Learning to Fly

The hardest thing I’ve done in my life so far has been learning to fly. Much more respect for pilots after this experience and what extreme skill they have flying…as United put it “big metal bird.” (United give me points and miles.)

The amount of combined skill, knowledge and intuition you need to develop in order to successfully complete each flight is nothing less than incredible. Combine those inherent difficulties with the EXTRA difficulties that come with learning to fly out of Broomfield Colorado – including, in no particular order, increased altitude, mountain winds, winter weather, and the heightened volume of traffic filling the air space from Denver International Airport – and it’s really not a surprise that the training airports in the area have increased the time needed to accomplish the requirements for acquiring a license. (Although, that being said, the extra 18 months that it took – and everything I learned during that time – will no doubt help me to be a better pilot. So I suppose it was a win-win).

Right before the start of the 2020 pandemic, a roommate – and now good friend – Ben had moved in, having just completed his private pilot license. He volunteered to take me up one afternoon, and man, was I glad I did – the view was absolutely amazing. Making it even better was the fact that, at several points, we were extremely close to the ground/mountains, which was quite the adrenaline rush; plus, it was also inspiring to know that we had the freedom to travel in just about any direction at any time. (Fun fact: over the course of your flight training, you quickly come to realize just how many rules and regulations there are with regards to flying…and just how much of modern flying has in common with the Wild West: there is so much going on at all times directly above our heads that we don’t even realize. It’s honestly a little frightening to contemplate).

That fall, as things continued to open and close around the country, Ben and I decided to seize the opportunity to travel somewhere, with Ben throwing out Kanab UT as an option. We drove out to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and off we went. After a few failed attempts to cross mountain passes to the north, we were able to eventually cross the Great Divide, which was stunning: honesty, it’s one thing when you are in a commercial airliner at 30,000 feet, looking down on the earth; it’s a completely different feeling when you are 500 feet above the ground in a rural area, flying by at hundreds of miles per hour, simply taking in the scenery and soaking in the adrenaline.

After that trip, I knew without a shadow of a doubt: I wanted to become a PPL myself. My goal – at least originally – was to start and finish the entire training process in less than 12 months. Thankfully, the book-work aspect of the training was no problem for me, especially since I’ve spent pretty much each winter over the course of the last decade adding additional professional certifications/designations to my resume – so the “being in school” mentality, even for something as new to me as flying, really wasn’t hard to process. What was more difficult was learning the more “mechanical” aspects of flying – having not grown up in a hands-on family, coming to understand the various aspects of the engine and flight mechanics took longer than I expected to learn. Couple that with several months where I wasn’t able to get up in the air as much as I would have liked, due to air trips and unseasonable weather, and it became pretty apparent pretty quickly that it would take a little longer than 12 months to finish the training process.

Between the mountain of books to read (and read…and reread), along with the 85 hours of in-plane flying that it took me, the entire training process was a LOT of work. It was the summer of 2022 when I finally passed my check ride (essentially the FAA’s official examination that one is required to pass in order to receive their pilot’s certification). It was an absolutely amazing feeling, and easily one of the top 3 days in my life so far (when I landed the plane following my training, the examiner reached over and shook my hand, congratulating me and welcoming me to the flying community. Just an awesome moment). All in all, the cost to learn to fly came out to about $18,000, as well as around 18 months of effort.

My next flying-related goal is to fly across the Rockies, as well as take longer trips to visit family around the United States, all the while adding high horsepower certifications and instrument training to my training belt.

DABLs Decision: I’ll be blunt: flying definitely isn’t for everyone. Heck – for a while, I questioned whether it was even for ME. Throughout my training, I doubted myself more than I care to admit and more than I ever thought I would – the time, effort, and money investment that comes with learning to fly is substantial, and that’s all on top of the fact that flying a small plane can be kind of…well, terrifying. Feeling every bump of turbulence, knowing the engine could cut out, a bird could strike, or another pilots’ error could cost you everything in a heartbeat…I won’t lie: it’s a lot.

But – and this is a big but –it’s true what they say: without risk, there is little reward. Having come out the other side of the experience now, I’m SO glad I took the time that I did to invest in it – having the freedom to travel, see the planet from above, and knowing that you are a part of an extremely small community of people is never NOT thrilling to contemplate. It’s easily, without a doubt, one of the things I’m most proud of in my life.‌

So yeah: as far as a DABL Decision goes?

It’s an easy Yes.