class details

The cost per Pilot-In-Training (Student) varies ($250.00 to $350.00) when scheduled in conjunction with a FunFly. The price is expense based; travel (airfare or driving), hotel or other lodging arrangements, transportation, and other minor expenditures. Our goal is to keep costs to a minimum and give back to the hobbyists and local club.
 
Each Pilot-In-Training will use their primary helicopter, the brand does not matter; either electric, nitro, or gas. We suggest each Pilot-In-Training should use the largest helicopter they have and are comfortable flying. We take the time to inspect each Pilot-In-Training helicopter and discuss one-on-one any setup question.  The instructor will fly the helicopter and recommend any Gyro, Governor, or Transmitter setup changes. The Pilot-In-Training will than fly their helicopter to ensure they are comfortable with any adjustments.  Our process allows us to provide more one-on-one flight training with each Pilot-In-Training.
 
It is essential for each Pilot-In-Training to provide continual feedback to the instructors. The feedback allows us to tailor each person flight training to meet their individual goals and expectations.
 
We work with the contact person from the local club and modify class size based on the Pilot-In-Training participants.

Itinerary
Day 1
Overview - A overview with question and answer session.
Set-up - Work one-on-one with each Pilot-In-Training covering set-up while going over their helicopter (includes Gyro, Governor, and Transmitter) with open discussion concerning proper set-up and myths.
Testing - Test fly helicopter while working with each Pilot-In-Training to ensure the helicopter flight performance is optimum.
Flight Evaluation - Observe each Pilot-In-Training fly their helicopter evaluating their flying to help provide positive instruction during one-on-one flight training.
Flight Training - Begin working with each Pilot-In-Training working on each of their personal goals and objectives.
Lunch Break
Flight Training - Continued working on each individuals flight goals.
Individual Practice - We have found it is critical to fly by yourself and work the flight maneuvers recommended by the instructor.
Day 2
Flight Training - Continued
Individual Practice - Continued
Lunch Break
Flight Training - Continued
Individual Practice - Continued

Other Information - We start each day at 9:00 AM and fly until there is not enough light to safely fly helicopters. It is vital to provide continual feedback which allows us to understand the challenges each Pilot-In-Training may be experiencing. We try to create a casual and relaxed instructional environment to help ease the learning process. We recommend each Pilot-In-Training fly by themselves working on the instructional advice given by the Instructors.

Recommend Items
Primary Helicopter - It is best to use the largest helicopter you are comfortable flying. The brand does not matter, either electric, nitro, or gas.
Secondary Helicopter - If you have one bring it.
Battery - To increase our ability to working one-on-one with each Pilot-In-Training suggest 3 to 4 battery packs per helicopter.
Charging Station - Bring your charger.
Power Supply - Check with local Contact Person concerning power options at the field.
Tools - Import to bring your tools to work on your helicopter such as hex drivers, ball-link pliers, digital pitch gage. Check with the local Contact Person as you may need to bring your a table and chair.

Contact Person - One contact person is responsible for helping with arrangements such as the location, flight stations, work tables, power for chargers, etc. This person also provides us with the names of individuals who with be attending the Align Flight Academy.

Testimonials

The Align Flight Academy is a must attend for all skill levels. With no local clubs in my area supporting heli's this class was a must. The class fees were well worth the information provided and more. The ratio between students and instructors was very good; all students had ample time to ask... Read More

I really enjoyed taking the class with the Align team. After an initial assessment, they helped identify areas that I needed to improve on and continued to work with me throughout the entire class period on not only my flying skills but tuning tips on my helis as well. The team has a great... Read More

This flight school exceeded my expectations by a large margin, the Align folks were relentless and worked extremely hard to make sure it was a great experience for everyone who attended. They were brand agnostic, and they were focused on making sure everyone got plenty of attention regardless of... Read More

Gale and Alan really have a knack for finding your weaknesses in flying, identifying them, showing you so you understand, and work on strengthening those weaknesses. I am still working on maneuvers and disciplines learned from this class. This is well worth the money! This was my first time... Read More

I highly recommend attending the Academy to improve your flying skills, learn setup skills from the pros, and support the hobby in general. Our instructors (Alan Szabo Jr. and Ben Storick) were amazingly patient and adaptable to our diverse skills and needs, and the organizing team kept everything... Read More

As the organizer of my club for this class, I found Gale and his team from Align easy to work with in planning for this class. They handled the registration details, and everything proceeded smoothly up to the day of the course. As a class participant, this is the best money I have spent on my heli... Read More