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The University of Maine flying club has decided to hold its own ground school training course to help students, faculty and alumni learn how to fly.
The club, which already offers flight training services through a network of qualified pilots and use of their own Cessna 182, a two-seat, one-prop plane, will hold ground school throughout the spring semester to anyone interested.
The cost of the classes, which are structured around training students to qualify for the Federal Aviation Administration’s private pilot airplane written exam, is $70, and the cost of the materials is approximately $100.
The group hopes to offer discounts to undergraduate UMaine students, but the exact discount will depend on the number of applicants.
Frank D’Alessandro, a senior accounting major and president of the flying club, said he hopes that the opening of a ground school will help students at the university realize the great opportunities that are nearby.
“Flying is something everyone is interested in,” said D’Alessandro.
Many students often express an interest in flying a private plane, if for no other reason than the joy of doing so.
D’Alessandro said that his group decided to open a ground school in hopes that it would make getting a pilot license easier, and perhaps cheaper, for students.
“It offers students a chance to do something they’d never done before,” said D’Alessandro. “The ground school classes will be open to anyone affiliated with the university.”
The FAA written exam is normally taken after participating in a ground school class, and, until now, students in the area would have to travel further and pay significantly more in order to find classes. The 60-question test must be passed with at least 70 percent of the questions answered correctly.
The ground school classes will be taught by Michael Lessard, a certified flight instructor and professional pilot.
While the general goal of the classes will be toward completing the FAA written exam, this is only half of the process.
“There are two parts to getting your pilot license,” D’Alessandro said. “The first part is the written exam; the second is a log of at least 40 hours of flight time, 20 of which must be performed with a certified flight instructor.”
The UMaine flying club has a long history of helping students and people associated with the university to get those hours accomplished.
The group’s private airplane is stored in the public hangar at the Bangor Airfield.
Any member of the club can use the craft, provided they are certified as a pilot, reserve it far enough in advance and,more importantly, have the money to take it out.
The group charges a small monthly membership fee of $25, but any member who uses the plane must pay an additional surcharge for gasoline and upkeep of the aircraft, which are based on the total number of hours in the air.
For more information on signing up for the ground school classes or joining the flying club, contact Frank D’Alessandro on Firstclass or contact the university flying club faculty advisor Richard Eason.
Bangor Daily News