A private pilot could be anybody, and that person could be working full-time as a professor, a teacher, or even a medical doctor. Of course, one will be required to complete the flying hours first; but the point is you can hold a private pilot certificate or license (PPC or PPL) and still keep your full time job. It could be considered a hobby.

What Can a Private Pilot Do?

There are privileges and limitations to what a private pilot can do.

A private pilot can be distinguished from a commercial pilot by the fact that while the commercial pilot is allowed to receive pay from his flying, the private pilot cannot do that. He cannot carry freight for hire.

Apart from that, based on the level of their training, private pilots are often required to fly only on VFR (visual flight rules); but any one of them who has passed the instrument rating test has the permit to fly on IFR (instrument flight rules). Basically, the difference between the two is that while VFR can be used when the weather is favorable to visibility, IFR is ideal for poor visibility, particularly due to bad weather.

The Necessary Conditions

To get a private pilot license, you are expected to satisfy the following conditions:

• The third class aviation medical certificate is a “must”; actually, it is better to get it before starting the training to know where you stand before the law and the regulatory body-FAA.

• Having a minimum of 40 hours of flight training is a necessary condition to obtaining a private pilot certificate. Some of these hours are spent in solo flight. Solo flight is when the candidate is allowed to do some maneuvers and fly cross-country with nobody by his side, not even his instructor. You may think this is scary! Not really. You may have that impression just because you are considering things as an outsider. Also, before a student is allowed to go solo, his instructor, who has been following his progress in training, must have a solid conviction about the student pilot’s readiness. Indeed, the student cannot fly solo without his endorsement. If all of these conditions are not met, it will look like the candidate is being sent on a suicide-mission.

• You must have a student pilot certificate before flying solo. During solo, you are required to practice a number of operations and procedures, some of which have to do with safety and emergency situations.

• The private pilot acquires aircraft systems knowledge as well as other airmanship practices that make a pilot out of him.

• A written ground instruction examination is administered to test the candidate on all the knowledge he has gained about flying and aircraft. If he passes this, then he can move on to the next stage of his journey toward being certified a private pilot. Should the student fail this test, he will be allowed to retake it.

• An assessment flight, called a check-ride, is administered by an examiner appointed by the FAA. The result of this assessment is a determinant in whether the private pilot should be issued a license. The FAA examiner generally begins with a session of oral questions and answers to ascertain that the candidate masters emergency procedures as well as operational skills and safety practices. If he is satisfied with the outcome of this preliminary stage, then both the student and the examiner move closer to the aircraft to conduct the practical tests. The FAA examiner has to be satisfied that the student got everything right.

Moreover, private pilot ratings are generally conducted on airplanes (both single-engine land and multi-engine land); seaplanes; private pilot helicopters; private pilot balloons; private pilot gliders; and private pilot gyrocopters.

Advantages

There are a number of things that a private pilot will gain when he is certified:

• Private pilots enjoy cheaper rates for insurance than do recreational and sport pilots.

• As a private pilot, you can fly to and from work if you have your own jet. Even if you borrow it or rent it, one of the benefits is that you can save time traveling from place to place. Imagine covering in 45 minutes of flying time a distance that would take 6 hours to drive! That’s the beauty of flying.

• But many people who earn their private pilot’s licenses don’t do it for the sake of weekend exploration of nearby environs, which can also be done by spending time in a car. They do it because they love the panoramic views you get from flying thousands of feet above the ground.

• Flying makes it easy for you to avoid highway traffic jams. That does not necessarily mean that there isn’t any air traffic that can delay you once in a while.

• Some people enjoy the peace of being in the air far above the distractions and stress of temporal activities.

• The sense of freedom that one enjoys in the sky can only be best assessed by flying by yourself.

• Another good thing about getting a private pilot license is that it becomes a foundation for the next step up if one should decide to get a commercial pilot license. It reduces the cost and time that will be spent in learning the basic flight knowledge as well as getting acquainted with the instruments.

• Moreover, a private pilot certificate helps you enjoy privileges that sport or recreational pilots are not granted.

If we were to list all of the advantages that the certificate of a private pilot offers someone, we could write a whole book.

What Private Pilots Fly

You can be a private pilot flying:

• an airplane (minimum age 17 years);

• a helicopter (minimum age 17 years);

• a gyroplane (minimum age 17 years);

• a balloon (minimum age 16 years); and

• a glider (minimum age 16 years).

What It Will Cost

At some point, it is necessary to discuss the issue of how much it will cost to go through the whole process and get a certificate. “The road to becoming a private pilot isn’t that hard,” most experts say; but it doesn’t come cheap. It’s expensive to sign up for flying lessons. And for people who are on a demanding job, it is also expensive as far as time is concerned — making the time to learn how to fly can be somewhat complicated.

Some flight instructors, aviation writers, and analysts say that one doesn’t need to be affluent to go through private pilot training. That is true, but that does not in any way imply that it is cheap to train and get a private pilot license. The FAA does not charge to issue the original certificate once you earn it. But remember that it is a whole process that leads to it. As a matter of fact, once people realize that getting the certificate costs thousands of dollars overall, few of them dare to take up the challenge of mastering the skill by registering for the flying lessons.

But once you know what you want, the next step is to plan for it. The planning prepares you for the challenges ahead, which include money. We don’t claim to talk on behalf of all the people and bodies involved in making a private pilot out of a person, but the following list of items that must be paid for may help put things together:

• study books and materials;

• FAA approved medical examiner fee;

• flight instructor;

• FAA examiner;

• flight school fee (The fee may differ depending on whether it’s an FAA certified flight school or center or a non-certified flight school. You could be paying the services of an independent flight instructor.); and

• aircraft rental.

Taking all of these into consideration, the cost for private pilot training that leads to obtaining a license is estimated at between $6,000 and $12,000. For many people, it sounds extravagant to spend so much for a certificate that only offers the freedom of flying with no possibility of making direct income out of it. And, of course, if candidates stay away because of the cost of private pilot training, then flight instructors also will suffer. They will have fewer people to train. Fortunately, for certified flight instructors, that will be changing soon.

Developments That Can Affect Private Pilots

The first prototype of the Transition road-able light sport aircraft completed its first flight on March 23, 2012. The anticipated price is $275,000, which is quite good for a car which can transition into an aircraft. There may be issues regarding applicable regulations. But if this car is going to fly under sport pilot certificate, it will not be a big deal for a private pilot, as his certificate is higher; all he will need to do is respect the limitations attached to flying that category of “aircraft.”

The ”flying car” called transition built by Terrafugia, will to some extent vindicate and reward private pilot certificate holders with the satisfaction of flying anytime anywhere as long as they have a runway and have mastered the skill of ”bush flying.” It is likely that the regulations that apply to general aviation will apply to flying cars once the “driver” decides to fly it. The necessary implication of the advent and mass-production of the flying car is that many more drivers will seek flight training.

Taking Your Stand

If you are considering taking lessons to obtain a private pilot certificate and you are trying to choose from among the many different flight schools available that have different costs for their training, it is important to remember that there are other factors to weigh besides cost before deciding which school is the best for you. When it comes to cost, even experts think that it is not necessary to pay an exorbitant amount for excellent training. Thus, getting a moderate price, according to what is generally obtainable in the industry, is a smart decision. Of course, “moderate” may be a relative term depending on the resources available to you. The bottom line here is that you will have to spend some money if you really want to attain a level of expertise in the aircraft cockpit before the exams that will crown your efforts with a certificate.

One can always dwell on the cost and the benefits of getting a private pilot certificate, but nothing beats the comfort and the confidence boost knowing that your safety is in your own hands and not in the hands of someone else who is doing it for the money. Personally, I think that knowing I can fly any time of the day to just cruise in the air is very rewarding. Not only that, having a private pilot certificate gives a person an edge as it allows for more flying hours. Thus, everyone who wishes to fly but is not willing to pay a commercial pilot for private hire, can count on the services of a certified private pilot to give them the same service at no charge if they are friends or acquaintances.

The conditions and costs for obtaining the private pilot license can also be viewed from the perspective of safety for everybody. If you can afford it and meet the requirements, chances are you are among the few candidates who can meet the standards of the industry.

The fictions of yesteryears are actualizing before our own eyes. There is more and more need to embrace flying skills in order not to be marginalized in the near future. Private pilots rightly form the bridge between the lesser qualified pilots and the highly qualified ones. And they appear to be in a position to become relevant in the aviation industry with the new developments that are un-folding.

As early as its debut, when the founder of the young company needed funds to help him build the company and get it off the ground in Enid, Oklahoma, bankers refused to lend him the money. This drove Cessna to move from Enid, Oklahoma, to Wichita, Kansas, where the company is headquartered today.

The company produces aircraft for the benefit of civilians, governments and militaries.

With that in mind, let’s learn more about the company.

Cessna’s Interdependence with Suppliers

To really continue on the path of success, Cessna inevitably relies on suppliers for the materials and components required for the production of high quality aircraft. In doing so, the company uses standards of competitiveness that help it choose the best suppliers so that they can deal with the lowest yet competent bidder who meets deadlines. Moreover, if your company is planning to get into business with Cessna Aircraft Company, it’s important to note that the company takes necessary measures to avoid controversies and doubts in business transactions; thus, employees of Cessna may surprise you by not taking any gifts from you. With that said, new suppliers are always welcome to tender a bid, as you may just happen to be the best bidder by the company’s yardstick.

Cessna Aircraft Company employs more than 8,500 workers all over the world. The dedication of those employees contributed to launching the company into a brighter future, as customers are satisfied with the quality of service rendered and the grade of aircraft delivered.

Cessna’s Fight in the Midst of Crisis

The global economic meltdown that became unavoidable in 2008, and which negatively impacted many businesses worldwide, did not spare Cessna. This resulted in the company:

• laying off many of its workers at some facilities,
• closing down a number of its plants, and
• putting the brakes on the production of some models of aircraft such as Citation Columbus, which was supposed to be the latest in the Citation Family.

This situation pushed the leadership of the company to seek ways to secure its future by restructuring its processes and minimizing its expenses. To that effect, one of the moves made by Cessna was to secure a strategic alliance in the form of a joint venture with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Based on this alliance, all Cessna’s aircraft models are to be produced in China. This, of course, is a subject of serious controversy and discontentment in the United States because it means cutting down the number of employees that the company has in the country and exporting business and opportunities to a foreign land. Cessna’s arguments seem strong, as they reported:

• saving up to 40% of production costs per aircraft in China, and
• gaining a stronger plant capacity in China.

Nevertheless, many of Cessna’s customers and other complainants were not convinced by the explanations given. They don’t understand how the company could move major productions to a country with a questionable human rights slate and other problems. This development did not necessarily becloud the fame that the company has gotten to date. Cessna received awards and patents of many different kinds.

In the category of awards, the company got the National Business Aviation Association Albert Ueltschi Humanitarian Award in October 2006. Then in January 2011, Cessna was named the winner of a 2010 Clean Air & Sustainability Award by the City of Wichita and the Metro Air Quality Improvement Task Force. As far as patents are concerned, there is a series of successfully recognized and implemented patents, as well as those that are still current, garnishing the wall of reputation at the company.

What to Gain from Cessna

In spite of all the pressure created by the evolving economic environment, Cessna Aircraft Company still proudly maintains some of its strongest pillars:

• Cessna offers some of the best customer service you can find in the industry. This is because the company strongly believes in the customer’s right to total satisfaction after purchasing a world class aircraft from them. Through its Cessna Service Organization, the company intends to not let their customers feel like they are on their own. In addition to the one-on-one, 24/7, access to information, the customer is also presented with the unique opportunity to attend online seminars without leaving home. These seminars are Cessna Technical Review programs, during which different experts make presentations on topics that are relevant to owners of Citation aircraft.

• When you buy from Cessna, you not only receive the aircraft but you have the unique opportunity for  flight training as well. You are put in a position of being able to familiarize yourself with aerial navigation. Cessna boasts that it has some of the best flight instructors in the world. This is part of the pre-requisites for the best training, and it is a criterion to consider if you are planning to become a well-trained pilot. A well-trained pilot has confidence in the abilities imparted to him during training, and he can aptly display them after training. Cessna has many Cessna Pilot Centers where the necessary measures are put in place to “make the best pilot out of any candidate.”

• Also, Cessna offers other products and services, one of which consists of helping you with the management of your jet. The program is termed Jet Management. The advantages are awesome. First of all, you are offered the possibility of placing your plane in the CitationAir fleet. When that is done, CitationAir, which is a division of Cessna, can charter the plane to other customers, and thereby, help you make some money while reducing maintenance costs. In other words, Jet Management owners can relax when they think about the maintenance of their plane. Secondly, among a lot of other benefits such as having access to all of the other jets in the fleet, owners will have personal account managers attending to the routine daily operation of the plane.
  It is obvious that Cessna Aircraft Company is making efforts to offer holistic products and services. Going through its flight training, for example, is synonymous with placing your dreams into trusted and capable hands.

Flying Experience with Cessna

Cessna is not only a world leading manufacturer of aircraft, but it provides its long experience to the service of pilots who want to prepare a solid foundation for their flying experience. No matter your dream, Cessna wants to help you fulfill it. For your flight lessons at the Cessna Pilot Centers, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must obtain a medical certificate to be allowed to fly. The basic medical certificate required is medical certificate class 3. This is the same type required for student pilots, recreational pilots and private pilots. It helps you determine whether you are fit, according to the standards of the industry, to be allowed by the regulatory bodies to fly an aircraft. Since money and time are involved in your training to fly, this stage guides you in knowing the limitations that the law places on your kind of health condition, if any.

• You must be able to read, speak and understand English.

• You need to be thoroughly trained by qualified and experienced flight instructors. With close to eight decades of experience in the aviation industry, Cessna knows and understands what is ideal for good flight training, including the caliber and competence of the instructors that teach in its various local training centers.

• You need to train within an impeccable environment. In the case of Cessna, you are trained in Cessna crafted airplanes that offer the student pilot the peace of mind necessary to complete his training. More pilots have been trained in Cessna aircraft than in any other aircraft in the world.

• You will be required to pass knowledge and oral tests as well as practical tests. The timing for this will be effectively communicated to the candidates by the instructors who have been following the student’s progress and can confirm their readiness to demonstrate what they have learned periodically throughout the training. Cessna wants you to fly as much as you do.

• Moreover, Cessna offers a results oriented web-based technique of taking flight lessons online. When you register with one of the Cessna Pilot Centers, you automatically qualify to have access to the online training with the log in details that will be delivered to you.

• In addition to all of that, Cessna offers incentives to people who are dreaming of taking flight lessons but who are not able to make up their minds. Without any commitment on your part, Cessna will arrange for you, along with a flight instructor, to get acquainted with an airplane and the environment in which it operates, including the impression one experiences of handling an aircraft. This discovery flight is 30 minutes long and is conducted in a Cessna aircraft.
  Cessna offers all of these through informed guidance. You are taught flight habits, procedures and regulations prescribed by the law through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a praise-worthy airmanship. Cessna announced that students that train with them complete their course 30% faster than the national average in the USA. For more on Cessna flight training system check: cessnaflighttraining.kingschool.com.

Picking from a Variety of Models

Whether you are in the military or you are in business or you have dreams of owning your small personal cool craft, everyone will find some useful airplanes in the fleet of models that Cessna has to offer. Cessna produces propeller aircraft as well as Citation jets:

1. Cessna 162 Skycatcher is meant to be used by people during training. It is also great for those who wish to have a private aircraft.

2. Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a four-seat airplane, is widely used for military purposes in many countries.

3. Cessna 182 Skylane, a four-seat airplane, has been used for civil, government and military purposes all over the world.

4. Cessna 206 Superskywagon, a six-seat airplane, is operated by both civilians and the military.

5. Cessna 208 Caravan, originally meant to seat nine passengers but in truth can seat more people, comes in both military and civilian versions.

6. Cessna 680 was constructed to serve business purposes. This model is also referred to as Cessna Citation Sovereign.

7. Cessna 510, also known as Citation Mustang, is a jet manufactured for business people.

This is by no means a complete list. To get more details about these models or others that will satisfy your taste, you can search www.cessna.com.

Cessna appears to be a company with an unbreakable resilience to make it even when it seems impossible. To identify with such a company, is to reach a decision to constantly look for new ways of establishing milestones of success all along the way. The company is not just a manufacturer but also a business leader and a training institution. If you have a private jet or you know someone who has one, chances are it is a Cessna Citation plane. They are highly acclaimed the world over because of their safety, convenience and affordability.

Because of legal claims and fights for better recognition, flight attendants are referred to by various names. And more recently, they have become recognized as members of the flight crew and are called cabin crew. They make sure that passengers who board planes are safe and feel comfortable during the flight.

Flight attending is a career as well as a leisure perk. In a career, flight attendants make a living by earning about $2,000 to $5,000 monthly. But they also have the opportunity to experience the thrills of seeing different faces and going to different places in their leisure. It is a career open to both men and women as long as they meet the minimum age requirement.

In the United States alone, it is reported that airlines hire about 8,000 flight attendants every year. And through training at a flight attendant school, you can be one of them.

The Paths to Your Dream Career

It is not difficult to become a professional flight attendant. You can do either of the following:

• Choose an airline and submit your application to them, including your academic qualifications and any other skills you may have acquired.

• Choose a flight attendant school of your taste where you will receive adequate training that will make you a professional flight attendant.

The difference between the two paths is that airlines offer training tailored to their own business objectives while flight attendant schools offer additional specialized programs that may distinguish you from the multitude.

And of course, no matter which path you take, you won’t need to take flying lessons of any sort. It’s up to the pilot’s to handle the aircraft – as a flight attendant, it’s your job to make sure the passengers are kept happy… and safe.

Initiating the Process

Every successful flight attendant will tell you that their attitude made a great difference for them. So you have to really fix your attitude towards people, your environment, and your service. Once you have established that, you are ready to meet the requirements for being admitted to the flight attendant school of your choice. The conditions below are not necessarily unanimously required by all flight attendant schools; they can vary.

• The educational level: It is mandatory for a flight attendant applicant to have completed at least high school. Due to competitiveness, a number of airlines will ask for a college degree; but the requirement for a higher degree is specific to only some airlines and does not represent the general rule.

• Aptitude for communicating effectively: This is a major point. You will be dealing with intelligent and sensible people. A candidate should be able to speak, read, and write in the native language of the majority of the passengers. For example, airlines in the United States prefer hiring flight attendants who are fluent in English. Being fluent in a second language may also be helpful, particularly for international flights.

• Ability to relate to customers: Outstanding customer service and interpersonal skills are definitely one of the most essential qualifications required for successful flight attending. An airline’s cabin crew is largely believed to be the face of the airline. They normally interact with airline passengers more frequently than any other members of the staff, so they must be welcoming and hospitable, and they must display confident deportment, a keen sense of leadership, and problem solving abilities.

• Your health: You should be physically healthy. That is understandable considering that as a flight attendant, you may be called upon to help lift some heavy luggage. A candidate could be disqualified if he is diagnosed with a chronic illness such as heart disease or diabetes.

• Your height: This unique requirement may seem unfair since people do not have any control over their height. Flight attendants are usually expected to be between 5’2″ and 5’9″ tall. Of course, the requirements for minimum and maximum height may vary according to airlines and even the size of the aircraft, including the ceiling level. There are safety concerns behind the height requirement; if you do not have the minimum height, you may not be able to reach the overhead safety equipment.

• Temperance with drugs and alcohol: If you have a problem with drug or alcohol consumption, please obtain professional help before attending a flight attendant school or applying for a position as a flight attendant for yourself as well as for your career. A flight attendant must not be under the influence of these substances while performing his duties on a plane.

• Ability to manage a crisis: You may be asked to show evidence that you have at least two years of experience facing conflicts with and among people, and then solving those issues.

• Your age: The minimum age in the industry to become a flight attendant is 18 years.
• International passport – Airlines that operate international flights want their flight attendants to have basic travel documents such as international passports. Even local airlines may request it if they are going to be sending their cabin crew members abroad for one conference or another.
  Criminal record – Your slate must be clean before airlines will trust you with the safety and satisfaction of their passengers.

Flight Attendant School: What’s Involved?

Flight attendant courses can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months depending on your mode of learning and the school chosen.

Weigh the following before choosing your flight attendant school:

• The school’s conditions for admitting candidates: Are they too tough or too lenient in admitting prospective students?

• Seasoned instructors: It is better to train under instructors who are experienced professionals with the necessary skills. The onus is on you, the applicant, to diligently make inquiries in order to secure the best training in the best flight attendant school. Remember we are talking about your career; and therefore, your future is involved!

• Flight simulator: Flight attendant schools that are worthy of that name will generally have flight simulators. Flight simulators are known to provide the necessary safe environment to train in for those who intend to work in an aircraft or fly it. It helps create conditions on the ground that the flight attendants are likely to find in the air. So it is advisable to look for a school that uses a simulator.

• The school’s history of success: You may have to consult flight magazines in order to determine this information. Several good and reputable magazines publish comparative figures about flight attendant school sand airlines every year. They are ranked according to a number of criteria that include, but are not limited to, the quality of service and safety training. Also, you should bear in mind that some airlines hire directly from flight attendant training centers. So the flight attendant school that you choose should also train and prepare you for job interviews.

Forming Your Professional Language and Knowledge

At flight attendant schools, candidates will get to learn:

1. Aviation terminology: In law there are legal terms and legal jargon; the same thing is applicable to biology and other fields of human knowledge. Aviation has its own terminology that makes working in the industry a great delight.

2. How to convert time: Time conversion may be confusing if you are not given the necessary tools for it. Flight attendants have to endure a lot, including going through many time zones. And generally the time conversion is effected with respect to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

3. Code of Federal Regulations: The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is administered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The regulations control and determine how the aviation industry runs. Flight attendants are expected to be acquainted with it.

4. Recognition of hazardous materials (HAZMAT): Being able to distinguish between hazardous and non-hazardous materials and substances is part of a flight attendant’s duties for ensuring security of the passengers on board a plane.

5. Physiology: Flight attendants are taught to understand what happens to the human body when there is no more pressurization due to the effects of flight altitude. They learn how to respond to such dangerous situations if they should occur.

6. Evacuation principles: Emergencies are regular eventualities in aircraft. Therefore, flight attendants must know how to go about evacuating passengers and how to help those suffering from fear or anxiety.

7. Aircraft familiarity: Flight attendants must literally become acquainted with everything inside the model of the aircraft they are to work in, including the cockpit equipment. You must know your work environment in order to know what to do should there be emergency issues.

8. Flight attendant duties: These duties include preparing the cabin for take-off and for landing, making announcements, and serving food/beverages.

9. Concerns for security: Flight attendants must learn how to respond to hijackings and bomb threats. September 11, 2001 was a turning point in the history of training flight attendants. The industry woke up to the need for training cabin staff members to ensure their own physical protection in addition to that of the passengers and the aircraft.

10. Cockpit resource management: By 1979 it was reported that a lot of aviation accidents are due to human errors. To curb this and try to eliminate it, the flight crew as a whole must learn about leadership on board and communication with other members of the crew. The cockpit resource management course helps to harness the skills and knowledge of flight attendants in order to guarantee safety during a flight.

11. Fire: Flight attendants learn how to tackle fire outbreak and how to administer first aid to passengers who need it.

Getting Ready for Your Interview

Training is not complete until the flight attendant is taught how to face a recruiting panel for an interview. Interviewing is unavoidably in the path of a flight attendant applicant.

Thus, to make it through that process, you are expected to be conversant with these tips:

1. Are you confident about your credentials? What are your expectations for and inspirations about this career?

2. How would you face a situation involving an unruly passenger? Remember that flight attendants are expected to provide safety and comfort for passengers. So in challenging cases, there must be a combination of assertiveness and kindness. And you should be ready to call a superior for help in some other cases.

3. You may be asked why you want to work as a flight attendant. You are the one inspired to become a flight attendant. And now that you know what role is expected of flight attendants, you can answer based on that knowledge, stating what personal contributions you would make to the airline in particular and the industry at large.

4. Be prepared to answer questions such as what makes you think you would perform excellently as a flight attendant.

5. Recently a question that is recurring everywhere in almost every field of endeavor concerns whether you work better alone or in a team. Flight attendants are team members who can function alone when the need arises. You have to tailor your answer according to this knowledge.

6. The way your dress and the way you comport yourself during an interview can greatly influence a positive outcome of the interview for you.

For some applicants, it is only natural that they are able to cope with different kinds of people because it is their nature. But for some others, it is a matter of learning and adopting the attitude. If you are envisaging a career as  a professional flight attendant, it is important for you to consider that you will be expected to literally “babysit” passengers, alleviating some of their concerns and making them relaxed until they arrive at their destination. Choosing the right flight attendant school is definitely a big step in the right direction. Then after you have successfully completed flight attendant school and aced the interview for employment, you will be cruising along with those who earn big bucks each year while enjoying the bonuses of traveling and meeting new people.

In learning how to fly a plane there are constants and there are variables. To fly a plane you don’t have to be a genius… or a magician. All you require is to know how some things work in the aviation sector – and the steps to take to transform fantasy into reality.

A number of paths have been lain out to help people easily relate with the vehicle called an “airplane.” The military trains pilots – and pays them for the privilege. Aviation flight schools and universities alike offer trainings and degrees in aviation to get you certified and in the air. Game producers have even gone as far as manufacturing flight simulators to get people enjoying the “feel” of aircraft – many times before they’ve ever even set foot inside a real aircraft.

Yet despite the crowd of information available on the subject, you can rest assured that learning how to fly a plane is not going to be as complicated as, say, making a trip to the moon. In our day and age – a wonderful place to be – flight is well within the reach of anyone willing to put up the significant-but-manageable amount of time and money necessary to achieve it.

It’s safe to fly if you’re armed with the required competencies and take the required precautions. And these are all part of what you’ll acquire and develop as you go through the process of learning how to fly a plane.

Learning How to Fly a Plane

In order to fly a plane you’re going to need to sign up for pilot flight training. Training to fly an aircraft is something you can get at with of the following:

1. Independent Flight Instructors: these are experienced and certified instructors skilled in training new flight students and helping them to understand how to pilot an aircraft according to federal regulation.

2. Certified Flight Schools: structured institutions that enjoy some advantage over other flight trainers for their passing of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) rigorous requirements. Because of their standing as certified facilities, graduates of these aviation schools also enjoy the benefits of lower flight time requirements to get their pilot’s licenses than graduates of non-certified schools. In fact, depending on the school, you may even stand a chance of obtaining your pilot certificate without any further testing from the FAA following graduation.

3. Non-Certified Flight Schools: this is the category of the schools and centers that did not meet the strict conditions of the FAA. However, that’s not to imply these facilities’ training standards are low; if not, they wouldn’t be permitted to train students to whom the Federal Aviation Administration would award private pilot certificates.

4. Certified Training Centers: these are essentially owned by airplane manufacturers and major airlines. In these centers flight simulators and other types of training devices are used in training pilots or crew members. Simulators are used to represent almost exactly the environment the pilot will be working in, the aircraft he’ll be flying, and the surrounding atmospheric conditions. Thus even though he’s training on ground, he’ll be doing so with all the feeling of being in an actual aircraft in the air.

Whatever your selection among these choices, so long as you choose one of them, you’re going to be well guided. No matter the amount of information you’re able to assimilate on your own about how to fly an airplane, if you don’t take the steps to concretize it, it’s going to remain an open question with you. With training through one of these institutions and individuals though, you match the practical with the theoretical and get yourself enjoying the flight of your life.

Other Conditions for Flying a Plane

Before you can satisfy your curiosity about how to fly a plane you must meet the following additional criteria:

• Medical Certification: in the United States there are three classes of medical certificate, each of one determining the privileges and category of pilot certificate you may enjoy.

• The first class medical certificate is the highest class of medical certificate obtainable. This degree of medical certificate is mandatory for people who want to be a pilot-in-command holding an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. To receive this certificate, you’ll be required to meet all the conditions of the second class and third class medical certificates, with an additional requirement for your cardiovascular system (you need a healthy heart).

• The second class medical certificate is compulsory for pilots going in for their commercial pilot certificate. It determines the kind of privileges that you may (or may not) enjoy. To be awarded the second class medical certificate you’re required to meet all the conditions for the third class certificate, with some additional requirements as well.

• The third class medical certificate is comprised of several lesser medical tests. It’s mandatory for: private pilots, recreational pilots, and student pilots flying solo.

• Proof of Proficiency, following your flight training. You must furnish evidence that you know how to fly a plane before the FAA will authorize you to regularly fly on your own. This evidence is gathered in the form of a written test commonly referred to as the “knowledge test.” Knowledge tests are generally preceded by your flight instructor’s sign-off of your readiness. The other evidence required is gathered from a practical test. The practical test is made up of oral exams and an actual flight test in an airplane.

• Age: private pilots are required to be at least 17 years old to fly. Student pilots can fly at age 16. Why the difference? Well, with the difference comes a difference in the privileges that any one of the two can exercise. The student pilot has a limited solo flight, is not allowed to carry passengers, and is generally under the restraining monitoring of the flight instructor. The private pilot, on the other hand, can take passengers along and fly for business purposes. These and a few other privileges distinguish private pilot licenses from the student license.

When you satisfactorily fulfill all the requirements above (and a few others not mentioned here), you’ll be awarded a private pilot certificate, without which (together with a current medical / fitness certificate) you will not be permitted to fly an airplane. You’ll need to have these first.

Getting Flying

Once you’re ready to fly you need to implement what you were taught back when you were learning how to fly a plane. This is when you’ll have to take every necessary precaution for every flight move you’re about to make, to make absolutely sure you’ll still be around for repeat performances the next time you feel like putting a bird in the sky.

• Make sure you’re making safe take-offs: characterized by pre-flight visual inspections of the aircraft, taxiing, and a before take-off check.

• Make sure you’re making safe landings: you can do this by handling the final approach phase with diligence; this’ll lead you to a successful round-out and touchdown.

• Make sure good judgments are made: for example, the positioning of the base leg is a direct function of the pilot’s judgment when he’s about to land. He gets the placement right when he’s able to determine the altitude and distance that will make his landing a success.

There are many other general flight rules, such as visual flight rules that help you make sure you’re flying properly. You may not understand all the physical laws of aerodynamics, but following the prescribed aviation regulations will let you enjoy all the advantages that aerospace engineering provides.

Other Notes of Interest

Aside from what we’ve covered so far on flight training and aircraft safety, there are a few other relevant points that’ll be of interest to you with regards to flying a plane:

• For example, you may be interested in knowing that the FAA doesn’t charge anything for issuing an original pilot certificate. This is likely to cause you to heave a sigh of relief to find out after you’ve already paid a lot of expenses through your training, medical examination, and written and practical tests.

• You may be also be relieved to know that if you happen to fail the knowledge test it’s not the end of the line. As a matter of fact, you’ll be sent an Airman Test Report which essentially helps you in two ways. First, it becomes a tool to guide you on how to fly a plane better; it shows you the areas you need to work on for your retesting. Second, all you need to do to retest is to tender your Airman Test Report.

• If you have any non-life-threatening medical conditions, you might be happy to know that many physical disabilities do not automatically disqualify a candidate from getting a medical certificate. The limitation for someone with disabilities is that the certificate will bear some operational restrictions. But in case of doubt or confusion it’s better to inquire with one of the many FAA-authorized aviation medical examiners.

• Something else good for you to know in advance is that it’s always better to get a medical certificate before taking up flight training; that way you’ll get to know if you’re qualified for the type of pilot certificate you’re pursuing or if you ought to plan for an alternative.

• If you can’t wait to start flying, you’ll be interested in knowing that a recreational pilot gets his certificate faster than a private pilot does. But you will not be allowed to fly beyond 50 nautical miles away from the place where you were taught with a recreational license; you’ll need your private pilot license for that.

A Few Reminders on How to Fly a Plane

As you embark on flying a plane, take care to be mindful of a few of the safety hazards that can occur during flight that you’ll want to watch out for and be ready for in the case of their occurrence. Such hazards tend to include the following:

• Confusion Over Information: this can come from different sources, such as a faulty indicator, a misleading document, or a mix-up with ground control.

• Engine Failure: with the advance in technology and mechanics of today’s aircraft, complete engine failure almost never takes place. However, in the event of engine failure you’re advised to do as instructed by your flight instructor during flight training.

• Stalling: stalling is dangerous and requires the pilot take appropriate actions to normalize the flight.

• Lightning: lightning can strike an aircraft and cause damage.

• Fire: fire is another cause of accidents to be mindful of and take the proper precautions for.

In addition to the above, you would do well to make sure that you are acquainted with techniques used under:

• Visual Flight Rules (VFR): these rules help you to operate in favorable weather conditions allowing you see where you’re flying to. You can find your way by referencing what you see through the cockpit. VFR are equally applicable at night in the United States – one of the few countries that hasn’t yet banned nocturnal VFR.

• Instrument Flight Rules (IFR): using IFR you’ll fly relying solely on deck instruments, radio navigation aids, or guidance by air traffic control. It’s very important to know how to operate under IFR as you really have no control over the elements of nature. If for any reason the weather changes and visibility becomes a problem, you can resort to IFR. If you don’t feel comfortable flying at night by VFR, IFR is available to you. But to operate under Instrument Flight Rules, you’ve got to make sure that you have an instrument rating. This entails being further taught on meteorology and this type of flying.

Moreover, keep in mind that even though the FAA don’t charge a fee for original pilot certificates, in the event that your pilot or medical certificate is missing or destroyed you will be charged to renew it.

The Plane Is In Your Court!

Recent history tells us that flying an aircraft is not only reserved to a select few. Enough room has been made to accommodate as many as will qualify and uphold the standard of flying demanded by regulations.

Thus as soon as you know how to navigate an aircraft from one point to another spot, then you’ve grasped how to fly a plane. You may not be perfect at all the practices of flying before being licensed to pilot an aircraft. But you are expected to meet the minimums prescribed by regulations in order to be entrusted with the awesome opportunity of navigating your way through the air.

As you must have realized, to be among those who can boast they know how to fly a plane you’ve got to be hardworking and determined. It really is in your hands. You don’t have to have your PhD in Newtonian physics to handle an aircraft. If you push, give it your attention and give it your determination, you might just surprise yourself at how quickly you master flying planes.

The sky is a far more complicated environment to move about in than the road automobiles drive on. You’ll need a great deal more competence (and pilot flight training) before you’re ready to take off and handle the added dimension piloting brings.

An aviator needs to be thoroughly immersed in the principles and procedures of flight. Structured programs such as those offered in flight schools are a great tool for getting the knowledge to sink into the student pilot.

There is no building a structure without a good and firm foundation. The intricacies of aircraft and flight activities make it imperative for you to go through flight schools to gain the required skill set to do the “job”. This is one area where men and women, young and old, rich and poor all are on equal footing (or, perhaps, wings?): if you satisfactorily make it through the training according to the requirements, you’re certificated.

Aviation Flight Schools: Defining the Choices

Before you start planning out the course you expect your flight training will take, you must be aware of the differences between private aviation and commercial aviation. Both of these are parts of civil aviation. While commercial aviation is remunerated, private aviation is essentially for the pilot’s own personal purposes; he could be flying for recreation or going for an important rendezvous – like a business trip.

Besides the civil aviation, there is military aviation, too. A lot of teenagers find themselves inspired by scenes in movies – particularly action movies (Top Gun, anyone?) – and some decide that they would like to take flying courses.

Any aspiring pilot ought to be able to define what exactly he wants in order to pick:

1. The right aviation school,
2. The right type of aircraft he wants to fly, and
3. The category of pilot’s certificate that he is pursuing.

For example, military pilots are trained totally differently from their civilian counterparts. Their syllabus is different, and is administered by a military instructor.

However, as a matter of fact, former military pilots do operate in flight decks with civilian pilots. It’s not uncommon for military pilots to jump to flying commercial right after their military retirement.

Whatever the case, with the exception of military training, which we won’t discuss in this article since you’ll likely be pursuing civil flight training yourself, civil aviation has areas of general and common knowledge that can be transferred to all types of airplanes. There is equally room to update one’s certificate and therefore skills to fly another type of aircraft. But it’s important to consider the time, effort, and expenses that’ll be involved.

The Rules of the Land (in the USA)

In foreign turf where you’re not conversant with the local way of life, the institutions, and places, you need a guide to get you through.

The National Airspace System is not a jungle where every practice is tolerated. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the federal backing to dish out the rules of the “game” for the purpose of ensuring the safety of people both in the sky and on ground. The instrument of regulation is the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is for future pilots, aviation flight schools and even experts in the sector what the Bible is for Christians, the Qu’ran for Muslims, the Rigveda for Hindus, and so on.

The Code places professional and legal responsibilities on schools and instructors… and in order to avoid breaching the law, they’re obligated to abide by it.

Now of course all this is a little bit different if you’re out to get flight training in Europe or elsewhere around the world, but there are regulatory bodies fulfilling these purposes in every nation.

The FAA is furthermore closer to the general US flying public through its local Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs). Any communication between the FAA and the public is conducted through the FSDO which operates within the confines of a particular geographic location in the United States. Thus, as a pilot your FAA certification is actually done by your local FSDO. This office is also responsible for certifying and overseeing air operators, aviation flight schools and air carriers.

Contacting Aviation Flight Schools

There are different categories of aviation schools which all operate within the framework of what the Code of Federal Regulations prescribes. While some of the schools are:

• FAA-approved: the requirements for this category of schools are very strict with regards to their personnel, equipment, maintenance, and training curriculum. In this category there are also FAA-approved pilot training centers. 

• Others are not FAA-approved: these are the flight centers that could not meet the FAA’s stringent conditions. Among them are non-certificated flying schools and independent flight instructors.

• In addition to this, colleges and universities have joined the chorus by delivering their own flight courses, training, and lectures.

The major distinguishing factor between each of these is that the FAA approved schools offer fewer flight training hours than the schools and facilities that are not approved. But whether approved by the FAA or not, schools operate according to laid-down procedures and standards.

Besides, every aviation flight school is supposed to use the services of flight instructors that are highly competent and whose flying habits are commendable.

It has been observed that trainees tend to easily copy the patterns of their instructors. It is therefore better to ensure that student pilots are training under instructors that better reflect the safety practices of the sector. Thus, your flight instructor does not just teach by words alone; you’re picking up his behavior and action patterns, too.

In other words, you’re going to want to make certain you’ve got a good instructor.

Your Role as Student Pilot: The Part You Play

The student pilot who is about to enroll in an aviation flight school must be aware of the following:

• He is going to have to get the right flight school by himself. The onus is on him to search for and find the right aviation school where his aspirations will be nurtured and brought to fruition. No one will guide you to the best school for you; you’re going to have to find it. To successfully do that, students can contact their local FSDO for general information about how and where to locate pilot schools. Then to evaluate the school of your choice you may require more specific information from pilots, experts, and reviews.

• He is going to have to commit a lot of time to the training. If a student was aspiring to obtain a sport pilot certificate, he’d be required to log at least 20 hours of flight time; meanwhile, a private pilot certificate (the most commonly sought variety) is going to demand he log at least 35 to 40 hours of flight. Commercial pilot certificates require a minimum of 190 to 250 hours of flight training. That’s a lot of time aloft. This is excluding the hours spent studying the book learning aspects of the training, to boot.

• He is going to be making a lot of effort. You can never talk about time without thinking about some degree of effort being involved. You’ll most likely come out of your flight training with more patience and discipline than you had going in. That’s because anybody who approaches an aviation flight school is already looking forward to the time they will be able to pilot an aircraft by themselves without restrictions and monitoring… but they’ve got a bit of a gamut to run, first. The effort is worth it, however: it’s designed to make sure you can fly well, and make sure you can fly safe.

• He is going to have to make some expenses in a bid to eventually get a pilot certificate. The FAA does not charge for issuing an original pilot certificate except for a replacement certificate. However, you will need to pay your tuition and training fees at the aviation flight school of your choice; you will also need to pay for your medical examination to establish your fitness to fly; your books and equipment; and the fees for both the written test and your practical (in-flight) examination.

Adopting the Right Flight Habits

In his aviation flight school of choice, the prospective pilot will learn the habits he will need to adopt. Among numerous other things these consist of:

1. Checking the general appearance of the aircraft. This will help you discover if there is any fuel or oil leaks and any other noticeable damage.

2. Checking the cockpit. Is the door hard to open? Is the seat wet? The pilot learns to check many other things in the cockpit – including whether the battery and ignition switches are off, the control column locks are removed, whether the landing gear control is down and locked, and more.

3. Checking fuel and oil. Their quality, type, and quantity should be controlled for.

4. Checking the outer wing surfaces and tail section. Timely inspection of whether anything is missing, damaged or cracked.

5. Inspecting the landing gear, tires and brakes. Are they air-worthy?

6. Checking the engine and propeller. Making sure all here is ready and working.

All of the above and more form what is called the pre-flight visual inspection. Anything that goes wrong in the sky with all or some of the aforementioned parts will be very detrimental to the flight.

During this general pre-flight inspection, some documents are supposed to be in the cockpit. These are: the airworthiness certificate, the registration certificate, the airplane operating limitations, and the FCC radio station license. In addition to that there must be all the necessary proof that the aircraft has gone through the required maintenance, tests, and inspections – and passed, of course.

Aviation Flight School Challenges to Overcome

It is not difficult to fly, but just like every new skill that you try to incorporate into your life there will likely be challenges along the way starting from the beginning.

• Physical fitness or medical conditions. Under the CFR, certain health conditions are considered by the FAA to be disqualifying medical conditions to granting a medical certificate for the purpose of pursuing a pilot certificate. The conditions are listed here: Disqualifying Medical Conditions.

• Where the pilot is already certificated but had a LASIK or other laser eye surgery, he can only resume flying when his own treating physician has determined that his eye(s) is/are fit for flying. The information can be accessed here: Reporting Eye Surgery.

• If you are holding a foreign medical certificate, you must have its validity verified by the US Civil Aviation Authority. The same is applicable to the validity of your foreign pilot license. Without carrying out this verification, you are not authorized to fly. More details on this point are here: Foreign Medical Certificates or Endorsements

• As an aspiring pilot you may face the challenge of failing your knowledge or practical tests (or even the oral test, where it is required). You don’t have to be mad at yourself or at your instructor. You can still rewrite or re-take them. Just get to know where you got the test wrong and why… then get ready for the next set of tests.

• Another situation that could be challenging to a pilot is when he has to fly the aircraft under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) because there are no outside visual cues to help the pilot avoid colliding with obstacles and other airplane. The pilot will therefore require to solely depend on flight instruments to control the aircraft, but of course in liaison with the air traffic control.

The last listed “challenge” is the more reason why a pilot must be conversant with aircraft systems – including:

• Deck instruments. These are, basically, an altimeter (the altitude indicator), a magnetic compass, an airspeed indicator, a turn indicator, a heading indicator, a vertical speed indicator, a radio magnetic indicator and course a deviation indicator.

• Weather variations. In case of poor visibility often caused by clouds, the pilot can no longer fly by Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and must rely on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).

• Navigation. Under Instrument Flight Rules, navigation is conducted through the VHF omnidirectional radio range, non-directional radio beacon, or Global Positioning System (GPS).

With all this, you’d be excused for thinking there’s too much to know and too much to master – how on Earth can anybody make it as a pilot?

Remember though, you aren’t alone moving along the line toward that pilot license. Aviation flight schools offer unique opportunities for helping student pilots become comfortable with the rules, knowledge, maneuvers, and procedures of flying. If you happen to ask a full-fledged pilot who’s regularly flying, he’d surely give you the impression that to him, all these things to know and remember have become a routine… virtually a part of him. And that is how it’s supposed to be.

It doesn’t matter that at first it looks like you’re climbing up a bit of a mountainside. All you need is to be determined, find a good aviation school, and to hang on. Here is where self-discipline sets in. In the process of exercising it you will eventually find out for yourself tricks and tips that you’ll be able to offer those who are coming up after you.

Ultimately, that self-discipline that you develop enrolled in flight school will prove eminently useful to you throughout your life – both aloft, soaring through the blue skies in your aircraft, and everywhere else in your life that discipline will even remotely be required.

Why not?

Well, because it takes time, effort, and dedication to get yourself doing so, that’s why. In the same way training is required to learn the art of seamanship, flying lessons are a prerequisite to acquiring the ability to fly through the air. Aircraft aren’t toys – they require training to be flown.

And flying lessons offer candidates just the opportunity to imbibe the necessary skills and mindsets to subdue the fear and master the trade of piloting an aircraft.

What to Know First About Flying Lessons

A student’s objective might be to eventually pilot a fixed-wing aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft or other types of craft. Helicopters fall within the definition of rotary-wing aircraft with wings that must rotate to lift the vehicle. You’ll need specialized helicopter training in order to fly rotorcraft like this.

Alternately, a fixed-wing aircraft lifts itself into the air by taking advantage of its forward airspeed: airplanes are among them. For the vast majority of fixed-wing aircraft, you’ll find that standard flight training is sufficient to get licensed to pilot these. Irrespective of the fact that there are diverse types of aircraft, some flying techniques are common to them all.

Moreover, it’s worth revealing that there is a difference between civilian pilots and military pilots. Civilian pilots fly for leisure, charity, or because they are after a business; they also do it for airlines or for non-scheduled commercial air-transport companies. Military pilots on the other hand fly for the military of a country mostly for fighting purposes and also for non-fighting reasons.

To ensure the safety of people, aircraft are required to be under the functional control of well trained and certified pilots. This is to personalize responsibilities in the event of a problem. Going through the Code of Federal Regulations one discovers conditions that intending pilots must meet before the air will be opened to them. The idea that flying an aircraft may not be particularly difficult may be the more reason to regulate the sector.

Below, find some basic information on flying lessons.

How Old Must You Be to Fly?

Even though applicants are free to take flying lessons at younger age, the pilot’s certificate can only be awarded to 17 year old or older sport pilots, recreational pilots or private pilots. Notwithstanding fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft pilot licenses, 16 years is acceptable to get your private pilot glider or free balloon rating.

Who Can Take Flying Lessons?

Almost everyone can learn how to fly. Although you might tend to think of aviation as predominantly a male career, there are plenty of female pilots flying around up there too. As early as 1910 – a mere 7 years after the Wright brothers’ famous first flight – licensed female pilots had taken to the sky, the first of them being Raymonde de Laroche (née Elise Raymonde Deroche), a French woman. And all through the years women have made their gender proud by flying different types of aircraft.

You also might think of certain impairments as standing in the way of someone’s becoming a pilot, but you’d be surprised how few obstacles the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) places in the way of those both willing and able. For example, in the United States, hearing impairment is not a reason to bar people from flying. There are provisions made in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that make it possible for deaf pilots to fly as long as they observe instructions and regulations specially dressed for them. See the FAA page on deaf pilot operations.

Deaf pilot students may choose their flight school or instructor by consulting the Deaf Pilots Association. Through this association, the student and his chosen instructor will work in association with their local airport personnel in order to prepare the deaf student for a private pilot certificate.

Even the elderly are able to fly – so long as, of course, they pass the medical requirements and can show they’re fit to handle aircraft. The skies are open to nearly anyone – you just need to get trained to fly first!

Where Can You Take Flying Lessons?

Flight training centers and aviation schools generally schedule their timetables to be accommodating to the needs of diverse applicants. These facilities are easily found not far from airports, and can be contacted online also.

The success of your flying lessons of course depends on your choice of flight training centers or individual instructors. Thus lessons are offered by:

• FAA-certificated flight training centers / instructors
• Educational institutions, such as colleges and universities
• Airlines

These are required to use approved training curriculum to properly prepare the student to pass his written and practical (flight) tests.

When selecting your school or instructor, it is very important that you note all the relevant details about each of your options to be sure you choose the best-fit school for you. You’ll want to verify that a given school is certificated by the FAA before signing up for any courses with it – the FAA of course being the regulatory body governing the aviation industry.

Moreover, you’ll want to check to see if the schools you examine offer an online training program. Most flying schools offer online lessons to make it convenient for students who may not have the time required to commute back and forth from the school premises for the ground school portion of their education.

Flying Lessons: Taught in Two Parts

Remember when you got your driver’s license? You spent hours driving around parking lots and tentatively making your way out onto the road, as well as leafing through the rules and regulations of the road before sitting for the knowledge test and the road test.

Well, getting a pilot license is quite a bit like that. Except you’ll be spending a longer time practicing before your test, and a lot more time studying.

Candidates will need to put in hours of study time – in-classroom or on their own – to acquire the necessary comprehension of aeronautical knowledge required to pass the written exam, coupled with hours of practical training in-air. Prospective pilots are expected to first get the private pilot license before moving on to obtaining instrument rating endorsement (for those who want more). To get a private pilot certificate the student is required to log 35 to 40 flight hours.

Your flying lessons will include the following:

1. flight training, and
2. ground training

Scope of the Lessons

The lessons get one acquainted with:

• the vital parts of an aircraft
• the pilot’s duties and responsibilities
• the flying environment, both on ground and in the air
• the proper preparation to face the unexpected

Pilots are taught how to make pre-flight preparations and how to handle post-flight procedures. The knowledge and skills acquired will depend on whether the prospective pilot seeks a sport pilot certificate, a recreational pilot certificate or a private pilot certificate. For the benefit of well-meaning applicants, a private pilot enjoys fewer restrictions in flying an aircraft than a recreational pilot.

Future pilots are taught techniques of safe take-off and safe landing. In the spirit of preserving lives the FAA has prescribed using the following metrics to determine the fitness of a pilot to fly:

1. Illness: it’s very important to make sure that there is no illness (or no symptoms of illness) that may affect the pilot during a flight

2. Medication: it’s necessary to know whether the pilot is on medication

3. Stress: recognized to impact the performance of the pilot, this is gauged too

4. Alcohol: requirements for alcohol consumption are stricter with pilots than with drivers

5. Fatigue: it’s important that the pilot has had enough sleep and rest

6. Eating: appropriate nutrition is highly recommended by the FAA for aviators

Additionally, students attending flying lessons will also be required to learn the fundamentals of air safety. Air safety hazards include but are not limited to the following:

1. Ice and snow: these can cause the aircraft to slide on ground, or can freeze the engine and other vital parts of the vehicle during flight.

2. Engine failure: can occur due to mechanical failure for several reasons, such as fuel starvation or improper maintenance (thus, the importance of always checking how well-maintained the aircraft you’ll be flying is). In multi-engine aircraft, failure of a single engine necessitates a precautionary landing.

3. Bird strike: this is a situation where a bird collides with a flying aircraft. This risk is higher for small planes than for craft with heavy engines.

4. Problems with the flow of information: this could be due to wrong information or instruction either originating from ground control or from the flight.

At the end of his flying lessons the candidate must pass several tests, the final of these typically being the practical test, or check ride. If the pilot-examiner appointed by the FAA is satisfied with the examinee’s performance, he reserves the right to issue him a “temporary airman certificate.” Any new pilot can fly on the strength of this temporary certificate. Within 120 days a permanent certificate is delivered following approval by the FAA.

Scope of the Pilot’s Certificate

With the exception of the student pilot certificate, all other pilot certificates remain valid indefinitely (with no set end-point) under one condition: the pilot must be able to show that he is up-to-date with flying. This is done by consulting with a flight instructor every 2 years to maintain his permit.

Furthermore, a candidate can apply to the FAA for a certificate to be issued on the basis of a license obtained overseas. For his application to be successful, a verification of both the foreign license and medical certificate are required to be performed by the Civil Aviation Authority.

And, should your certificate go missing or be destroyed, fear not: you can easily request a replacement certificate. The process can be initiated online or by sending a letter to FAA requesting the replacement pilot certificate.

A pilot has the right to upgrade his license in order to be permitted to fly another type of aircraft. The process is variously named throughout the world wherever the process is undertaken; in the US the process is called the “type rating” process, while in Europe it is known as endorsement.

The Advantages of Flying Lessons

Taking flying lessons has the benefits of inculcating these following benefits to the future pilot:

• You will discover that aircraft flying is not only reserved for a select few special individuals. Instead, you’ll find that you can (and, by the time you’ve completed your lessons and testing, have) become a member of the general aviation group of pilots.

• You will come to understand that flying is not only easy but could be safer than people realize, too.

• Through flying lessons you get to add new skills and knowledge to your life.

• Fear is subdued: whether the fear of the unknown… or simply the fear of heights.

• You have the opportunity to experience bravery and adventure.

• The lessons you receive give you the chance to actually be in control of your flying experience – instead of just going along for the flight.

• And most importantly of all, personal dedication and self-discipline is achieved.

Prerequisites For Flying

Being armed with the knowledge gained through your pilot flight training you may be tempted to climb inside a craft and take off. But before being allowed to fly, a pilot is required to have the following ready:

1. Medical Certificate: at the end of their flying lessons and after obtaining a certificate, flight students are required to tender a valid medical certificate to be allowed to fly an aircraft. It’s worth noting that there are different classes of medical certificates for the type rating of certificate that you’re applying for. Being careful to determine your medical status ahead of time could prove to be time and cost-effective. This isn’t much of a problem in getting your private pilot certificate (unless you have a truly serious illness or medical condition), but when you start moving to more advanced certificates, such as the commercial pilot certificate, the medical requirements become more stringent.

2. Aeronautical Knowledge Test: to successfully make it through the tests required to achieve his pilot’s license, the candidate must follow his instructor’s guidance and use materials released by the FAA, such as the FAA-H-8083-27A, Student Pilot Guide; FAA-H-8083-3, Airplane Flying Handbook; and FAA-H-8083-25, Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. More study materials can be procured at the FAA’s handbooks & manuals page.More specifically, it’s best to take the knowledge test after you’ve started your in-air flight training, even if you feel like you know the material front and back. Reason being, your flying lessons will arm you with experience that you can relate back to during the test – in other words, you’ll have actual experience to pin the book learning to, which makes it stick much better – and be a lot more likely to be there for you during the test. All written examinations are organized by the FAA through certified testing centers.

3. Practical Test: this is conducted by pilot examiners appointed by the FAA. Practical tests are geared towards ensuring that the pilot has the required mastery of the maneuvers necessary to safely and properly pilot an aircraft.

Before taking the above tests (medical, knowledge, and practical), the student must show, among other things, evidence of graduation from an FAA-authorized pilot school or approved pilot training course and evidence of satisfactory completion of ground school training.

What Will I Be Paying For?

You will have to pay for virtually everything except for your original pilot certificate issued by the FAA. However any subsequent replacement certificate will be charged. You are equally charged for services such as your medical examination (typically around $100) and the services of the FAA-appointed examiner for your practical test ($500).

But with respect to flying lessons, there is no uniform fee. The fees are fixed according to variables peculiar to each school or instructor. You can find ground school fees as low as $150 dollars an hour; you can find aircraft rental fees as high as $350 an hour and up. It’s possible but not a guarantee that the higher the fee, the better the learning experience. It is therefore always wiser to find out more about the reputation of the flight school or the individual instructor of your choice before committing to one.

No matter how small a dream may look, it is a seed. And any seed that is planted is bound to grow. The harvest is always many times larger than the initial seed. However, sowing the seed is not all; it is important to check the environment in which it is being sowed and help get rid of anything that could thwart the growth of the seed. In much the same way, you can bring your dream of flying to fruition through diligence and hard work. There is nothing that can stop you if you take the right steps in the right direction. Piloting may not be a requirement in the daily lives of most individuals, but flying lessons are “a must” for anyone who desires to “go high”.

Because not only does the ability to fly a helicopter provide you with unprecedented freedom and versatility… but it gives you access to a very profitable career niche, too.

Helicopter training is so expensive and time-consuming precisely because it’s a good bit more involved even than regular flight training. A helicopter is not an airplane; you don’t just need to know how to keep straight or bank one way or the other – with helicopters, you need to know how to keep your aircraft level, how to turn abruptly, and even how to hover.

Helicopter Training 101: What You’ll Learn

As with all varieties of pilot flight training, you’ll be required to do both in-air flight training, and in-classroom ground school. There’s no requirement for the ground school portion that you actually be in a classroom – rather, just that you can complete the practical test – however, most students end up opting for in-school training in lieu of having to master everything they’ll need to know on their own.

There are five basic steps in qualifying for a private pilot certificate:

1. Get your aviation medical certificate
2. Complete the designated number of flight hours
3. Complete studying for the written exam
4. Take the written exam
5. Take the practical test

The medical certificate you can get from any Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified medical examiner – you’ll need at least a third class medical certificate to secure a private pilot license (higher for more advanced certifications, such as the commercial pilot’s license). A third class medical certificate is available to just about anyone without a major debilitating illness or major handicap that will prevent them from operating an aircraft.

Below we’ll review the flight training and flight school aspects of this in more detail – you’ll need both of these to be able to pass your written and practical examinations.

Helicopter Flight Training

Let’s discuss your 40 hours of helicopter flight training in-air first.

Your first time up in a rotorcraft, you’re going to be basically getting a feel for the controls – how do you guide a helicopter through the sky and how do you take it where you want to go? You’ll learn a few simple maneuvers, and you may get a brief introduction to autorotation (where the helicopter’s primary rotor is being spun by upwards-moving air traveling through the rotor rather than by engine power; autorotation is most often used in landing rotorcraft without power).

During the pre-solo portion of your helicopter training, you’ll learn (while flying with your flight instructor) everything you need to be able to pilot a rotorcraft on your own. This includes:

• Take offs
• Controls
• Instruments
• Traffic patterns
• Radio use
• Landings

Once you’ve gotten comfortable piloting a helicopter, and you’ve logged the required amount of dual time (17 hours), you’ll be ready to take the next, big step: piloting a helicopter on your own – solo – for the first time.

Typically this is done by first taking a dual flight with your flight instructor where you’ll go through a small number of traffic patterns, then landing and the flight instructor disembarking. You’ll then take off on your own – for the first time – and go through the same maneuvers solo that you just went through with your flight instructor. From the ground, your instructor will keep an eye on you to make sure you’re executing your patterns correctly.

At this point, you’re ready to start flying solo.

That’s a big step in your helicopter training: you’ll then have reached the point where you can fly rotorcraft completely by yourself, without needing an instructor there with you.

The next stage in your training is the solo-flight stage: you’ll be flying with no one in your helicopter but you yourself (at least some of the time). How this works is your instructor will fly with you before each lesson to teach you a newer and more advanced maneuver – and then you’ll land, he’ll get out, and you’ll go on to then fly solo and practice the new technique you’ve just learned.

As you fly solo, you’ll be both practicing the new maneuvers you learn, and building comfort and skill in executing the old ones. You’ll become more proficient at flying rotorcraft in general, and get more and more of a handle on using the controls and staying in command of your helicopter.

Here are some of the maneuvers you’ll learn during your helicopter training:

You’ll also learn these emergency procedures for use in situations where you’ve had an engine lose power or other scenarios that hopefully you won’t encounter but you’ll want to know how to handle if you do:

That probably sounds like a lot, but after 35 to 40 hours flying rotorcraft, you’ll have the great lot of these down pat. Once you’ve got these maneuvers down relatively solid, your flight instructor will work with you to refine your maneuvering and get you as precise and accurate as can be to prepare you for passing the final examination to make you a certified pilot.

Once you’re ready, it’s time for you to take your check ride, or practical test.

After you’ve passed your private pilot practical test and are certified, you can then begin preparing for your commercial pilot certificate, assuming you’re pursuing that too. You’ll need a mandated 100 hours of flight time before you can take your check ride for this, and you’ll be required to learn a lot more – including mountaintop, rooftop, and helipad landings, confined area landings (such as streets and clearings in wooded areas), and operating off-airport.

Helicopter School

If you already hold a private pilot’s license for standard aircraft, you’re in luck: you won’t need to take the written test again. That’s because the written test for rotorcraft is the same as the written test for other aircraft.

If this is the first time you’ve flown though and you aren’t already certified, you’ll need to take the multiple choice written test, and that means you’re going to need to be very prepared. You can prepare through ground school classes at your local helicopter school, or you can use self-study to get there. You’ll need somewhere between 70 and 120 hours of study, most likely, and you’ll be hard-pressed to study everything on your own.

The best combination is going to be if you can find some mixture between self-study and ground school.

As noted in the article on pilot flight training, the written exam pulls its material from the following sources:

1. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
2. Airplane Flying Handbook
3. Federal Aviation Regulations
4. Aeronautical Information Manual
5. Aviation Weather for Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel
6. Aviation Weather Services
7. Pilot Practical Test Standards (PDF version here)

You’ll see in the section on helicopter training costs below that classroom prices are nothing to scoff at – that’s a large part of the reason why I recommend you spend some of your time on self-study rather than just plop yourself in a classroom and have at it. If you’ve got the money to burn however and really don’t like studying on your own, finding a good ground school to attend can still be a good choice.

Keep in mind that you’re under no obligation to attend ground school at the same helicopter school as you’re getting your flight training from – each individual school is likely to steer you toward getting a complete package with them, but it’s your education and your choice.

Helicopter Training Costs

You might want to sit down for this one: on average, getting your commercial helicopter license is going to take you an absolute bare minimum of 150 hours and about $40,000. You read that right, there isn’t an extra zero in there by accident or anything; if you’re getting started today, you’re just forty thousand dollars away from commercial certification.

That’s not including other costs, of course, like the FAA examiner who’ll ride along with you during your private pilot practical test and commercial pilot practical test (that’ll be $500 a pop) and a few hundreds dollars for books, CDs, DVDs, and other supplies.

Why’s helicopter training so expensive? Primarily because of the number of hours involved – you’re looking at long hours at $200 to $300 an hour.

However, there is a silver lining to this cloud – and that is, helicopter pilots command salaries ranging anywhere from $50,000 a year to $150,000 a year – and up. You’ll be working long hours, and you’ll be away from home a lot – but you’ll be well paid for your efforts.

Here’s an idea about the kind of hour requirements and salary expectations you can expect:

• 1000 hours of helicopter piloting: $50,000 / year
• 2500 hours of helicopter piloting: $75,000 / year
• 5000 hours of helicopter piloting: $120,000 / year

In the world of rotorcraft careers, hours flown translate to dollars paid.

If you’re simply getting your private pilot’s certificate of course, all these costs are far lower. If you want a commercial certificate – as the majority of the students pursuing helicopter training do – you’ll need to put in the requisite 150 hours, and likely much more (in terms of studying, ground school, extra flight time, etc.).

One addition to the private and commercial pilot licenses you may want to consider as well is instrument rating certification. You’ll need your private pilot certificate first before you can pursue this certification, and then you’ll have the following requirements:

• 50 hours of cross country flight time logged, including 10 hours in rotorcraft
• 40 hours of instrument flight time, actual or simulated, including:
  • 15 hours of dual instrument flight training
  • 3 hours of dual instrument flight training within 60 days prior to a check ride
  • At least one cross country flight performed under IFR including:
    • 100 nautical miles traveled along airways and/or air traffic control-directed routing
    • An approach to each airport landed at by instrument
    • Use of navigation systems in 3 different varieties of approaches

If you get your instrument rating for helicopters certification IR(H), you’ll have an even easier time finding work and being well-compensated for it – of course, you’ll have to spend more time and pay more for schooling to get it, first (a total of 70 – 80 hours and $10,000 to $14,000 in addition to what you’ll spend for your private or commercial pilot certificate).

Flying Rotorcraft

Because of the time and expense involved, helicopter training is something you shouldn’t begin until you’re certain it’s for you – but once you’ve embarked upon it, you should pursue it with all seriousness.

Do your homework – study as much as you can on your own to bring down ground school costs; research the aviation schools in your area and select one that’s good, reliable, and convenient for you; and make sure you know what you’re getting into before you get into it.

But once you’re ready, learning to fly helicopters can be one of the most engaging, rewarding experiences you’ll ever have – if your choice for your career (or even just for fun) is flying helicopters, I can think of much worse paths you could tread than this.

As it happens, you’re in luck: you can start right here, with this guide to all of the biggest (and best) aviation schools you can attend.

You may not know it already, but you don’t necessarily need a college degree in order to begin your career in aviation – so long as you’re licensed for what it is you’d like to do, that is. From maintenance technician to full-fledged pilot, the license is what employers are looking for – however, a proper degree still often helps a good deal, especially for the more technical – and better paying – positions.

Here, find everything you need to know about aviation flight schools – and choosing the right one for you.

Aviation Colleges vs. Aviation Flight Schools

If you’re not too familiar with your options just yet, the first and most important choice is this one:

Are you looking for

1. Aviation flight schools, or
2. Aviation colleges

In other words, do you just want to get your pilot’s license… or do you want a college degree to go with that too?

The choice is going to depend a lot on where you’re at in life.

If you’ve already got a full-time job and you’re looking at taking on flying as a pastime and hobby – something you’re doing just for fun or for convenience – you certainly aren’t looking for a 2- or 4-year education.

However, if you’re fresh out of high school and you aren’t entirely certain what, exactly, you want to do with the rest of your life… the pilot certificate plus college degree may be just the ticket.

If you’re not sure which bucket you fall into, ask yourself the following questions:

Do you:

1. Already have a job? Or are you looking to begin / get into a new career?
2. Want to get your license fast? Or want to combine that with a degree program?
3. Know what you want? Or would you rather keep your options open and decide later?

If you answered “yes” to the first of those questions, you’re probably more in the market for aviation schools only. If you answered “yes” to the second of each of those questions, then I can tell you right now you are (or probably should be) leaning a lot more toward coupling your flight training with a full college education.

Let’s discuss aviation flight schools without the college component first.

The Advantages of Aviation Schools

Why would you choose to attend a pure aviation school when there are aviation colleges out there?

Well, there are a number of reasons:

1. You don’t have time to get a 2- or 4-year degree
2. You already have your college degree
3. You don’t want a career in piloting – you just want to learn how
4. You don’t have the money for a long education
5. You aren’t really sure if a full education in flying is right for you – you’d rather just get off the ground now and decide on the rest later

In fact, the pure aviation schools have their greatest advantage over aviation colleges in both time and money. They’re faster, and they’re a heck of a lot cheaper, too.

And there are tons of them out there, just about everywhere.

You can go with some of the big-name aviation schools – ATP (Airline Transport Professionals) is one of the biggest, with 26 flight centers throughout the United States – or with a local flight school located at an airport near you. (See our primer on pilot flight training for details on selecting a good regional aviation school close by) You can go with FBOs (fixed base operators). You can even go with flying clubs.

Point is, if you want to move fast and get your pilot’s certificate in weeks or months – instead of years – a pure aviation school is hands down the best bet for you.

Aviation schools have a couple of other advantages over aviation colleges though, too:

• The instructors at aviation schools see a lot more students, on average. … which also means they’re likely to be a lot more experienced, and be a lot more adept at teaching. That’s not to say the instructors at aviation colleges aren’t any good; most of them are perfectly fine. But, so long as you avoid the new instructors still trying to build their own miles, if you’re flying with a seasoned instructor at a flight school, he’s likely seen a lot more students, been through every question or issue you have or run into a hundred times, and can teach you a lot faster and more effectively.

• You can learn at your own pace. This is especially key if you’re short on one of the two things that aviation colleges demand the most of out of you – time and money. If you’re short on time and only want to spend a few hours a week at your aviation school – no problem, you can do that. And if your budget only allows you to gradually progress towards your pilot’s license – hey, with aviation schools, that’s okay too. Aviation colleges don’t give you this degree of flexibility – the only place you’ll be able to get it is at an aviation flight school.

• You can pick a school with better instructors, equipment, and aircraft more easily. When you’re choosing an aviation college, it isn’t just the instructors, equipment, and aircraft you’re looking at – you’re also looking at what degree program you want, where the college is located, what the student body is like, what the cost of housing and tuition is going to be, and a lot more. When you’re looking at pure aviation flight schools, though, the decision is much simpler: the only things that are going to matter (outside of cost, hours, and distance) are going to be the ones that count most: instructors, equipment, and aircraft.

• You’re learning one thing, and one thing only: how to fly. Let’s face it: not everybody was born for the classroom. And not everyone cares to get a degree in Aviation Computer Science or Flight Operations Management. Some people just want to fly. If that’s the case, an aviation school is going to get you there with a lot less classroom learning, and a lot less peripheral learning, than a degree program would – so you can get off the ground and into the skies as soon as you can.

The Advantages of Aviation Colleges

Now let’s talk about aviation colleges.

If you want to attend university and get your pilot’s license at the same time, you’re in luck; there are more than 300 aviation colleges in the United States alone. These include both 2- and 4-year degree programs. Some of these programs are in aviation engineering; some of them are in straight aviation.

The advantage of attending an aviation college is that you’re able to get a college degree to go along with your pilot certificate, which means you’re likely to have a lot more options on the job market.

In addition to this, most airlines strongly prefer pilots with college degrees – so if you’re targeting a career as an airline pilot and you don’t have your degree yet, this is probably the path you want to go down.

Aviation colleges offer the following advantages over standard flight schools:

• You get a complete education. Professionals with college degrees earn more – significantly more – on average than those without, have more opportunities in their careers, and generally speaking have a somewhat easier time of things in general than those without. Getting a degree is always a smart move when you can get one.

• You open up your options. Get a pilot’s license without a college degree, and your career ceiling is likely limited to charter planes or being a flight instructor. But get a college degree to go with your license, and you open up all sorts of options – from commercial airline pilot to your chosen field (the one you got your degree in), you’ll have your pick of what job you want and a lot more control over where you end up.

• You get access to aviation internships. Want another leg up over the non-college educated pilots out there? Hitting the job market with experience in-tow – from an aviation internship or two you took while in school – gives you a big boost in employment eligibility and makes you a far more attractive candidate. You haven’t just sat through the lessons – you’ve actually gone out there and done it, at a professional level.

• You get broader and longer access to flight resources. Attending a 2- or 4-year program, you get a lot broader access for a far longer period of time to aviation resources like aircraft, flight simulators, and instrumentation than students who’ve attended only pure aviation schools for periods of weeks or months. This gets you better trained, more confident in your field – and, more attractive to future employers.

• You get access to a bigger network of alumni and employers – and stand a better chance of landing a job right away. Many aviation colleges and universities have superior networks to straight aviation schools and are more adept at placing students into work immediately after graduation. This means less waiting, less worrying, and less time on the bench – and more time in the air.

If you have the time to invest in it, a proper college education combined with flight education is a killer combination that gives you the best chance possible of having a great, successful, and satisfying career.

Here are the aviation-related fields you can choose to study while getting your degree:

As you can see, there are a variety of different fields you can get into in aviation – not just piloting. None of these degrees makes it any more difficult for you to get a job as a pilot after graduation, mind you – you might just as well graduate with a degree in Aviation Electronic Systems and your pilot’s certificate and get picked up for a flying job just the same. The degree only adds a little extra versatility to your resume – if pilot jobs are scarce, as they can tend to be, now you can get a job as a technician or a manager, for instance.

Aviation Schools: The Final Verdict

So what’s better? The pure flight schools, or the ones with a degree program attached?

The answer to that question – like all important questions in life – is “It depends.”

What’s it depend on?

• It depends on how fast you want to be flying
• It depends on what you can afford for school
• It depends on whether you want a degree or not
• It depends on how serious you are about a career in the skies
• It depends on, more than anything else, you

So what do you want?

Do you want the education and degree, the experience, the internship programs, the networks, and the job placement afforded you by an aviation college? Do you want the prestige of a college degree and the ability to move higher in an aviation career because of it? Do you dream of being a commercial airline pilot navigating the regional or international skies?

If so, then an aviation college with a degree program is the best bet for you.

Or do you want to learn fast, forget the extra stuff that isn’t necessary purely for flying, and get up in the air as soon as possible? Do you want to skip the degree, focus on what you need to know, and learn at your own pace – quick or slow? Do you want to pursue flying more as a hobby or pastime than a career… do you already have a career in mind or that you’re in already that you want to be in, with flying just something you do on the side?

In that case, a pure aviation school is the choice you’ll want to make.

But whatever the choice you make, and whichever the path you choose, you’ll be on the road to getting where you want to get to the instant you start your pilot training. It’s the step of a lifetime – and there are plenty of aviation schools and aviation flight instructors out there waiting to help you make that step a reality.

Until you’ve piloted an airplane through the clear blue skies, you have yet to start living. Nothing ever quite comes close to that first flight – the fear, the wonder, and the exhilaration. But if you’ve been thinking about getting yourself aloft with some flight training, you’ve probably found yourself with a bunch of questions:

• Where should I go to get pilot flight training?
• What am I going to have to learn?
• How much should I pay for it?

While we give a broad overview of what’s involved in other posts on this site, in this article I’d like to really go into some nitty gritty detail about what you’re going to be getting into when you commence your pilot flight training. In other words, this post aims to be your catch-all post with everything you could possibly need to know about pilot flight school – and more.

The Basics of Pilot Flight Training

First off, who do you need to be in order to become a pilot?

Well, you might be surprised by how open the skies are.

You don’t have to be an athlete.

You don’t have to be a genius.

You don’t even have to have any kind of military background or previous experience in the air.

All you need to have is a willingness to learn, the time to do it… and enough money to pay for school.

The cut-and-dry about what you need to get your pilot certificate is that you need the following:

1. A medical exam (that you passed)
2. A written exam (again, passed, with a score of at least 70% on 100 multiple choice questions)
3. A required number of flight hours, dependent upon what certificate you’re pursuing
4. A practical test / check ride performed with an examiner

If you’re worried about health, rest assured, you probably don’t need to be. While a third class medical certificate is required, only major health problems that impede your ability to fly (e.g., blindness) or that pose a risk of you becoming incapacitated mid-flight (e.g., a history of heart attack or seizures) will stop you from getting one.

The primary obstacles you need to clear in order to secure your pilot’s license are time and money, then. Time, inasmuch as you’ll have to devote anywhere from 30 to 70 hours in the sky to getting your license (depending on which license you’re going for) and just as much time as that to studying on the ground. And money, inasmuch as you’ll be likely to pay anywhere from $6,500.00 (at the low end, with an old aircraft and an instructor giving you a great deal) to $15,000.00 (at the high end, with a brand new aircraft and an instructor with top-shelf prices) for your air time.

Other expenses are books and/or DVDs ($200 to $500) and examiner fees ($200 to $400) for your practical test at the end of your training in order to get certified.

Time also factors into consideration when deciding what span of time you’ll do all your preparation in. You might train in as little as a week if you take accelerated flight training and do nothing but fly and sit in the classroom for 50 hours, or you might take 6 months to get your license if you’re only going and flying for a few hours per week. It’s entirely at your discretion, and it’s up to what your schedule – and budget – allow.

To plan for pilot flight training, budget about 45 to 50 hours and $8,000.00 to $9,000.00 to get a private pilot certificate.

What’s Covered in Your Training?

You’ll learn both on the ground and in the air the following topics:

• Weather: understanding how weather forms (e.g., storm clouds, blizzards, fog, etc.), where to find weather information, and how the weather can affect your flight.

• Navigation: learning how to use flight maps and radio to navigate the skies and help you reach your destination safely and efficiently.

• Aircraft Systems: what makes up your aircraft: instruments, flight controls, engines, and how it all works so you’ll be able to control your airplane and understand what does what.

• Operating Aircraft: the National Airspace System (NAS) is the name given the United States’ airways and flight avenues and includes a number of rules about operating aircraft within it you need to know – just as the National Highway System (NHS) has rules for operating automobiles on the land.

• Aerodynamic Principles: a big part of how your aircraft is able to get off the ground – and a big part of how it’s able to stay there – comes down to aerodynamics: how it moves through the air and how you control it once there.

• The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): the CFR is a long list of federal regulations covering everything from banking to animals to immigration to, yes, even aircraft and aircraft operation. While you won’t need to learn anything about Native Americans or the postal service in order to pass your pilot certification test, you will be expected to get up-to-speed on the parts of the CFR that have to do with flying airplanes.

There are a number of different materials out there to help you get fully prepared, ranging from books to DVDs and everything in between. All the materials pull their contents from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) official publications.

There are a few different options for learning the materials you need to learn for your aeronautical knowledge exam. These include:

1. Ground instruction in a class
2. Self-study
3. Some combination of the two

Chances are, you’ll best be served by doing the majority of the study on your own, with only about 10 to 20 hours of instruction in an actual physical classroom. Though, even should you need a longer classroom session, the expense should not be too great (perhaps $300 on average).

All the information used in the private pilot certificate exam is pulled from the following FAA publications (which you can find by following the links):

1. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
2. Airplane Flying Handbook
3. Federal Aviation Regulations
4. Aeronautical Information Manual
5. Aviation Weather for Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel
6. Aviation Weather Services
7. Pilot Practical Test Standards (PDF version here)

There are also various handbooks, ebooks, and any number of other manuals out there that attempt to condense as much of this information into one place as possible, to make it simpler for you to get all the information you need to pass the pilot flight training exam with ease. You can find these by searching on Amazon or on just about any book / ebook marketplace.

Where to Get Pilot Flight Training Near You

There are, in fact, a variety of different locations you can go to get trained to fly. These can range from large operations to small flying schools; from non-profit enterprises to for-profit ventures. You can do a search online for “flight schools,” “flight training,” or “flight instruction,” or look through the Yellow Pages for the section on “Aircraft Flight Instruction.” There’s typically at least one school advertising per airport here – flip through to get a feel for where all the airports are in your area.

By visiting an airport near you, you’ll be able to find out what schools are operating at that airport and what your choices are there. Normally you’ll want to head to small or mid-sized airports; the large commercial airports tend to be a lot more focused on the airline aircraft coming and going than they are on training new pilots-to-be, and offer a lot fewer options for flight students.

Here are the kinds of schools you can look for to train with:

• Flying Clubs / Aero Clubs: flying clubs are non-profit member organizations that grant members affordable access to aircraft. Many of these clubs provide pilot flight training, pilot supplies, flight planning facilities, and social gatherings and flights to other airports. Because flying clubs are non-profit, they’re quite often less expensive to rent aircraft from than other options, and many commercial pilots get their starts at these. Flying clubs come in two flavors: equity and non-equity. In equity clubs, you buy in and own a stake of the aircraft and pay monthly dues; in non-equity clubs, you don’t buy in, but still instead pay monthly dues that go to upkeep and maintenance of the club’s aircraft.

• Colleges / Universities: a number of universities offer degrees in aviation. Where this is the case, flight training is included as a part of the curriculum and aircraft, instructors, materials, and lessons are all provided as part of the program.

• Flight Schools: flight schools are businesses that focus solely on providing flight instruction and training to their clients. They also commonly offer aircraft rental, maintenance, and pilot supplies.

• Fixed Base Operators (FBOs): unlike flight schools, FBOs provide a whole host of flight-related goods and services. While they do do flight training, it’s often just a part of their entire business. Other parts typically include aircraft rental, hangaring, fueling, maintenance, tie-down and parking, and a number of other things. FBOs normally operate on the airport itself, though in small towns the town itself can serve to provide the functions of an FBO (e.g., fueling, hangaring, maintenance, flight instruction, etc.). In mid-sized and larger airports, FBOs are usually privately held or publicly traded companies, rather than being state-owned.

Finding the Right Fit

You’re going to want to follow the following steps for finding out which of these is going to be the right fit for you:

1. Visit the flight schools in your area. If you’re new to flying – and if you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume you are – you don’t quite know what you’re looking for just yet. That probably means you shouldn’t just go with the first flight school you stumble across. Take a day or two to just go and visit each flight training school you can find in your area and check them out – you can use the questions below to find out more. You want to get a feel for what your options are before you choose one and take the plunge.

2. Meet the instructors. How many flight instructors does the school have on staff? The instructor will make a big difference in your flying experience – he’s the person who’s going to be teaching you how to do what it is you want to do, after all. Look for instructors with expertise, and instructors you feel comfortable with. You’ll be spending a good amount of time with your instructor and paying to learn from him – make to find someone you want to learn from.

3. See the aircraft. You’re going to be looking to see if the aircraft is newer – late model – or older; and you’re going to be looking to see what kind of condition it’s in. The average aircraft is twenty-three years old; this means that even well taken care of aircraft can look a little beaten up to the untrained eye. Make sure to check the engine compartments of the aircraft – they should be squeaky clean, with no sign of leaks or accumulation of any kind – and speak with both the instructors and other students. Finally, seeing multiple schools is important for this regard too – you start to get a base of comparison as you contrast one school’s aircraft to another’s.

4. Check the rates. How does one school’s rates compare to another? Different aircraft have different rates, so just because one flight training school’s rates seem lower than another’s doesn’t necessarily mean that school’s a better deal – it might just mean it has different kinds of airplanes. Also find out if you can book flight time in blocks – there are often discounts for booking flights in 5 or 10 hour blocks ahead of time – and what the refund policy is like for unused flight time if you end up not needing it or using it.

5. View the schedule. How far in advance do you need to schedule lessons? A week ahead of time is normal, but if it’s more than that there’s a good chance the school is overbooked – too many students, and not enough aircraft, instructors, or both. If you’re not comfortable booking lessons 2 or 3 weeks in advance, you’re probably going to want to find somewhere a little less crowded.

6. Verify insurance. Sounds boring, but insurance is actually one of those crucial pieces you’re going to want to make sure is in place. Accidents happen – and you could be left with a very big bill for damage to an aircraft valued anywhere from the price of a car to the price of a fleet of cars if you’re the cause of an accident and your school doesn’t have the right insurance. Things to look for: 1) hull insurance (insurance for damage to the aircraft), 2) liability insurance (insurance for any property damage, like someone’s home, for instance), and 3) medical insurance (in case you, your instructor, or any passengers or anyone else is injured). You’ll want to find out if there’s anything you’ll be responsible for – if there’s a deductible, and who pays it (you or the school?) and if the insurance company can pursue you for damages or not (look for a “no-subrogation clause,” which protect you from this if it’s in there). If the school’s insurance covers only the school and the aircraft owner, to you that’s as good as if there’s no insurance – anything that happens, and you may very likely be held financially responsible. You’ll probably want to find a school with more favorable coverage options – but if not, you can purchase your own renter’s insurance to protect you (for as much value as you purchase it for) and to take care of any deductible.

7. How convenient will it be for you? Lastly, how convenient is a particular pilot flight training school going to be for you? You’re going to be heading out there a lot for lessons – so how far is it, what hours is it open, when are the classes held, how far in advance will you need to schedule them – all these things matter. You’ll want to make your flight instruction as painless as possible – so pick a school you don’t mind visiting.

Getting the Most Out of Pilot Flight Training

Like anything new you set out to learn, you’re going to get the most out of your pilot flight training if you come in fresh, ready to learn, and eager to learn everything there is to know about flying, aircraft, and navigating the skies. You need to be both an information sponge – and chomping at the bit to be aloft. But more than anything else, you need dedication and determination.

Because getting your pilot’s license isn’t something that you’re going to do overnight – it’ll take you one very intense week if you’re completely determined to do it now, but more likely it’ll take you 4 to 6 months of time and practice.

You’re going to need to stick to it, you’re going to need to keep going, and you’re going to need to have a little patience.

The reward in the end is worth it: you get to be one of the select few (less than 2% of the population of the United States) who are able to pilot an aircraft. And the freedom – and privilege – that gives you is something it’s well worth working for.

When you first sign up for flight training, there’s a good chance you don’t have much of an idea about what you’re getting into. Sure, you’ve flown in airplanes before and you’ve seen plenty of pilots in cockpits in the movies, but you’ve never actual been there at the controls yourself, steering a massive (or a minute) flying vessel made of glass, plastic, fiberglass, and metal through the air.

What’s involved in taking those first steps to become a genuine pilot?

You might be surprised, but flying – once you’ve got the general hang of it – isn’t all that different from what you already know. In fact, you’ll find you tend to use aircraft pretty similar to how your more terrestrially-oriented friends use their automobiles – it’s just that you’ll be covering a lot more ground, a lot faster, with a lot less traffic (and nobody honking his horn).

In this post I’m going to arm you with the knowledge you’ll need to learn fast, get yourself aloft, and become a talented, experienced pilot in no time. I’m going to tell you what’s in store for you when you begin your flight training – and I’m going to help you figure out exactly what kind of flight training will suit you best.

Flight Training Pre-Work: Know This First

Before you sign up for flight training, you’re going to need to settle on a few things.

The first one of those is: why do you want to learn to fly?

There are a number of reasons you might want to fly, including:

• You want a career as a commercial airline pilot or charter aircraft pilot
• You travel frequently and would prefer to fly yourself rather than book a ticket
• You want to know how to fly for fun, for the pure joy of it

It’s incredibly important you know this, because it’s incredibly important you communicate your reasons to your flight school instructor to help him point you to the right classes. Imagine winding up four classes into learning advanced avionics before you decide you really just want to fly for fun! But this happens sometimes – people who aren’t sure what they want end up starting down a side path they didn’t intend to. Knowing the path you want to head down nips that one in the bud.

The next question to ask yourself after, “Why do I want to fly?” is, “What kind of flight training do I need?” Because believe it or not, there are several different flavors.

Accelerated flight training is the option of choice for the student in a hurry to learn to fly fast – but it’s going to take commitment. You won’t be able to take accelerated flight training if you have a job or school – or you’re going to need to take a little time away from those pursuits before you can. That’s because taking an accelerated flight training course means you’ll be eating and breathing aircraft flight until that training’s over.

While the total immersion might distract you from other things, the benefit of this method is that it vastly expedites the learning process – and it takes less time overall, too. Believe it or not, accelerated flight training can allow you to learn the same skills and abilities as someone in standard flight training in as little as 55% of the total training hours.

Self-paced flight training is the more typical route flight students take, attending training a few hours a week, often on weeknights or weekends. This approach to flight training offers a greater amount of convenience and flexibility, but at the expense of expediency – it’s going to take you between 75 and 80 hours in the sky and the classroom to get your pilot’s license this way.

So again, your choices there are:

1. Accelerated flight training, or
2. Self-paced flight training

… and you should choose whichever one best fits your situation, obligations, and how quickly you need to be in the air.

Getting Your Pilot’s License: Kinds of Certificates

A pilot’s “license” isn’t actually a license – it’s a pilot certificate. But in the more common vernacular, it’s become known as a license. You should understand however that when we say “pilot’s license” what we’re really talking about is a pilot certificate.

And there are different kinds of pilot certificates available. The two most common pilot certificates you’ll encounter in the United States are:

1. The Recreational Pilot Certificate
2. The Private Pilot Certificate

Additionally, there are a handful more certificates you can earn:

3. The Student Pilot Certificate
4. The Sport Pilot Certificate
5. The Commercial Pilot Certificate
6. The Airline Transport Pilot Certificate

For the purposes of this post, as an introduction to the basic nuts and bolts of flight training, I’m only going to consider the recreational pilot certificate and the private pilot certificate. I’ll go into the details on each, and how this impacts the kind of flight training you should seek.

Flight Training for the Recreational Pilot Certificate

First off, eligibility – to get the recreational pilot certificate, you need to:

• Be 17 years old or older
• Speak and read fluent English
• Hold a third class medical certificate or greater

If you’re here reading up on flight training, I’m guessing that, in all likelihood, you’re most likely older than 17 years old, and I’ll take it on faith and the fact that you’ve read this far that your English is probably pretty good. So the only thing in that list that might be a little scary-looking is the medical certificate.

What’s a third class medical certificate? Simple – it’s just a piece of paper that says, “Yes, this individual is healthy enough to fly an airplane.” So long as you don’t have anything that’s going to render you unconscious mid-flight or suggests your expiration date is approaching really fast, you’ll be able to get this in a snap.

How do you get a third class medical certificate? It’s pretty straightforward – just head on over to your local aviation medical examiner, get checked out, and collect your certificate. There are around 6,000 such Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized physicians around the country – you can use the FAA’s locator for them here: locate an aviation medical examiner.

Back to the recreational pilot certificate.

The number of hours of flight training required for the recreational pilot certificate are lower than those for the private pilot certificate. That’s because it’s a restricted license – you can only travel within 50 nautical miles of your home base, you can only carry one passenger, you can only fly a single-engine airplane of 180 horsepower or under with 4 seats or fewer, you can fly only during daylight hours in good weather, and you can’t fly through airspace requiring communication with air traffic control or airspace higher than 10,000 feet.

But… you can fly.

As a result of the limitations on the recreational pilot certificate, you won’t need to go through as much cross-country navigation training, and you won’t have to go through any night operations or fly-by-reference to instruments training at all.

Ultimately, the recreational pilot certificate offers the quickest way to being able to fly solo, for the lowest amount of time, money, and training.

Flight Training for the Private Pilot Certificate

If the limitations of the recreational pilot certificate feel too great, undergoing flight training to become a certified private pilot is the option you’re probably going to want to take.

What’s the difference between a private pilot certificate and a recreational pilot certificate?

They are as follows:

1. The limitation of a 50-nautical mile radius from your home base is removed – you’re now free to travel anywhere in the United States (other than areas with restricted airspace) and even foreign countries (so long as you remain in compliance with their regulations, of course).

2. The one-passenger limit is gone – with the private pilot certificate, you’re free to carry as many passengers as you like, and fly an aircraft with as many seats as you like.

3. While you remain limited to a single-engine aircraft, your maximum horsepower allowed goes up – from 180 to 200.

4. Some of the weather restrictions are lifted, though you remain limited to flying under visual flight rules (VFR) – unless you add on flight training for instrument flight rules (IFR) too, allowing you to fly even when it’s raining hard or foggy outside. And regardless whether you get IFR certification or not, you’ll be able to fly at night with a private pilot certificate.

5. Instead of a 10,000 foot flight ceiling, you can now go as high as 18,000 feet.

Your flight training will take a little longer when you’re going for a private pilot certificate than it will for a recreational pilot certificate, but the freedom it allows may very well be worth the additional cost in time and money to you. You’ll need 40 hours to get your private pilot certificate, to the recreational pilot certificate’s 30.

Aeronautical Knowledge: Passing the Test

If you remember above where we discussed self-paced training and mentioned it took between 75 and 80 hours, and you read the sections immediately above and noticed that only 30 hours of flight time are required for the recreational pilot certificate and 40 hours for the private pilot certificate, you might be asking yourself where the disconnect is. What gives?

Well, the answer to that question is, flight training isn’t just about what you do in the sky – it’s about what you put in your head, too. That means classroom time – or study on your own. Whether you do it with a flight school or you do it from home (provided you’re motivated enough to stay focused and keep at it), you’re going to need to learn what you need to learn in order to pass the pilot exam.

Sound scary? It’s not that bad. But you do need to score at least a 70% mark on the test – otherwise, you’ll be taking it again. A good flight training school is going to help you get there pretty reliably – assuming you’re doing your part and studying and paying attention in class, too.

Once you’ve passed the knowledge test on the ground, you’ll have 2 years to pass the practical test in the air – and if you’re really going to learn how to fly, that ought to be the fun part, so it shouldn’t really take you 2 years after you put your pencil down.

Deciding Where to Get Your Flight Training

Deciding where you want to get your flight training is a straightforward process, but it’s one you’ll want to pay some attention to. Just like you don’t want to buy a used car from a dealership with a bunch of jalopies sitting around on the lot and a sign half-hanging off the storefront, you also don’t want to sign up for flight school at the wrong institution.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Look for experience. Find instructors who know what they’re talking about and who’ve been flying and training new pilots for a long time – not ones who are still trying to wrack up their own hours to upgrade to a more advanced certificate. You want the instructors who are there for you – not for themselves.

2. Look for order and clarity. Is there a clearly defined, FAA-approved syllabus the instructors follow? Are prices clearly outlined for everything? Are there clear rules and regulations the instructors stick to and enforce? In avionics, precision rules the day when it comes to safe and successful flight and flight training; be heartened if you see it (and if you see disorder, chaos, and confusion, run the other way as fast as you can).

3. Look for current equipment. That includes very well-maintained late-model (or newer) aircraft, a Level III (or higher) flight simulator, and gear in good use and good repair.

4. Look for customer service. What guarantees does this flight school offer? How responsive are they to phone calls and emails? Are the people there happy – or do they treat it as “just a job”? You want a to find a place that you know you’ll have a good experience training at – and that any problems you might encounter will be promptly and satisfactorily addressed.

Flight training isn’t like a regular class – it’s not about spending a lot of time in a classroom, staring at a chalkboard or a projector screen for a couple of semesters. Instead, it’s about getting into the air – about flying an airplane beneath the clouds – or through them, or even above them. It’s about soaring over the fields and cityscapes and lakes and ponds and forests and towns below you, and learning how to move through the skies to get where you want without the hassle of sitting in gridlock. It’s about never having to go through road rage again – unless, that is, you set your newfound freedom aside and decide to go for a drive again.

Although, I’m not sure why you’d do that.

Ready to find somewhere local near you to get your own flight training? Check out the links on the side of the page. And if you liked this post, please share it with your network via the links below – you never know who might be dreaming of flight right now.