How to Become a Private Pilot

This article covers all the steps needed to go from being a total non-pilot to being granted your "license to learn" a.k.a your private pilot's license (PPL).

So You Want to Be a Pilot?

If you tilt your head to the sky when a plane flies overhead and admire the birds of the air, you just might be a pilot at heart. If you really want to become one, the first step is to find some local flight schools near you. A great resource if you don't already know of a flight school or nearby airport is: www.aopa.org/learntofly/school/index.cfm. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a great organization for pilots, and one which you will likely become very familiar with if you spend any time around aviation.

Now after finding some schools that are located nearby, give them a call and tell them you are interested in learning to fly. All flight schools should be happy to have you come and visit their facilities to have a look around and meet the instuctors (CFIs). Most schools offer introductory flights in one of their aircraft for a reasonable fee ($50-75) and some even will take to up for free! These intro flights, even if you have to pay for them, are highly recommended so that you can get an idea if you like flying or not. If you have multiple flight schools within a convenient distance, check them all out so that so can get a feel for their operation. See if you feel comfortable with their instructors, their aircraft, facilities, and of course, prices. No, unfortunately learning to fly isn't cheap, but it is an amazing value for your money if you love it. Getting your Private Pilot's License will cost anywhere from $4000 to $10,000. This all depends on where you live, what kind of airport the school is at (small planes only, or major, with airline traffic), what kind of facilities does the school have, how many flight hours you need, and very importantly, what kind of aircraft you will train in. There is no right or wrong answer to any of these things. You must pick a flight school based upon what you and your wallet feel comfortable with.

Getting Started

Now after picking a flight school that you like and taking an intro. flight, it's time to visit the doctor. Before you can become a pilot, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that you be checked by an FAA certified doctor to see if you are in safe flying condition. As you might imagine being legally blind, among other conditions, is a disqualifier for fledgling pilots. Vision must be correctable to 20/20 or better. Go here to locate an FAA medical examiner near you: www.faa.gov/pilots/amelocator/. You will need a Third Class Medical Certificate to become a private pilot.

Beginning your training after you have your Third Class Medical Certificate will be both exciting and intense. Flight training is not like school in that you go at your own pace. Depending on your personal schedule and finances, you might be able to do lessons every day, once a week, or once a month. All are fine, however, the more frequently you can train, the better you will retain what you have learned and the faster (fewer flight hours required) you will get you license. A minimum of 40 flight hours is required before you can take your practical test to get your license. Most people need more hours however before they feel ready. The average number of hours applicants have before testing is between 55-70.

Training and Testing

Your training will be a mix of both flying and what is called ground school. Ground school is where you learn about all sorts of different things pertaining to flying. These subjects include: aircraft systems, flight physiology, weather, aerodynamics, aircraft performance, navigation, emergency procedures, airport operations, manuevers, and regulations. You can't blow this stuff off. You need to learn and know all these subjects to 1) Be a safe and knowledgable pilot, and 2) pass the three (3) tests that you must take to earn your license.

The other portion of flight training is: FLYING! During each flight lesson, you and your instructor will go over all the basic flying maneuvers, which include takeoffs, landings, climbing, turning, stalls, straight and level flight and more. Emergency procedures will also be heavily emphasised, such as what to do if the engine suddenly quits while in flight. You will also do some night flying and well as (semi) long distance flights, known as cross-country flights (over 50 Nautical Miles distance).

The three test include: 1) The Written Test - this is a computer base multiple choice test covering all the subjects mentioned above. It is timed and there are 100 questions on it. Passing score is 70%. There are study guides for this test both in book and software formats, such as: www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/9913. 2) The Oral Exam - this exam is part 1 of 2 that comprise the Practical Test. The oral will be done with the FAA examiner or FAA designated pilot examiner you are doing your pracatical test with. This usually last 1-2 hours during which he/she will ask you questions about the aircraft you are flying that day, all the above mentioned subjects, situational based questions, and you will present a flight plan you have made. If you present satisfactory knowledge here, you will then move on to the flight test portion of the practical test. A word of advice: Do not lie if you don't know the answer to a question, just say you don't know. Remember, you don't need to know every single fact about everything. What you should know however, is WHERE to find the infomation being asked for, and then find it. Then there is 3) The Flight Test - During the flight test, the examiner will go over a number of the maneuvers to test your competency flying the airplane. If all three tests are successfully completed, then you are now an FAA licensed Private Pilot! The examiner will issue you a temporary paper license which you can use immediately. The FAA will send you a permanent card license in a month or two.

After You Get the License

Now that you have your private pilot license, you can do amazing things. You can fly any single engine land airplane with a gross weight up to 12,500 lbs that's non-jet powered. Other restrictions include: you can't fly for hire (get paid to fly), this requires a commercial pilot license. You can't fly into clouds or fog either, this requires an instrument rating. Both of these additions are a great challenge as well, but open up new opportunities. Still, even with just a private pilot license you can soar like the birds and experience the joy of flying!