Learning to Fly - The Basics Explained

Every airline pilot had to start somewhere. In learning to fly the first step is to schedule an introductory flight, which is usually a 30 minute flight and costs about $50.

If you are excited about your introductory flight and want to continue, the next step is to see an aviation medical examiner who is a doctor in your area approved by the aviation authorities (FAA) to issue a medical certificate to pilots. Class 1 is for airline pilots, class 2 is for commercial pilots (paid to fly), and class 3 is for recreational pilots. If your goal is to one day become a commercial pilot, it is good advice you to go for the class 1 or class 2 certificate to make sure you qualify.

The private pilot license, commonly called the PPL, is the first license to obtain as a pilot. You cannot fly for pay or hire using your private pilot license. You can fly all by yourself the same way a driver's license lets you drive a car by yourself.

Training for a PPL in the US will cost you about $4000-5000 through a flight school but the cost would be spread over your course of flight training. As flight training is normally charged per hour of flight and you will pay as your training progresses.

There is one thing you should take into consideration; you need to have the time and money to learn to fly at least one-to-two lessons per week (a typical lesson is one-to-one and a half hours long).

You will have to pass a theoretical flight school exam, a 60 question multiple-choice test with three alternatives.

The average part-time flight school student will complete his/her private pilot license in 3-6 months. The flight exam (check ride) is conducted through an authorized examiner and consists of an oral quizzing (typically 1-2hours), and a flight test (typically 1 and a half hours).

Commercial pilot students need to obtain an instrument rating through which you will learn to fly solely by reference to the aircraft's instruments. This is a rating added to the certificate you will already hold. Before starting the instrument rating course you have to complete at least 50 hours of cross-country flying (flying from one airport to another airport at least 50 nautical miles away). The course itself is a minimum of 40 flying hours in actual or simulated instrument conditions.

Part-time flight training students can normally complete the course in 4-6 months. A full-time student learning to fly can complete the course in 2-3 months and it will cost approximately $5000-6000 to complete in both cases. The 50 hours of cross-country flight training is not included in this flight training price estimate. The instrument rating too has a theoretical exam of 60 multiple-choice questions. The flight test (check ride) is conducted by an authorized examiner and consists of an oral quizzing (typically 1-2 hours) and a flight test (typically 1 and a half hours). Most airlines and other aviation companies conduct flight training / airline training tests and simulator checks together with interviews. The typical career path in the US is to go from student pilot to flight instructor to regional airline (or minor cargo) to major airline pilot (or major cargo operations like FedEx and UPS).

Commercial Pilot License and Multi Engine Rating. To get a commercial pilot license (CPL), you have to be at least 18 years of age. There is no upper age restriction other than the ability to pass a class 2 medical exam. You must have logged a minimum of 250 hours of flight time in your logbook. The CPL flight training course can be included in these 250 hours. You also have to complete at least 10 hours of training in a complex aircraft (an aircraft with retractable landing gear, flaps and variable pitch propeller). There is also a 100 question, multiple-choice, theoretical exam.

In the learning to fly process, a flight training examination (check ride) must be passed comprising of an oral quizzing (typically one-to-two hours) and a flight test. The flight training test is often broken into two flights; one flight in your regular training aircraft to demonstrate your general flying skills, and one in a complex aircraft. After getting your commercial pilot license many students add the multi engine rating to their certificate. The typical flight training aircraft is a small, two engine, aircraft. The multi engine flight training course student learning to fly takes approximately 10 hours. The flight examination (check ride) consists of an oral quizzing and a flight test by an authorized examiner.

Becoming a flight instructor. There is a large gap between the experience level obtained as a newly examined commercial pilot and the experience level required to be an airline pilot. Most aspiring professional pilots fill this gap by becoming a flight instructor. The idea here is you learn best by teaching others.

There is one more certificate you can obtain after your commercial license (CPL) - the Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). This is required for any captain to pilot any aircraft with more than one pilot (all airlines and many commercial operations). Almost everyone can learn to fly and become a pilot. It is mostly a question of motivation, determination and discipline. But before you do anything - do like all great pilots do - do your research and proper planning. Your first step should be to visit your local flight school, aviation school, aviation college, etc., talk with pilots, shop around for the flight school or aviation college you think suits you. Hope this helps and Best of Luck to you on learning to fly!

So You Want To Learn To fly

Ever since your mother duped you into eating those strained peas by pretending that spoonful of mush was an airplane, you've been fascinated with airplanes, flying, and the wild blue yonder. If you only knew how to fly, you could get away from your humdrum life (and that deceitful woman you call "mother") and fly free like the birds. But there's a problem: if you don't learn how to fly, you'll drop like a stone and crash. There are only two options: 1) become stinking rich and hire someone to fly you wherever you want to go, whenever you want, or 2) get a pilot's license. Option 2 is a tad cheaper.

With a pilot's license, you will be able to start a career as a pilot, fly friends and family around on weekends, pilot your own plane for business trips, compete in aerobatics competitions, assist with humanitarian or "search and rescue" missions… the list goes on and on. So read on, and get ready to learn how to fly, dear Icarus… but don't get too close to the Sun (your wings might melt).

A quick word about safety. Human beings are not, by nature, supposed to fly, so it's natural to feel some anxiety at the thought of learning how to do anything at 10,000 feet. While it's true that flying involves some inherent risks, it is about the safest form of transportation we have - much safer than driving. Cars are involved in 10 times as many accidents per vehicle mile as general aviation aircraft (that is, all aircraft except airliners and military). Aviation is heavily regulated by a host of safety standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), aviation's governing body in the United States. Your flight training will teach you how to fly safely and how to react during those rare occasions of emergency that are beyond your control.

If that doesn't assuage your fears, take heart: safety experts say that if you were born on a plane and flew continuously all your life, you'd live well past 100 before you eventually crashed (that is, if the food didn't kill you first...).

Forget Video Games: Learn to Fly a Real Airplane - On Line!

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"You get everything in our Complete Pilot Courses, plus some," says
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section, an online training syllabus, and the entire Federal Aviation
Administration Practical Test Standards."

In order to become a pilot, three tests are required, very similar to
getting your driver's license. First you must pass a written test, then an
oral test, and then a flight test. A flight test, called a "check ride," is
just like the road test you took when you got your driver's license, but
this one takes place in an airplane. If you learn to fly with any of
Sporty's courses, Sporty's offers you a Triple Guarantee. Sporty's
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Sporty's Pilot Shop makes learning to fly at home easy, and you can do
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don't even have to wait until you pass the written test to start your
actual flight lessons. Visit any airport with a flight school, and you can
start lessons instantly. That means you could be at the controls of an
airplane, flying over your own neighborhood, tomorrow.

You may be thinking that learning to fly is too expensive and out of
reach of the average person. What you may now know, however, is that most
flight schools allow you to pay as you go so there's no large,
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Sporty's Pilot Shop is determined to share the joys of flying with as
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weekend or to cut out those long drives when you visit family and friends.
If you enjoy fishing, being a pilot gives you access to many remote
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For people who are just learning to fly, you have a choice of pilot
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Private Pilots Licence

Flying can become an exciting part of your life. The sensation of breaking the bounds of the earth and navigating above the towns and fields to see our world in a way that few experience, can only be understood by those who have done it.

Flying challenges you, provides continuous learning, builds confidence, and makes you a member of an exclusive and wonderful family called “pilots.”

What are the Basic Requirements for an Airplane Private Pilot License?

The requirements for being issued a private pilot license are governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

To get a private pilot’s license, you must

be at least 17 years
have a current FAA third-class medical certificate
log at least 40 hours of flight
have at least 20 hours of flight with an instructor
have at least 10 hours of solo flight
pass the FAA Private Pilot Airmen Knowledge written test
pass a FAA Private Pilot flight exam

Although the minimum required flight time is 40 hours, the national average is approximately 65 hours and most additional time is due to instruction.

The amount of flight time necessary to achieve your license is, in part, a function of how often you fly. Students who fly twice a week are likely to earn their license with fewer logged hours than those flying only two or three times a month