| "I have had interest in aviation since childhood and always aspired to the sky. My parents are not rich at all and I had to bridge my way to the pilot on my own." | |
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- Ruslan Ushakov,
From 0 to ATPL student
I have had interest in aviation since childhood and always aspired to the sky. My parents are not rich at all and I had to bridge my way to the pilot on my own. After finishing school I tried to go to Russian aviation colleges, but I faced health and financial issues. 
Nevertheless I did not gave up and started searching for schools on the internet and so I found pilots school Flights Unlimited where I decided to take PPL. And it was worth it! School is absolutely great, prices are low even compared to Riga’s. I have already received PPL license and I currently work in the UK, saving up money for CPL. And I remember my first individual flight as if it was just yesterday... We were at the airfield together with my instructor. We had already flown around airfield Liepaja (EVLA) couple times. The weather was hot, time 1634, thermal activity was present, quartering headwind 4 knots. Later the Chief Flights Instructor came and asked me theoretical questions, after that I started to prepare the airplane. We did several touch-and-goes and taxied to the ramp. He said – the weather is getting worse, the wind direction has changed 70 degrees and is now 7 knots strong. So if you are not confident, don’t fly. I thought for a moment and replied that I will fly. I got thoughts together and went solo! After I took off the flight strip I knew there was no way back but to land back on it. When approaching to land I got rocked decently. But the landing itself was so smooth and gentle that I could not believe myself, it was so well performed that I didn’t even feel touching the strip with my bud. After that I took another round, entry, steering a course, flattening out..... and I floated, but not very high. A split second to think and I was in total control of the situation and landed on the flight strip holding the steering wheel. In the outer range I saw a happy instructor standing next to the strip with the radio in his hand, he was obviously a little worried too. Wheels-on, report to the ramp supervisor - Runway 24 vacated via B, taxing to stand number 3, YL-CCZ. My smiling could be clearly heard on the radio =) The supervisor congratulated me and I proceeded to the parking stand. Many thanks to the staff of the school and the instructor who taught me to fly.
I recommend this school for obtaining the PPL (A) pilots license and ATPL commercial pilot training to everyone.