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thedrifter
02-21-09, 08:28 AM
Soaring to new heights; One Marine learned to fly; you can too

Published: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:49 PM CST
Lance Cpl. Nicholas M. Dunn

Combat Correspondent

When Marines and sailors are off duty, there are a number of activities they can participate in to help them grow both personally and professionally.

Some service members play intramural sports, others enroll in college courses, and many seek the physical and mental challenges of the great outdoors, but how many can say they had the opportunity to learn to fly?

Staff Sgt. Michael Bailey, a BEARMAT range control operator, has earned his private pilot’s license and said flying has been a passion of his throughout his life.

“Back when I was a kid, I was in the Civil Air Patrol,” said the Atlanta native. “I was able to fly a few times and gained about 20 hours of flight time when I was 15, but after I joined the Marine Corps, I quit for a long time because I was deploying a lot.”

Bailey recently decided to continue working toward his goal of becoming a pilot and enrolled in The Flight School at Palm Springs, next to the Palm Springs International Airport, in October. His passion for flying and prior experience from the Civil Air Patrol helped him achieve his goal relatively quickly.

“To get your private pilot’s license, you need a minimum of 40 hours of flight time,” Bailey said. “For the average person, it takes somewhere between 55 to 60 hours.”

Having already completed the 20 hours of flight time as a teenager, and using his prior knowledge, Bailey rapidly progressed through the course, earning his private pilot’s license Dec. 23. He also received his high performance rating, allowing him to operate high performance aircraft.

The Flight School at Palm Springs offers two different training packages for obtaining a private pilot’s license. According to their Web site, http://www.flypalmsprings.com, each package covers 50 hours of flight time and unlimited ground instruction, and provides students with the necessary gear to get started, such as the Pilot’s Operating Handbook and sectional charts for mapping out flight plans.

The difference in the two packages is the type of aircraft students train on to complete their flight hours. The first package features a Cessna 172SP, while the second package is host to the Symphony OMF-160. Both aircraft are single propeller planes, but because the Symphony is newer, the second package costs a little more money.

Although there are many flight schools in Southern California, not many are covered by the Montgomery GI Bill in terms of cost, Bailey said. In order for Veteran’s Affairs to cover costs for the school, they must be state certified, and what is known as Part 141 qualified, which means they are approved and inspected by the Federal Aviation Administration.

However, the VA will only provide monetary assistance for what is considered professional flight training, he added. Obtaining your private pilot’s license is considered recreational and will not be covered.

“The VA won’t cover the cost of getting your private pilot’s license, but they will cover 60 percent of costs for certifications after private,” Bailey said. “This includes instrument training, commercial pilot training, CFI [certified flight instructor] training, etc.

“To apply for VA benefits to cover flight training, all you need to do is send in your VA application along with a copy of your private pilot’s license, and your first or second class medical certificate,” Bailey said. “They need to be able to verify whether you are enrolled in professional or recreational training.”

Bailey has helped The Flight School at Palm Springs become a VA-approved flight academy. The school has already become Part 141 qualified, and is scheduled to be inspected this week for state certification and VA approval. The academy should be officially approved within a month.

Through his research, Bailey was only able to find one other VA-approved flight school, which is the California Flight Academy in San Diego.

Bailey has now completed more than 80 hours of flight time and is halfway finished with his next qualification, which is instrument training. He said he hopes to continue his education and eventually become a certified flight instructor.

“This is a very rewarding experience for me,” Bailey said. “I want to become a CFI because I enjoy training and mentoring people. It’s fulfilling to me because I can help people realize their dream of becoming pilots.

“It’s a thrill, it’s a rush and it’s peaceful all at the same time,” he added. “Personally, I find it very relaxing to be up in the sky flying.”

However, becoming a pilot may be rewarding, but it isn’t easy, Bailey said.

“It all depends on the person,” he said. “If you’re looking into it, it has to be something you really love to do. It’s forever challenging and you never stop learning.

“There are a lot of things you need to learn to be a pilot,” he added. “It’s also very dangerous, and it takes determination and drive to do it.”

Although being a pilot can become monetarily rewarding in a short time, someone should only go through with it if it’s something they’re truly passionate about, Bailey said. If someone is looking into being a pilot just for the money, they should probably choose a different profession,

To learn more about the VA benefits provided to flight school students, log on to http://www.gibill.va.gov. To see a list of flight schools for both fixed wing and rotary aircraft, visit http://www.pilot-flight-instruction.com/california.flight.school.

Ellie