies and college/university flight training programs near West Virginia have a lot going for them. If your goal is to fly professionally, this type of training may be the best option. But if you're only in the market to learn to fly as a hobby, some academies may not be able to accommodate your needs. It's best to contact each school to find out.

Recommended for people who want to fly for a career. Advantages to attending a flight academy/university program include state of the art aircraft fleets with glass cockpits, flight crew training environment, industry-standard flight simulator training, potential employment as a CFI after graduation, access to job interviews with affiliated companies, and minimal downtime due to maintenance issues.

Disadvantages could include higher overall costs, the possible need to relocate to attend an academy, less flexibility on time and scheduling, the training not as personalized.

No matter what type of flying you intend to do, it's important to talk to as many schools as possible to find out which one fits your learning style, personality, and ultimate aviation goals best.

The most important take-away is that each kind of Flight Training can provide the same result, but when you pick the best Flight Training in West Virginia for you, you can meet your goals quicker and more efficiently. Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with changing in the middle of your training. Don't let the fear that you might pick the wrong school for you prevent you from learning to fly; it is too much fun.

Accelerated Flight Training Courses from West Virginia

If you're seeking a flying career or you just want to get a rating in the minimum time, there are also larger professional Flight Training offering accelerated programs. These are typically more condensed, some as short as a few days or weeks, that is strictly planned and scheduled.

Flight Training in West Virginia employs plenty of professional instructors and has large aircraft fleets to accommodate the quick pace of the training. It may sound like a stressful way to learn to fly, but it is actually quicker and more efficient because it requires less repetition. These flight training programs in West Virginia cater to someone looking to obtain several ratings at once or those who need to get a rating quickly.

Interesting Helicopter Facts

In 1944, American inventor Stanley Hiller, Jr. made the first helicopter with all-metal rotor blades that were very stiff.

There are two types of helicopter engines; one is Turbine engine and second is Piston Engine.

A helicopter can rotate to 360 degrees while hovering.

Helicopter Spotlight for Beckley

Unusual But Interesting Helicopter Facts in Beckley The new S-434 helicopter builds on the best qualities of the 333 model, including a well laid out cockpit, outstanding flight properties and low cost of ownership. To this, we have added a four-bladed rotor system, upgraded transmission and increased fuel capacity. The result of these improvements are increased useful load, hover performance, cruise speed and lower vibration.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Charleston

In 1997, a Robinson R44 was piloted byJennifer Murray for the first helicopter circumnavigation of the world by a woman, covering a distance of 36,000 miles in 97 days.

The first helicopter to achieve completely untethered flight was the Cornu in 1907, which managed to hover one foot above the ground for 20 seconds.

Helicopter Facts for Charleston

Every helicopter pilot must obtain a private helicopter pilot license to fly. Students must be at least 17 years old, obtain a FAA medical certificate and pass a FAA written test. Additionally, the student must take at least 40 hours of flight time, 10 of which must be solo flight time. As part of those 40 hours, the student must do three hours of dual cross-country flying, three hours of dual nighttime flying and three hours of solo cross-country flying. The student must also do at least one 75-nautical mile cross-country flight and perform three solo takeoffs and landings.

Helicopter Spotlight for Clarksburg

The Mitsubishi MH 2000 is a 7/12 seat light utility helicopter. Low levels of interest in the aircraft forced Mitsubishi to halt sales of Mh4000 in September 2004. The Mh4000 is Japan's first indigenous helicopter with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) having sole responsibility for developing and manufacturing the fuselage and engines.

In the development of the Mh4000, MHI aimed for safety, economy and low noise levels. The program was launched in 1995 to fulfill a variety of missions, include passenger and business transport, law enforcement, search and rescue and emergency medical services.

Helicopter Spotlight for Clarksburg

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (unofficially Huey) is a military helicopter powered by a singleturboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet theUnited States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew on 20 October 1956. Ordered into production in March 1960, the UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production for the United States military, and more than 16,000 have been produced worldwide. The first combat operation of the UH-1 was in the service of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. The original designation of HU-1 led to the helicopter's nickname of Huey. In September 1962, the designation was changed to UH-1, but \Huey remained in common use. Approximately 7000 UH-1 aircraft saw service in Vietnam.

Interesting Helicopter Facts for Fairmont

There are more than 11,000 civil helicopters operating just in the U.S. and more than 15,000 civil helicopters operating in more than 157 other countries around the world.

The record for the fastest helicopter in the world is held by the Sikorsky X2 which, during a flyby over Florida, United States, clocked 258mph (416kph). But this was beaten recently. On June 7th 2013, the X3 blew through the previous air speed record for helicopters by cruising at 255 knots (293 MPH) during a 40-minute flight over Southern France near Istres.

Aviation Quotes for Fairmont

Flight Instructor Facts for Fairmont The usual cost for a refresher course is roughly $200 US Dollars (USD). There are, however, additional costs for course options, such as in-house certification. This option allows you to obtain your updated certification certificate directly from the course provider instead of traveling to your local Federal Aviation Association (FAA)

Helicopter Fun Facts for Huntington

Whereas the latter require long runways on which to reduce forward velocity, helicopters have to reduce only vertical lift, which they can do by hovering prior to landing. Thus, they don't even require shock absorbers: their landing gear usually comprises only wheels or skids, or both.

Helicopter Facts for Huntington

Helicopter Training Facts for Huntington: There are a lot of facts, laws, rules, and regulations that must be memorized in helicopter pilot training. The ability to quickly memorize information and retain it is very important. Almost 60 percent of training is completed in the classroom. Be prepared for hours of class, followed by long hours of studying.

Fun Helicopter Facts for Martinsburg:

If you include military helicopters it is estimated that there are more than 45,000 operating worldwide.

Helicopter Spotlight for Martinsburg

The Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single four-bladed main rotor. The UH-72 is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 and is built by American Eurocopter division of EADS North America. Initially marketed as the UH-145 the helicopter was selected as the winner of the United States Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program on 30 June 2006. In October 2006 American Eurocopter was awarded a production contract for 345 aircraft to replace aging UH-1H/V and OH-58A/C helicopters in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard fleets.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Morgantown

Igor Sikorsky built the first four-engine plane in 1913 and, after decades of development, he crafted the first working helicopter, with its first test flight in 1939. He designed and built the first military helicopter named XR-4. He delivered it to Colonel Franklin Gregory of the U.S. Army in 1940. In 1958, Igor Sikorsky's rotorcraft company made the world's first helicopter that had a boat hull and could land and takeoff from water. It could also float on the water.

Helicopter Facts for Morgantown

Helicopter Training Facts for Morgantown: Before you commit to a full program of lessons, it can be a good idea to take a test lesson in a helicopter to make sure that you like flying in the rotor-powered vehicles.

Helicopter Pilot Jobs for Morgantown A relatively common helicopter pilot job is working for emergency medical services. This typically involves flying solo and in weather conditions and over terrain that is challenging.

Helicopter Facts for Parkersburg

If the engine stops on a helicopter the rotor continues to spin allowing the machine to slowly land generally without crashing to the ground. Although Hollywood would have you thinking otherwise if the power is lost in flight the helicopter is safer than if you were flying in an airplane and the same thing happens. Helicopters do not have the best of glide ratios but as long as the rotor blades keep turning helicopters can do something airplanes cannot do; autorotation. Because of the rotating wings (rotors) instead of fixed wings like the airplane acting like a windmill as it floats down.

Helicopter Facts for Parkersburg

The Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche unveiled in 1999 is the first helicopter using stealth technology. It is made of carbon-fiber and other composite materials, and the rotor hub is hidden.

Interesting Helicopter and Fixed-wing Facts for Weirton

Over 3 million lives have been saved by helicopters in both peacetime and wartime operations since the first person was rescued from the sea in 1944.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft Factoid Stabilator

Helicopter Facts for Weirton

Helicopter Careers - Military: The other factor to consider is the time commitment required to obtain your helicopter pilot license in the military. The military absolutely expects that you are a military officer first and a pilot second. This exchange requires a lot of give and take and should be considered prior to making a concrete decision. If you feel strongly about the military and are willing to sacrifice a block of your time

Helicopter History for Wheeling

The airframe, or fundamental structure, of a helicopter can be made of either metal or organic composite materials, or some combination of the two. Higher performance requirements will incline the designer to favor composites with higher strength-to-weight ratio, often epoxy (a resin) reinforced with glass, aramid (a strong, flexible nylon fiber), or carbon fiber.

Helicopter Facts for Wheeling

Pilot ratings remove flying restrictions. An instrument rating says that a pilot doesn't need visual references to fly, and can instead rely solely on a plane's instruments. It's required for airline transport pilots, though private and commercial pilots also commonly earn it. Without a multi-engine rating, pilots can fly only single-engine planes. Commercial pilots need the multi-engine rating for employment.