Alaska Flight Training

Basic Tailwheel Course.

This course is designed for the tailwheel endorsement and assumes you hold at least a private pilot license. Price includes ground instruction, 5 hours dual flight instruction and the tailwheel endorsement. Some applicants need more than 5 hours. Additional time is billed at the hourly rate for the aircraft. This course utilizes the Citabria 7ECA.

The Maule MX-7, Maule M-5, and Piper Super Cub are also available for the tailwheel course and is charged the hourly rate for those planes. Generally, this training begins wilth you and the instructor discussing the characteristics of the conventional gear aircraft. The initial flight portion will include a departure and climb to a safe altitude where the applicant will do some basic maneuvers such as steep turns, slow flight and stalls in order to get the feel of the aircraft and observe the slow flight configuration and airspeeds.

Next we go right to work in the traffic pattern at a gravel runway. We focus on three point landings, normal and crosswind take off and landings. The next lesson is more take off and landings plus wheel landings and go arounds. Our focus is to get as many take off and landings in as possible per flight hour. Flying around looking at the countryside and wildlife is fun, but to get the most bang for the buck, it comes down to pounding out the basic landings. Once the instructor feels you are safe, consistent and competent, he will sign your logbook for the tailwheel endorsement.

Private Pilot Training Course

This complete course is available in our Citabria or Cessna 172. 40 flight hours plus some ground instruction is mandated by the FAA to become a private pilot, plus passing a written test and a flight check by a designated pilot examiner. Few applicants mange the license in 40 hours, although that occasionally happens. The average is more like 50 hours to 60 hours. Of the 40 required hours, 20 must be with a certified flight instructor and 10 hours solo.

We encourage applicants to do a home study course for the written test. There are online courses and written test guides available. We have our own designated pilot examiner on staff to issue the practical exam, (check ride). Our private pilot course is unique in that we offer the much sought after option of doing the entire training including solo in a tailwheel aircraft.

This specialized training is very difficult to obtain anywhere in the world. Alaska’s vast landscape offers multiple opportunities to explore wilderness regions with the rugged design of the taildragger, usually equipped with large bush tires or skis. Getting a pilot’s license or flight training in these aircraft is a real plus and is more challenging than learning in a tricycle gear aircraft.

Learning to fly should be a good, fun filled and confidence building experience. Unfortunately, there are flight instructors and flight schools who focus on assembly line and volume style training. Applicants are sent on their way with minimum quality training with little oversight and fail their flight test due to incompetence or safety issues. We are constantly aware of young instructors doing much of the flying rather than keeping the controls in the hands of the students. Legends Aviation has 40 years’ experience in flight training and from the first lesson to the last the applicant has the controls. Only for an occasional necessary demonstration for a task or when safety dictates, will the instructor fly the plane, We are expert coaches that skillfully talk the applicants through the basics, rather than doing the flying for them.

High Performance Endorsement

This is accomplished in the M-5-235C Maule or Cessna 206U. We do some ground training, then head to the sky and spend a few minutes getting used to the plane doing some basic maneuvers. We then head for the runway and do a series of touch and goes. We build confidence by hands on experience with high horse power take offs. Staying in the pattern working power, flaps and constant speed propeller long enough to get the hang of it is usually accomplished in about two hours.