What is good to know to fully enjoy your discovery flight

The aim of this booklet is to show you how simple and logical it is to fly an airplane or a multi-axis microlight, and how intuitively you can understand aeronautical phenomena.

Of course, many technical impasses have been deliberately made, and readers wishing to improve their knowledge will need to refer to more comprehensive specialized works.

Reading this book will help you get the most out of an introductory flight.

A short 45-minute flight of up to 40 kilometers from your starting airfield will enable you to understand the pilot's actions and decisions.

This is the first step in your introduction to aeronautics. Further flights and readings will enable you, if you have the desire and the ability, to go further.

During this flight, you'll be able to measure your taste and aptitude for flying.

This book will also be a useful teaching aid for computer flight simulation software enthusiasts.

This booklet can also be used by flying clubs as a handout for participants in introductory flights.

Table of contents

Foreword

CHAPTER ONE. The aeronautical environment

1. THE AERODROME

2. DEFINITIONS

CHAPTER II. How can an airplane fly?

1. THE ENGINE

2. THE AIRCRAFT

3. THE WINGS

4. LIFT AND FORCES APPLIED TO AN AIRCRAFT

5. MECHANICS OF FLIGHT

5.1. Nose down and nose up

5.2. Inclination

5.3. Yawing

5.4. Lift-enhancing systems

CHAPTER III. The ?infrastructure

1. AERODROMES

1.1. Hard-surface runways

1.2. Grass runways

2. THE LAP

3. CONTROL TOWER AND SIGNAL AREA

4. RADIOTELEPHONY

CHAPTER IV. Meteorology

1. OBSERVATION

2. FORECASTING

3. MEASUREMENT

4. DANGEROUS PHENOMENA FOR AVIATION

5. WEATHER FOR YOUR FLIGHT

CHAPTER V. Altimetry

1. FLYING AT HEIGHT

2. FLIGHT LEVEL

3. ALTITUDE FLIGHT

4. YOUR FLIGHT

CHAPTER VI. Navigation

1. THE ROUTE

2. UNITS

3. FLIGHT TIME

4. DRIFT

5. NAVIGATION METHODS

6. AIR SPACE

CHAPTER VII. Licenses, ratings and flight documents

1. PILOT LICENSES

1.1. Aircraft licenses

2.2. Microlight licenses

2. FLIGHT DOCUMENTS

2.1. Aircraft pilot documents

2.2. Aircraft documents

2.1. Microlight pilot documents

2.2. Microlight documents

Aircraft classification

CHAPTER VIII. Piloting

1. THE CHECK-LIST

2. THE DASHBOARD

2.1. The anemometer

2.2. Artificial horizon

2.3. Altimeter

2.4. Gyroscopic compass

2.5. Variometer

2.6. Revolution counter

2.7. Engine oil temperature and pressure gauge

2.8. Radios and radio navigation instruments

3. FLIGHT CONTROLS

4. BEFORE FLIGHT

5. TAKING OFF

6. CLIMBING

7. CROSSING

8. DESCENT

9. LANDING

Conclusion