
Flying can change your life. Imagine leaving Indianapolis at 8:00am for an all-day meeting in Evansville, and being back home by 5:00pm. Try that in an automobile! Want to fly to Chicago for a day of shopping or for a baseball game? It would be a quick flight up and you would return home without having been in a single traffic jam. You could take friends or family out for dinner, but in Cincinnati or St. Louis; not the same old place around the corner. Even a local flight around the city on a weekend afternoon is exciting. All of this is possible when you are a pilot. Every pilot has to start somewhere, and that starting point is choosing where to learn how to fly.
Choosing a flight school is an important decision. Tom Wood Aviation is proud to be a certified Cessna Pilot Center. When learning to fly at a Cessna Pilot Center, you are truly learning from the best. More pilots come to Cessna Pilot Centers (CPCs) to get their wings than any other flight school in the country. Tom Wood Aviation will prepare you for your pilot's license in every way, from learning all about the laws of physics that keep you aloft, to taking your first flight, to taking your pilot's exam all the way to regular solo flying as a licensed pilot.
Because we attend to every detail of flight training, you can give your full attention to learning to be a safe and competent pilot. You will learn to be a pilot who knows how to deal with any situation that could arise. That is what we would want for ourselves, and that is what you will get from Tom Wood Aviation.
Flight Training
For the aspiring pilot, we offer two programs to get you flying-the Sport Pilot Certificate and the Private Pilot Certificate.
Sport Pilot
The Sport Pilot Certificate is perfect for the pilot who wants to enjoy
flying around the local area during the day. A sport pilot can fly a two-seat
aircraft in the light sport category. Sport pilots are limited to flying during
the day time and need additional training to fly into busier airspace, but the
sport pilot certificate is a cost effective way to learn to fly and enjoy the
freedom of flight on a beautiful day. The FAA requires a minimum of 20 hours of
flight training for the sport pilot certificate.
Private Pilot
The private pilot certificate allows a pilot to fly almost anywhere during the
day and night in good weather. A private pilot will usually learn to fly in a
4-seat single engine aircraft that is a fun and safe way to fly you and your
family or friends around the area or to another state for lunch or an important
business meeting. With a private pilot certificate, the possibilities are
endless. The FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours of flight training for the
private pilot certificate.
Training Materials
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The Cessna Private Pilot Training kit comes with a flight computer, a logbook, supplemental
safety information, a one-year subscription to Garmin Pilot navigation software, a unique online course enrollment key, and a pilots backpack to keep everything together. This kit is available at Tom Wood
Aviation for $364.00. Our flight instructors will help you activate your kit
and explain its contents.
Tom Wood Aviation recommends purchasing a quality aviation headset to ease
communication and protect hearing while flying. It is an investment that will
more than pay for itself over time. To serve your needs, Tom Wood Aviation
carries two of the most widely used headset brands; David Clark and LightSpeed.
Before you buy your own, we have David Clark headsets available to rent for $10.00
per lesson.
Additional Costs
Flight training not only requires a commitment of your time, but a financial commitment as well. At Tom Wood Aviation, we realize this and work to make sure you are well informed regarding all possible costs. Beyond the aircraft rental, instruction, and training materials, a few more items are listed below so you have no hidden costs along your training path. Please feel free to contact us with any questions
·     FAA Medical Certificate/Student Pilot Certificate: One document that serves two purposes while training, obtainable from an Aviation Medical Examiner. Depending on the AME and your age, cost is usually $100.00-150.00, every three to five years.
·     FAA Written Examination: A computer based exam, proctored through an FAA approved computer testing company. Tom Wood Aviation is a PSI-Lasergrade testing facility and we can administer FAA written examinations on site. Cost is $150.00 per test.
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Additional Flight Training Information
While researching flight training, we recommend visiting the following organizations' websites for more information.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Experimental Aviation Association