Texas Wing Flight Academy

[Cjthom1728]

Hello, I've been awarded the privilege of attending the Texas Wing PFA. Does anyone have any tips or advice that I could use in order to get the most out of the flight academy experience?

[TexasBEAST]

I never attended the flight "academies", but I did participate back when they called it the TX WG Solo Encampment (call sign "Taz").

We cadet flight students shared college apartment suites on the campus of an aerospace school. It was very tempting to stay up all night goofing off. But get plenty of sleep each night. All the technical numbers required for flight planning and for the written test will come to you a whole lot more easily with a full night's rest each day. 

Do not play soccer or volleyball inside said dormitory or apartment rooms. The plaster walls do not respond well to balls propelled at a high rate of speed...

And make sure and stay on the troop walks. I had a bad hair day on the Thursday morning when most of us cadets were planning to do our solos, so I ran late, and I stupidly decided to take a shortcut through a recently mowed field to get to the dining facility. Bonehead move! Epic fail! While the surface of the grass looked as smooth as could be, it was hiding a bunch of prairie dog holes and tractor ruts in the soil, itself. So of course clumsy me had to go and catch one of those holes and snap my ankle! I was totally covered in wet, freshly-cut grass, seeing purple stars, my glasses 10 feet away, experiencing just about the worst pain of my life. (The WG/CC hooked me up with his personal flight surgeon, who X-rayed me and shot me up with cortisone so that I was nearly good as new within a few hours, so I still finished my solo flight the next day.) But the point remains: stay safe by staying within the lines!

Ironically enough, flight school is not an appropriate time to wing it.

[Offutteer]

Try to get all of your O-rides in before you leave and review the parts of a plane in your AE books.  Also, get to know the instruments as well.

The more you know before you arrive, the less you'll have to study while you're there.

[Shawn W.]

Systems... Get to know aircraft systems really well... Never been to a flight academy, but as a fellow Private pilot with instrument rating, I advise you to talk to any pilots/CFIs in your Squadron. Get to know what does what and why.  Study Study Study...

Good Luck