Flight Training

Fast Facts:

• MMI operates an FAA certified Part 141 flight school based at Vaiden Field, A-08
• The program is designed with the goal of achieving a private pilot’s license (PPL)
• MMI owns three airplanes: a Cessna 172 (Skyhawk) and two Cessna 150s
• Extracurricular flight training takes place on afternoons and weekends
• Ready Room includes a FAA certified Basic Flight Training Simulator
• Start-up costs per cadet require a $1,000 deposit to cover ground school tuition, flight suits, and first flight.
• Flying Tigers then pay as they go for flight instruction, including fuel.
• The MMI Foundation awards three aviation scholarships to help offset program costs.

Contact: COL Bill Hansen, flight instructor

Basic progression of the program, from Fall to Spring semester:

*       Settling into the cadet routine and taking ground school to learn basic aerodynamics
*       Initial training flights to understand takeoff, climb, pitch and power
*       Many touch-and-go landings to get comfortable landing the plane
*       First Solo flight, “the loneliest 30 minutes of their lives,” consisting of three take offs and three full stop landings
*       Cross country flights (at least 150 miles, to three different airports)
*       Written and oral test with prepared flight plan, followed by check ride with examiner
*       PPL awarded based on check ride performance (turns, holding altitude, parameters, landings, takeoffs, etc.)