✈️ Why Train in Des Moines, Iowa? Discover the Advantages! 🌤️
Considering a career in aviation? Here's why Des Moines stands out as a premier destination for commercial flight training:
1. Affordable Living:
Compared to traditional flight training hubs like Florida and Arizona, Des Moines offers a significantly lower cost of living. Enjoy more affordable rent, food, and transportation, allowing you to focus on your training without financial strain.
🏠 Housing Costs
Iowa: Median rent is approximately $806 per month.
Florida: Median rent is about $1,218 per month.
Arizona: Median rent stands at $1,097 per month.
This indicates that housing in Iowa is significantly more affordable, with rents approximately 33% lower than in Florida and 27% lower than in Arizona.
SOURCES: Wisevoter and Investopedia+2Wisevoter+2People.com+2
🛒 Overall Cost of Living Index
Based on a national average index of 100:
Iowa: 89.2
Florida: 102.8
Arizona: 105.8
This means that Iowa's overall cost of living is about 10.8% lower than Florida's and 16.6% lower than Arizona's. SOURCE: Data Pandas
🍽️ Dining and Groceries
Restaurants: Dining out in Florida is approximately 18.5% more expensive than in Iowa, while in Arizona, it's about 20.2% more costly. My Life Elsewhere
Groceries: Grocery prices in Florida are roughly 14.1% higher than in Iowa. In Arizona, grocery costs are comparable to Iowa's, with a slight variation of 0.5% less. My Life Elsewhere
🚗 Transportation
Florida: Transportation costs are about 16.7% higher than in Iowa. My Life Elsewhere
Arizona: Transportation expenses are approximately 13.8% more than in Iowa. My Life Elsewhere
2. ✈️ Real-World Airspace Experience:
Train in Class C airspace, providing invaluable experience interacting with Air Traffic Control and operating alongside commercial aircraft. This environment sharpens your radio communication skills and prepares you for the complexities of professional aviation. KDSM (our home base) is only a moderately-busy airspace by comparison to many others and offers a nearly perfect blend of traffic and ease of access.
3. 🌬️ Mastering the Winds:
Iowa ranks among the top five windiest states in the U.S. While wind can be challenging, training here ensures you're adept at handling crosswind landings and variable weather—skills essential for any commercial pilot. KDSM has intersecting runways to reduce crosswind component and we have a fleet of modern aircraft (Piper Archers and Tecnam P-Mentors) that have a far-higher ability to handle crosswinds than you will find in many other fleets.
4. 📍 Diverse Training Grounds:
With numerous smaller airfields nearby, you can perfect your procedures and landings without the delays often encountered in busier commercial airspaces. The radio communication in these areas is slightly different than in towered airspace and it’s imperative that you know both, which you will!