Smaller is better.

What does this mean? Well, it means a couple things to you as a student. First, White Air is the only business that operates on the airport, this benefits you by being a quiet, low traffic environment for your training. Spend time in the air learning and not on the taxiway or in the pattern waiting to land. This allows you to maximize your time in the air. Get the training you need without the high traffic hassles.

No Simulators.

While simulators can be useful during training, White Air does all of its training in the actual aircraft. The expense of flight training is high, do you want to spend your money on a simulator or flying? Our personal attention allows for plenty of time to learn the proper procedures and duties involved while flying IFR. White may in the future offer simulators for training, however they will never be included in our programs, and they will be free of charge for our students. This time can be used in addition to our comprehensive programs, and not as a cost cutting measure by the school.

Weather.

You are probably wondering why weather is an advantage here in Chanute, KS. The answer is quite simple. When you pursue a career in aviation, you will be expected to handle a variety of weather situations. The situations cannot be experienced if you attend a flight school in a part of the country with perfect weather. Most of the large flight schools are located in Florida and Arizona. Sure they can promise 300 days a year of beautiful weather for you to fly in, but does that really prepare you for a future in Aviation? There is no substitute for actual experience, and at White Air you get the opportunity to fly in all kinds of weather. Everything from rain to snow to low clouds and gusty winds. We often have pilots from out of town stop in for fuel and a break. We often hear them complaining about the wind and how difficult it is to land. At the same time we have students flying, doing maneuvers and landing with skill and confidence. This confidence comes from the experience they have gained training with us.

Personal Attention.

Our small family environment and small class sizes allow our instructors to give each student one on one instruction. This kind of attention is valuable when you are in the beginning stages of your training. There are times when all the reading and classroom training just isn't enough, you need more. White Air provides that one on one training seldom found elsewhere.

We train pilots.

You may think to yourself, well of course you train pilots. What we mean by this, is that you will learn to be a pilot, and not just how to pass a checkride. The FAA has minimum standards that must be achieved in order for you to get your ratings. Keep in mind though they are MINIMUMS. Our students learn more than just how to pass a checkride. White Air uses independent examiners, so you are assured that you have EARNED your ratings.

White Air emphasizes safety, emergency procedures, and piloting skills. Our emphasis on safety and emergency procedures is something we take a great deal of pride in. As a student you can expect to have the skills necessary to handle a variety of in flight emergencies. Sure these instances are rare in the real world, but the pilot that is prepared is a pilot that is safe. Again there is no substitute for experience. Emergency landings, failed systems, engine failures, lost communications, and a wide variety of situations are covered in our programs. You will leave here with the confidence and preparedness needed to make command decisions that will keep you and your passengers safe.

We teach you to act as pilot in command. This means you are the decision maker, the safety and conduct of the flight is in your hands. We emphasize these skills from day one. You will be presented with a variety of situations that will require your decision making skills. We don't train robots here, we train pilots in command.

No safety pilot.

Safety Pilot? What do we mean by that?

A safety pilot is a pilot that is watching outside the aircraft and looking for potential hazards, while another pilot is controlling the aircraft in simulated instrument conditions.

The FAA allows for the safety pilot and also the pilot flying the plane to both log this time as Pilot in command time. One pilot is flying the plane and the other is watching for traffic. Now since both pilots can log that time as pilot in command. Many flight schools will have it in their programs where two students will fly together, one flying the plane and the other is acting as safety pilot. Now since both students can log that flight time, this time will be deducted from the hours included in both students programs.

White Air feels that this is a bit deceptive and we do not feel that your training dollars should be spent watching for traffic while another student gains valuable experience at the controls.