(9) Introductory Flight and Host Family
First, the table below outlines the minimum cost for your training by subtotals sum up. Shaded in blue are the schools that are relatively favorable to me for the reasons explained so far.
In addition to the costs, other considerations include the safety of the city to stay, the aviation safety of the flying school, the pre-school in Japan for the written test, easier daily commute to/from school, host families, etc. Choosing a good flight instructor is a very important process, but it is impossible to know this before starting training.
If possible, it would be a good idea to visit flying school before you decide and try an “Familiarization Flight” or “Introductory Flight,” in which you can fly a training airplane under instruction by a certified instructor for about one hour to experience takeoff and landing as well as straight-and level, turning, climbing, and descending flight. The instructor will communicate with an air traffic controller for you. When flying with an American instructor, you are required to have a certain level of command of English. However, the instructor who flew with in the Introductory Flight will not necessarily be assigned as your instructor in the training even if you request so.
Regarding host families, I mentioned in a previous article that I had three; the first was a Filipino couple. The wife was a tough person who became a major banker after coming to the U.S. with a one-way ticket as a teenager to support her family in the Philippines. Actually, at that time, I had apparently been assigned to another host family, but that person had suddenly gone on a trip, and she accepted me as her friend "if only for a few days.” So I ended up transferring on the second day of the training, and my stay there was shortened to about 10 days, and as a result she seemed relieved. That wouldn’t happen in Japan.
After transferring to a new school, I stayed at a Japanese woman's family, introduced by the new school. This family took care of me in a Japanese way and even made box lunch for me, which made me feel safe and comfortable to devote myself to studying.
However, due to her circumstances, I stayed at yet another host family, an American couple, after about a month. There was a study desk there, and the couple both were from airline companies, so we could share passion for aviation, giving me more opportunities to speak English, as previously desired. It was a very fruitful stay. Needless to say, we, as a guest, need to have good manners and care. In the next article, I will finally decide on the flying school. (continued)