Flight Instruction

We Provide

• Scheduling to suit your need
• One instructor, start to finish
• No cancelled lessons, ever

Pricing

• Cessna 172- $140/hour, fuel and instruction for Private and Instrument
• Cessna 172- $80/hour dry rent for solo rental
• Cherokee 236- $170/hour, fuel and instruction, instrument only please
• Computer Aided Training Device- eligible for 10 hours of instrument time- $55/hr
• Instruction only in your plane- $40/hour
• Ground school- $375/student
• Can be done as a weekend seminar, or weeknights for one week, 3 hours/night
• Times and locations will be announced well in advance
• Private, Instrument and Commercial written prep courses held
• Soon, we will administer the exam immediately afterward at all airports
• Financing available from multiple sources 
• We accept cash, checks, most major credit cards, and are working on GI Bill...

Since Douglas Aviation's instructors are contract professional pilots, they are not trying to earn some experience at your expense and move on. We are able to guarantee your satisfaction with our instruction in the areas below.

Private Pilot

The basic license for any pilot, in any category of aircraft. We offer Private Pilot Airplane with Private Pilot Helicopter coming soon.  This is the license a businessman will need in order operate his own airplane for business purposes.  Please also plan on the Instrument Rating as a safety measure against poor weather.

Students who have some training in the past- Your first flight with Douglas Aviation will be a 'show us what you know'.  Requirements for rating already met will NOT have to be repeated just because "we do it a little differently here".  If your instructor determines that you are safe, and you had been solo endorsed, you will be immediately solo endorsed again.  If you have logged more than 15 hours and are not yet solo endorsed, come fly with us once.  There are certain minimum times in this airplane that have to be met for insurance reasons, and no instructor can endorse you for a practical without logging 3 hours with you.

Recreational Pilot

For those who want to achieve a pilot license for personal satisfaction and to "joy ride" in beautiful weather, we offer Recreational Pilot, an economical solution for a person who has always wondered, "what if I had...".  With a Recreational Certificate, you are certified in "single engine land-based airplane" which means you may rent and pilot ANY aircraft that meets the description.  At any time in the future, you can learn how to navigate and move up to a Private Pilot Certificate.  Third Class Medical Certificate required.

Sport Pilot

A Sport Pilot Certificate restricts the pilot to a "light sport airplane" which is on the order of a Piper Cub.    Private and Recreational Pilots may pilot ANY light sport airplane (taildragger endorsement may be required), plus any other "single engine land" airplane.  A Medical Certificate is not required, however, you must NOT have been denied a Medical Certificate. 

The holder of any Pilot Certificate may choose to let his Medical expire (simply do not renew it) and can exercise the priveleges of Sport Pilot with your existing license.  Exercising the Priveleges also means that you are subject to the limitations....  Give us a call to discuss your situation.

Instrument Rating

Required by the FAA in order to operate when the weather is less than 3 miles visibility or clouds are 1,000 feet or lower. Not imperative to earn immediately, but for safety's sake, imperative to earn in the near future.

Navigation electronics in airplanes are changing rapidly, and there are several 'packages' on the market, which is why we recommend using your airplane for this rating. No sense in learning two different electronics suites. Most students simply purchase their own airplane after earning their Private license and hire a Douglas Aviation Instructor to escort them on business trips in order to gain the cross country and instrument time required for rating.  This tends to work well for businessmen; just be aware that you will incur the per diem charge to have the instructor out of town all day.

Multi-Engine Rating

Should you decide to purchase a multi engine airplane, Douglas Aviation will be more than happy to instruct you for that rating during the course of your instrument training, at NO additional charge.  Alternatively, if you would simply like to have the rating, we will be happy to use our airplane.

Commercial Pilot

The Commercial Pilot Certificate is required if you would like to get paid for flying others around. It is not required if you wish to fly yourself and employees on business, however it will have a positive impact on your insurance. After you have 250 hours or so, take a few hours additional instruction with us and learn a few new maneuvers. 

Certificated Flight Instructor

We offer this course to teach Commercial Pilots how to make new pilots. No matter what your profession, if you would like to mentor new pilots and earn a few dollars, CFI single engine airplane is for you. You do not have to work for Douglas Aviation afterward, but if we teach you, we'll hire you. All we ask is that you commit to your student and see him all the way through his exam.

Endorsements

Douglas Aviation can provide any pilot with the following endorsements:
 

• Complex
• High Performance
• Spin
• Pending lease agreement on an airplane:
• High Altitude
• Taildragger

Biennial Flight Review

Douglas Aviation will be happy to conduct your BFR.  The  required 1 hour ground will come straight out of ASA's Oral Exam Guide, and the minimum 1 hour flight will cover the type of flying you normally do.  You may expect a simulated emergency landing, a power off stall, a power on stall and a short field landing.  Flat rates: in our PA-28-236, $200.  In your airplane, $80. 

Instrument Proficiency check (61.57(c))

An IPC is required for instrument rated pilots who were unable to do the required flight elements in the preceding 6 months.  The FAA grants an automatic extension of an additional 6 months before a formal IPC is required, however, it is wise to get with an instructor periodically to brush up on your skills.  If you are within your six month window, or the 6 month grace period, a Douglas Aviation instructor will review your log book and do precisely what is needed to meet the requirement; and no more.  In our PA-28-236, $200.  In your airplane, $80.

If a full IPC is required, it is essentially an instrument checkride on the PTS Areas and Tasks our CFI determines.  There will be a 1 hour oral quiz ($30) from ASA's Oral Exam Guide and at least a 1 hour flight doing simple attitude maneuvers, intercepting VOR radials to get to the selected approaches, and those approaches.  The specific approaches will be selected and discussed during the oral portion of the IPC.  In our PA-28-236, $200.  In your airplane, $80.

Please don't forget to have your valid medical, your most recent log book, and your pilot certificate with you.