Study These Before Beginning Your Flight Training

Learning to fly a plane can be very exciting, but equally as complex or and difficult. You can ease this process by studying the basics you’ll need to know as you fly a plane in advance. Following are a few things you can study as you wait for your flight training to begin.

• Basic Aerodynamics: A great way to start your training is by establishing a firm understanding of aerodynamics. Just merely looking at how airplanes fly and observing them can help you get started. There are a lot of handbooks available online that can teach you the basics of aerodynamics.
   
• National Airspace System: You may not be able to see it, but the sky is broken into invisible boundaries. Each of these boundaries has its own set of equipment and procedural requirements. Before you start training, learn the basics about these highways of the sky.
   
• Weather Principles: One thing that plays a significant factor in flying is the weather. Harsh weather can even cause emergency landings or prevent planes from flying altogether. Therefore, learning about the basics of weather is crucial for your training. Start by learning terms such as cold fronts, warm fronts, Coriolis effect, etc.
   
• Phonetic Alphabet: The ICAO phonetic alphabets are used for almost everything in aviation. Memorize each letter and its corresponding name. There are also unique pronunciations like tree (3), fife (5), and niner (9), which you’ll need to learn.
   
• Aircraft Systems: Another thing a lot of students struggle with is learning aircraft systems. Digging through the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for your airplane and learning how the system works is the best way to learn about your aircraft systems.

Studying these things before you start your training will help you when you finally begin and learn to fly a plane.