Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

Page 25 text:

Piloting Spicer Aircraft ' s Cessna 1 50, DiDio begins his climb into the standard traffic pattern after taking the single runway at the Clay Center Municipal Airport. DiDio commuted to Clay Center several times a week for flight instruction from Mike Spicer. He began working on his license in May 1995 and planned to complete in March 1996. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) Mike DiDio, senior in electrical engineering, studies maps, making calculations for fuel, navigation and distances while planning a short solo cross-country trip. DiDio made the trip as he trained and accumulated hours towards his license. He had to pass a practical test in addition to 40 hours of required flight time. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) -Pilot ' s License- 2 1

Page 24 text:

dedication to a childhood fantasy anding a terrifying experience overcoming fears leads to success reams of flight He remembered flying a toy airplane around his grandmother ' s house. Since he was a child, Mike DiDio, senior in electrical engineering, had dreamed of earning his pilot ' s license and becoming a fighter pilot. Being a fighter pilot is very glamorized. After I earn my pilot ' s license, I plan on going to Air Force flight school, he said. After dreaming about flying for so long, I ' m glad I really do like to do it. DiDio began working on his license in May 1995 and planned to complete it in March 1996. Lauren Urich, flight instructor for the Kansas Air Center in Manhattan, said there was no set time schedule for earning a pilot ' s license. How long it takes really depends on the student. It usually takes people anywhere from two and a half months to nine months, although it has taken some people more than a year, Urich said. It just depends on how much they ' re willing to put into it. Flight students had to pass a written test from the Federal Aviation Administration before beginning 40 hours of required flight time. Following training, they had to take a private pilot practical test, Urich said. While training for his license, DiDio piloted a Cessna 150, the most common plane used for flight training. Because of its light composition, the two-seater plane was easily blown around by the wind. Although he never became ill while piloting, DiDio said flying as a passenger was a different story. This summer in New Mexico, I was in an F-l 1 1 . We were 500 feet off the ground going about 650 mph, doing evasive (continued on page 22) DiDio crouches under a wing to check the quality of the gas in the tanks as part of the pre- flight check. The gas tanks were checked for condensed water before each flight. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) by Gina Buster 20 -Pilot ' s License-

Page 26 text:

, rean earns of flight (continued from page 20) maneuvers, he said. We were pulling a lot of Gs and the pilot cracked it hard. I got sick, so we raised up for a little bit and then went back down again. The dangers of flying andpossiblities of accidents sometimes worried DiDio. When I ' m with my instructor, if anything went wrong, he could always bring us to safety, he said. Flying solo lacked the safety net an instructor provided. Soloing is a great feeling, and I ' m really relaxed. But if I screw up now, I ' m history, DiDio said. If you don ' t screw up too bad, a fatality probably won ' t happen. Accidents only happen for two reasons: you screw up or the aircraft screws up, and you can control one of those. Landing was often a terrifying experience for new pilots, Mike Spicer, DiDio ' s flight instructor, said. When they see the ground rushing up at them, they have to be pretty close to just right, he said. DiDio said learning to land usually took between 10 and 12 hours of practice. I was really nervous the first time I landed solo, but I was concentrating so hard that I forgot about my nervousness, he said. After I landed the plane and the controls were all sweaty, I just leaned back and took a deep breath. DiDio said although flying made him nervous, he enjoyed the challenges it brought. Being in the air is totally different from being on the ground, he said. Before flying, I always liked the idea of it, but now that I ' m flying, I just love it. Jpicer answers questions about oil levels as he and DiDio look at the engine through the engine crowlings. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) Certified flight instructor Spicer, Clay Center, fuels up the single- engine Cessna ISO before DiDio ' s cross- country flight. DiDio did most of his flight training in the Cessna ISO. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) 22 -Pilot ' s License-