By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

If you’ve ever been interested in flying, but have been apprehensive about signing up for flight school, local pilot Johnny Ward may have the right class for you.

Ward, who owns a plane and is active at the Shelby County Airport, will be hosting the airport’s first introduction to flying classes beginning next month.

“It’s not a ground school for pilots, it truly is an introduction to flying class,” Ward said during an April 11 phone interview. “If you’re thinking about taking flying lessons, this would be a good place to start.”

The classes will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. on May 6, 13, 20 and 27, and will cover a wide range of aircraft-related topics. Ward said he will explain the parts of an airplane, how airplanes fly, what each aircraft instrument means, how to read aeronautical charts, airport markings, aviation safety, Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, aeronautical ratings and flight instruction.

The cost of the four classes is $32 if paid by May 1, at which point the cost will rise to $35. After the final class, Ward will take students on short orientation flights in his single-engine aircraft.

For more information about the introduction to flying class, or to register, call Ward at 914-5984 or email johnnyward1@yahoo.com.