The EAA has a great first flight program, Eagle Flight, that allows you to opportunity to fly, and be introduced to everything that aviation has to offer. From the EAA:
Ever since he was growing up in Los Angeles, Brian Lewis knew he wanted to fly. He fondly remembers family outings at LAX where they’d park near the end of the runway at night to marvel at the big planes taking off and landing.
Lewis, now 54 and living in Cottonwood, Arizona, finally realized his dream of becoming a pilot this year thanks in large part to EAA’s year-old Eagle Flights program. He went up with Dale Williams, EAA 1058739, in Williams’ Cessna Cardinal (177B) for an Eagle Flight on November 27, 2012, and this past July Lewis became the first “Eagle” to earn a pilot certificate.
After that initial flight and others with Williams, Lewis started flight training in April this year, taking advantage of Williams’ generous offer to use his Cardinal. On May 19, with just in excess of nine hours logged, he soloed for the first time, quickly followed by his dual cross-country and solo cross-country in June.
Lewis’ instructor was Edward Kalabus Sr., a retired 767 captain with US Airways who flew internationally. Lewis called Kalabus “an amazing man and instructor. He had a lot of confidence in me and was truly inspirational in me achieving this goal.”
When they started flight training, Kalabus would fly his Christen Eagle from Prescott (PRC) to Cottonwood. Later Lewis flew to PRC to pick up Kalabus.
On July 30, and with 42.7 flight training hours logged, Lewis passed his checkride to earn his private pilot certificate. He also scored 100 percent on the FAA written exam.
Williams, EAA 1058739, also of Cottonwood, recalled the FAA examiner commenting, “Nobody gets their license with 42 hours!”
“I’m just extremely proud,” Williams said. “It’s been very rewarding to see Brian do so well, and so quickly.”
You can read the whole article HERE.
A bit more about the Eagle Flight program from the EAA:
When you say, “I’ve always wanted to fly,” we know what you’re talking about. That’s why we created EAA Eagle Flights. Now you can discover the fun, freedom, and accessibility of personal aviation through a hands-on introductory flight experience with an EAA member pilot in your area.
An Eagle Flight is your opportunity to experience all that aviation has to offer.
You’ll fly with a licensed, local EAA member pilot who will take you through the steps of flying your own airplane – from visually inspecting an airplane before the flight to taking off, landing, and navigating the sky.
During your flight, you’ll have the opportunity to follow along at the controls as your pilot shows you how to make gentle climbs, turns, and descents.
Eagle Flights are offered free of charge and are made possible through the generosity of local EAA members who are volunteering their time, aircraft, and fuel.
You can read the whole article HERE.
To find a flight near you, visit the EAA’s Find a Flight page HERE.