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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. |
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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
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
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
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.