It starts with a dream. You are a young boy or girl and you can't wait to go to the airport and see all the planes. You say to yourself: "When I grow up, I am going to fly a plane." Years go by and you still want to fly - it is the only thing that you ever wanted to do. It's in your blood and you are going to make that dream come true.

Now it's time to go to school and get your license. You did your homework and you picked the flight school that's right for you. It's going to take more than money to get through training. Here is a short list we put together to make you a better flight school student and a better pilot.

Preparation

A good pilot is always prepared. A good flight student is always prepared, too. There is an enormous amount of material to learn when you are in flight school. It is advisable to develop proper study habits right from the start. Go to bed early. Get to class early. Have your assignments ready and raise your hand even if you are not 100% sure of the answer. This shows the flight instructor that you care. You need to be in excellent shape mentally and physically - and excellence is the benchmark in flying that is always sought but not often achieved.

Positive Attitude

Positive attitude is the power that makes you successful. A 100% positive attitude not only makes you a better pilot – it makes you a better person. There is no room for negativity in the classroom or the cockpit. You will be learning many things in ground school - Air law and Operational Procedures, Navigation and Meteorology, Direction and Weather Patterns, Communication, Human Performance and Limitation, to name a few. There is no class for positive attitude, however. You are going to have to learn that on your own.

Commitment

This is your new career and your new life – let everything else go. Your flight instructor will be your captain for the next few years. Listen to him or her. Your career depends on it. A good pilot is always a student, continually trying to make every maneuver a little more precise than the one before. A good pilot is always striving to become a better one.

Responsibility

In the not too distant future, you will be in command of a commercial aircraft. You will be navigating 50 tons of metal 30,000 feet in the air. You will be responsible for the lives of hundreds of people. If you have any doubts about responsibility, you better get over those doubts while you are in flight school. Learn the meaning of this word backwards and forwards. It starts with the basics. An instructor can only teach you so much. How much you learn is your responsibility. You must stay on top of your flight program with all your assignments. Responsibility in the flight school classroom leads to responsibility as a pilot in the skies.

Are you still dreaming about flying? Good! You are now ready to embark on a journey that only a handful of people in the entire world are able to do. Welcome to your new life as a future commercial pilot – the most exciting and satisfying job in the world.