How to Get Started with Flight Training

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Before beginning flight training, the first step is to determine why you want to be a pilot. Is it for business? Do you want to have a career as an airline pilot? Or is it simply to fly family and friends? Your reason for learning to fly will help determine which pilot certificate best suits your needs. Most people pursue the private pilot certificate; however, <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> rules for obtaining a pilot’s certificate differ depending on the type of aircraft flown. Individuals can choose among airplanes, gyroplanes, weight-shift, helicopters, powered parachutes, gliders, balloons, or airships. A pilot does not need a certificate to fly ultralight vehicles. One certificate will not allow you to fly different types of aircraft.

Determine your Goals

It’s important that you carefully and thoughtfully pick the flight school that best suit your needs and learning capabilities. Like any field, some schools are more prestigious and carry on a long line of successful students than others.

To obtain information about pilot training, contact the local <abbr title="Flight Standards District Office">FSDO</abbr>, which maintains a current file on all schools within its district. The choice of a flight school depends on what type of certificate is sought, and whether an individual wishes to fly as a sport pilot or wishes to pursue a career as a professional pilot. Another consideration is the amount of time that can be devoted to training. Ground and flight training should be obtained as regularly and frequently as possible because this assures maximum retention of instruction and the achievement of requisite proficiency. Do not make the determination based on financial concerns alone, because the quality of training is very important.

Also, note the small difference between training with a part 141 flight school or training under part 61 regulations. Part 141 offers more structure and schools must meet certain requirements, while part 61 offers more flexibility. Do not believe the myth that airlines will hire a pilot who attended a part 141 flight school over one who graduated from a part 61 flight school. Both part 141 and 61 students must meet the same standard of pilot performance in order to obtain a pilot certificate.

Research Pilot Schools

Touring the training facility/airport gives you a good indication of the cleanliness, aircraft quality, instructor experience, and overall training environment. You will be trusting the facility with your future, including your career, finances, and aviation knowledge — do not take this lightly! While touring the facility, keep a close eye on how many aircraft are available, how clean the aircraft fleet is both on the inside and out, and how busy the school is. Does the aircraft have oil or liquid underneath it? How friendly are the staff? What do you overhear the instructors or current students talk about, is it good or bad?

What are the experience levels of the instructors and flight school owner/manager? What is the school's pass/fail rate and how many student pilots enrolled in their program versus those who completed their training and earned a certificate last year? How many hours does the typical student solo? Are students complaining about anything? If possible, connect with and speak to students who are currently training at the school. This can give you honest insight into the school's practices as it relates to safety and meeting student pilots' expectations.

Note if the school has its own maintenance personnel on-site or on-call, this will significantly affect how well-maintained the fleet is kept and how fast an aircraft can be made available after the maintenance. How many instructors are there and how many students does each fly with? Knowing these numbers will determine if you're able to complete your training given that you can afford to fly consistently.

Discovery flights take some of the mystery of what flying an aircraft is like and serve as a new pilot's orientation to flight training. There's a high probability that you've flown on a commercial airliner. However, chances are you have not experienced flight in smaller aircraft usually used for flight training such as a Cessna 172, Piper Warrior, or Diamond DA-20. Discovery flights are a great way to get to know what it feels like to pilot an aircraft and allows you to get up close and personal with smaller aircraft.

Schedule a Tour and Discovery Flight

Choosing an instructor is the most important decision you can make when beginning flight training. Unfortunately, most pilots are assigned to an instructor. We encourage all new pilots to speak with multiple instructors to see which one has similar goals and interests because you will spend a significant amount of time with this individual. You should also genuinely trust your instructor and be comfortable with their skills.

Ask the school about its instructor turnover rate. Many instructors are on an airline career track and are using the flight school training experience to build the time needed to be hired at an airline. There will likely be some instruction/lesson that needs to be repeated if you have to switch to flying with another instructor. Avoid switching between instructors as much as possible to avoid this time/cost sink. However, it is sometimes beneficial to fly with other instructors to experience a different teaching style. Some schools may allow another student to sit in the back of a training flight if both pilots are comfortable and the passenger isn't a distraction to the training flight. Ask about this option if you'd like to see how other instructors are teaching.

Choose an Instructor

Private pilots are held to higher medical standards than recreational or sport pilots. The <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> wants to know that you are healthy enough to operate an aircraft safely and make sound decisions — especially when you are carrying passengers. Of the different medical certificates available (first class, second class, third class), we recommend initially applying for a first-class medical certificate with an Aviation Medical Examiner (<abbr title="Aviation Medical Examiner">AME</abbr>); this allows you to identify any medical issues that may disqualify you from achieving your flight goals.

You should first [locate an <abbr title="Aviation Medical Examiner">AME</abbr>](https://www.faa.gov/pilots/amelocator/) near you, complete the [medical application](https://medxpress.faa.gov), and schedule a medical exam with your chosen <abbr title="Aviation Medical Examiner">AME</abbr>. Your chosen flight school will likely help you with this process.

[BasicMed](https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/basic_med) is an alternate way for pilots to fly without holding an <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> medical certificate as long as they meet certain requirements. If you meet BasicMed's requirements and do not wish to apply for a medical certificate, you can skip this step.

Apply for a Medical Certificate

Although a student pilot certificate is not required to begin flight training, it will be required to fly solo. You can apply for a student pilot certificate through the <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr>’s Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (<abbr title="Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application">IACRA</abbr>). Visit https://iacra.faa.gov to begin the application process. Your flight instructor will be able to assist you with the application.

Apply for a Student Pilot Certificate

There are numerous ways to fund your flight training; scholarships, grants, loans, lines of credit, and paying out-of-pocket are a few ways are the most common. Scholarships and grants are more desirable because it does not require the payback of any funding. In contrast, loans and lines of credit (which are usually high interest) require payments monthly payments. In some instances, you may be given a grace period in which payments are not required to be made until a certain date. Paying out of pocket usually takes the longest if a significant amount of cash is not available and may increase the overall cost of your training if you are not flying consistently.

**We strongly recommend having roughly 60-70% of the funds immediately available before you start flight training; For example, if the training cost is roughly $12,000, have $7,200 to $8,400 set aside before you take your first lesson; this allows you to fly often and build skills on each other in addition to saving money to cover the remainder of your training.** Some schools may offer discounted rates if you pay above a certain threshold. Ask your school's manager if they offer discounted block rates or any discounts if payments are made above a certain threshold.

Create a Financial Plan

Obtaining your own renter's aircraft insurance policy is required by most flight schools, some include coverage as part of their program. Make sure you are properly covered in both scenarios. We do not endorse or recommend any particular insurance carrier. Ask your flight school's manager or administrator what the coverage requirements are for the pilot certificate/rating you're seeking and do your own research to see what is best for you. Don't choose a carrier solely based on recommendation, some insurance carriers may offer schools incentives or pilot discounts for referrals so this will likely favor that carrier over others.

Obtain Aircraft Renter's Insurance

The certificate sought will determine what equipment you need for your training. We've put together a comprehensive guide for the most common pilot certificate, the private pilot certificate. View the lesson: [Equipment Needed for Private Pilot Flight Training]([{{LESSON:lesson_id}}]).

Obtain Required Flight Training Equipment

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The purpose of flight training is to develop the knowledge, experience, skills, and safe habits that establish a foundation and are transferable to any airplane. When it comes to building flight time it’s well known that there are some factors that you are not able to control, such as weather, aircraft availability, and instructor availability. Some days will be a Go decision and others a decision not to fly: No-Go. On No-Go days you must have a way to simulate exactly what it is that you were intending to work on like a certain flight maneuver. The little things you do when you are not flying will help keep you sharp, allowing for less wasted time in the cockpit. You will also become more familiar with procedures that must be followed while flying.

Your flight training will progress through five different stages: (1) pre-Solo, (2) solo, (3) maneuvers, (4) cross-country, and (5) checkride. If at any point you feel the training is moving too fast or you don't understand a particular topic, let your instructor know. It is often said that the aircraft cockpit is a terrible learning environment; this means that you should come prepared to each lesson with some base knowledge on the topic being covered and then use the aircraft/flight as a way to reinforce what was already learned in ground school.


Here are 5 tips to help you increase your level of understanding in each lesson:
1. Aim to fly at least three times each week.
2. Come to each flight fully prepared.
3. Use a flight simulator a day or night before each flight (if available).
4. Debrief every flight and brief upcoming lessons.
5. Be familiar with aircraft checklists, emergency procedures, and other standard operating procedures.

Build Flight Experience and Track Progress

To be eligible to apply for a private pilot certificate, you must meet the basic minimum flight experience of 40 hours, which includes 20 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training. Other requirements can be found here under 14 <abbr title="Code of Federal Regulations">CFR</abbr> §61.109. Ensure that you and your flight instructor are progressing through each section of your private pilot training course outline. It should be noted that more flight time than required will often be necessary to meet the level of proficiency the instructor or school feels comfortable with letting a student solo or conduct certain flight maneuvers. Have reasonable expectations when it comes to learning to fly and focus on proficiency.

Track your Training Progress

As part of your flight training, you will be required to demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of flight and other pilot-specific concepts. The <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> uses the <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> Knowledge Exam to gauge your understanding. A score of 70% or greater is needed to pass the computer-based test, schools may have their own internal test requirements higher than what is required to ensure you are able to pass the knowledge exam. To be eligible to take this exam, you must receive an endorsement from your flight instructor. Some pilots recommend studying for and taking the <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> Knowledge Exam before starting flight training to reduce stress and focus fully on learning to fly the airplane, while others prefer you to take the knowledge exam during your training. Do what you think is best for you.

Pass the FAA Knowledge Exam

The final step to earning a pilot certificate is to take the practical exam and demonstrate you are capable of operating an aircraft safely and in accordance with the <abbr title="Federal Aviation Administration">FAA</abbr> regulations. This exam consists of both an oral and flight test with a Designated Pilot Examiner (<abbr title="Designated Pilot Examiner">DPE</abbr>). The oral exam will cover the missed questions (if applicable) from your knowledge exam, regulations, and scenario-based questioning.

After completing the practical exam successfully, you will be issued a temporary airman certificate in which you are now able to fly under the privileges of your certificate. A permanent airman certificate will usually arrive in the mail within 120 days.

If you don't meet the performance requirements to pass the initial practical exam, you will be issued a letter of discontinuance in which you have 60 days from the disapproval date to reschedule and take the practical exam. Every maneuver you complete successfully will not need to be repeated during the second attempt. The letter should specify what parts of the exam need to be re-examined.

You may also stop the practical exam at any time for any reason and complete it at a later date.

Pass the FAA Practical Exam

Congratulations on earning your pilot certificate! Now it’s time to build more confidence by doing more solo flights. Once you feel comfortable, consider taking family and friends flying to share this unique experience with them. 

Celebrate

FAA Airplane Flying Handbook pg. 1-1 — 1-2

FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge pg. 1-18 — 1-24

There is no benefit as it relates to being hired at an airline when choosing between a part 141 or part 61 flight school. Additionally, many airlines have dropped the requirement for a Bachelor's degree in favor of pilot experience.

There are many factors that determine what a flight school charges per hour for training. Do not solely base your decision on a lower cost. Sometimes a more premium price tag allows you to avoid most issues and obtain an overall higher quality of flight instruction and aircraft.

It is highly recommended that you initially apply for a first-class medical certificate with an Aviation Medical Examiner (<abbr title="Aviation Medical Examiner">AME</abbr>), this allows you to identify any medical issues that may affect your flight goals.

Having at least 70% of the funds set aside before you take your first lesson allows you to fly consistently and obtain your certificate faster. You'll be able to save for the remainder of your training course while flying the recommended 2-3 times per week to continue to build skills on each other and not repeat lessons because of a gap in training. This does not avoid repeating lessons if you don't understand the topic or aren't performing to the school's training standards.

If at any point you feel the training is moving too fast or you don't understand a particular topic, let your instructor know so he/she can adjust to a rate where you feel comfortable.

Most pilots need additional training before meeting levels of proficiency is moving to the next lesson or maneuver. Have reasonable expectations when it comes to learning to fly and focus on proficiency.

How to Get Started with Flight Training

Tips

Knowledge Check

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