DENISON, TX -- Have you ever watched a plane fly over and wonder how it works, or how people learn to fly them? Tonight in part one of our special on aviation, Steve LaNore heads to North Texas Regional Airport to get some answers.

There's a place in Denison that wants to get you started in the world of flying. Air Safety Flight Academy is new to Texoma skies, but it’s been training private and commercial pilots since 2003.

Instructors say the keys to flying success are good information, a dependable aircraft, and solid training.

Understanding what makes an airplane fly is also important for a pilot…

Bobby Anderson, Flight Instructor, explains how a plane produces lift:

"As the airplane accelerates through the air, the airflow travels above and below the wing, and over the curved surface..... it travels a little faster. This creates an air pressure differential below the wing; there's a relatively high pressure area below the wing and low pressure above"

So when you have enough airspeed this higher pressure pushes the plane into the air.

A car is controlled with a steering wheel…the plane uses a rudder and ailerons working together…Anderson tells us more about the ailerons.

"The aileron really provides the ability for the plane to bank right and left; it allows the airplane to roll and most passengers are experienced with this when the airplane banks to turn"

Now we know more about what makes a plane fly. Here in the simulator, a student learns how.

I’m in the simulator with Eric Gohler, another instructor at the Academy. He’s helping me learn the ropes of the simulator…."as soon as you come up sixty knots on your airspeed, you're just going to pull slowly back up"

"Flying is a lot of fun but there's also a lot of science in it. Now it is tougher than driving a car, but with good instruction, it's a piece of cake"

Air Safety Academy is set up to train airline crews as well as private pilots.
This two-man crew is learning the more demanding task of commercial flying…

Vice President Cace Collins tells us that their setup is well suited to training commercial pilots too.
"We have a multi-crew trainer, which basically allow us to do cockpit resource management, which is basically the science or working with two pilots…the captain and the first officer"

But... back to your so-called pilot in this case… me.
This is a simulated landing. The idea is to come in straight at a gentle slope and then pull up as you touch down.

I’m trying to land…and it’s not a pretty sight….

"touchdown….did I make it? You bounced a little (laughter)" ..I didn’t make it.

Being a good pilot takes a lot of practice, and it can be complex at times.

So why do people fly?

"Well it's been five or six years since my relatives were in a commercial plane and it was fun…when I went into the cockpit with them, I knew that I wanted to fly," says Anirudh Rao, a student from India.

Michael Doyle has also caught flight fever.

"It's just in my blood, and I've got the bug and really enjoy flying and would like to do it professionally someday"

Tomorrow we'll leave the simulator and take to the real sky.

Part 2

DENISON, TX – On Tuesday Steve LaNore looked at the basics of how planes work and how people learn to fly them. Now it's time to head for the sky and see how weather plays into a pilot's world in the second and final part of our series on aviation.

A safe trip means you check out your aircraft and the weather.

"The most important factors for a pilot are knowing wind conditions, visibility, cloud conditions, what the clouds are like in the sky, and any hazards that may be associated with the weather," says flight instructor Bobby Anderson.

Before an engine is started, the pilot always yells out "Clear!" as a warning. Aircraft always take off and land into the wind to give them more lift.

I've flown in a passenger jet many times, but it's still amazing how fast those buildings shrink as we climb.

Right now I'm the pilot, but Bobby has a duplicate set of controls and he's ready to use them. This allows the trainee to learn with a great safety factor built in.

I'm having the time of my life but you know it's not just about flying. As you may imagine the weather is a very important part of what goes on up here.

V-F-R, flying, which stands for Visual Flight Rules, means clouds have to be above 3,000 feet and visibility 5 miles or better. Pilots who fly in "bad" weather or at night have to be rated for I-F-R, which means instruments only.

If you're interested in flying this is a great place to begin your own aviation adventure.

On the Web:

www.airsafetyacademy.com