Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Piper Malibu Training For Pilots

By Linda Ruiz


Thank goodness for the Internet. If you're too young to remember the Piper Cub and think Malibu is a Florida beach, you can do a search on Piper Malibu training and get a clue. Baby Boomers will probably realize that we're talking about airplanes here; even if they've never been interested in flying, the Cub was a pretty famous innovation.

A man named William T. Piper wanted to market a single-engine, low-cost, easy-to-operate private airplane. In 1930, he bought into a company founded by the Taylor Brothers in New York after one of them died in a plane crash. This began the turbulent company history, since the partners didn't get along very well. The company has survived through a world war, several top-executive disagreements, a strike that denied it necessary materials, a flood, a bankruptcy, and an overseas acquisition.

However, the light airplanes this company is known for continue to be manufactured in Vero Beach, Florida, and bought by amateur and professional pilots all over the world. Training can begin in a simulator customized to faithfully portray the interior of a particular type of plane. The simulation gives virtual take-off, approach, and landing experiences.

Training in a real plane is also available, but not in Orlando. Pilots have to go to Arizona or Texas for factory-approved courses. The rules for how many hours of instruction and solo flying are required for a license can be found online.

The pictures online show truly beautiful little planes slicing through the air. Their claim to fame, however, is founded on more than good looks. They have a relatively low initial cost, offer great fuel economy, and are easy to operate and maintain. (There are courses in aircraft maintenance, too, if you'd rather stay on the ground.) The Malibu is a single-engine model, like several others in the product line. Technical information on turbo-charging, horsepower, and other details are posted for those who are mechanically-minded.

It seems that computer games are good for something, after all. Senior citizens who must take a driving test - because of an accident or a doctor's assessment - have a real edge if they enjoy computer games. People who have avoided things like email and video games often have trouble passing a virtual test, although they might do OK in an actual car. It's probably the same with simulator training; a background in race car games might be helpful.

This question might be best answered by a customer service rep at the training center. Florida, Arizona, and Texas appear to be the main centers, but one would suppose that many smaller airports have instructors on staff. Again, you can start on the internet, get some contact information, and make inquiries.

The Malibu is one of the smaller planes made by this company, which has manufactured more than 150,000 airplanes. Many of them are still flying. The Meridian, the Mirage, and the Matrix are others in this category. The Mirage even has a pressurized cabin, with room for a pilot and four passengers who can go as high as they like.




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