D.C area flight training suggestions?

Rydad1

Rydad1

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Nov 11, 2015
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11
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DC
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Display name:
Matt
Looking for suggestions on a good PPL program in the D.C area...
 
I've had good experiences at W00 and JYO. Others will chime in shortly.

Oh, and welcome to PoA!
 
Thanks! I look forward to hearing everyones suggestions!

Freeway (W00) was one of the places I was looking at...
 
Where are you? Recommendations are highly location dependent.
 
I live near Andrews AFB right now....
 
Rydad1 said:
I live near Andrews AFB right now....
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Check out GT Aviation at Potomac Airfield, VKX. Tim Poole seems to be running a great operation over there. FWIW, my 182 is hangared at Potomac, and flying into and out of the FRZ is not that big of a deal for training, as 2W5 is just a few minutes away for pattern work.
 
If you have any affiliation with the federal or local gov't (fed employee, local gov't law enforcement, VFD, military, CAP, maybe contractors, etc.), give Fort Meade Flying Activity a call (based at FME) - it's a non-appropriated fund (self supporting) flying club; right across the road from Fort Meade and NSA. Prices are good, aircraft availability can be a bit spotty (it's a very active club).

Also, Freeway/W00 is solid - it's an active training airport, and has a "notch" cut out of the FRZ, so no pin number required. Good instructor and aircraft availability, but with DC prices, of course.
 
Ancillary:

If you don't have your medical in hand yet then get that done. It's no longer a one day process now that TSA is involved.
 
If your stature permits, you could also start training in the 162 at Freeway until you have your medical in hand. It's somewhat more available than the rest of the fleet, and you can use that to your advantage. At $91/hr (block), it's also one of the more affordable rentals in the area.
 
Not sure if Andrews has an aero club but if you're eligible that's something to check into perhaps.
 
timwinters said:
Ancillary:

If you don't have your medical in hand yet then get that done. It's no longer a one day process now that TSA is involved.
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Yeah I need to do that before I start anything. Im a diabetic so I have some hoops to jump through.
 
mscard88 said:
Not sure if Andrews has an aero club but if you're eligible that's something to check into perhaps.
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Unfortunately, Andrews closed down their Aero Club long ago; those folks went to Tipton (Fort Meade), or the Navy club at ANP (Annapolis/Edgewater).

DC Metro isn't a bad place to live, as long as you don't mind high taxes, the worst traffic in the U.S. (DC trades first and second place with LA regularly), hot humid summers, damp, cold winters, and wretched public transportation. . .on the plus side, Fall is nice. :)
 
mscard88 said:
Not sure if Andrews has an aero club but if you're eligible that's something to check into perhaps.
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Not any more. The closest thing to an military aero club anywhere in the DC area is the flight program mentioned previously at Tipton (FME).
 
Sundancer said:
Unfortunately, Andrews closed down their Aero Club long ago; those folks went to Tipton (Fort Meade), or the Navy club at ANP (Annapolis/Edgewater).

DC Metro isn't a bad place to live, as long as you don't mind high taxes, the worst traffic in the U.S. (DC trades first and second place with LA regularly), hot humid summers, damp, cold winters, and wretched public transportation. . .on the plus side, Fall is nice. :)
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I'm a police officer in D.C, so I would qualify for membership at Ft Meade...seems like it would be the cheapest option in the area...
 
Rydad1 said:
I'm a police officer in D.C, so I would qualify for membership at Ft Meade...seems like it would be the cheapest option in the area...
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Pretty sure LE gets you in - give them a call. They do a lot of PPL and Instrument ratings, and have a good set of instructors. Also Commercial, assuming they still have their Arrow.
 
If you are quite committed to this, buy a plane and train with an independent instructor.
 
Has anyone had any experience with Frederick Flight Center at KFDK?
 
I'm based at FDK but have no experience with FFC. They're very active and there is a tower on field.

It's a good place to learn. Lots of runway and activity.
 
Not personally, but a friend used to rent from them. Seemed like a good operation, if not the cheapest or closest.
 
Great place for controllers to learn as well. Hopefully they've gotten better in the past couple of years. FDK is one of places where a tower really messed up a nice airport.
 
It is a bit of a drive for me, but I would prefer to learn at a towered airport if possible.

Can you elaborate on how the addition of the tower messed up the airport?
 
Rydad1 said:
It is a bit of a drive for me, but I would prefer to learn at a towered airport if possible.

Can you elaborate on how the addition of the tower messed up the airport?
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It turned a three ring circus without ringmaster into a three ring circus with a ringmaster. It's still a three ring circus.
 
If you're new to DC, and living in town, you might not like the drive to FDK. Not so much the distance as the time, unless you work off-hours or will be training on weekends. There is no route to FDK from DC that isn't gruesome to drive on a weekday. . .

The tower slows operations a bit, and FDK is a bit pricey for training, but it's a good physical plant, and I haven't heard negatives about FFC.
 
Rydad1 said:
It is a bit of a drive for me, but I would prefer to learn at a towered airport if possible.
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That leaves FDK, HEF, and MTN. If you're flying a couple or three times a week for training, the driving is gonna get old fast.

A fringe benefit of training in the SFRA is that dealing with ATC will become second nature, even if you fly out of a non-towered field like W00 or VKX.
 
MTN would not be my first choice. Or second, or third. Bad drive, lot of time on surface roads, and expensive. The tower can be jerks sometimes (not always, but more so than elsewhere in the area).
 
You mentioned that you are a DC cop. If you can adjust your schedule to work outside of regular office hours, the drive to most of the mentioned airports is less of an issue.
I understood that you live near Andrews, either way VKX, 2W5 or freeway are going to be much less driving than HEF or FDK. Tim Pooles outfit does a lot of training at 2W5. They fly out from VKX and do their pattern work at 2W5 . There is no benefit to having a tower for training. Your instructor can take you from VKX to HEF in about 15min flight time where you can get your fill of class D tower operations. The controllers are nice and with two parallel runways it is rarely busy enough that the tower becomes a source of delays. You'll learn how to fit in with bizjets and turboprops, to adjust your pattern, how to spot those annoying little helicopters in the pattern etc. The school at VKX would be my first stop (I believe they are now part 141 if that is of interest to you, e.g. with VA funding).
 
weilke said:
You mentioned that you are a DC cop. If you can adjust your schedule to work outside of regular office hours, the drive to most of the mentioned airports is less of an issue.
I understood that you live near Andrews, either way VKX, 2W5 or freeway are going to be much less driving than HEF or FDK. Tim Pooles outfit does a lot of training at 2W5. They fly out from VKX and do their pattern work at 2W5 . There is no benefit to having a tower for training. Your instructor can take you from VKX to HEF in about 15min flight time where you can get your fill of class D tower operations. The controllers are nice and with two parallel runways it is rarely busy enough that the tower becomes a source of delays. You'll learn how to fit in with bizjets and turboprops, to adjust your pattern, how to spot those annoying little helicopters in the pattern etc. The school at VKX would be my first stop (I believe they are now part 141 if that is of interest to you, e.g. with VA funding).
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Thanks. Yeah I work midnights so I could fly during the day with no issues.

Thanks for the suggestions!
 
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