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Walking into Portmeirion is like entering a fairy tale. Located on the peninsula between Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth in North Wales, Portmeirion was built between 1925 and 1976 by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. In an area blessed with stunningly beautiful scenery, this is the most imaginative and elaborate folly built in Britain. Rainbow coloured houses suggest sunny Mediterranean landscapes. Walking through the village you can come across almost every part of architectural history you&rsquo;ve heard of &ndash; there are statues of Greek gods, arcaded porches, fountains, a shell grotto and Corinthian columns. You can even see swaying palm trees around the tinkling fountains. Some visitors find the landscapes eerily familiar. This is because Portmeirion was used as the location for the cult 60s TV series The Prisoner, one of the most influential pieces of television of the era. Portmeirion has also provided the backdrop for many other TV shows and films. Fans of The Prisoner are amongst the majority of those who come to Portmeirion, and there’s ample opportunity to buy souvenirs.Patrick McGoohan stared as Number Six, the leading role in the The Prisoner, and was also the creator and driving force behind the seventeen episode series. Even today, almost forty years after it first appeared, there are numerous fans. Even the Beatles were fans. In The Prisoner Patrick McGoohan finds himself transported to a strange village surrounded by sea and mountains. Everything looks cheerful and bright, but the village has a sinister purpose. Its population are prisoners, identified only by a number, from whom information is required. The prisoners have had their desire to escape taken away, either by their purposeless existence, brainwashing or surgery. As Number 6, McGoohan is the only one with the will to escape, the one who refuses to be broken with his constant call of &quot;I am not a number; I am a free man. But if you’re not a fan of the series, or maybe haven&rsquo;t even heard of it, there are plenty of other reasons to visit Portmeirion. There are a number of shops and Portmeirion Pottery, established by Clough Williams-Ellis&#39; daughter Susan and her husband Euan in 1960, offers original ceramic designs for sale. However, nowadays the pottery itself is produced in Stoke on Trent. The hotel at Portmeirion is worth a visit. It contains a massive carved Italian renaissance fireplace, a typical eighteenth century stair with an elegant balustrade and the library from the Great Exhibition of 1851, complete with its intricately carved doors and mantelpiece, to name but a few of its delights. If you fancy making a weekend of it the hotel has fourteen rooms in the main building and twenty-six rooms and suites in the surrounding village; Castell Deudraeth has eleven rooms and suites, and there are seventeen self-catering cottages sleeping from two to eight people. There are plenty of places to eat. As well as the Portmeirion Hotel itself, you have the option of choosing the Castell Deudraeth Bar and Grill, which specialises in local seafood and other local produce; the Town Hall self service restaurant with its freshly cooked hot and cold meals and snacks and Cadwaladers Ice Cream Parlour offering ice creams, tea, coffee and snacks. Or you could simple take along a picnic, as there are numerous locations where you can eat and enjoy the scenery. Although the village itself is an absolute delight, there is far more to Portmeirion. A seventy-acre sub-tropical woodland lies to the west, crisscrossed with paths for walking. During the summer months it’s ablaze with colour from the rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias that grow there. If you feel like being a little more active, there&rsquo;s a swimming pool on the lawn beneath the hotel and a tennis court. Plus the miles of sandy beaches for walking or perhaps a quick dip in the sea. Yes, this is North Wales, but the weather here can be surprisingly good as the area seems to have its own micro-climate. There’s something for everyone here. Even small children are entertained by the beach and woodland as if the village weren’t enough. Most people find that once they’ve visited Portmeirion they come back again and again. Indicative links Official Portmeirion village website http://www.portmeirion-village.com . The Prisoner Appreciation Society <a href=\”http://www.netreach.net/~sixofone/\”>

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The city of Atlanta has a lot to offer for visitors and residents to enjoy.  From family fun for all ages to superior shopping, dining, and night life, Atlanta has it all.  But, if you’re looking for great getaways there are also many area attractions within only a few hours of the Atlanta Airport.  One great day trip perfect for the whole family to experience together is visiting historic Warm Spring, GA located approximately 65 miles southwest of the Atlanta Airport.

Warm Springs, GA is best known for Roosevelt’s Little White House Historic Site.  Part of the Georgia State Park system, the historic site features President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s vacation home featuring the portrait he was posing for during his fatal stroke.  Only a short drive from the Little White House is Roosevelt Warm Springs.  This is a rehabilitation center and National Historic Landmark.  It is also the host site for the Smithsonian exhibit “Whatever Happened to Polio?”.

Next, no trip to the area is complete without visiting FDR’s Pools and Warm Springs Museum.  The pools at this site were built and used by FDR for polio treatments from 1927 until 1942.  Guests can learn about the springs and feel the warm water from the basin.

While in Warm Springs take a little time to enjoy the local shopping district.  This historic town’s main street features collectible and antique shops located in century-old buildings.   Also, a short drive away is the Town of Pine Mountain which is home to unique gift shops, an antique mall, art galleries, and an emporium.

Another interesting attraction to visit is the Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center and Aquarium.  While there you can get an up close look at striped bass, paddlefish, and sturgeon in various stages of development.  Run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Fisheries Center was established in 1990 and strives to preserve the tradition of fishing.

A great way to end your day trip to Warm Springs is to experience the area on horseback.  Riders can navigate along trails that run through the F.D. Roosevelt State Park when visiting the Roosevelt Riding Stables.  While in the state park you can also visit Dowdell’s Knob, the four-term President’s favorite picnic spot.  It provides an incredible overlook to the valley below.

With lots to do and only a short drive from the Atlanta Airport, Warm Springs, GA is a must see getaway.  The land, known as being in the Presidential Pathways region of Georgia, is rich with heritage and history of FDR.  Plan your day trip to Warm Springs today.

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(PRWEB) June 16, 2005

Professional Instrument Courses, Inc. of Essex, CT, is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary in the year 2005. Founded in 1980, P.I.C. is best known for its personalized 10-day instrument rating course presented at the student’s location anywhere in the United States.

P.I.C. sends a professional instructor with a portable flight simulator to the pilot. The instructor gives ground school and simulator lessons in the pilot’s home and accelerated flight training from a local airport. The instructor stays in a local motel, tailoring the eight hour daily schedule to the client’s convenience. Thanks to the carefully organized curriculum and experienced professional teachers, most clients receive their instrument rating in only ten days.

With a staff of over 60 full time professional instructors, equipped with simulators, criss-crossing the nation, P.I.C. has trained more than ten thousand private instrument pilots. There are P.I.C. “graduates” in every corner of the country, in all 50 states, several territories and some foreign countries.

When P.I.C. was founded in 1980, most private instrument training occurred on an informal basis over many months. Intensive training was viewed with suspicion. Training was done mostly in the airplane and many pilots did not believe in simulator training. This was despite the fact that professional pilots, military and civilian, were trained on a full time basis, with heavy flight simulator use.

Since then, attitudes about instrument training changed and training methods evolved. Now there is hardly a pilot who does not recognize the value of the simulator and of full-time intensive training. It is widely accepted that this approach saves time and money and improves the efficiency of the instrument training.

Also, more and more pilots recognize the instrument rating as a practical necessity.

More pilots today use their airplanes for necessary transportation. They have lost their willingness to sit out weather delays in airport motel rooms. Consequently, there has been a continuing rise in the number of instrument rated private pilots – Pilots trained to fly under Instrument Flight Rules or IFR weather conditions. As that training “consumer” has become more educated the demand has grown for high quality, efficient, professional level IFR training.

P.I.C. has been able to grow with these trends and to emerge as one of the leaders in its field.

According to Tom Seymour, P.I.C. Vice President, the company has been successful thanks to a strategy of specialization and good service. “Our courses are efficient and professionally conducted, and they are convenient for the client. We go to his or her home base, anywhere in the United States,” he says. “We feel a lot of satisfaction at seeing general aviation adopt the attitudes towards instrument training that the professional pilot has had for many years.”

All P.I.C.’s accelerated IFR training programs involve instrument or type training at the client’s location. The company offers a Refresher course for instrument pilots and insurance company approved Type-Training courses for a wide variety of aircraft, including cabin-class twins.

The Instrument Flight Training Manual, based on the P.I.C. course and published by Aviation Book Company, has become the standard guidebook for new and experienced instrument pilots. The recently released Third Edition is available from the company and also through popular catalogues.

For more information, call John O’Brien at P.I.C’s toll-free number 800-435-9437 or visit their web site at http://www.IFlyIFR.com

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There are millions of Persons around the world, who have learned to fly. Some of them do it just for fun, others use it as a way to travel to work and there are others who become career pilots to earn a living.

If you are starting to do research on how to learn to fly, it can sometimes become an overwhelming task, but stay calm it is not as hard as it looks!!! There are 9 different types of basic certificates. In successive order of qualifications they include student, sport, recreational, private, instrument rated, commercial, certified flight instructor, airline transport pilot and designated pilot examiner. This system of certificates, together with a set of add-on ratings is used to specify the different types of flying a pilot may do.

To successfully acquire a certain certificate, a pilot must complete ground school, written examination, oral examination and flight test. The good thing is that these certificates never expire until they are surrendered, suspended or revoked. However to be able to fly the pilot is required to remain current in certain things such as to hold a valid medical certificate and to fly a certain amount of hours per year.

Let me explain to you each certificate in more detail. Note that this information is based on FAA rules. The rules imposed by the Regulatory Agencies of your country might be slightly different, however in context they are pretty much the same.

This is the starting point for everyone who wants to learn to fly. It is also the point where you will know if you will like flying or not. This can happen as early as your first flight. In my case, on the first flight I felt like I was the King of the World. Student pilot privileges are very limited, however they provide enough freedom to allow you to learn all of the basics, including cross country flying and interaction with ATC.

When you are starting to learn how to fly, you complete all of your flights with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) on board. If you have reached the age of 16, have a valid Class III medical and have mastered the basic skills and educational topics of flight, you can make your first solo (Make a flight normally at an airport with low traffic, the location may vary from CFI to CFI, without an instructor or other certified pilots at the controls).

As a student pilot you are allowed to operate only near to your “home-base” and with a sign-off by your CFI you can travel to other local airports to practice your cross country skills. You may only fly in good weather during the day and night. You may think “I have a CFI on board and if weather gets worse he can fly back”. In general terms that is true, but it would be a waste of your money, since those hours do not count towards your certificate. I personally do not recommend it, but hey, it is your money. As a student pilot you are not allowed to carry passengers or fly for hire. Flying on busy Class B airspaces is usually not permitted without a special permission from your CFI.

Sport pilots fly in aircraft that fly at low speeds – less than 100 mph. The sport pilot certificate created new medical standards for pilots. These pilots usually do not require Medical Certificates. The only proof they need is to have a current valid driver’s license.

To get this certificate you must be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of 20 hours of flight time. This includes 15 hours of flight training and 5 hours of solo flight.

As a Sport pilot you may fly cross-country; however, you cannot operate at airports or airspaces that require ATC communication unless you receive the proper training and endorsements from a CFI. You are also not allowed to fly after dark and with more than one passenger on board.

Every 24 months the pilot is required to revalidate their certificate by undertaking a flight review with a CFI.

Recreational pilots are primarily people who learn to fly for fun, with little interest in becoming professional pilots or using airplanes as a practical means of traveling from place to place. Recreational pilots must be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of 30 hours of flight time (the real-world average is more than 40 hours), including a minimum of 15 hours of flight instruction.

Recreational pilots may not fly more than 50 nautical miles (about 58 miles) from an airport at which they have received instruction, unless they receive appropriate cross-country training and a special instructor’s endorsement. Recreational pilots may not carry more than one passenger at a time, and they may not fly for hire or at night. They are not permitted to operate an aircraft on any charity flights, nor in connection with a business or their employment. They may fly only single-engine airplanes that have fixed landing gear, no more than four seats, and an engine of no more than 180 hp. They may not fly in airspace where communication with air traffic control (ATC) is required unless they receive the appropriate training and have a special endorsement from a certificated flight instructor (CFI).

As a result of these restrictions, the vast majority of people studying for their recreational pilot certificate continue to earn their private pilot certificate. Because of this, there usually are only about 300 pilots with the recreational certificate each year.

Recreational pilots must have a current Class III medical, which they must renew every 24 or 36 months (depending upon age). They must revalidate their pilot certificates every 24 months by undertaking a flight review with a CFI.

Private pilots comprise the largest group of pilots and are among the most active flyers. In 2003, there were 241,045 private pilots. To become a private pilot, one must be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of 40 hours of flight time (the actual average is about 70 hours), including 20 hours of instruction and 10 hours of solo. Pilots trained according to accelerated curricula defined in Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations may be certified with a minimum of 35 hours of flight time.

A private pilot — with appropriate training, ratings, and endorsements (e.g., floatplane, tail dragger, multiengine, helicopter, jet, retractable gear, pressurized, high-performance, complex, etc.) — may carry passengers in any aircraft, day or night, good or bad weather (see Instrument Rating below).

Private pilots may not fly for compensation or hire (no passenger or revenue services) but may share equally with their passengers the direct operating expenses of a flight — specifically fuel, oil, airport parking and landing fees, and aircraft rental charges.

Private pilots must have a current Class III medical, which they must renew every 24 or 36 months (depending upon age). They must revalidate their pilot certificates every 24 months by undertaking a flight review with a certificated flight instructor (CFI).

While technically not a pilot certificate, the instrument rating is the most common and logical step to take after gaining some experience while flying with a private pilot certificate. This add-on rating allows a pilot to fly in weather with reduced visibilities such as rain, low clouds, or heavy haze. When flying in these conditions, pilots follow instrument flight rules (IFR). The instrument rating provides the skills needed to complete flights without visual reference to the ground, except for the takeoff and landing phases. All pilots who fly above 18,000 feet mean sea level (msl) must have an instrument rating.

The instrument rating makes the use of aircraft more practical for routine transportation because most of the time, an “IFR-rated” pilot will be able to safely conduct their flight in spite of the weather conditions they may encounter.

The instrument rating requires highly specialized training by a certificated flight instructor (CFI) with a special instrument instruction rating (CFII), and completion of an additional written exam, oral exam, and flight test. Pilots applying for an instrument rating must hold at least a current private pilot certificate and medical, have logged at least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, and have at least 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time including at least 15 hours of instrument flight training and instrument training on cross-country flight procedures.

If not used on a regular and sufficient basis, pilots must revalidate their instrument rating every 12 months by undertaking an instrument proficiency check with a CFI.

As the name implies, commercial pilots can be paid to fly aircraft. Commercial pilots must be at least 18 years old and have a minimum of 250 hours of flight time (190 hours under the accelerated curriculum defined in Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations), including 100 hours in powered aircraft, 50 hours in airplanes, and 100 hours as pilot in command (of which 50 hours must be cross-country flight time). They must hold an instrument rating, or be restricted to flying for hire only in daylight, under visual flight rules (VFR), within 50 miles of the originating airport. They may fly for hire in accordance with applicable parts of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

A certificated flight instructor (CFI) is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to give instruction to student pilots and pilots taking recurrent training or preparing for additional certificates or ratings. They also may give flight reviews and recommend their students for flight tests. CFIs must be at least 18 years old and must hold at least a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating. CFIs may earn a special instrument instructor rating, allowing them to teach instrument flying (operating an aircraft in the air solely by instrument indications without visual reference to the ground). An instructor with this rating is called a CFII.

In addition to undertaking their normal flight review every 24 months, CFIs must revalidate their instructor certification every 24 months. There were 87,816 flight instructors in 2003.

This is the doctorate degree of piloting — and 143,504 pilots were in this distinguished category in 2003. Airline transport pilots (ATPs) must be at least 23 years old and have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time, including 500 hours of cross-country flight time, 100 hours of night flying, and 75 hours in actual or simulated instrument flight conditions. Most ATPs have many thousands of hours of flight time. ATPs also must have a commercial certificate and an instrument rating. ATPs may instruct other pilots in air transportation service in aircraft in which the ATP is rated. They may not instruct pilots outside of air transportation service unless they also have an appropriate fight instructor certificate.

ATPs must have a current and much more stringent Class I medical, which they are required to renew every six months. Like all pilots, they must revalidate their certificates every 24 months with a flight review. However, most active ATPs undergo a check ride in an aircraft or simulator every six months.

If the airline transport pilot is the doctorate degree of piloting, then becoming a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated pilot examiner (DPE) is the equivalent of mastering advanced post-doctoral work. These individuals are few and far between. They’re almost like judges in that they have to be appointed by the regional FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Before one can become a DPE, he or she usually has to wait for one of the current DPEs in that region of the United States to retire. As the name implies, these people have been designated by the FAA to test or examine the performance of their fellow pilots. DPEs typically have decades of real-world experience and perform the majority of official FAA check rides or flight tests for everyone from new pilots to seasoned airline captains.

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If you have been looking around the internet on information about the cost of a private pilot license, I am sure you have seen some articles written by people who are not even in the industry and others written by private pilots who may have just received their private pilot licenses.

Some of the information may be close and others are pretty far off. There are a lot of factors that will determine what a Private Pilot License (Certificate) will cost you. The first things you want to think about are:

1: Airplane Price Per Hour

2: Flight Instructor Price Per Hour

Depending on where you are in the country these rates can be dramatically different. These two rates will be the most important factors however, there are other factors that can dramatically increase your cost. I will give you some examples of things you want to look at.

1: The Flight School Itself: You need to poke your nose around the community and see what is going on. You will want to ask people who recently got their Private Pilot License and ask them how much it cost and how many hours they ended up having.

In many cases you will see much more than the flashy clean flight school. I know of many Flashy High Dollar Flight Schools that once you get out into the aviation community, you will want nothing to do with them. You may find many of the people you talk to ending up with an excessive amount of hours and may have had up to six instructors. I know this first hand since many of those students come to me half way through their training. This is one reason I always tell people to take some time and research and come up with a plan first.

There are on the other hand many flight schools that are concerned about their students and are willing to work with students to get them licensed in a cost effective manner. You just have to find them.

2: The Flight Instructor: If your instructor is not a good teacher your chances of getting your private pilot license in a cost effective manner get slimmer. You need to look into this. Other factors that have to do with the flight instructor is their aviation game-plan. If they are a good flight instructor that cares about his/her students you can plan with them and get things done in a cost and time effective manner. If you have an instructor that is just trying to get to the magic hiring number for an airline, your flight training will be compromised and you can plan on spending a lot more money.

3:Books and materials: In most cases you can get home study courses for about 0 or so. Some schools will require you get their 0 DVD packages. I have always told students to do what is best for them. All of the courses out there cover the same material taken from the official FAA publications. The material that is used for your practical test is the FAA publications.

4:Examiner Fees: This part most flight schools don’t even mention at all. Once again depending on where you are in the world, this price can vary a lot. One part of the country you may find a private pilot flight test for 0 but in others like here in phoenix it will around 0.

A few of these factors put together can make the difference between a happy safe confident Private Pilot and a frustrated student pilot. If you are on a tight budget and have been saving for a long time, these factors will make a difference.

Planning this out is the most important thing you can do. In order to pass the Private Pilot License flight test you need to be proficient. Depending on the rates, instructor, and Flight School You Choose, ,000-,000 is a realistic budget and finishing at 45-50 hours is realistic.
The Planning process is the most important part. There are many delays that can happen, weather, maintenance and people getting sick.

For Explaining this I break the Private Pilot License Cost down into four parts. I do this so you can understand each phase of training. Then we will add it all up and you can see were the expenses are coming from. I have published an article on each one of the areas. I break everything down in the following manner:

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

Private Pilot License Pre-Solo Pilot Training Cost

Private Pilot License Post- Solo Pilot Training Cost

Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation Cost

Private Pilot License Total Cost

Each one of these areas has a cost. It is easier to understand when you have everything broken down in front of you. Planning for the Private Pilot License is the most important thing you can do.

Hope to See You In The Sky

Airfreddy

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Copyright (c) 2010 Travis Hull

Those new to the aviation field may not understand the different pilot licenses available. Basically, there are two types of beginner licenses: the sport license and the private license. Of course, the type of flying you wish to do will dictate to a certain degree which license is best for you. But dredging through the 13 qualifications for a private license (complete with subsections and sub-subsections) listed on the FAA website and comparing those with the 36 limits and requirements for a sport license is intimidating for many. Here are a few of the basic differences.

Requirements: To begin training as sport pilot, all you need is a valid driver’s license, as this DOT approved license becomes your medical qualification. Private pilot training requires a third-class medical exam administered by an FAA-authorized aviation medical examiner. This medical exam includes the basics like eyesight, hearing, balance, reflexes, medical history, blood pressure and a urine test. If you are under treatment for many normal health issues, you may not pass this exam.

On that note, you should speak with a pilot training professional before applying for an FAA medical exam to make sure you meet the criteria. If you don’t, you could actually hinder your chances of obtaining a license. If you don’t pass the medical exam for the private license, you will be denied the sport license as well. By answering just a few simple questions, the instructor can aid you in making an informed decision that is likely to save you time and money.

Cost: The sport license was designed as a gateway to flight for hobbyists and a lower-cost beginning for more serious minded aviation enthusiasts. The private license was always a step towards piloting for personal business travel or as preparation for the commercial, professional pilot license. While the sport license is more limited (we’ll get into those specs in a moment), private licenses generally run double – often triple – the price of a sport license. And for those of you who make think a private license will pay for itself in passenger compensation, according to the FAA, private piloted passengers can only help with some expenses such as gas, oil and airport expenditures. That can still leave you with the lion’s share of the bill.

Training: Minimal training for the sport license includes 20 hours of flight time, one solo two-destination cross-country flight, a 40-question written exam and a practical test. For a private pilot license, you need 40 hours of flight time, one five-hour cross-country flight, a 60-question written exam and a practical test. In addition, training during inclement weather such as clouds, rain and fog (called IFR training, which most schools charge extra for) is required in order to fly at night.

Restrictions: The largest restriction on a sport pilot license is that you must fly a “light-sport aircraft,” a new FFA classification of aircrafts that weigh no more than 1320 lbs and cruise no faster than 120 knots (132 mph). The private pilot license has fewer restrictions on aircrafts, but in many cases requires aircraft-specific training. A sport license enables you to fly with a passenger, but only one. A private pilot has no passenger limit, but as stated before cannot fly for compensation.

Whether you aspire to fly commercially or just on weekend trips, the sport pilot license eliminates many of the obstacles that have traditionally kept flight enthusiasts out of the cockpit. Contact your local flight school to take a discovery flight and see how you can unlock your aviation dreams.

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(PRWEB) July 27, 2007

Oshkosh Aspen Avionics announced today from the EAA AirVenture Show in Oshkosh that it has received over 1.5 million in new orders for its innovative Evolution Flight Display product line. The Evolution Flight Display system, launched on Monday at the AirVenture show, is an affordable glass cockpit system for certified general aviation (GA) aircraft. The Evolution system is modular, expandable and upgradable; it?s easy to afford, easy to install and easy to own.

?These orders from dealers confirm what we already knew about the Evolution Flight Display,? said Aspen?s President and CEO John Uczekaj, ?that the underserved GA market has been seeking a glass cockpit solution that is priced to make sense for much of the GA fleet.?

About Aspen Avionics, Inc.

Aspen Avionics specializes in bringing the most advanced technology and capability from the commercial and business aviation markets into general aviation cockpits?and budgets. Our products increase situational awareness and reduce pilot workload, making it even easier and safer to fly in both VFR and IFR conditions. The way we look at it, getting the latest avionics technology shouldn?t always mean spending a lot of money?on equipment or installation. At Aspen Avionics, we design products to be affordable, easy to install, and easy to own. The company can be found on the web at http://www.aspenavionics.com , or may be reached at (505) 856-5034.

###

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Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.

When Tom Penick emailed me and indicated that he would be flying to Oaxaca in his own airplane (actually co-owned with others), and that he wanted to see Hierve el Agua from the plane, I knew that if I could swing a ride with him it would be an experience I would not likely have during the balance of my lifetime.

Hierve el Agua is a site just beyond the central valleys of Oaxaca, at approximately 6,500 feet above sea level. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons it’s passed up by the lion’s share of tourists visiting Oaxaca.  It consists of bubbling, mineral rich springs which feed two man-made pools suitable for a refreshing swim, and a couple of  petrified “waterfalls,” all located in an absolutely breathtaking mountain setting.

Tom Penick owns a popular website (tomzap.com) designed to assist travelers interested in learning about and visiting one of three states in Mexico which border on the Pacific; Jalisco, Colima and Oaxaca. While he gathers a lot of information about these states from third party sources, he likes to periodically update his website by personally visiting the regions where he has gained some expertise.  For Tom’s February, 2011, sojourn to Oaxaca, he was accompanied by his wife, Nancy, and spry, delightful, 96 – year – old mother, Doris.

My wife Arlene and I had decided to invite Tom and family over to the house for drinks and botanas, simply as a nice gesture, since as is the case with so many of us in the age of email, facebook and twitter (I must confess I abhor the latter two), I had come to know Tom and Nancy quite well over the past few years,  but only online through advertising on tomzap.com, submitting articles to his website, and more generally as a consequence of passing on information about Oaxaca to Tom for publication.

Sometime in the course of that evening of chatting and indulging in food and drink with Tom and Doris (Nancy had been ill so could not join us), Arlene and me, and our friends Pilar Cabrera and Luis Espinosa (of La Olla restaurant and Casa de Los Sabores Cooking School), Arlene mentioned to Tom that I was hoping to accompany him to Hierve el Agua.  I had not planned on broaching the topic that evening, even though I had mentioned to Tom in the course of emailing, that I would love to see the site from his plane.

As I was dropping off Mr. Zap and his mother at their hotel at the conclusion of our evening together, Tom said that the only day he would be able to take me to Hierve el Agua was Monday.  “Tell me what time and I’ll be by to pick you up and we can head to the airport,” I replied excitedly.

The small Mexican domestic airlines which fly to and from Oaxaca and both Puerto Escondido and Huatulco (the two major Pacific coastal resorts in the state), Aerovega and Aerotucan, take off in the mornings, as early as 7 a.m., although at times weekend flights leave around noon.  Wind currents over and between the mountains tend to pick up in the afternoon, and accordingly morning flights reduce the likelihood of significant turbulence and make for more comfortable and enjoyable flying. Tom suggested I come by for him at 8 a.m.

The Oaxaca airport is comprised of two terminals, the large one for international and domestic commercial jet air travel, generally used by planes which can accommodate at least 50 passengers; and the small one for the military, sometimes cargo, short haul runs by small airlines such as Aerovega and Aerotucan, and for small private planes. A perk of using the small terminal is that parking to pick up and drop off passengers and when you’re off for a short flight in a private plane, is free.  The air of informality is also pleasing, of course not extending to matters of safety and security.

With 20 years of flying experience under his belt, including several flights between home state Texas and Mexico, Tom knows the ropes, although his Spanish could use more work than mine.  But when flying in Mexico you can get by with little Spanish, since air traffic controllers can communicate in English.

Doris and I waited for close to half an hour while Tom attended to the required paperwork and fee payment.  We knew that he would have to walk from office to office, but at least the offices were in the same small terminal complex, not always the case.

A glitch arose, at which point I initially thought that we would not be permitted to take off.  Tom returned from his final office visit, requesting my assistance as a Spanish speaker.  “Alvin, I think I need your help; the guy upstairs says that foreigners are not allowed to just take off in a plane for a little sightseeing trip; you have to be going somewhere and land there.”

I accompanied Tom to the upper deck, where we met with Juan, in apparent charge of such matters, and the one who had moments ago turned him away.  I initially thought that flashing my permanent Mexican residency card would work since in many cases being a resident trumps the FM – 2 and FM – 3 visas which are held by most foreigners living in Mexico; but in this case it just wasn’t good enough.  I then asked if this was a rule specific to the state of Oaxaca, or just to this airport, but received no reply.  I indicated that Capitán Tom had gone on similar short flights, up the coast leaving from both Puerto Escondido and Huatulco airports, always receiving the required stamped permission.

We were not prepared to take “no” for an answer, at least not so easily, so we held our ground until Juan said “then you’ll have to speak to the comandante.”  While we walked across the hall I began fidgeting in my pocket, looked for a couple of bills, of denominations not too large.  “This pilot wants to fly to Hierve el Agua and then come back, but I already told him our rules,” Juan explained. I piped in, “yes, we just want to go out there for a little while, take some photographs of the beautiful scenery, and come right back.”

My interchange with the comandante went something like this:

“No, no, no, you’re not allowed to take photographs from up there without a permit.”

“Okay, can we fill in a form and get a permit?”

“You have to go to Mexico City for such a permit.”

“Well, what if we put our cameras in the car, can we then go?”

“I didn’t say you have to put your cameras in the car, just that you’re not allowed to take pictures from up there; do you know what I’m telling you?  It’s for reasons of national security.”

“Okay, so you’re saying that we can go to Hierve el Agua, but we simply cannot take any photographs.”

“That’s right; so Juan, please take these two gentlemen back to your office and complete the paperwork.”

I didn’t even have to take my hand out of my pocket, and the rule against foreigners going up for a short flight and returning, was never discussed with the comandante.

But Juan did not like the way the flight plan had been filled in by the official in the SENEAM office.  He had printed the 25 nautical miles we would be flying, and the direction, and then in parentheses indicated Hierve el Agua. “The form must be completed again, omitting the words Hierve el Agua,” Juan demanded. Tom began to ask me if I would suggest to Juan that we simply cross out those three words and initial the change.  I explained that here in Oaxaca, in almost all instances you cannot make changes to the face of any official or quasi – official document; initialling does not remedy a defect. Documents are king; they are sacred, have a life of their own, and must not be torn, altered, smudged.

Tom went to two of the offices he had previously attended, then returned to Juan and had a fresh flight plan stamped.  We were ready. We went through security and the x – ray machine, just as one does in any commercial airport terminal.

I had been in a private single engine plane only once before, close to 40 years ago, with a friend who took me for a ride over Lake Ontario. This time I knew to take a Dramamine, early morning flight or not.

For Tom, checking over the exterior of his Piper Arrow II before take – off is second to nature.  For me, seeing him carefully examine every screw, wire, hinge, moving part, and fuel – related mechanism was comforting, especially in light of the fact that I had only met Tom once before, and knew little of his personality including any propensity for dangerous or carefree living. But with his dear old mother on board, I knew all would be fine, if not out of concern for me or our pilot himself, then certainly for Dorita.

Two federales approached, weapons in hand, to check over the paperwork as custom dictates.  I asked if I could take photos of the plane and they said it was okay, somewhat of a surprise to both me and Tom.  I told Tom I would not take photos from the air, since I did not want a problem in case my camera was checked upon our return.  I value the privilege of being able to live in Mexico. Tom had an extra memory card, so he put the new one in his camera, the plan being to put the old one back upon our return so that in the event that anyone asked to check his camera, no photos of the flight would appear.

Tom examined the control panel and the multitude of screens and switches in the cockpit, then checked it all again. He explained what a couple of the screens were, but it went in one ear and out the other, except I took note of the LED screen which seemed would be functioning like a GPS. The engine started like a charm, but then Tom realized he didn’t have enough space to turn out of the parking area because of the plane in front of us; he turned off the motor:  “I guess I’d better get out and push the plane so we can get out of here; and what a pity, since it started so easily, just like that.”

After several exchanges in English with the air traffic controller, we were Hierve el Agua bound.  I must admit that for me the somewhat wobbly ascent was a bit uncomfortable.  I sat beside Tom, feeling a bit like a co-pilot, with my own steering wheel and foot pedals.

Soon enough we were at cruising altitude, Tom and I communicating with our headsets and attached microphones in place, while Doris sat in back, quietly. As we ascended Tom began taking photos, or perhaps he was using the video mode.  I didn’t ask. Tom would frequently use his camera throughout our flight.

The GPS unit told us how many minutes until we reached Hierve el Agua.  Tom had us on a course, but I knew from having driven to the site hundreds of times over the past 20 years, that we were a few degrees off.  Tom was relying on his sophisticated navigational equipment, while I was simply looking down at the highway and dirt roads leading to Hierve el Agua; with familiar landmarks including ruins, towns, particular restaurants and mezcal – producing facilities; and mountain peaks I had frequently criss-crossed in my pick – up or the van.

There it was, Hierve el Agua in clear view as we flew over the final mountain top; the poolings of water, the falls, and the newly constructed yet abandoned modern brick buildings and large, concrete swimming pool (one of the white elephant’s of the last governor’s administration).  Of course we could not see the water bubbling up from the ground, nor any tourists milling about, but all the rest was easily visible, even more so as we descended and circled twice.

“Those are all agave espadín fields under cultivation on the surrounding slopes, with pretty well no corn,” I explained.  There are a couple of towns close to Hierve el Agua, such as San Juan del Rio and San Lorenzo Albarradas, many of the residents of which are dedicated to producing mezcal the old – fashioned way, using firewood to bake the agave, a horse pulling a limestone wheel to crush it after it’s been cooked, pine vats to ferment, and a brick, mud and copper still for the final stage of the process.

As we descended into the valley as close as possible to the actual site, the wind took hold of us, making the ride rather bumpy, and my stomach more than a little queasy. As much as I was in awe of the experience, I secretly hoped that two circling downward swoops would be all, and that soon we’d be on our way back.  I looked around near my feet, but could not find a bag in case my stomach decided to completely revolt, of course too embarrassed to ask if one existed.

I suggested a little more direct return route than we had used in arriving at Hierve el Agua. Tom complied.  In due course we joined up with the main highway, #190, which we had been following for our arrival route. I pointed out Mitla, Dainzu, and the Armando Prieto massive, modern mezcal factory which produces the Zignum brand.  We flew over a few housing developments I did not know existed because they were well set back and not visible from the main highway.  There were also a couple of expansive green areas which were similarly unfamiliar to me.  It was indeed rare to encounter them in the midst of the dry season.  They appeared to be sod farms, but confirmation would have to await an exploratory drive through the countryside.  Finally, we passed by the pre-Hispanic pictographs on a couple of rock facings, near Yagul and at Xaagá just beyond Mitla, which had contributed to the 2011 UNESCO designation of the area as a World Heritage Site.

Our landing was uneventful, except that on our approach Tom did a maneuver known as a “slip,” a means of losing altitude more quickly without speeding up.  We initially saw four white lights directing us in. The appearance of two white and two red, is a guideline for a happy landing, indicating that the airplane is on a 3 degree glideslope to the touchdown zone of the runway. While I don’t thing Capitán Tom was aware of my earlier nausea, it was nevertheless kind of him to do whatever was appropriate to reasonably assure a smooth and uneventful return to mother earth.

By the time we had touched down, Tom had already switched his memory cards. No one asked to see our cameras, and we were not approached by federales after landing, a surprise to Tom.  He asked airport personnel if there were any further steps to follow before leaving the terminal, and was told we could simply leave.  Even for me it seemed unusual that Mexico would permit an airplane to land and park, and its occupants depart the premises, without any checking of anything, by anyone, regardless of the fact that less than an hour ago we had departed.   Perhaps our every move had been monitored.

Virtually no tourist to Oaxaca, or resident for that matter, ever has a chance to view Hierve el Agua from an airplane.  But those with any opportunity to get to the site the traditional means should not pass it up.  Hierve el Agua is one of the premier wonders in all Oaxaca.

Image via Wikipedia

To be able to fly like a bird has always been one of mankind’s archetypal dreams. In 1903, the Wright brothers achieved human flight by inventing the airplane. But human flight without the aid of some form of flying vehicle has never been achieved, up until recently. Today, because of the wingsuit, human flight can be achieved without the aid of an aircraft.  While this is not for the faint of heart, it is probably the closest to flying like a bird that exists today. Here we provide the steps you need to take in order to fly like a bird, or at least a flying squirrel. Following theses steps, you will find a discussion about this unusual form of flight.

The first step is to understand what a wingsuit is and how it produces flight. A wingsuit is a jump suit, which creates the airfoil shape because of fabric sewn between the legs and under the arms. It is also called a birdman suit or squirrel suit. When wearing this suit during freefall, with arms and legs spread out, you become a human wing and therefore you are able to glide. Your sink rate is relatively low, and you are able to glide at high speed horizontally. Most wingsuit flights last from 1 to 2 minutes, sometimes longer, depending on how high your jump off point is.

A prerequisite to wingsuit flying is skydiving. You need to be proficient in skydiving prior to wingsuit flying. As a matter of fact, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) recommends that you have at least 200 freefall skydives before even thinking about using a wingsuit. Of course, the more the better. But 200 is the bare minimum. Also, the USPA recommends that the 200 freefalls be within the last 18 months prior to a jump using a wingsuit.

The USPA also recommends after at least 200 freefall jumps, you then receive wingsuit flight instruction from a certified instructor. Finding a certified instructor for wingsuit flying is not an easy task, considering there aren’t too many people who have done wingsuit flying. Your instructor should absolutely be certified. The USPA states that you can also perform wingsuit flying without instruction from a certified instructor, as long as you have at least 500 previous freefall skydives. I would highly recommend instruction. Wingsuit manufacturers offer training courses and certify instructors.

Next, you need to develop an understanding of aerodynamics. Since your own body becomes an airfoil or wing when wingsuit flying, it is imperative that you completely understand aerodynamics and the concept of lift. Being a certified pilot for a fix wing aircraft is not required, but most certainly it does not hurt. The point is, you need to understand how you are able to fly wearing a wingsuit. You should have an understanding of what is taking place aerodynamically when you change the shape and orientation of your body, in order to create the desired amount of lift and drag.

If you desire to have jump off points other than an airplane, this means you most likely will be exiting from some high cliff or man made object. Most wingsuit fliers prefer to exit from a very high cliff. But in order to do this, you will need some mountaineering skills in order to reach the top of the mountain or cliff. Unless of course you are able to afford a helicopter ride, and helicopter rides are offered to your jump off point.

In any case, many wingsuit fliers who jump off a cliff, prefer to climb to their jump off point. So in this case, mountaineering skills are also required. It is not unusual to spend a large part of the day climbing, in order to achieve 1 to 2 minutes of wingsuit flying.

At some point you will also need to purchase a wingsuit. Companies such as Phoenix-Fly and Birdman Inc. offer wingsuits for purchase. Phoenix-Fly is headquartered in Zephyrhills, FL, with authorized dealers throughout the United States and around the world.  Birdman Inc. is located in Helsinki, Finland, and they to have authorized dealers around the world.

You need to have good physical and mental health. Of course there are different variations of what one might consider mental healthiness, and some may feel that you need to be a little crazy to do this type of flying. The point here is that you most certainly do not want to black-out, even for a short time, while in flight. In a nutshell, if you black-out, you will not survive. This is the same reason the FAA requires pilots do be in good physical condition. It is important to remember that when you are wingsuit flying, you are more a pilot then a skydiver. So keeping your senses during your short flight is critically important.

Finally, you need a lot of fortitude to confront the danger associated with this type of flying. But is this not true of most extreme sports? So how does wingsuit flying compare to other sports which have a certain element of danger. Here are some statistics from a recent edition of Men’s Journal.
Total deaths over the past five years, per 1,000 participants:

Skydiving: 3.3
Base Jumping: 44
Hang Gliding/Paragliding: 3.8
Summiting K2: 104
ATV Riding: 0.5
Scuba Diving: .06
Snowboarding: .05

In terms of wingsuit flying, we could not find an actual fatality rate, most likely because there is not enough data to work with. Lets face it, not that many people have done wingsuit flying. Fatality rates were very high during the developmental period for this extreme sport. Between 1930 and 1961 71 out of 75 people died trying to perfect a wingsuit. I suspect that the fatality rate today is somewhere between that which you see for skydiving and base jumping.

Now that we have tweaked your interest by examining the steps needed to perform wingsuit flying, lets look at wingsuit flying a little more closely. As we have eluded to, wingsuit flying is simply forming your body into the shape of an airfoil, achieving lift, and flying like a bird, or more like a flying squirrel. Because of the jump suit you are wearing, you become a wing.

You achieve a glide ratio of about 2 to 1. This means for every 2 feet of horizontal movement, you drop about 1 foot. But it also should be noted that with body manipulation, and selection of wingsuit design, you can alter your forward speed and sink rate. To a fix wing pilot like myself, a 2 to 1 glide ratio means you are essentially dropping like a brick. But to a skydiver, you truly are flying. It all depends on your perspective. You are by definition, a pilot, when wingsuit flying. But in this case, your body in combination with your wingsuit, becomes your aircraft.

Lets examine how wingsuit flying works. After you depart from your jump off point, either a cliff, airplane, or man-made object, you will sink but you will also start to fly horizontally. Actually, the technique for departure from an airplane is completely different from that which is used when departing from a fixed object. One requires entry into a slip stream and relative wind, one does not. You will learn this type of information if you receive formal instruction.

After you depart and sink, you will develop a horizontal velocity component. Your average horizontal velocity, relative to the ground, will be around 100mph. But if you have a tailwind, your horizontal speed can reach up to 140mph to 160mph. Your sink rate is much less compared to typical skydiving. Your vertical terminal velocity when skydiving is anywhere between 110 to 140 mph, depending on body orientation. With wingsuit flying, on average you obtain a vertical velocity of around 40mph.

After you have flown horizontally anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes, depending on your starting altitude, you release your parachute, and then land a short time later. Stamina is also important, as it takes quite a bit of muscle strength to fly a wingsuit to its full capacity. The most important part of this type of flying is to know when to release your parachute.

There are groups around the world that are working on wingsuit flying where you do not land with a parachute. In my mind this is a little too dicey. But if flying suit technology and piloting skill improves to the point where you can slow down your flying so that you can land without a chute, then they may have something there. But currently, to perform wingsuit flying, you need to be a proficient skydiver and you need a parachute.

I believe to do this type of flying, you need to be an adrenaline rush junky. In my mind, it is more risky then typical skydiving, and not as risky as base jumping. But most would agree it is an extreme sport, and of course imparts certain obvious risks.

To conclude, if you want to achieve a flying experience which is as close as possible to what a bird feels, or at least a flying squirrel, then wingsuit flying is an extreme sport to consider. It is not for the faint of heart, and the risks are obvious, but for some these risks are worth taking. It is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. But the reward of achieving human flight without the aid of an aircraft can be tremendous. Human flight has always been one of mankind’s archetypal dreams. With wingsuit flying, you can experience what only Leonardo da Vinci could only dream of, the dream of flight.

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• Video: Wingsuit Flying Below the Treetops (wired.com)
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Once, long long ago, when I was a low time private pilot in the UK, returning from a successful trip from the south coast, feeling pretty good, keeping my navigation log up to date, making sure I was avoiding restricted areas,

Whoaa! What was that!

A purple coloured aircraft, twin engined, diving and turning to my left, a near-miss (or near hit as I prefer to call them, after all we did miss). Didn’t see him, until too late, clearly head on slightly lower and much faster than me. Maybe 200 ft laterally and 50ft below. Too close for me. What did I do wrong? Head in the cockpit too long? No TCAS in my little Cessna 152?

I spent a lot of time looking into what could and should be done after that. Let’s start with the obvious:

1) Keep your lookout going. Even in the circuit, I know it’s a busy time but some people fly right through circuits oblivious of their existence. Day-time VFR lookout is simple: small segments of the sky say 10 degrees, concentrate on that sector (you’re looking for any objects that tickles your eye-balls), then move on to the next 10 degrees. As one of my first instructors said to me

“The plane that kills you comes from the side”. He was a bit inscrutable, but I think he meant make sure your scan covers from 8 O’clock all the way to 4 O’clock, not just ahead and 30 degrees to the side.

2) Don’t got heads-in. Every task in the cockpit can be broken down into small chunks giving you the opportunity to look out again. Even dialing frequency numbers can be broken down

One- Look – One – Look – Nine – Decimal Nine – Look. You get the idea.

3) CRM is crucial. If you have an instructor on board, make sure they are looking as well, they probably are anyway. If you have a passenger on board, pay them to spot small aircraft at your level. Playing games on the Nintendo DS while you fly is a waste of two good Mark 1 eyeballs. Pay them one pound for every aircraft they see.

4) Get a traffic service, ATC load dependent of course, but sometimes a big distraction in crowded areas:

“Traffic 2 O’clock , three miles, no height”, usually means theres an airbus 10,000 feet above you, still it’s better than not having the service.

5) Position reporting by you is especially important at lightly controlled airfields, such as in the USA where CTAF frequencies are for exactly this purpose.

“Lakeland traffic, Cessna 3421 Zulu, down-wind for runway 21, Lakeland traffic”.

This tactic may not be much use if someone is just bombing through a zone, because they are probably not even on the right frequency.

6) Get TCAS. There are some very good cheap models out there, that warn you of conflicts. I like the G1000 warning system, where you can overlay the traffic on your moving map. This is a great system. I once ‘watched’ a conflicting aircraft fly below me and across. I knew exactly where it was (the TCAS told me) but I never once saw it. These systems are great.

7) Get an Instrument rating. This one obviously is a little harder to achieve, but the idea once you have an IFR flight plan someone else is also responsible for keeping legally mandated minimum distances from you to the next plane.

Don’t fly at the same height as everybody else. Choose an odd altitude, Why fly at 2,000′ when you can fly at 2,150′ feet? If you look at the density of traffic at different altitudes in a VFR environment, you see a huge number of aircraft at 2,000′ . Look slightly higher, the density of traffic is much lower. Again this doesn’t help with circuit blasting.

9) Finally, I would recommend you read the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) or look at their website. It details events that were near hits and describes in detail what everybody did, when they did it. If you understand these events you can get into the mind set to avoid these events.  

Finally I would say collision avoidance is a major task of the VFR pilot, especially single pilot operation. As a low time pilot you may not have the capacity to keep your look out going all the time, but as you build up more experience more time can be allocated to lookout. As my instrument instructor said:

“If your’e doing nothing on a single-pilot operation flight, you should feel guilty, look out, check something, what possible conflicts could there be”.

None of the above are foolproof of course, but lowering your chances of that scary moment happening are what it’s all about.