First discovery flight: unforgettable experience and instructor!!…read more
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by aviation. As a kid living abroad, I fondly remember flying home alone for the holidays and being shown the inside of cockpit. I love the feeling of accelerating down a runway, the feeling of rotation, and I love the engineering, mechanics, and aerodynamics that makes planes fly. I always wondered what it would be like to fly a plane, and to perhaps one day become a pilot.
A few weeks ago, I was visiting some friends who just moved to LA, and they were both interested in trying it out as well. I called a few schools to see if any could accommodate all 3 of us flying together (we are all under 150lbs) and South Bay aviation went above and beyond by booking us on short notice for what would end up being a truly unforgettable experience.Because I am already interested in becoming a pilot, I purchased a simulator yoke(*) and rudder pedals to get a bit of training in, and my friends and I each flew maybe 5-10h each in the simulator at home. This is not a requirement, as anyone can do a discovery flight regardless of experience, but it was helpful for us as we were able to hit the ground running (or to keep runway heading one might say).
I waited a few days to write this review because I have since done 2 other discovery flights (both out of Van Nuys) and wanted to have something to compare this to. Hands down, without a doubt, I would recommend to everyone to book flying here with Maxine, wether it just be for a discovery flight, to train for your PPL, or just to improve your flying skills. If I lived in LA I would be a student at this school. Here's why:Let's talk a bit about the flights first: all 3 of us did a 1 hour discovery flight, but we took a few different routes:I went first, doing a memorable flight over LA including sick views such as Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory, Dodgers stadium, downtown LA, coast line, and amazingly, a corridor right over LAX that so many pilots dream of flying through. After sight seeing we had a bit of extra time and we did some maneuvers/training, more on this later.
The other two flights were over Palos verdes, the coast, the port of Long Beach, and included significantly more time for maneuvers, which brings me to the main reason I am writing this review:Flying with Maxine wasn't just a ton of fun, it was also a masterclass in how to approach education and training. I am a big fan of the Magic School Bus TV show because the children in the show are always the ones figuring out how to do stuff, instead of adults figuring it out for them.
From the very beginning during pre-flight check, to taxi, take off, climb, cruise, descent, and landing, Maxine pushed us to learn and improve as much as possible given our very limited experience and short time together. She spent the extra brain cycles to not just keep us safe and entertained (for example pointing out specific points of interest or history of port of Long Beach), but to help us become better pilots in just one short hour. For example, with both other flight schools, the instructor rushed to set up the plane without much explanation as to what was going on, Maxine showed us some of the steps and even had us help push the plane from/to its parking spot! She also showed us how trim actually works, and explained to us the various moving control surfaces. She explained the operation of the stall horn in an unforgettable way. Once on the runway, Maxine let us do the rotation and climb, while giving constant feedback when possible, instead of constantly grabbing controls -something I now know less experienced CFIs tend to do.Having spent a few hours in the simulator, I had a tendency to stare at my instruments instead of the horizon. Maxine clocked this right away and gave me feedback to improve my flying. She also helped us all understand the fundamentals of flight and trim, and once we were comfortable, we even tried some more advanced maneuvers like slow flight, turns around a point, and steep turns. Once again, Maxine evaluated what we were capable of and pushed us to try hard things, and then directly demonstrated specific, more technical maneuvers when we asked to see those. All while flying in one of the most scenic locations in the world!
Flying with Maxine was the highlight of my trip to LA. She has a true gift for teaching, a true passion for flying, qualities I will look for wherever I end up training. We all left not only with incredible memories of flying over LAX, the coast, the Hollywood sign, but with a much better understanding of what it takes to be a pilot, and with significantly more confidence in our ability to master the art of flying over time. My only regret is that I don't live in LA, but I will be sure to come back as often as possible for flying lessons with our very own Ms Frizzle!
(*) in retrospect a joystick would have been just as good & half the price
