The biggest hurdle to getting started as a student on their way to a private pilot license is "getting out the door". Don't misunderstand my choice of language, because that phrase has another more specific meaning in skydiving, whose meaning you can probably easily determine. I'm talking about getting your butt up from that chair and out to the airport! I am fully aware that it is easier to just sit at home, poking around the net for info and advice, convincing yourself that the the idea of getting started in flight training seems as likely as becoming CEO of Coca-Cola or curing cancer.
Trust me, it's not like that at all, and if you go to the right flight school, as soon as you walk in the door, you are very likely to enter a warm and understanding environment where no question is "silly" or "stupid". We have ALL BEEN THERE, on day one, not knowing what color the fuel should be (or what color it shouldn't be), or where to check the oil. Everyone has these little learning hills to climb, and I guarantee that every single hill climb will fill you with a sense of accomplishment. The first time that you can "pay it forward" and help someone else check or adjust their tire pressure, you will both feel rewarded. You will feel good about being able to offer a helping hand, and they will feel good that they learned something, and furthermore it wasn't an embarrassing situation for them.
My next entry will cover the topic of choosing a flight school, and after that I'll get into choosing a flight instructor. These steps are two of the biggest hurdles that make the difference between someone who actually starts flight training, and someone who just stands by the fence filled with uncertainty and fear, watching other airplanes take off and land, yearning to be in the left seat. Once those two choices (pick a school, pick an instructor) are behind you, all that remains is to learn the reference materials, learn how to fly the plane, and then pass a "checkride" , where you prove to an examiner that you know your stuff, with respect to both knowledge and flying skills. Safety is always job #1, so any thought or action is always taught from that perspective. I can't stress that enough.
So! if you can read and study, you can learn the reference materials. If you learned how to drive a car, you already know how to absorb and apply knowledge towards the safe operation of a vehicle. So there's really no mystery to the process at all!
Oh right, except for the next two major topics. Let me go catch up on my logbook (a common pilot joke, or chore, depending on if the pilot is "caught up" or "behind") and I'll get back to you soon.
