[ HAWAII AT WORK ]
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Job training
on the flyJared Raymond teaches
flying while learning itI teach students how to fly.
First, there's some ground school where we go over the knowledge side of flying, the rules and regulations, the aerodynamics of it, how you do certain maneuvers.
I assign a chapter a day of reading, and I'll ask them when they come in the next day if they have any questions and we go over it. How long it takes depends on what kind of certificate they want. A private pilot certificate is the first step, and the minimum ground time for that is 35 hours. Then they have to pass a written test with a 70 percent score or better.
One day we'll do ground work, and the next day we'll go out flying, so basically whatever we learn on the ground, we'll apply it in the air as we move through the flight training.
The minimum air hours for our school is 35 hours, but the normal student usually finishes in 50 or 60 hours. The school, Anderson Aviation, is on Lagoon Drive right near the airport. We can take off from this airport and fly around, but we're not allowed to do touch and goes at this airport, because it's too busy. So we have to go to Barbers Point to practice landings. It takes a little time just to get there to practice, so that's why our students usually go over the 35 hours.
On average -- if everything is according to plan, they're dedicated to their studies, show up every day, fly three times a week and keep pace with everything -- you can probably finish in three months. This is assuming none of their flights are canceled due to maintenance or anything like that.
I've trained and completed three students so far, and I currently have six students. I learn a lot from each student I have because each is different in their own way.
I just graduated from college in December and started this job in January. I went to college to learn how to fly. I started flying in 1999. I spent the first two years in the Honolulu Community College flight program, then I transferred to the University of North Dakota, which has one of the best flight schools in the nation.
My goal is to be an airline pilot. Most people use flight instruction to move up a level. Most airlines require you to have a certain number of hours and experience, and there's no better way to do that than flight instructing.
Ever since I was a little kid, I've wanted to do this. It's the normal story. We went on vacation a lot, and going from here, everywhere was flying. I was just fascinated that these big pieces of metal could get up in the sky.
I had it in the back of my head to become a teacher or a pilot, and I chose a pilot. Right now I get the best of both worlds.
I'm probably more than two years away from becoming a pilot because of the economy. The airlines are just not hiring, otherwise it would probably be a year or so.
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