Cecilia Aragon Airshows
Flight Instruction
Talks and Seminars
DCA Home Page
Contents:
Super Decathlon For Rent
About the Instructor
Learning to Fly
Aerobatics and Spin Training
Stall/Spin Safety Course
Unusual Attitude Recovery Course
Aerobatic Course
Suggested Reading
|
|
|
Aragon Aviation, Inc.
Flight Instruction and Aircraft Rental
PO Box 44
Sequim WA 98382
Tailwheel and Aerobatic Instruction in the Super Decathlon
All aerobatic courses and tailwheel instruction are given in an
American Champion Super Decathlon (180 hp, tandem, fully aerobatic
tailwheel aircraft).
The Decathlon is the best basic aerobatic trainer available.
Instruction is available
in the Seattle area at Paine Field, Arlington, Jefferson County, or Renton. Or we can bring the aircraft to you!
Gift certificates for aerobatic rides are also available.
Please call or e-mail for more information.
RATES:
Instruction (ground and flight): $100/hour ($120/hour if we use your airplane)
(Parachute and headset rental is included. Block discount rates for instruction and flight
time are available -- please contact us for more information.)
Gift certificates are available.
About the Instructor
Cecilia Aragon, a former member of the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Team
and California State Unlimited Aerobatic Champion, was a medalist at the
1994 World Aerobatic Championships and the 1993 U.S. National Aerobatic
Championships.
Aragon was a professional airshow performer since 1990, flying in
front of millions of spectators in her custom-built Sabre 320.
She is also an aerobatic competition pilot who has won numerous
trophies in regional, national, and international competition and is an
International Aerobatic Club competition judge.
|
|
Cecilia Aragon holds the ATP certificate, and has over 5,000 hours
of flight time, including over 2,500 hours as a flight instructor, 3,000
tailwheel, and over 1,500 hours of aerobatics. She is a certificated
flight instructor with single- and multi-engine land, instrument, and
glider ratings, and has been a CFI since 1987.
She specializes in primary, aerobatic, and unusual attitude recovery
training, with an additional specialty in working with individuals
who have a fear of flying.
Instruction is available at the following locations in the
Seattle area:
- KPAE (Paine Field), KAWO (Arlington), KRNT (Renton), 0S9 (Jefferson County)
We can also bring the aircraft to you. Please call or e-mail for more
information.
Learning to Fly
Maybe you've dreamed of leaping into the sky and seeing the earth fall
away beneath you. Or maybe you're looking for the convenience of
traveling to your favorite weekend getaway in an hour or two instead
of eight hours over winding roads. Or perhaps you're thinking of
a career flying 747s or F-16s.
Whatever your goals, the first step is an introductory flight
with a good flight instructor. You'll get a chance to work the
controls and see if flying is for you. Call to schedule a flight
today.
Tailwheel Flying
If you're thinking of learning to fly, consider learning in a taildragger. Our experience shows it doesn't take any longer to obtain your private pilot license, but you'll develop good habits along the way. Should you then want to fly a nosewheel airplane, you'll find the transition to be smooth.
If you already have your pilot's license, the tailwheel transition will increase your skill and
proficiency. You'll learn to be more sensitive to the wind; your judgment of height above the ground will improve; when you fly tricycle gear again, you'll find your landings are smoother. But best of all, you'll have gone back to the simple joy of flying, the coordination of stick and rudder, the feel of an airplane which is sometimes lost in today's training with its emphasis on procedures, radios, and getting from point A to point B.
Aerobatics and Spin Training for Pilots
If you're like many pilots, you haven't flown a steep turn
or a stall since your last flight review or even your primary training.
Are you comfortable with your airplane in all attitudes and
airspeeds? Do you know how to recover from a spin? What will
you do if you find yourself in an unusual attitude, or even
inverted, due to turbulence or a vortex encounter?
Spin training and basic aerobatic training aren't only for
"stunt" pilots; they're for anyone who wants to become a safer
pilot, learn about the edges of the envelope of their airplane,
and have a lot of fun in the process.
We offer a variety of courses from a basic stall/spin safety
course to an introductory aerobatic course, to advanced competition
aerobatic training. Unusual attitude recovery and
emergency procedures are covered in all our courses.
Stall/Spin Safety Course
- 2.5 hours ground time, 1.5 hours flight time
- Aerodynamics of stalls and spins
- Stall and spin recognition
- Common causes of accidental spins
- Emergency spin recovery procedures
This course consists of two sessions in the Decathlon (8KCAB). The first lesson covers aircraft familiarization, coordination exercises, steep turns, power-on and power-off stalls, rudder stalls, introduction to spins. The second lesson adds orientation during a spin, incipient and developed spin recovery, common accidental spins, and emergency spin recovery.
Unusual Attitude Recovery Course
- 5 hours ground time, 3 hours flight time
- All material in stall/spin safety course
- Unusual attitude recoveries
- Recovery from inverted
- Introduction to basic aerobatics (spin, roll, loop)
- Aerobatic safety
- Physiological factors
- Use of parachute
This course consists of four sessions in the Decathlon (8KCAB). The first two lessons are the same as the stall/spin course. The third lesson introduces inverted flight and unusual attitude recovery, including recoveries from inverted attitudes following wake turbulence encounters. The
fourth lesson reviews the first three and introduces the aileron roll and loop.
Aerobatic Course
- 17 hours ground time, 10 hours flight time
- Aerobatic safety, preflight
- Use and care of parachute
- FARs
- Physiological factors
- Aerodynamics as related to aerobatics
- Unusual attitude recoveries
- Spins
- Loops
- Aileron rolls
- Slow rolls
- Immelmanns
- Split-Ss
- Half cuban eights
- Half reverse cuban eights
- Hammerheads
- Barrel rolls
- Wingovers
- Inverted flight, turns, and stalls
An introductory aerobatic course for those who are interested in solo checkout in the Decathlon.
Approximately 13 sessions in the Decathlon are included, for a total of 10 hours flight time.
Note: solo proficiency not guaranteed at the end of 10 hours.
Suggested Reading on Aerobatics
Cole, Duane. Conquest of Lines and Symmetry. Ken Cook Transnational, Milwaukee, WI, 1970.
Cole, Duane. Roll Around A Point. Ken Cook Company, Milwaukee, WI, 1976.
Kershner, William K. The Basic Aerobatic Manual. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, 1987.
Langewiesche, Wolfgang. Stick and Rudder. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1944/1972.
Mason, Sammy. Stalls, Spins and Safety. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1982.
Medore, Lt. Col. Arthur S. Primary Aerobatic Flight Training. Aviation Book Company, Glendale, CA, 1970.
Mueller, Eric and Annette Carson. Flight Unlimited. The Eastern Press Ltd., London, 1983.
O'Dell, Bob. Aerobatics Today. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1980.
Szurovy, Geza and Mike Goulian. Basic Aerobatics. Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, 1994.
Thomas, Bill. Fly for Fun. Bill Thomas, 1985.
Williams, Neil. Aerobatics. Airlife Publications, England, 1975.
|