How to Become a Commercial Pilot in 2023: The 7-Step Guide

Is your head in the clouds? If you’ve always wondered how to become a pilot, this guide is for you. Perhaps you’ve thought about this as a hobby, but becoming a commercial pilot is actually a great career choice. In fact, it might help to first understand exactly what defines a commercial pilot. Simply put, a commercial pilot is someone who has been approved by the FAA to charge for pilot services. So, what you might think of as a hobby has the potential to become a career. What types of commercial pilots are there? While most people immediately think of commercial airline pilots flying passengers, the most common example of a commercial pilot, there are other possible careers in … Read more

Apr 27

VFR Pilot Rating vs IFR Pilot Rating

What is the difference between VFR and IFR pilot ratings? The short answer is: VFR pilots can only fly in good visibility. IFR pilots can fly when visibility is poor. What do the terms “VFR” and “IFR” mean? The acronyms VFR and IFR stand for different types of FAA pilot certifications. VFR stands for “Visual Flight Rules.” This means that a VFR-rated pilot must follow specific guidelines when flying using visual references. A pilot holding a Private Pilot License (PPL) must fly in VFR conditions. IFR stands for “Instrument Flight Rules” and allows a pilot who is Instrument Rated (IR) to operate an aircraft by relying almost solely on instruments. Once a pilot holds a PPL, the next step is to … Read more

Mar 29

My Personal Top Workplace: An Epic Career

Captain Judy’s Corner Epic Flight Academy is widely recognized for developing the highest quality and standards to serve students, staff, and the community. Two recognitions include Top Workplace Awards from the Orlando Sentinel and the Daytona News-Journal. I concur. Epic Flight Academy has been a top workplace for me. In 2017 when I was seeking employment at a flight school, Epic Flight Academy stood out among all other schools. My tour of the campus, inspection of the airplanes, and conversations with students and staff confirmed Epic Flight Academy was the quality of flight school I was seeking. My employment at Epic led to many friendships and respect for my colleagues. As I retired from Epic and reflected on my time … Read more

Mar 20

FAA Medical Deferral

Captain Judy’s Corner: One Flight Student’s Recipe for Success in Dealing with an FAA Medical Deferral This month, Captain Judy Rice spotlights Epic flight student Bryce Dawson‘s recipe for success in navigating challenges with his FAA medical deferral. Captain Judy interviewed Bryce for this inspirational article about one student’s journey to become a pilot. Combine the following ingredients and adjust for best results: Background December 23,1997, Paul Dawson, risk insurance agent, and Paula Dawson, public school teacher, welcomed their firstborn and named him Bryce. Brother Connor came along 23 months later. The Dawsons raised their children with their same high standards for work ethic, determination, and professionalism. The children knew only these standards. Bryce shared, “My parents were always patience and supportive. Looking … Read more

Jan 9

Types of Pilot Licenses: From Part-Time Hobby to Lifetime Career and Everything In Between

You want to become a pilot, but did you know the FAA issues different types of pilot licenses? These vary by classifications, ratings, and various regulations. Depending on your pilot license and ratings, you will be licensed to fly different types of aircraft. Above all, you can even fly for commercial airlines as a paid professional certified pilot. Whether you’re an international student or American student, you just have to decide which pilot license meets your needs. Therefore, you need to think about your pilot goals. What is a pilot license? In simple terms, a pilot’s license, or pilot certificate, allows a person to be able to fly an aircraft. This is similar to a driver’s license allowing you to … Read more

Nov 22

Gift of Knowledge

Santa arrived early this year at Epic Flight Academy delivering the Gift of Knowledge! On Saturday, November 6, Epic celebrated its 6th annual Aviation Scholarship Awards and Fishing Tournament. Each year, Epic awards scholarships to deserving high school students. The fishing tournament is a fun event for industry partners that generates funds for future scholarships. The scholarship awards ceremony is combined with a career fair. Epic partners included Cessna/Textron Aviation, Air Wisconsin, United Airlines, Piper Aircraft, SkyWest, Southern Airways Express, Piedmont Airlines, Republic Airways, FEAM Maintenance & Engineering, and New Smyrna Beach Outfitters.The career fair was well attended with students gathering information and asking many questions about career opportunities. As the day progressed, hungry appetites were met with wide assortment of … Read more

Aug 29

Summer Internship

A Sneak Peek of My Summer Internship at Epic Flight Academy By Cilia Salam Finding an Internship During the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to do a summer internship with Epic Flight Academy. I had been trying to earn some work experience in the new normal of COVID-19 before I graduate with my master’s degree in the fall semester. At the beginning of the spring semester, I started applying and looking for internship opportunities. Like any other ambitious and enthusiastic ERAU aviation student, I was looking forward to an internship at a major airline. With uncertainty caused by COVID-19, the airlines had little to no availability for an intern. I ended up looking at local flight schools upon … Read more

Jul 20

Airfoil

What is an airfoil? The definition of an airfoil (or aerofoil in the UK) is a structure with curved surfaces, such as an airplane wing, fins, and horizontal stabilizer, designed to provide the best ratio of lift to drag during flight. The meaning of airfoil is the same for all aircraft. Let’s consider the stubby, short wings of my Grumman compared to the long, flowing wings of the Epic Flight Academy’s Cessna 172SP. You may wonder how my little bird would have enough wing to leave Earth’s gravity. You can compare this to an egret flapping frantically to rise a few feet from the sand. Its tiny wings are capable of supporting what appears to be an oversized body. However, … Read more

May 30

Cross Country Flight Planning

Captain Judy’s Corner: The Art & Science of Not Getting Lost Cross country flight planning is something every pilot must know. Even though it was 30 years ago, I vividly recall soloing in the Cessna150. Exhilarating, yet terrifying, describes this memorable day. There was nothing in life that prepared me for the intensity. My flight instructor assured I was ready. I knew I was ready, but I was anxious all the same. Leaving the airport environment on a solo cross country was as exciting and distressing. I prepared, studied the routes, check points, and unfamiliar destination airport environment. Nonetheless, I consistently got lost. Preparing a Navigation Log What helped me throughout learning cross countries? It was understanding how to prepare … Read more

Mar 19

What is yaw?

What is yaw? What does ‘yaw’ mean? The official definition is a twisting, or rotation of up to 360 degrees, of a moving ship or aircraft around a vertical axis. To define yaw is to describe an airplane, boat, or even a fish with the nose or front moving side-to-side through the air. Motion determines the meaning. Do cars or motorcycles yaw? Ground vehicles move in two dimensions and do not yaw. However, even wind turbines have yaw motors, which help generate as much wind power into electricity as possible. Yaw rate sensors are used in aircraft to measure yaw rate, the angular velocity around the plane’s vertical axis. Yaw rate directly relates to lateral acceleration of the plane as … Read more