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Why Northwest Aviation Center?
Someone once said that
all flight schools are the same, and the only choices for flight
training you had
were the airplane wing position (high wing or low wing) and the
personality of your instructor. I would like to address those
questions, and then add a few more differences.
Follow these bookmarks to the desired subject.
High wing vs. Low wing
Insurance
No hidden costs
Instructors
Bonus Plan
Dry rates
Hangar
Variety of
courses
Pilot Supplies
Sales
Maintenance
High Wing vs. Low Wing:
Here at NWAC, we have almost all Piper
airplanes, and even though typically we think of Pipers as a low
wing airplane we do have the J3 Cub which is a high wing, and you
get to add the tail wheel endorsement too.
To me, and this is only my opinion, the high wing airplane feels
"goofy" when you fly in it. By this I mean that since you are
under the wing, and make a turn you are moved to the outside of
the turn as if you are a pendulum. With the low wing, since you are
on top of the wing you are on the inside of the turn, and the
plane feels more solid.
People also like to compare the visibility differences in high
and low winged airplanes. It is true that in a high wing
airplane you can see the ground directly below you. Sometimes
for the passengers this is nice, but for the most part you need
to see 1) the runway when you turn toward it, and 2) what you
are turning into while making turns. In both of these cases the
high wing blocks the view.
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Insurance:
Differences in insurance coverage is huge between flight
schools. Most schools have business liability insurance, that is
to say, if someone sues the school, they have coverage. We do
too, but we go way beyond that and think of you. We have
liability insurance for you the pilot, and all the passengers in
the plane. Also, the airplanes are insured against damage,
similar to collision coverage for your car. If the airplane is
damaged, you are only liable for the deductible portion of the
policy. The deductible varies, but the highest is $2,500.00.
This only comes into play if the airplane is moving and you are
at the controls as "pilot in command." There is insurance
available to cover the deductible if you wish. In addition, and
not many schools have this, if you are injured, you have medical
coverage of $3,000.00.
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No hidden costs:
We will do our best to get you the real cost of a course, so at
first glance we may seem higher, but in the end you know what it
is really going to cost. For example, our Private Pilot Ground
School is $395.00. Might seem high, but it includes all the
books, all materials, all hand outs, a navigation chart, an
Airport Facility Directory, an E6B computer, a plotter, current
regulation book and aeronautical information manual, and the test
preparation book. We even allow you the use of our
headsets for free.
Instructors:
We have a full compliment of Certified Flight Instructors (CFI) to meet your
every need. From the Cub to the airliner, we can match you with
the perfect CFI for your desires and goals in your aviation
career. Our full time CFIs don't have their eye on an airline
career, so they will be here for you and will complete your
training. Lots of schools are but a stepping stone for the
instructor to get to the airlines and when called will be gone.
Your training will usually suffer because of this. Not to say
that the airline bound CFI is not good, but sometimes their
driving force is hours in their logbook rather than quality of
instruction given.
Our Chief instructor (and the owner of NWAC) has over 30 years
as a CFI, holds all the airplane ratings, and is a Master
Instructor as recognized by the
Master Instructors LLC.
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Bonus Plan:
--- Effective June 28th, 2010.
We don’t have block rates, or club
rates, but we still help cut the cost to you. In keeping with
our commitment of having no hidden costs here are the details of
our Pre Payment Bonus Offering. When your account is at a zero
(or credit) balance you may choose to pre pay $1000.00 by cash
or check and receive a 7.5% ($75.00) credit on your account.
The maximum monthly pre-payment is $2000.00 for a $150.00
prepayment credit. The prepayment funds and credit must be used
for products and services as there are no refunds given.
Previous balances must be paid down to zero in order to receive
the pre payment bonus. Additionally, funds on account must be
used within 2 years from date of payment. A $75.00 bonus credit
on a $1000. investment beats the banks all day long. Enjoy the
smart choice of our prepayment bonus plan.
Dry rates:
Have you noticed that fuel prices have been changing lately? Me
too. So that we may offer the plane rental at the same rate all
year, we rent the airplanes to you at a "dry rate." This means
that when you get the airplane it has a certain (measurable)
quantity of fuel onboard. When you return it to us make sure it
has the same amount of fuel in it. This opens up some options to
you as well. If you are going on a trip, you may want to plan
your fuel stops based on price, and there is a website that is
good at this. (airnav.com) And, in your training we will teach
you how to save fuel in a couple of ways. And, maybe best
of all, it is good for the planet. You control how much
fuel you use, and thereby can actually help the planet be a
cleaner place.
Variety of courses:
Most schools offer Private pilot courses, but we offer a course
for every airplane certificate offered by the Federal Aviation
Administration. The list is: Sport Pilot, Recreational Pilot,
Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, and Airline Transport Pilot.
In
addition, we offer the Instrument rating, Complex airplane
endorsement, and the highly sought after Tail Wheel endorsement.
Additionally, we have the Multi-Engine Rating allowing you to
fly airplanes with more than one engine.
At NWAC we also offer a course designed for non-flying partner.
It is called "Pinch Hitter" It will prepare the non-flyer in the
event that the pilot becomes incapacitated to be able to take
over flying, find an airport, communicate with someone on the
ground, and safely land the airplane.
And we have just
added Aerobatic instruction from very basic upset training to
full blown aerobatics.
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Pilot Supplies:
As we grow, we will be adding more items to our pilot supplies
store, but for now we carry a full compliment of the items that
you will need for your training. We are a stocking dealer for
sunglasses manufactured by "AirplaneThings.com." The
sunglasses are unique in that they have a graduated darkness,
with darker at the top so you can see the chart on your lap
better, and, they have a bifocal in reading glasses for those of
us that need a little help seeing the chart. Strengths are 125 -
250. Stop in and ask
for some.
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Sales -
Sales - pre-owned airplanes
We have in stock a variety of planes. Check the sales tab for a
complete list. We are adding new airplanes all the time so check
back to see airplanes that are newly available. And,
consignments are always welcome.
Looking for a plane?
Let us help in your search. We'll find a group of planes
that match your requirements and work with you to get the best
plane for your mission. We'll then either do a
pre-purchase inspection or arrange for someone in our wide
network to do it for you. (We have gone as far as New York
City to do an inspection for a customer. And he bought the
plane.
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Maintenance
NWAC has added maintenance to our line up of products
and services to assist the airplane owner. We have been
maintaining our own fleet of Piper aircraft for many years and
have become known as the Piper Cherokee experts in the Pacific
Northwest. So, if you have a Piper
come on in for an oil change, an annual inspection, or repairs.
We do it all.
We also welcome Cessna,
Grumman American and Light Sport airplanes.
We
are here to help.
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