American Flyers Flight School is welcoming anyone with an interest in aviation to stop by the airport - and consider learning to fly a plane.
The school, located at the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport at 20803 Stuebner Airline Road in Spring, hosts a monthly open house, free and open to the public.
Visitors are invited to a barbecue lunch starting promptly at noon, then to a tour of the facility and a presentation by a certified flight instructor.
The next open house will be Saturday, June 1. There is no need to make reservations and guests are encouraged to bring friends and family.
The event is the perfect opportunity to ask questions about flight school, check out the training aircraft and even try a "flight" in one of the school's state-of-the-art flight simulators, Brian Williams, director of operations for the Spring location, said.
"This is just to welcome people out," Williams said. "The airport is not off limits."
Every guest who attends will receive a certificate for two free hours of instruction in one of the flight simulators.
Williams said pilots are also invited to the event and to stay for a free FAA Wings seminar on Technologically Advanced Aircraft, presented by an American Flyers senior instructor.
"This is a chance for people who haven't ever flown before to learn about the school," Williams said. "And for people who haven't flown in a while, it's a chance to rekindle that fire."
Williams joined the staff at American Flyers in 1996 as an intern. He attended the flight school while working for the company.
"It's something I always wanted to do," he said.
The program includes group classes at the ground schools where students learn the basics.
The rest of the training is one-on-one and is designed to accommodate students' schedules, Williams said.
"We offer 24/7 flexibility," he said. "We're here for them."
Being available for training is important, Williams added. He recommends that people train two or three times a week until they finish.
"Consistency equals proficiency," he said.
The course work is patterned after military training, Williams explained.
It starts with brief lessons in classroom, then lessons in the flight simulators. When a student is proficient enough in virtual flight, it is time to take to the sky.
After flights, students have a chance to discuss their performance with instructors and study how they can improve.
The course also involves homework.
"It's a tough course, very laborious," Williams said. "We teach; we don't just go fly. You can better apply what you learn, and that's a critical difference between us and other schools."
The school has students of all ages - starting with the Young Eagle Program with 10 year olds and continuing to students in their late 70s.
"It's not nearly as difficult to get started as people think," Williams said. "It just takes a time commitment."
The school offers both the introductory flight course as well as a training program for commercial pilots.
"We serve people who want to be airline pilots and people who just want to fly for fun," Williams said.
American Flyers has been training pilots since 1939, and operates seven accredited schools in six states plus one in Mexico City. A new location is also opening in Amsterdam this year.
"We're one of the oldest flight schools on earth," Williams said. "For 70 years, we've been learning the right ways to do things. Our curriculum is seven decades in development."
Tim Genc, director of the American Flyer's headquarters in Chicago and the national school's online programs, said the first location of the school was in Dallas. At the time, it was an airline and a flight school.
"There's actually a famous picture of the Beatles in front of a plane with 'American' on the side," Genc said. "That's one of our planes."
Over time, the airline shut down and the focus switched to instruction, Genc said.
"We've continued to teach people to fly as our primary mission," he said.
He said the school has taught generations of pilots in the same families.
"We focus 100 percent on instruction," he said. "That's what we do. It's what we're good at."
Genc said that focus and specialization in training makes the program top-notch.
He also said the individual attention offered by the school sets it apart.
"We design a program specifically for you," he said. "The majority of our programs are for a person who needs to schedule around a normal life."
Williams said the quality of instructors at American Flyers is unique.
"We spend a lot of time training our instructors," he said.
Ultimately, Williams said flight school allows people to pursue a passion.
"It's just doing what you love," he said. "It's something that just grabs you. It's very rare that you can become disinterested in flight."
Genc said that there is currently a shortage of pilots. "That is something we are hoping to address," he said. "This is a good time to get into aviation. The need for pilots is enormous."
He said the school's students are equally split - with half seeking a career in an airline and the rest just pursuing a new hobby.
"If you're looking for your next adventure, we can help," he said.
Want to go?
What: American Flyers open house and barbecue.
When: Noon, Saturday, June 1.
Where: American Flyers is located on the northeast side of the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, 20803 Stuebner Airline Road in Hangar 32
Details: 281-655-4500 or visit www.americanflyers.net/about/aviation_seminars.asp
Story and Photo: http://www.chron.com
