Flying Lesson

When Groupon Boston had an introductory to helicopter flying lesson for $80, I immediately bought the Groupon deal and only afterward, did I actually think about what I had just monetarily committed to.

Going to the online course site, I had to read 3 different manuals, fill out a questionnaire that checked I had read the material, and then register for the ground school class. The reading took hours, especially since some of the information was very technical and ground school class was an additional 3 hours in preparing for a 20-minute introductory helicopter flight.

The instructors kept ground school class fun and as entertaining as humanly possible given the topics of aerodynamics and laws of physics. At the end of the class, there was a 30 question quiz where you had to get at least a 75% to pass ground school and be able to fly. Failure to pass meant you had to take ground school again. Although the test was open notes and handouts, a few students did manage to fail.

I signed up for my flight the very next day and the weather could not have been more perfect. The 20-minute flight went by so fast and was incredible. The only "oh sh*t" moment I had was when the instructor first started the helicopter engine and the whole helicopter shook. It also didn't help that the cockpit of a helicopter felt less securely caged than a car.

I would love to fly again, but to take the helicopter out for an hour costs $330, plus an additional $50 for the instructor. The flying club also has airplanes for rental for as low as $95 an hour, so that may be a viable alternative.