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Learning To Fly - The First Step TFC provides introductory rides to anyone interested in flying. For a nominal $79.00 charge we'll put you in the left seat with a certified flight instructor and let you fly the airplane. WHAT BETTER WAY TO DECIDE IF FLYING IS FOR YOU? Look in any community college catalog and you'll see they charge at least double this for a nothing more than a short ride. Contact our chief flight instructor or any officer to take advantage of this offer. The airport is located at the Collin County Regional Airport, McKinney TX. You can pay by check or use
Our Spring Ground School starts on March 8th. Contact our class organizer, Dick Stephens (Dick@stephens-family.net), or our Communications Officer, Darren O'Rourke (communications@tfcschedule.org). Download pdf of the Spring Flyer
Classes to be conducted at Texins Activity Center on TI's North Campus - LBJ & Central. The Texins Activity Center is located at the far north end of the TI Campus located at the northeast corner of Central Expressway (US 75) and LBJ Freeway (I-635). From US 75, take the Midpark Exit. Turn into the TI Campus and go through security; you'll need to show a photo ID. Midpark becomes Drive F going east on the TI Campus. Turn left / north at the first intersection onto Drive C (that runs north/south). Turn right / east on Drive K which goes in front of the Activity Center. Park in the lot to your right. From TI Boulevard, enter the campus at Drive C traveling west. You will need to show a photo ID. Continue west until you see the corner of the North Building ahead and to your left. Turn right / north onto Drive C. Turn right / east on Drive K which goes in front of the Activity Center. Park in the lot to your right.
To download the information sheet for the TFC Fall Ground School, please click here. REQUIREMENTS TO RECEIVE A PILOT'S LICENSE The FAA minimums required for receiving a PRIVATE pilot's license are:
Notes: These are wall clock hours and not tachometer hours. The above requirements are not mutually exclusive. For example, a 2 hr cross country flight at night with your instructor would count in four different categories (total time, dual, dual XC, & night). With careful planning it would be possible to qualify for the FAA check ride with exactly 40 hours of flight. In practice we find it takes closer to 60 hours total. A flight is considered cross country when the straight line distance between the take-off airport and the destination airport is greater than or equal to 50 nautical miles. The night flight requirements are somewhat optional. That is, if you do not meet these requirements at the time of your checkride, you will be restricted to daytime flights only. HOW AIRCRAFT "HOURS" ARE MEASURED There are two different meters in the aircraft to measure "hours", however each measures time in a different way. Time measured by these two meters is referred to as either "Tach Time", or "Hobbs time". Time measured by the Hobbs meter is the actual elapsed wall clock time that the aircraft engine has been operating. Time measured using this system is no different than looking at your watch when you start the engine and again when you shut it off, and taking the difference. Time measured by the tachometer (ie. Tach Time) is based on a meter which is similar to the odometer in your car. But instead of measuring rotations of the wheels (miles) it measures rotations (RPM) of the propeller. It has been calibrated so that during cruise flight when one hour has elapsed on the meter, one hour of wall clock time will also have passed (ie. at cruise RPM tach time will equal Hobbs time). However, when power is reduced for descent or taxiing tach time runs slowly. In a primary trainer aircraft you usually use only .8 tach hours for each Hobbs hour you fly (.9 for the a/c in our x-country fleet). WHY TFC CHARGES USING THE TACHOMETER HOUR The Flying Club has traditionally charged by the tach hour in the interest of promoting good power selection techniques. When you fly a plane at a commercial flight school, it costs the same if you run the engine at maximum throttle or if you reduce to recommended cruise RPM and lean the mixture for maximum efficiency and minimum engine wear. When you fly a club plane you reduce the clock rate when you reduce power, and within reasonable limits that helps both the member and the club. Restated, the advantage to our members is that during shorter training flights (which most of your flying time is while learning to fly) you can save as much as 20% per hour when using the Tach Hour system. The advantage for the club is that members are motivated to fly the airplanes at best efficiency during longer flights at cruise speed. |
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