What’s Next for Me and My Pilot Certificate? Take it to the Next Level!
By Jerod Flohr
The Great Lakes with the San Francisco skyline in the background. (Max G Aviation)Do you ever find yourself bored with your pilot certificate? Take it to the “next level,” that’s what I always say. But what do I mean?
It has been a couple of years since I’ve written an article for In Flight USA but some of you may remember my articles about chasing and achieving my dreams of being an airshow pilot. If you do not remember the articles, the journey was long and difficult, but with the help of many mentors and friends, paired with a relentless pursuit, I was able to obtain my 500-foot waiver from Wayne Handley and fly airshows – even my hometown show!
I am now one of the founders of Max G Aviation, a new and exciting flight club that focuses only on what I call, “the fun stuff.” I say this because the fun stuff can be a solution to finding the “next level.” This is obviously a generic saying but I find myself saying it most to private pilots who have had a few too many “$100 hamburgers” and are wondering what’s next. The most common response someone gives to these people has to do with pursuing another rating, mainly an instrument rating. I am never one to suggest against someone getting an instrument rating – I highly recommend it even for the pilot who claims they never intend to fly in IMC (for obvious reasons that could be covered in its own article). But the fact of the matter is, people want to know what they can do with the certificate they already hold – and there are all kinds of options! Let’s discuss.
Max G Instructor Pilots flying their Extra 300 and Pitts S2C off the Sn Gregorio Beach LIne. (Max G Aviation)First and foremost, go get a tailwheel endorsement! This is probably the most accessible and inexpensive option that I will be addressing in this article, simply because there tends to be plenty of flight schools that have some sort of a tailwheel aircraft on their flight line. Most of which, like the Citabria, are much more inexpensive per hour than their “nose-dragging” glass cockpit friends. Some of the most fun and exciting aircraft out there are tailwheels, and this endorsement opens the door for you to enjoy them! I will spare you my highly biased opinions regarding learning to fly in a tailwheel to begin with; after all, there are many examples of great pilots who did not. I will, however, express my findings of being a full-time flight instructor who specializes in tailwheel training – flying a tailwheel aircraft makes you better!
Max G Extra and T6 formation. (Max G Aviation)This training is not just about landing an aircraft that has the wheels mounted in the “correct” places. Tailwheel training usually entails learning how to slip properly, since most of these aircraft are not equipped with flaps. At our club we include cross controlled stalls and even spin training in some cases. It is challenging and rewarding, not to mention the skills you build and sharpen while flying conventional gear aircraft will directly transfer into any aircraft you fly thereafter. This training also serves as a gateway to flying some of the coolest aircraft and most challenging styles of flying. For example, most bush pilots are tailwheel nuts! Getting this endorsement and training in your logbook is also an excellent way to go about your Flight Review.
Go learn aerobatics! I already mentioned my pursuit of airshows, but I do not intend on talking anyone into being an air show pilot! But learning aerobatics is one of the best ways to sharpen your situational awareness skills and have lots of fun. Many flight schools have access to some type of aerobatic aircraft. The most common aerobatic training aircraft is the Decathlon and it is a wonderful platform upon which to build your aerobatic foundation.
The Great Lakes and Decathlonfg over Novato, Ca. (Max G Aviation)At our flight school, Max G Aviation, we have a Decathlon, a Great Lakes, a Pitts, and an Extra. Even with access to such high performance aerobatic machines, we always recommend the Decathlon (or Great Lakes) for the basics. The Decathlon is a very capable aircraft but not nearly as powerful and maneuverable as the Pitts and Extra, which means that it requires attention to detail in order to perform properly. While flying in general exposes you to the third axis, the “Z” axis, aerobatics allows you to truly explore it. Most of your flight training has emphasized avoiding the edges of your aircraft’s flight envelope. When learning aerobatics, we encourage you to explore and be comfortable flying on the edge.
One of the maneuvers you will be very well versed in by the end of your training is spins. We have found that there is a huge lack of spin training knowledge, skill, and confidence among our entire industry and there really is no reason for it. In aerobatic training you learn to recover from a variety of spins and we have found, surprise-surprise, if you actually know how to do a spin on purpose, you are much less likely to enter one by accident.
A very fun side of aerobatics is the opportunity to fly competitions. There are IAC (International Aerobatic Club) sanctioned competitions all across the country that provide great opportunities to demonstrate your skill, and to learn from informed peers. There are many different levels of competition, starting with Primary, that allows even the most novice aerobatic competitor to enter the arena. At Max G, we have an aerobatic team, which consists of our students and clients that have learned to fly acrobatics. We take the Decathlon, Pitts, and Extra to regional competitions. You will find this training to be very rewarding and maybe someday, you will be glad you had it in your bag of tricks!
Go fly a warbird! If you are reading this article, chances are you have been to an airshow and have seen very beautiful vintage aircraft fly in front of the crowds in formation. The look and the sound of several aircraft flying by can be awe-inspiring. These warbirds seem so distant and unattainable to most pilots but you would be surprised at how accessible they really are, especially the trainers.
At Max G Aviation we have a few warbird trainers: an Aeronca L-3, a BT-13 Vultee, and a PT-19; we also have limited access to an AT-6 Texan. These aircraft have a certain romance about them. For plenty of people, flying a warbird is an opportunity to fly with the ghosts of years past. Anyone who owns a warbird knows that they are but a steward of that aircraft, tasked with keeping that part of history alive and in the best of condition. It’s a real honor to be able to look inside these windows to history. Some even have those big “round” engines with lots of power and unmistakable sound, but more than that, I believe they are time machines. When you fly a warbird, you are taken back to the 1930s and 40s, and it would not take much to picture being a young Cadet in flight training getting ramped up to fly fighters and bombers. There are a surprising number of these aircraft available for rental and even for sale so take a look around and see if you can take to the skies in one of these magnificent time portals!
Go fly formation! If you thought that flying to that airport for lunch by yourself was fun, you should try coming into the overhead break with three aircraft off your wing, landing, and all taxiing to the ramp together in perfect harmony! If done correctly, formation is demanding but safe, extremely exciting, and a great way to sharpen skills. At Max G we offer formation courses from basic wing through lead. Although there are very few regulations restricting formation flight, we believe that it is something that should be very disciplined and thought out. A solid briefing is imperative. Once you get in the air, it is a true test of your fine-tuned skills. When you are flying along as a single, a twenty-foot deviation in altitude, or a two-degree accidental heading change, or even a three-knot acceleration is no big deal; but in formation it is huge and very noticeable! We believe that formation flying is the best team sport. The camaraderie that comes from being a trusted lead or trusted wing man is a feeling you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere in the civilian world.
All of the above are examples of fun and exciting ways to build deeper skills and expound on the certificate you already have. In all of the suggestions I mentioned, I highly recommend finding a school or club that specializes in what it is that you are pursuing. Always seek out proper ground and flight instruction when learning new skills. Although we offer all of the options I list at Max G Aviation, there are many places across the country that offer some of these courses.
It is easy to forget the original reason we all decided to fly. Why? We are all the same when it comes to the passion we share for flight. We get to do something that past generations and all the history of humanity could only dream of. Yet we still get bored with this magnificent privilege. Back to my original point, there are many options you have when you find yourself bored with the $100 hamburger and wonder, “what’s next?” If you ask me, I say, “Take it to the next level.”
Jerod Flohr with Max G’s Extra 300L. (Max G Aviation)Jerod Flohr is the Owner/Chief Instructor at Max G Aviation in Palo Alto, Calif. He holds a CFI and CFII as well as a 500 FT airshow waiver. Jerod teaches in a variety of high performance aerobatic airplanes and flies airshows in Max G’s Extra 300L. For more information visit his website at www.maxgaviation.com or visit their office located inside Advantage Aviation at Palo Alto Airport.
