Learning to fly in a SportStar

St. Charles Flying Service, based just outside the city of St. Louis, Missouri, took a leap into sport pilot training. Company owner Dennis Bampton traveled to the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in April 2005 to scout the light-sport aircraft fleet for a trainer. After reviewing the choices available, he signed on the dotted line for an Evektor SportStar.
While a wave of such flight school operations is expected as the sport pilot industry develops and is better understood by the pilot population, Bampton is clearly a leader. His gamble appears to be paying off nicely.
Bampton’s concept is that a student can come to the flight school with the promise of a sport pilot certificate costing less than $3,000|for everything. “The sport certificate is more affordable and less time-consuming than other ratings and reduces the hassle that has hampered many people who want to learn to fly,” said Bampton.
Included in St. Charles’ program are a classroom and DVD ground school; all books and study materials; 20 hours’ dual in a 2005 model SportStar; five hours’ solo; and three hours pre- and post-flight briefing time. With sales tax and all fees (other than transportation and lodging), the cost of a sport pilot certificate comes to $2,875.50.
Transportation and lodging are involved as some of the flight school’s students have traveled a long way to train at St. Charles Flying Service. As the infrastructure of flight schools, aircraft dealers, repair shops, and test examiners continues to develop and grow, flight schools in many areas of the country aren’t yet providing what St. Charles Flying Service offers.
One man who found the Missouri flight school was EAA member Randy DiNapoli of Placerville, California. Randy took advantage of St. Charles’ special training program and earned his sport pilot certificate in one week! “I’d been looking all over the West Coast for someone to train me as a sport pilot, without success,” reported DiNapoli. “I checked California, Oregon, and Nevada to no avail.” After finding the St. Charles training program through EAA’s sport pilot website, DiNapoli flew the SportStar during his training, which led to his certification as a sport pilot in mid-September 2005.
Bampton is sufficiently satisfied with the performance of the SportStar for his flight school that he’s ordered another. By itself, that says a great deal about the Evektor airplane.
For more information, contact St. Charles Flying Service at:
3001 New Town Blvd.
St. Charles, MO 63301
Phone: 363/946-6066 or 800/447-6066
E-mail: stcharlesflying@msn.com
Website: www.stcharlesflyingsvs.com