During the holiday season, it’s easy to forget that sometimes the best gift of all is simply the gift of time. I can’t think of anything a writer would appreciate more than being given time and space to work. Kate Klise

Buy A Gift Certificate Here

For The Little Ones

Simple gifts that are free or don’t cost a lot are always great gifts for the young ones in the family.

Make up a coloring book from free drawings on the web, add some colored markers or crayons and you are on your way with a colorful gift that will entertain your children.

Involve Mom, Dad, or an older child in building a simple aircraft using a clothes pin with a younger child.

Just a couple ideas for children of many ideas on the internet.

Thinking about becoming a pilot.

We suggest an Introductory Discovery Flight if someone in the family is interest in becoming a pilot or who is interested in experiencing flight.  Give us a call to learn more.

Ready to start flight training.

Many books and Private Pilot Kits are available for a Private Pilot starting their flight training along with other pilot supplies. To get started, our flight instructors often recommend the Airplane Flying Handbook published from the FAA. Freeflight also sells the Complete Private Pilot Kit publishing by ASA. This kit contains many of the necessary items that are be needed for a student’s flight training, including a logbook, an E6B flight computer, a plotter, the test questions, and a FAR-AIM. Freeflight offers Gift Certificates for some of these items online HERE.

You can also purchase each of the items from the kit, individually, if you are on a limited budget. Other inexpensive supplies include flashlights, fuel testers, a multi tool that includes a screw driver, plexiglass cleaner, and micro fiber cleaning cloths.

Additional Pilot Items

Aviation Headsets makes another great gift, but I suggest some dream gift discussing with a pilot on this subject. Headsets come in all makes and models, cost, and prices. There are inexpensive headsets, such as the ASA model HS- 1A to the David Clark H10-13S median-priced headset, to the noise canceling headsets such as the Lightspeed Headsets.

Handheld radios from Icom or Yaesu

A small I-Pad with a Foreflight – An Electronic Flight Bag Subscription or an aircraft yoke support for the aircraft.

Magazine Subscriptions to AOPA – Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association, EAA – Experiment Association Membership, Air and Space Museum Magazine

Private Pilot Training Class or Instrument Pilot Training Class offering. Freeflight presently has a Private Pilot Training Class schedule to start Feb 6^th, 2018. Other classes will be available in the future.

Just for Fun

A friend of ours just started a Drone Company call Buzz My Property. This company will take a video of your property. What a great gift for someone in your family for the holidays. Buzz My Property also has a Facebook Page and Listed on Instagram. Be the first in your neighborhood to show off an aerial view of your home.

Biggest Flight Journey of ALL: Santa and NORAD

For over 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight. Follow Santa as he makes his magical journey!

Happy Holidays!

I love holidays. It’s such a wonderful time for the whole family to be together and not have to worry about schedules and that kind of thing. Toni Collette

The Patti Wagon Café at the Flying W Airport will have it’s annual Holiday Gathering on Friday Dec 1st starting at 6:30 PM.

All local Pilots and Friends of the airport are invited.

Patti and the Flying W Airport have decorated the facility for the Holiday Season. The restaurant windows are painted with wearths, snowman, and a flying Santa.

We hope to see you on Friday December the 1st. It will be a nice way to start the monthly holiday season off with airport friends and family.

“Give freely to the world these gifts of love and compassion. Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return, just know in your heart it will be returned.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

New Jersey Discovery Flight Gift Packages

Private Pilot Ground School starting Tuesday February 6, 2018

Please see out “Pilot Shop” for additional Gift Certificates

About our Discovery Flight Packages.

Both Discovery Flight Packages are a hand’s on flight experiences. Our certificated FAA Flight Instructor will teach you some basic principles about flight prior to departing on your first flight in the aircraft. You will get a chance to learn about starting the aircraft, taxing the aircraft to the runway of departure, the departing procedures, and a chance to manage the controls of the aircraft, all under the control of one of our Flight Instructors.

Important information about your flight experience prior to purchasing.

• Our Discovery Flight Packages expires one year from the date of purchase.
• Students under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Please bring a valid form of ID with you to the airport.
• The maximum weight for this experience is 250 pounds.
• This experience is weather dependent.
• One person per plane
• To schedule your experience we recommend at least 7 days notification.
• Discovery Flight Certificates are non-refundable

After purchasing your Discovery Flight Package.

• Freeflight Aviation will send you a “Numbered ” Discovery Flight Package” Certificate, so please add your email address to the checkout form.
• This may take 3-7 business days.
• To make your Discovery Flight reservation, please call 609-265-0399 or 609-456-0001
• Your Discovery Flight “Certificate Number” is to be provided to Freeflight Aviation when making a reservation.
• We will ask your weight, height, age, phone number, and email address for your reservation. Why? – Knowing his information will help us chose an airplane, flight instructor, and send you and email of your appointment.
• Wear comfortable clothing and sunglass for those sunny days. We suggest no open toe shoes for your flight.
• Please remember to bring your “Discovery Flight Certificate” with you on the day of your flight.
• Discovery Flights may sometimes have to be rescheduled for weather, such as rain, wind, low clouds, mechanic problems, or other unknown reasons.
• If you request a “Refund” of your online purchase, there is a $10.00 refund processing fee.

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.    Aristotle

PRIVATE PILOT GROUND SCHOOL

PRIMARY TRAINING AND REFRESHER COURSE

We Invite: Primary, Potential Students, Certificated Private Pilots and Rusty Pilots

Starting Date: Tuesday February 6, 2018 for 10 weeks

Starting Time: 6 PM-10 PM

Location: Freeflight Aviation, Flying W Airport, 60 Fostertown Rd, Medford, NJ 08055

Price: $270 for the complete course or $30 per session

(Textbooks and pilot supplies sold separately and available will be at Freeflight Aviation)

Instructor: Shannon Wea

• • This course covers all aeronautical knowledge items required for Private Pilot certification.
  • At course completion, students who pass a sample test will receive an endorsement to take the FAA Knowledge Test. (There is no limit to the number of times you may take the sample test).
  • Experienced pilots may attend the sessions of their choice as an excellent refresher.
  • Rusty pilots will find this training a great way to get back in the game.
  • To enroll or request additional information, contact the instructor Freeflight Aviation at 609-265-0399 or Shannon Wea at 609-532-3013.
  • Please provide Proof of Citizenship (current passport or birth certificate with raised seal) to Freeflight Aviation prior to attending classes.
  • Training TextBooks for class: FAA’s Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Private Pilot FAA Test Questions – (Gliem Preferred or ASA Brand)
  • This course can be purchased online through this website HERE.

There’s only one interview technique that matters. Do your homework so you can listen to the answers and react to them and ask follow-ups. Do your homework, prepare.

Jim Lehrer

AND YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE FINISHED WITH HOMEWORK!

I remember in grade school I would be sitting in class shaking like a leaf because I knew the teacher was about to collect our homework and I hadn’t completed mine. Sometimes it was because I forgot, but more often than not, I just chose not to do it. Typically, this was because the subject didn’t interest me and I didn’t appreciate its importance. In actuality, I guess I was just a typical adolescent.

As a flight instructor I am now on the opposite side of the fence. I am the teacher and my flight customers are my students. I am the one handing out homework, and I have to be honest, when a student doesn’t complete an assignment it is puzzling and confusing. This training is an endeavor they chose, it’s one they have obvious interest in, and they are clearly no longer a rebellious whipper-snapper. Further, the importance of the information cannot be denied and this is training they are directly paying for.

The reason for this article is an effort to assist students in understanding the importance of completing and comprehending the study materials we assign before a flight lesson.

As you probably have discovered, each lesson has a learning objective and an aviation skill to hone. Typically, we ask that you read a related chapter in a textbook or watch a relevant video, plan a cross country, or complete a navigation log prior to a flight. The efficacy of the flight exercise we are about to engage in would be significantly hobbled if you did not prepare in advance. Moreover, each flight lesson is a building block which supports each subsequent lesson to come. Without proper study, the house we are attempting to build is being forged on a very weak foundation.

When an aircraft is scheduled, it is usually for only 2 hours or so and let’s break down a typical encounter:

• After the usual pleasantries and small talk 10 to 15 minutes pass. The instructor knows that there will be significant time spent walking out to the plane, performing a pre-flight, calling for fuel, adding oil, completing checklists, starting-up, warming-up, running-up, taxiing and flying to the practice area…so he or she looks at their watch, closes their eyes and inquires with trepidation…
• “…ok, so, did you read the chapter I assigned which covered Sectional Charts and Emergencies?”
• The student is caught off guard by the question begins a sheepish apology of, “Ah, yea…I ah…well… sort of…I mean I ah.… you know…might of missed a little…or some…you know…basically all of it.”

It is now clear the quality of the lesson is compromised. The instructor won’t reprimand the student, send them to the principal’s office or demand penance, but trust me, the sentence is close at hand! Now, instead of just a 5 or 10 minute synopsis of the lesson plan, the instructor must give a 90 minute lecture compressed into a hasty 30 or 40 minute oration of the subject matter.

This student arrived at the airport with the excitement of flight, but unfortunately they just deprived themselves of precious air time. They are now ground-bound, forced into self-inflicted atonement for the sins of educational neglect. They are forced to sit in a windowless classroom and listen to a middle-aged man droning on about some topic on a beautiful Saturday morning…one with the Sun bright, the sky blue, the winds calm and an aircraft beckoning from its tie-down. For pity’s sake, I beg you to avoid putting yourself in this position!

There is so much more to becoming a pilot than stick and rudder skills. You are going to need extensive knowledge of aerodynamics, the weather, aircraft systems, cross-country planning, ATC communications, aeronautical charts, the POH, and the list goes on. It is for pity’s sake that I implore you to study your assigned material before for the scheduled flight. Escape the mindset that it is only your job to show up, sit inertly at a desk while an instructor pours knowledge into your head. This attitude is deeply flawed, because becoming a safe and knowledgeable aviator is not a passive activity…it is an active process; you and only you must take charge, take the initiative and take command of your learning.

After solo, the instructor’s role transitions from teacher, to evaluator, to passenger, to peer. Therefore, take ownership of each flight!

In closing, your instructor will always be there as your mentor, your guide and your most dedicated supporter, but understand it remains your responsibility and it benefits you to complete required assignments, to comprehend the material, to show up prepared, and to ask relevant questions.

Gene Wentzel, ATP, CFII

Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.

INSTRUMENT PILOT GROUND SCHOOL PILOT TRAINING AND REFRESHER COURSE

Starting Wednesday November 8th for 9 Weeks

Time: 6 PM to 9:30 PM
Location: Freeflight Aviation, Flying W Airport, 60 Fostertown Rd, Medford, NJ 08055
Price: $329 for the complete course or $40 per session
(Textbooks and pilot supplies sold separately)

Instructor: Bob McCabe, CFI, CFII, IGI, AGI, FAA Safety Counselor
• Comprehensive ground school covering all aeronautical knowledge required for the Instrument Pilot Rating
• At course completion, students who pass a sample test will receive an endorsement to take the FAA Knowledge Test. (Unlimited number of practice tests).
• Experienced pilots may attend the sessions of their choice as an excellent refresher.
• Rusty pilots will find this training a great way to get back in the game.
• To enroll or request additional information, contact the instructor Bob McCabe at 856-912-5329 or Freeflight Aviation at 609-265-0399.
• Please provide Proof of Citizenship (current passport or birth certificate with raised seal) to Freeflight Aviation prior to attending classes.

Note: Please send us an email for a copy of the Instrument Pilot Ground School Course Syllabus

About the Instructor
Bob McCabe is a certificated flight instructor, advanced ground instructor and instrument flight and ground instructor with more than 3600 hours flight time and 25 years of teaching experience. He is a former flight school owner, corporate instructor, and adjunct college professor. He holds the rank of Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol and has served as New Jersey Wing Commander, mission pilot, instructor pilot, check pilot and cadet orientation pilot. Bob is a volunteer FAA Safety Counselor for the Philadelphia Flight Standards District and has presented seminars on a wide range of safety related topics. He is a nationally recognized public speaker and author. In 2014, Bob received the General Aviation Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year Award representing the FAA’s Eastern Region. In 2015, he received the General Aviation Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year Award representing the Philadelphia Flight Standards District.

Comments from former students:
”Best explanation of aerodynamics I’ve ever had”
“Great experience! Helped me build confidence”
“Exceeded my expectations”
“The open exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience of someone who’s been there were a great benefit”
“After many, many years of classroom and practical instruction I can state unequivocally that Bob McCabe is the best teacher I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I had ground school training from Bob which was clear, concise, entertaining and informative. Absolutely the BEST!”

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough we must do.

Goethe

Currency – FAA Safety Seminars

The following are upcoming seminars at our local airport, the Flying W Airport.

Thursday, October 12, 2017, starting at 19:00 EDT

Title: Slips Skids Spins and Upsets

You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.     

Steve Prefontaine

The Insane Inflatable 5 K Event

Is being held October 7th at the Flying W Airport in Medford, NJ

Register today by Clicking HERE!

Please note that the Runway at the Airport will be closed on October 7th from 8 AM to Noon for this event.

If you are going to survive in business, show business or any business, then you have to be bold.

Rebecca Ferguson
 

The Flying W Airshow – Sept 30th to Oct 1st

Enjoy a day at our Airport!   See you there and enjoy the Show!

There is something deep within us that sobs at endings. Why, God, does everything have to end?  Why does all nature grow old?  Why do spring and summer have to go?

Joe Wheeler

Join LifeStyle Aviation for The Elite Event – NY- Essex County Airport – Sept. 8-9, 2017

LifeStyle Aviation will be featuring the Diamond DA62, the newest addition to their modern line of personal aircraft. The DA62 is an ultra-luxury7-passenger personal jet-fuel burning twin-engine aircraft that makes personal flight practical and easy to justify. For those wanting to be the captain of their freedom and learn to fly, LifeStyle Aviation will be displaying the Diamond DA40 XLT which is the critically acclaimed “Perfect First Aircraft” to learn to fly and enter the Aviation LifeStyle.

Join us for The Elite Event – New York | September 8-9, 2017

The Montgomery Gentry Concert at the Flying W Airport September 8th

Because of the upcoming Montgomery Gentry Concert event (https://events.ticketprinting.com/event/24091) at the Flying W Airport this coming Friday, September 8th the Airport Operations, the Runway, and the Facilities will be closed from 5 PM to 11PM.

Due to this upcoming concert event, our aircraft have been moved to the parking area near Helicopter Flight Services. While the aircraft are parked in this area, we do not want the aircraft parked at flight operations unless you are the flight instructor that removed that aircraft that parking area.

From our discussion with the Flying W Airport, tickets are still available online for this event, or you can purchase tickets at the gate.

Purchase Tickets HERE

Private Pilot Training Class

Our next Private Pilot Ground School Training Class will start this Tuesday evening Sept 12 at 6 PM.

For more information, please click HERE

FAA Safety Seminars are Back at the Flying W Airport for the fall season.

The next Safety Seminar will be on Thursday September 14th starting at 7 PM. The subject will be: Pilot Awareness and Local Airspace Navigation – Mid Air Collision Avoidance and Intercept Procedures as it relates to the local airspace. Click HERE to learn more or to register for this seminar.

Discovery Flights, Gift Certificates!

Are still available at Freeflight Aviation.

You can even purchase these items online today.

Just Click HERE