The document discusses several options for learning to fly at Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF). It describes the general process of obtaining a private pilot license which requires 40 hours of flight training with an instructor. It then profiles three flight schools at SAF - Sierra Aviation, which offers training in four aircraft types; Jet Warbird Training Center which offers training in jet aircraft; and New Mexico Sport Aviation, which specializes in the sport pilot license that requires less training hours. The document emphasizes that SAF provides an ideal environment for learning to fly with its clear weather and high altitude conditions. It concludes by describing introductory discovery flights and the Young Eagles program for youth.

1. SAF Businesses Offer Opportunities for YOU
to Take to the Skies!
by Rob Finfrock
Any pilot will tell you that few experiences in life compare to the
sensation of feeling the ground slip away from underneath an
aircraft that you are flying. Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF)
offers a number of options for anyone seeking to learn how to fly
for themselves, whether solely for recreation or in pursuit of a
professional flying career.
What Will I Need to Do?
In general, aspiring pilots require several hours of flight training
and ground instruction with a certified flight instructor (CFI) prior
to their first solo flight. Following that memorable experience, the
student will spend additional time practicing flight maneuvers and
flying longer, cross-country flights to distant airports - first with
the instructor, and then by themselves.
Once the student accrues the required flight hours and instruction
necessary, they will face a flight test examiner for an oral exam
and checkride flight. A minimum of 40 hours of dual and solo
flight time is required to take the exam and checkride for the
private pilot license (PPL); a recently-created category called sport
pilot requires just half that time, though sport-rated pilots must
also follow additional restrictions and limitations, including flying
only during the daytime.
(see WHERE on opposite page)
Association Events
SEPT. 14 – AASF Quarterly Meeting, 10:00 am at the Airport
Grille. Following the meeting will be a presentation by AASF
Member and resident Airport historian Dave Allyn about his new
book, Yardarm and Cockpit: The Memoir of a Fearless Sea and
Air Adventurer.
OCT. 12 (Tentative) – “The Future of Santa Fe Airport”
presentation by SAF Manager Francey Jesson. To be followed by
discussion of short- and long-term plans for the airport. 10:00 am
at the Airport Grille.
EVERY SATURDAY – Join our Weekly “SkyChat” breakfast,
9-11:30 am at the Airport Grille!
A FREE Publication of the Aviation Association of Santa Fe *** Vol. 1 Edition 4 *** Sept/Oct 2013
LEARN TO FLY!
Tala Blais, 16, receives instruction prior to her first flight in a Vans RV-8 during an EAA 691 Young Eagles event at SAF in late July. Photo by Jack Fauré

2. Where May I Learn to Fly in Santa Fe?
Offering training in four different single-engine piston aircraft,
including an advanced four-seat, composite-bodied Diamond
DA40 equipped with the latest 'glass cockpit' technology, Sierra
Aviation (www.sierraflying.com; 505-474-0774) offers instruction
for pilots seeking to earn their PPL as well as the more advanced
commercial and instrument ratings. Co-owner Paul Dwyer also
provides instruction for the Jet Warbird Training Center
(www.jetwarbird.com; 505-471-4151) in Aero L-29 Delfin, L-39
Albatros, and Fouga CM.170 Magister jet trainers.
"We began our flight school at Santa Fe Municipal Airport in the
spring of 2005," Dwyer added. "Our four CFIs have more than
21,000 hours of combined flying time, including flight instruction,
skydiving operations, air ambulance, Civil Air Patrol, and with the
airlines."
Sierra also hosts a Precision Flight Controls CR-12 flight
simulator. Owned by Skyline Simulations LLC, the advanced
aviation training device (AATD) is capable of being configured to
duplicate numerous single and multiengine aircraft in a range of
weather conditions, at a fraction of the cost of flying an actual
aircraft. The simulator is particularly useful for pilots seeking
experience flying in instrument flying conditions, which are
seldom seen around New Mexico.
Those looking for the most cost-effective introduction to flight
may find the sport pilot category an attractive option. Unlike other
categories, sport pilots are not required to pass a medical exam,
and may be able to earn a certificate allowing flight in clear,
daytime visual conditions in specialized, two-seat aircraft, at a
potential total cost roughly half of that needed to earn a full PPL.
Santa Fe is home to New Mexico Sport Aviation
(www.nmsportaviation.com; 505-490-6222) one of the few sport
pilot schools in the Southwest, and the only New Mexico
operation offering light sport aircraft (LSA) for rental by sport
pilots or PPL holders. NMSA's Remos GX airplane is a regular
sight in the skies over SAF.
"It's terrific to be able to bring more people to aviation through
lower training costs and the freedom from the sometimes arduous
medical certification process," said NMSA owner Michael
Szczepanski, a 6,200-hour pilot with more than 2,000 hours of
instruction. "Sport pilots are often those with the greatest passion
for having fun with airplanes and their enthusiasm is contagious."
Santa Fe's weather conditions also provide an ideal training
environment for new pilots. "We have terrific weather much of the
year, with clear skies and unrestricted visibilities," Szczepanski
said. "We do often have wind, which - while occasionally
frustrating to students - also helps us produce new pilots who can
deal with most wind conditions."
The location also offers the opportunity for pilots to gain training
in high altitude, mountainous flying conditions. At an elevation
over 6,300 feet above sea level, SAF is among the highest
commercial airports in the United States, which provides unique
performance challenges. "Pilots and their aircraft perform
differently at higher elevations," noted CFI and AASF Treasurer
Marc Coan, owner of SkyMachines (www.skymachines.com; 888-
651-2257) "Pilots require specific training in how to compensate
for these differences so that flying in mountainous terrain can be
done as safely as flying over low-elevation flatlands."
SkyMachines focuses on advanced and recurrent training for
already-certificated pilots, including training towards an
instrument rating, biennial flight reviews, and flight simulator
training, as well as a specialized, two-day mountain flying course.
"We bring airline-style techniques and procedures to General
Aviation in order to improve safety," Coan noted.
What's My First Step?
Those seeking to experience their first flight in a small aircraft
may take advantage of a discounted initial lesson with a CFI.
These Discovery Flights cover the basics of flight, including the
opportunity for students to take the controls themselves.
Additionally, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young
Eagles program (www.youngeagles.org) provides young people,
ages 8-17, an opportunity to go flying in a general aviation
airplane. These flights are offered free of charge and are made
possible through the generosity of EAA member volunteers. Based
at Los Alamos, EAA Chapter 691 (www.eaa691.org) hosts a series
of Young Eagles events at SAF and other area airports throughout
the year.
Of course, earning your wings is
not an option only for the young.
"I've dreamed of being airborne
since I was five years old, but the
'two w's' - work and worry -
always got in the way," said
student pilot Ray Chambers (seen
at left, with Szczepanski), who is
currently training for his sport
pilot rating in the Remos GX.
"Now, at 62, I'm crossing the last
thing off of my bucket list to
make my dream come true!"
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SAR Exhibition Coming to SAF on Sept. 28
The Santa Fe Composite Squadron (NM-18) of the Civil Air Patrol
(CAP) will host a four-hour Search and Rescue (SAR) Open
House on the North Ramp of SAF on Saturday, September 28
from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. The exhibition will include static
displays of equipment, and live demonstrations of the SAR
capabilities often used in and around Santa Fe County. Santa Fe
SAR and Atalaya SAR are among the participants at the event. For
more information, visit www.safcap.org/.
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Words to Fly By
"The airplane is just a bunch of sticks and wires and cloth, a
tool for learning about the sky and about what kind of person
I am, when I fly. An airplane stands for freedom, for joy, for
the power to understand, and to demonstrate that
understanding. Those things aren't destructible."
— author Richard Bach, 'Nothing by Chance'
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"KSAF Airport News" is a free bi-monthly publication by the Aviation
Association of Santa Fe, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting,
encouraging and supporting aviation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our
organization serves as an informal liaison between local pilots, the non-
flying public, and airport management. For more information, visit
www.santafeaviation.org or email us at info@santafeaviation.org.