Chapter Five: Aviation Places

Many different types of organizations and businesses support aviation.

Airport

The airport is the hub of all aviation activity. Planes can fly in and out of an airport. Pilots can keep their airplanes in a hangar at the airport. A company called an FBO takes care of private airplanes and offers services to pilots. FBO stands for Fixed Base Operation. These companies help a private pilot make his flight plans, check the weather, and fuel the airplane. Some offer maintenance facilities as well. Some FBOs offer hangars or parking spaces where pilots can leave their airplanes when they are not flying them.

The airport also contains the control tower. Air traffic controllers work in a tower that oversees the traffic at the airport. Since airplanes don’t have stop signs and red lights, the air traffic controllers perform the function of traffic cop for the airplanes when they are moving around, taxiing, taking off or landing.

Airplane Factory

It has to start somewhere, and it starts with someone designing and building our airplanes. These are done at companies such as Boeing, Cessna, Piper, and Mooney. Many other companies contribute parts or equipment to the airplane.

Museum

You can learn a lot about early aviation from one of the hundreds of aviation museums in this country.

Name some of the museums near you.

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Flight School

Just as kids go to school for math or science, kids and adults can go to school to learn to fly. These schools are usually located near airports.

The good news is you can get a pilot’s license at a very early age. You have to be 16 to solo and you can get your pilot’s license at 17.

If you want to see what it’s like to fly in a small plane, you can take an introductory flight. The price for this one-hour thrill is usually $50.00.

Air Show

Once or twice a year, an air show will be held at your local airport. Pilots and aviation enthusiasts from all over will attend the show. Some will fly their own aircraft in to visit the show for the day. At the air show you’ll see lots of different types of airplanes: some parked and some flying doing stunts. You’ll be able to meet other pilots and people who work in the aviation field. The largest air show in this country is AirVenture, hosted by EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). It’s held for six days in late July/early August and 750,000 people attend.

Consider these places if you are thinking about organizing a field trip related to aviation. Some of these places require security approvals and advance planning.

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