A View on Flight and Piloting

By Josiah Stromberg

Long before planes were invented, people would dream about what it would be like to look over the landscape from above. Thanks to this invention, it has been a reality since December 17, 1903. Humans can get a breathtaking view that once only belonged to birds. Over the years, flight has been engineered to better serve the people. They become faster, better and more than just a “big kite”. “Flying a plane is not much harder than driving a car,” says Kris Nac, who has been a pilot for 49 years. If you believe that you can't get a pilot’s license you'd be wrong.  Almost everybody can become a pilot," says Kris. Although you do need a degree for commercial piloting, the FAA does not require a college degree. So no matter if you have a degree or not, it wouldn’t affect you getting your piloting license.

Affordability

Small planes do not cost as much as most people think they do. “ You could go into a car lot and buy a brand new Ford F-250 for about the same price of an airplane” says Kris. Although it is true that you need a decently long runway and a hanger to store your airplane, it is not that much more than any car. Instead of buying plane tickets you could be flying yourself (which means that there are no gross peanuts on board). Flying can be exhilarating and fun to learn but it can also be hard. 

Safety

Airplanes are not only the fastest but also the safest. The amount of aerial accidents versus the amount of auto accidents is 1 '000 worldwide plane accidents versus 6 million car crashes. “ Airplanes are the safest travel there is.” says Kris.  Almost all the plane crashes that occur are actually pilot error not engine failure. Seventy five percent of crashes are due to pilot error. Don't worry there is only one crash for every one million flights. “When a plane crashes it's always publicized, but if you put all the car crashes in the news the newspaper would be 3ft thick.” says Kris. If you become a pilot make sure you know your limitations. That is often how plane crashes happen because the pilots go into weather they shouldn't.

Becoming a pilot is not as difficult as you might think.  If you want to get your licence I suggest going to a local community college. If you live in Oregon you can go to LCC ( Lane Community College) or you could go to Portland community college. Both of these community colleges offer flight programs.