Lincoln Flight Center brings chopper to town

Lincoln Flight Center swooped in to save the day for some still-training helicopter pilots when it opened at Lincoln Regional Airport late last month.The new center fills a niche vacated by Silver Star Helicopter, a national flight school that folded in February, shuttering 30-plus sites and stranding nearly 200 in-training Sacramento area pilots, said Marc McMahan, Lincoln Flight Center's helicopter instructor and a former Silver State employee."We really set up to be as bare-bones as we could so those students could continue flying," he said. "Because their funds were already dispersed out of loans to Silver State, they were out that money and had to consider whether to keep going."From its modest office on Flightline Drive, the certified Cessna pilot center provides training in a Robinson R-22 helicopter, a Cessna 152, and Cessna 172. And as a satellite of Modesto Flight Center, Lincoln has access to aircraft kept at the longer-established San Joaquin Valley location.Unlike Silver State – whose profits couldn't support its rapid expansion and aggressive student recruitment – the Lincoln operation is cost-effective, McMahan said.Where Silver State charged $360 an hour for flight instruction, Lincoln Flight Center asks $250. And at $200, he said, the school's hourly rate for solo flights is one of the lowest around."Silver State was good at training pilots – there was just no money left," McMahan said. "We can use a lot of the same practices without being shackled by that overhead and high cost that's part of a big operation. We're very concerned about affordability … so students can keep flying instead of letting their dream die."Colleen Ahlers is one of those former Silver State students.Ahlers, who also works as Lincoln Flight Center's administrative assistant, eventually hopes to become a Life Flight pilot. But first she must earn her private license, commercial license and Certified Flight Instructor rating.And Lincoln is the perfect location, she said."There's a school in Auburn and other than that, the nearest are in Concord or Southern California," she said. "So (for me) Lincoln was closest."An added convenience is Lincoln Flight School's ability to provide aircraft for graduated pilots."We are the only facility in the area that rents aircraft after training – that's a definite bonus," Ahlers said. Then there's the training program itself."Our program is designed to be one-on-one," Ahlers said. "Our instructors are the best. We're focused on whatever you need to get through the program."On April 26, Lincoln Flight Center will host a Cessna-sponsored open house from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. "Cessna will fly in some of the planes and give demo rides," Ahlers said. "People will be able to view the planes and talk to the pilots. And there will be free food."Along with training and rentals, the center is also authorized to perform maintenance on aircraft, including Robinson helicopters.The school is also working with local community colleges to offer a flying program, said owner Rick Corbett.Lincoln Flight Center is located at 1406 Flightline Drive, Suite B. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 408-2124.