News Flash!

Seasoned Skydiver Learns to Stay in Airplane

Lock Haven, PA, 14 November 2010 – Keith McAndrew, an experienced sport parachutist originally from Ontario, Canada, today completed the first half of his training to become a licensed pilot, at AvSport of Lock Haven, the sport aviation training center recently established at Piper Memorial Airport. Under the supervision of Prof. H. Paul Shuch, AvSport’s chief flight instructor, McAndrew, 53, who began flight instruction in August, flew the school’s Light Sport trainer aircraft four times around the Lock Haven traffic pattern as the plane’s sole occupant.

“There was never any question that Keith had acquired all the requisite skills to safely complete his first solo flight,” reports Shuch. “His takeoffs, landings, maneuvers, and radio procedures are flawless. My only concern was that, as Pilot In Command, he might need to be reminded to stay in the plane, rather than practicing his skydiving techniques.”

The Sport Pilot license is the newest portal of entry into the world of aviation, allowing prospective pilots to become licensed in half the time, and at half the cost, of the traditional Private Pilot license. Sport pilots fly for fun, and are restricted to flying simple, low performance aircraft that comply with the Light Sport rule. They are allowed to fly in uncongested airspace, during daylight hours, and only in good weather conditions.

Upon completion of the initial solo flight, Shuch cut a large piece out of McAndrew’s shirt, and autographed it to mark the occasion. This ritual dates back to the Golden Age of aviation, when barnstormers frequently had to patch rips in their fabric-covered aircraft with pieces of their own garments.

Although a permanent US resident, McAndrew is still a Canadian citizen, which delayed his flight training. The US Transportation Security Administration closely scrutinizes all foreign nationals who seek to learn to fly in the US. His TSA approvals took Keith about a month.

While continuing to review basic flight maneuvers with his instructor, McAndrew will next be studying for his FAA written pilot’s examination. Then, he will embark on crosscountry flight training, leading up to his venturing farther afield on his own. His training will culminate in preparations for his Federal Aviation Administration practical test, consisting of both oral exams and a checkride with an FAA designated pilot examiner, prior to receipt of his pilot’s license.

Piper Memorial Airport is the ancestral home to the legendary Piper Cub, arguably the world’s first sport plane. Modern Light Sport aircraft allow pilots to recapture the bygone fly for- fun Cub era, with increased reliability and improved safety.

DOWNLOADABLE PHOTO: http://www.avsport.org/photos/students/Keith_solo.jpg

CAPTION: Student pilot Keith McAndrew relaxes in the local flight school’s trainer aircraft, after successful completion of his first solo flight at AvSport of Lock Haven.