Arizona Flight Training And Instruction

Private PIlot Handbooks and Manuals

2009-10-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking of getting a private pilot license,There will be a lot of books and materials you will need to get you through your training. Though there are many different manufacturers, they all pretty much have the same information it is just presented in a different way. There is a difference however in the two major types of publications that you want to be aware of.

There are two types of training manuals and handbooks out there are:

1: FAA Publications

2: Aftermarket publications

1: The FAA. Publications are written and printed by the FAA. There are many of them that are referenced in the Private Pilot Practical Test Standards. One thing you want to understand is the fact that the Pilot Examiners are also Designated and Trained by the FAA. If you are on a budget, you want to get what you need for the Private Pilot Flight Test.

Below I have listed the main publications that have the information you will need for your Private Pilot Training.

Airplane Flying Handbook: The Airplane Flying Handbook covers all your private pilot training maneuvers

Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge: This Publication will cover most of the aeronautical knowledge areas and many of the flight maneuvers required for your private pilot training

Aviation Weather: This book explains all aspects of weather. You will need to be able to explain different types of weather systems on your Private Pilot Practical Test

Aviation Weather Services: This is the FAA publication that explains how to interpret all of the weather info. This will explain to you how to read all the weather reports and forecasts available through the FAA and the flight service stations.

There are other publications known as advisory circulars. These are publications put out by the FAA that are specific information about a given subject. An example of one of these publications is “Uncontrolled Airport Operations”

2: Aftermarket Publications: There are many publications that have been made up and known as industry standard. There are in cases some things missing that are published in the FAA publications. The Designated Pilot Examiner that will do your flight test will expect you to be able to understand and use the FAA publications for a reference during the oral portion of your Private Pilot Flight Test.

Perfect examples are the many airport guides that you can find published by many different companies. If you bring these publications into a flight test and not the FAA publications, in some cases it can result in a notice of disapproval for the reason that you aren’t using what the FAA has published.

One thing that most students and many instructors don’t understand is the fact that the Practical test standards for your Private Pilot Practical test are based on the FAA publications. In the reference section of the practical test standards, there is a list of all the publications that are used to make up the practical test standards.

When you go up for your flight test, you should know what the FAA says about each of the areas of operation based on the FAA publication that is referenced. I have seen many times a student will reference a non FAA publication and some times it will result in a disapproval notice because the applicant is expected to have knowledge of the related FAA publication. Not what someone else thinks the FAA was trying to say.

Once again remember that the Designated Pilot Examiner who will conduct your flight test is bound by the FAA Practical Test Standards. They must follow them in the evaluation process. You will also notice a reference to the FAA publication in each area of operation listed in the practical test standards. This is what you are expected to know.

So remember that if you are using aftermarket publications and manuals for your flight training; that is fine, just make sure you bring the FAA Publications to your flight test and be able to explain them.

Hope to See You In The Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Pivate Pilot Manual

Private Pilot Training Course

2009-07-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

hello all:

The latest addition to the Arizona FLight Training and Instruction website is now up. I have an updated 10 day Private Pilot Training ecourse. I have ne handouts and downloads for you

Please vist my Private Pilot Training Site

Hope to see you in the sky

AIrfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Portable Air Conditioners

2009-04-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I am prooud to announce that I am the New Phoenix Dealer for the Arctic Air Portable Aircraft Air Conditioners. They can be used in many other applications besideds Airplanes.

12 Volt Air Conditioners

24 Volt Air Conditioners

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Pilot Licenses

2009-04-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have put up a new section on nmy main website Explaining all the Different Types of Pilot Licenses. I will be updating this section in the coming weeks

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Private Pilot

2009-04-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have put up a new section on the Private Pilot Rating. I will be adding more information in the coming weeks

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Learn to Fly an Airplane

2009-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have put up a new section on Learning To Fly an Airplane

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook and Manual

Accelerated Flight Training

2009-04-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have put up a new section on the Accelerated Flight Training Courses I offer.

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Advice

Flight School

2009-04-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have set up a new section for people who don't know anything about the different types of flight schools. I will be adding more information in the next few weeks

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Tips

Flight Instruction

2009-04-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have put up a new section on the different types of flight instruction I offer

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Manual

Flight Training

2009-04-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have just updated a new part of my site on the Flight Training Programs I offer.

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Private Pilot Training

2009-04-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have just updated my Private Pilot License Section. There is a lot of new information up now. I will be continuing to update this section

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Guide

Flight Training

2009-04-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Aviators:

I have just completed the new template for my main flight training website. It is all upleaded and all the quirks should be worked out.

I have many different sections now. I will be adding a lot of material here in the next month or so

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Arizona Flight Training

Private Pilot License Tips

2008-11-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

Flight Training Tip: If you are in the process of you Private Pilot License you should be familiar with the Trim wheel. Some planes will also have a rudder trim. On a recent flight test one of my examiner friends said one student was weak with his right rudder. HM?. On another flight test my examiner friend figured out the problem and it was something that I completely missed. Yes the Rudder trim.

There are very few C-172's that have rudder trim but one of the planes I was using had it and it was set 2 notches to the right of takeoff. This was always set there. I don't think anyone had moved it in months. Since the C-172 I mostly fly doesn't have a rudder trim I never picked it up. If you are a pilot already you know how many mistakes you make!.

So if you are training in a plane that does have rudder trim, don't use it. Leave it in the takeoff position. This way you will exercise your right leg and use the rudder properly.

Hope to See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook

Private PIlot License, Total Private PIlot License Cost

2008-09-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Now I am going to add all of this up for you. As you can see from breaking your Private Pilot Training down into three sections and then adding in books and materials, this is probably quite a bit higher than most flight schools will lead you to believe.

Like I said there are a lot of great flight schools out there and then there are a lot of bad ones. The key to the entire process is planning and researching. From the other three articles here, I have put down all of the costs together to come up with a realistic cost estimate for you.

Once again I will use an aircraft rate of $120 Per hour For a C-172 and $45 for the Instructor Since that is what I charge. Remember you will find many different rates in different areas of the country so just use my numbers as a guide for you. After you read this you can use the cost estimate workbook at the bottom of the page to plug in the rates for the aircraft and flight instructors in your area.

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

Private Pilot License Kit $200.00
Aviation Medical $100.00
Headsets $290.00
Total $590.00

Private Pilot License Pre Solo Cost

17 Hours Dual Instruction @ $165 Per Hour
5 Hours Ground Instruction @ $45 Per hour ( Flight Instructor )
Total Dual Instruction $2805.00
Total Ground Instruction $225.00
TOTAL # 2 $3030.00

Private Pilot License Post Solo Cost

11.1 Hours Dual Instruction @ $165 Per Hour

2.5 Hours Ground Instruction @ $45 Per hour ( Flight Instructor )

5 Hours of Solo Flight Time @ $120 Per Hour

11.1 Hours Dual Instruction $1,831.50
2.5 Hours Ground Instruction $112.00
5 Hours of Solo Flight Time $600.00
TOTAL# 3 $2543.00

Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation Cost

3 Hours Dual Instruction @ $165 Per Hour

5 Hours Ground Instruction @ $45 Per hour ( Flight Instructor )

10 Hours of Solo Flight Time @ $120 Per Hour

Flight Test Examiner Fee

Flight test (airplane)

3 Hours Dual Instruction $825.00

5 Hours Ground Instruction $225.00

7.5 Hours of Solo Flight Time $900.00

Flight Test Examiner Fee $400.00

Flight Test (airplane) $180.00

Total # 4 $2,530.00

Total Private Pilot License Cost

Now when we add all of this up we get the following cost Estimate:

Books and Materials $590.00

Pre Solo Flight Training $3030.00

Post Solo Flight Training $2543.00

Flight Test Preparation $2530.00

TOTAL $8693.00

So you can see this is probably more than most flight schools will lead you to believe. There are some honest one out there. You just need to research before you start flying.

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook

Airfreddy's Private PilotCourse

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot License, Flight Test Preparation

2008-09-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is the finish up part of your training where you will get prepared for the flight test. Now the one thing that you want to keep in mind is, if you have been going at a steady pace through your Private Pilot Training this phase will be just getting everything up to the practical test standards.

If you have gotten all your cross countries done and waited two months, guess what, it is going to take more flights to get you up to speed. So you can see how having all of this planned out from the beginning can really benefit you.

You want to be proficient for the flight test, if you can continuously fly from the beginning, this is going to be much easier. This is why I am training students 4 times per week now. I remember one of my students last year came within $300 or so of my cost estimate. He was done in about 8 weeks since the thanksgiving holiday week was at the end of his training. This is pretty good and the student was VERY happy.

If there had not been a holiday at the end of his training he would have been done in 6 1/2 weeks.

Here I add all of the left over solo time since most people end up getting it at the end for practice before the flight test. You are going to want to get out there by yourself before your flight test.

The requirement by the FAA is 3 Hours within 60 days of the flight test. I find that I am still doing about 4-6 hours with the students and 7-10 hours of ground instruction on average. If you are on track and have been studying hard, you can get done close to the hours I list below.

I use rates of $120 Per Hour for the airplane and $45 Per hour For the Instructor. I also use an examiner fee of $400.00.

Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation Cost

3 Hours Dual Instruction @ $165 Per Hour

5 Hours Ground Instruction @ $45 Per hour ( Flight Instructor )

10 Hours of Solo Flight Time @ $120 Per Hour

Flight Test Examiner Fee

Flight test (airplane)

3 Hours Dual Instruction $825.00

5 Hours Ground Instruction $225.00

7.5 Hours of Solo Flight Time $900.00

Flight Test Examiner Fee $400.00

Flight Test (airplane) $180.00

Total # 4 $2,530.00

Now this is realistic if you have been training consistently. If you have started and stopped for some reason, make sure you can do the solo cross country phase and then jump right into the Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation.

Private Pilot Cost

Hope to See You in the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot License, Post Solo Flight Training Costs

2008-09-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Post Solo Training Costs associated with the Private Pilot License are normally close to the pre solo phase but will burn your money up the fastest. Once you break this down you want to look at the big picture of the entire license. You don't want to get stuck and run out of money because in this phase of your training, you are doing longer flights and will have more ground instruction.

Once again there are some requirements put out by the FAA that have to be done before you can do your solo cross countries. Some training syllabuses will do some of the things I list below before solo but I like to build each lesson on top of the other so you learn one thing and then integrate it into the next lesson.

A perfect example is the simulated instrument training. I have this broken into 2 post solo flights. That will get about 2.2 hours of simulated instrument time. Then I have a lost procedures lesson where we will get about another .3 hours then the rest I will pick up at the flight test preparation stage. Bottom line is you need the three hours but if you are getting a little here and then a little there, chances are someone misses it and the examiner picks it up on flight test day and then walks out because you aren't qualified.

The other thing that can happen is your instructor picks it up and then up you go for an extra flight. The same thing can happen with the night time. I can't tell you how many times it has even happened to me no matter how careful I was. Now I do all the night time in one flight so it is over and done with. You don't want to get a call from your instructor the night before your flight test telling you to meet them at the airport to get some more flight time.

For our purpose here I will just list the requirements and then give you an estimate on the cost. The Private Pilot Post Solo requirements can be found at the link below. I will just outline the cost for you:

Private Pilot Requirements

Basically there are 5 things needed before you can go on solo cross Countries.

Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings

Short Field Takeoffs and Landings

Simulated Instrument Time

Vor Navigation

Cross Country Flight Training

Now the Hour Requirements are just for the Private Pilot License Aeronautical Experience but you have to have logged the above subject areas. I also Include the Dual Cross Countries Day and then all the night time Required.

1.5 Hours Dual Instruction for Soft-Field / Short-Field Takeoffs and Landings

2.2 Hours Dual Instruction / Simulated Instrument Instruction

4.4 Hours Dual Instruction for Cross-Countries

2.5 Hours Ground Instruction

3.0 Hours Dual instruction for Night Flying

5 Hours Solo Cross Country

In my syllabus, I have two dual cross-country flights, and each averages 2.2 hours. The FAA only has an hour requirement for the private pilot certificate, but I personally think that students need two different cross-country flights and about 2-3 hours of ground instruction. I am also going to add the solo cross country hours here since the goal here is to get the solo cross country requirements and move on to the flight test preparation portion of your Private Pilot Flight Training.

If we add this all up we get the following cost for this part of your private pilot training:

Private Pilot License Post Solo Cost

11.1 Hours of Dual Instruction @ $165 Per hour $1831.50

2.5 Hours of Ground Instruction @ $45 Per Hour $112.50

5 Hours of Solo Cross Country Flight $600.00

Total $2543.00

Once again with a good instructor and flying consistently, you should be close to this amount for this phase of your Pilot License Training. Depending on the instructor or the syllabus you may do one day cross country and then one night cross country. I personally have two different day cross countries to different types of airports.

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

Private Pilot License Pre-Solo Pilot Training Cost

Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation Cost

Private Pilot Cost

Hope to see you in the sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Guide

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Course

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot License, Pre Solo Flight Training Costs

2008-09-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Your Pre- Solo Training is the first Part of your Private Pilot License Training. In order for you to solo you have to be instructed and be found " COMPETENT" in the areas listed in the Student Pilot Regulations of the FAA. I Have them listed in the Private Pilot Requirements section. You can find them by clicking the link below.

Student Pilot Requirements

Now there are 15 Aeronautical Experience areas that need to be covered and you need to be proficient at them. I am finding two different types of students have two different ideas about soloing.

The Younger Student: The younger students want to get soloed as fast as possible.

The Older Students: I have a lot of students who are my age or older. These students are going after their life long dream but are now in the phase of their life were they don't want to do anything stupid. In these cases the student doesn't really care about soloing. So I move them ahead and go through the cross country phase. I have had many older students that get to about 30 hours, I have completed almost everything with them and finally say, " It is time to get out there on your own" At this time they go do all of their solo time. Then we come back and finish up with the flight test preparation.

In Either case if the student is not ready to solo I move them forward.
For the purpose of this article I just add up the cost for you to get up to that phase of your training. If you are not ready to solo I just move on to the Post Solo Requirements.

From the requirements above you can see that there are 15 areas that you have to be instructed in and it has to be logged in your logbook with an instructors signature. I always tell students not to focus on the solo. You want to focus on being a safe pilot and getting your Private Pilot License done on schedule and on a budget.

Now in my syllabus I have 13 Flights to cover these areas with the addition of a Spin Entries Lesson and a Review Flight. In know that spin entries are not required but years back I had a student get himself into a spin. Since then I try and show every student spin entries and recoveries.

Here is the story:

Spin Flying Story

All of this training adds up to about 17 hours and 3-5 hours of ground instruction. Now you have to remember that is me. If you have a good dedicated instructor, you should be somewhere close to this. If you are at a school that is going through flight instructors left and right, you can expect having different instructors. This turns out to be more money. Once again the reason I tell people to plan things out ahead of time.

I will use an aircraft rate of $120 Per hour For a C-172 and $45 for the Instructor Since that is what I charge. You will find many different rates in different areas of the countries so just use my numbers as a guide for you. I have put 1.5 hours of solo time in here since your first and second solo should be close to this. If you are not ready to solo you will pick it up later on.

17 Hours Dual Instruction @ $165 Per Hour

1.5 Hours Solo @ $120.00 Per Hour

5 Hours Ground Instruction @ $45 Per hour ( Flight Instructor )

Total Dual Instruction $2805.00

Total Solo Time $180.00

Total Ground Instruction $225.00

TOTAL $3210.00

Now you want to remember this should be close with a dedicated flight instructor and flying on a regular basis. I would suggest 4 lessons per week. If you are not ready to solo, you should ask your instructor to move you forward. Most people have problems with landings so there is no reason not to move forward with the rest of the requirements because each flight you have to land. You will get the lightbulb to come on soon or later. Many times you will find that if you stop focusing on just landings you will start to get them nice and smooth.

One other thing you want to remember is you are not the only person in the world who has problems in certain areas. Most students in general have the same problems and usually it is landings. Don't let it bother you, you have been driving a car all your life and it takes a very long time to break the habits.

Soloing is a great milestone but you want to remember that your main goal is to be a safe and confident pilot. I always ask students, would you rather solo in 10 hours or would you rather be prepared to handle any emergency that came up. You are dealing with a machine and sometimes no matter how well maintained they are, they are going to break.

Your goal is to "FLY THE PLANE" and handle the emergency so you can make it to happy hour.

The Links to the Rest of the costs are listed below:

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

Private Pilot License Post- Solo Pilot Training Cost

Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation Cost

Private Pilot License Total Cost

Hope to see you in the sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot License Training Cost

2008-09-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

If you have been looking around the internet on information about the cost of a private pilot license, I am sure you have seen some articles written by people who are not even in the industry and others written by private pilots who may have just received their private pilot licenses. Some of the information may be close and others are pretty far off.

There are a lot of factors that will determine what a Private Pilot License (Certificate) will cost you. The first things you want to think about are:

1: Airplane Price Per Hour

2: Flight Instructor Price Per Hour

Depending on where you are in the country these rates can be dramatically different. These two rates will be the most important factors however, there are other factors that can dramatically increase your cost. I will give you some examples of things you want to look at.

1: The Flight School Itself: You need to poke your nose around the community and see what is going on. You will want to ask people who recently got their Private Pilot License and ask them how much it cost and how many hours they ended up having.

In many cases you will see much more than the flashy clean flight school. I know of many Flashy High Dollar Flight Schools that once you get out into the aviation community, you will want nothing to do with them. You may find many of the people you talk to ending up with an excessive amount of hours and may have had up to six instructors. I know this first hand since many of those students come to me half way through their training. This is one reason I always tell people to take some time and research and come up with a plan first.

There are on the other hand many flight schools that are concerned about their students and are willing to work with students to get them licensed in a cost effective manner. You just have to find them.

2: The Flight Instructor: If your instructor is not a good teacher your chances of getting your private pilot license in a cost effective manner get slimmer. You need to look into this. Other factors that have to do with the flight instructor is their aviation game-plan. If they are a good flight instructor that cares about his/her students you can plan with them and get things done in a cost and time effective manner. If you have an instructor that is just trying to get to the magic hiring number for an airline, your flight training will be compromised and you can plan on spending a lot more money.

3:Books and materials: In most cases you can get home study courses for about $200 or so. Some schools will require you get their $500 DVD packages. I have always told students to do what is best for them. All of the courses out there cover the same material taken from the official FAA publications. The material that is used for your practical test is the FAA publications.

4:Examiner Fees: This part most flight schools don't even mention at all. Once again depending on where you are in the world, this price can vary a lot. One part of the country you may find a private pilot flight test for $200 but in others like here in phoenix it will around $400.

A few of these factors put together can make the difference between a happy safe confident Private Pilot and a frustrated student pilot. If you are on a tight budget and have been saving for a long time, these factors will make a difference.

Planning this out is the most important thing you can do. In order to pass the Private Pilot License flight test you need to be proficient. Depending on the rates, instructor, and Flight School You Choose, $8,000 - $9,000 is a realistic budget and finishing at 45-50 hours is realistic.

The Planning process is the most important part. There are many delays that can happen, weather, maintenance and people getting sick.

For Explaining this I break the Private Pilot License Cost down into four parts. I do this so you can understand each phase of training. Then we will add it all up and you can see were the expenses are coming from. I break everything down in the following manner:

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

Private Pilot License Pre-Solo Pilot Training Cost

Private Pilot License Post- Solo Pilot Training Cost

Private Pilot License Flight Test Preparation Cost

Private Pilot License Total Cost

Each one of these areas has a cost. It is easier to understand when you have everything broken down in front of you. Planning for the Private Pilot License is the most important thing you can do.

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Guide

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License E Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Copyright@ 2008. All Rights Reserved
Frederick J Longe / Professional Flight Instruction Service
1340 South Sandal Street, Mesa, AZ 85206

Private PIlot License Requirements

2008-09-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

It is time to tie all of the Student Pilot /Pre-Solo and Post Solo Requirements together. In order to be eligible for the Private Pilot License Practical test, you have to have everything that I have listed so far DOCUMENTED in your logbook I go more in detail in my book but I will get you up to speed on this.

Now I will explain the requirements for you to be eligible for your Private Pilot Practical Test. All of the Previous requirements have to be completed for the student solo and the student solo cross countries. If you haven't looked at them yet here they are:

Now this is where the requirements that usually show up on the internet come from. This is only the aeronautical experience regulation. This is the regulation that most flight schools make their cost estimates from and where most people who have nothing to do with aviation write their articles from.

(a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (k) of this section, a person who applies for a private pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 40 hours of flight time that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training in the areas of operation listed in §61.107(b)(1) of this part, and the training must include at least—

(1) 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane;

(2) Except as provided in §61.110 of this part, 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane that includes—

(i) One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance; and
(ii) 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.

(3) 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight;

(4) 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test in a single-engine airplane, which must have been performed within 60 days preceding the date of the test; and

(5) 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, consisting of at least—

(i) 5 hours of solo cross-country time;
(ii) One solo cross-country flight of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations; and
(iii) Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

Then there is the other eligibility regulation for the Private Pilot License Flight Test

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, to be eligible for a practical test for a certificate or rating issued under this part, an applicant must:

(1) Pass the required knowledge test within the 24-calendar-month period preceding the month the applicant completes the practical test, if a knowledge test is required;

(2) Present the knowledge test report at the time of application for the practical test, if a knowledge test is required;

(3) Have satisfactorily accomplished the required training and obtained the aeronautical experience prescribed by this part for the certificate or rating sought;

(4) Hold at least a current third-class medical certificate, if a medical certificate is required;

(5) Meet the prescribed age requirement of this part for the issuance of the certificate or rating sought;

(6) Have an endorsement, if required by this part, in the applicant's logbook or training record that has been signed by an authorized instructor who certifies that the applicant—

(i) Has received and logged training time within 60 days preceding the date of application in preparation for the practical test;
(ii) Is prepared for the required practical test; and
(iii) Has demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject areas in which the applicant was deficient on the airman knowledge test; and

(7) Have a completed and signed application form.

There is also the ground instruction requirements. Lately the FAA has been getting very tough on this. There have been many cases where students have been signed off for flight tests and the instructor never did any ground instruction with them.. You want to remember that your instructor needs to have this documented for you to be eligible for the flight test.

Personally I make up one sheet with all the flight training and all the ground training and sign it at the bottom. This way I have a complete record and the examiner can plainly see every subject area.

Within these three regulations are all of the others listed in the student pilot requirements and the student pilot pre solo cross country requirements. Most people don't have a clue about all of this. And once you have started on the wrong track on your Pilot Training, it can become a very expensive venture.

This was the main reason that I ended up Writing "Airfreddy's Guide on Learning To Fly". This happens all of the time all over the country. I can't tell you how many emails I get from people who are frustrated at the entire process. If they had planned and researched ahead of time, they would have gotten done in a realistic budget and on a realistic schedule.

Getting your Private Pilot License and Learning to Fly can be a great experience, but if you don't understand that every time to delay, switch instructors, schools or wait to get your written test done. You will get more and more frustrated and I see it ALL THE TIME.

Your goal is to become a safe and proficient pilot on a realistic budget. Planning this process out is the most important thing you can do. You don't want to jump and and then find you are on the wrong track.

Private Pilot License, Pre-Solo Training Requirements

Private Pilot License, Post-Solo Training Requirements

Private Pilot License Requirements

Hope To See You In The Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Guide

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Pilot Training Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Student Pilot Requirements

2008-09-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

After you solo or have completed the solo requirements, your instructor should move you ahead to the next phase of training even if you are not quite ready to solo. Like I have said before many flight schools and instructors will not move you forward until you have solo'ed.

I personally move everyone forwards since the goal is to get you licensed on a budget without loosing quality of flight training.

Here are the Post Solo Requirements for your Private Pilot License Training. Once again they start off general and get more specific.

(a) General. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, a student pilot must meet the requirements of this section before—
(i) Conducting a solo cross-country flight, or any flight greater than 25 nautical miles from the airport from where the flight originated.
(ii) Making a solo flight and landing at any location other than the airport of origination.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, a student pilot who seeks solo cross-country flight privileges must:
(i) Have received flight training from an instructor authorized to provide flight training on the maneuvers and procedures of this section that are appropriate to the make and model of aircraft for which solo cross-country privileges are sought;
(ii) Have demonstrated cross-country proficiency on the appropriate maneuvers and procedures of this section to an authorized instructor;
(iii) Have satisfactorily accomplished the pre-solo flight maneuvers and procedures required by §61.87( The Pre Solo requirements ) of this part in the make and model of aircraft or similar make and model of aircraft for which solo cross-country privileges are sought; and
(iv) Comply with any limitations included in the authorized instructor's endorsement that are required by paragraph (c) of this section.

This is once again a general requirement for Student Pilot Solo Cross Countries. Now I will dig into them a little more and you find the following.

(3) A student pilot who seeks solo cross-country flight privileges must have received ground and flight training from an authorized instructor on the cross-country maneuvers and procedures listed in this section that are appropriate to the aircraft to be flown.

There is a lot more in this regulation. There is a link to it in your book " Learning To Fly, What it will Cost You" But the important part for this discussion is what is required for you to be eligible for Solo Cross Countries: As you move down this regulation you find the following:

(e) Maneuvers and procedures for cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for cross-country flight in a single-engine airplane must receive and log flight training in the following maneuvers and procedures:

(1) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage and dead reckoning with the aid of a magnetic compass;

(2) Use of aircraft performance charts pertaining to cross-country flight;

(3) Procurement and analysis of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts,including recognition of critical weather situations and estimating visibility while in flight;

(4) Emergency procedures;

(5) Traffic pattern procedures that include area departure, area arrival, entry into the traffic pattern, and approach;

(6) Procedures and operating practices for collision avoidance, wake turbulence precautions, and windshear avoidance;

(7) Recognition, avoidance, and operational restrictions of hazardous terrain features in the geographical area where the cross-country flight will be flown;

(8) Procedures for operating the instruments and equipment installed in the aircraft to be flown, including recognition and use of the proper operational procedures and indications;

(9) Use of radios for VFR navigation and two-way communications;

(10) Takeoff, approach, and landing procedures, including short-field, soft-field, and crosswind takeoffs, approaches, and landings;

(11) Climbs at best angle and best rate; and

(12) Control and maneuvering solely by reference to flight instruments, including straight and level flight, turns, descents, climbs, use of radio aids, and ATC directives.

Notice there are no hour requirements in this regulation. All of these areas need to be in your logbook but the hour requirements only come into play in the general requirements.

Private Pilot License, Post-Solo Training Requirements
Private Pilot License Requirements

Hope to See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook

Private Pilot License Requirements, Pre Solo Training Requirements

2008-09-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

The pre solo maneuvers are the first required for your Private Pilot License. There are a number of Requirements needed before you can do your first solo. Now in many cases I will move on to the post solo requirements if someone is not quite ready to solo yet. I do this because I am not going to sit in the traffic pattern with someone for 5 extra flights to get their landings down. The lightbulb will come on and my goal is to have you licensed and a safe / proficient pilot by the time of your flight test. Also I want you to be in your budget.

Many instructors and schools will not move forward until you have solo'ed I think this is a complete waste of money. For this reason some people may say that the pre solo phase is the most expensive. When I see someone who has 40 hours, hasn't soloed and on top of that has not done the cross countries, soft field / shortfield takeoffs and landings, night or simulated instrument time, the only thing I can think of is that poor student got ripped off.

The main reason people don't solo is they don't have their landings down. So why wouldn't the instructor move ahead. You have to do Soft Field / Short Field Takeoffs and Landings, 10 Night takeoffs and Landings, Dual Cross Countries ( Yes More Landings). This is usually plenty of time for the Landing ( Lightbulb) To come on.
Here I have listed the Pre Solo Requirements for you. Remember there are two parts Aeronautical Knowledge and Aeronautical Experience.

(a) General. A student pilot may not operate an aircraft in solo flight unless that student has met the requirements of this section.

(b) Aeronautical knowledge. A student pilot must demonstrate satisfactory aeronautical knowledge on a knowledge test that meets the requirements of this paragraph:

(1) The test must address the student pilot's knowledge of—
(i) Applicable sections of parts 61 and 91 of this chapter; (FAR"S )
(ii) Airspace rules and procedures for the airport where the solo flight will be performed; and
(iii) Flight characteristics and operational limitations for the make and model of aircraft to be flown.

(2) The student's authorized instructor must—
(i) Administer the test; and
(ii) At the conclusion of the test, review all incorrect answers with the student before authorizing that student to conduct a solo flight.
(c) Pre-solo flight training. Prior to conducting a solo flight, a student pilot must have:

(1) Received and logged flight training for the maneuvers and procedures of this section that are appropriate to the make and model of aircraft to be flown; and

(2) Demonstrated satisfactory proficiency and safety, as judged by an authorized instructor, on the maneuvers and procedures required by this section in the make and model of aircraft or similar make and model of aircraft to be flown.

(d) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a single-engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a single-engine airplane rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:

(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;

(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;

(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;

(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;

(5) Climbs and climbing turns;

(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;

(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;

(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag configurations;

(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;

(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;

(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;

(12) Ground reference maneuvers;

(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions;

(14) Slips to a landing; and

(15) Go-arounds.

All of the above areas need to be covered and Documented in Your Logbook. And it needs to be signed off by a Certified Flight Instructor. Yes I have seen people that have gone up with their friends, and their friends have signed their logbooks. These areas can only be given by a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)

Student Pilot Requirements Post-Solo

Private Pilot License Flight Test Requirements

Hope to See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Manual

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot License Requirements

2008-09-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

The private pilot license requirements are broken down into a few different sections. In most cases you will see something like this:

40 Hours Total

20 Hours Dual Instruction

10 Hours Solo

Now in other places you may see some added information

3 Hours Instrument

3 Hours Night

5 Hours Solo Cross Country

Now this is correct and the FAA regulations for the private pilot license do state this. The things that are missed are all of the area's of operation within these requirements. Many times the student doesn't realize what is exactly required, this can add up to more flights if something is missed by the flight instructor. The worst case scenario is this is picked up by the pilot examiner on flight test day.
If you have read over my Private Pilot License Cost section you can see that I break the cost down the same way. This is because you have to realize that there is a lot of subject areas that need to be DOCUMENTED. If they are not documented in your logbook you are not qualified for your flight test.

I can't tell you how many stories I have heard from examiner friends of mine about this. It happens all the time on flight test day. In many cases the flight instructor is nowhere to be found and the student has to reschedule the flight test. This happens so often that I made some special sections in my book called ( Keeping Your Instructor In Check )

So I will point them out to you so you can double check your instructor. Once in a while a student of mine will remind me of something, even after 20 years of doing this Better a week before the flight test than on you Private Pilot Flight Test Day.
The above requirements for the Private Pilot License are the Minimum Requirements. Within these requirements are a lot of subject areas.

In addition to the Aeronautical Experience Requirements ( Flight Time) There are Aeronautical Knowledge Requirements. Most people just look at this is the FAA written Test. You have to realize that once again your instructor has to DOCUMENT each of the subject areas. The FAA is starting to get very tough on this. If these subject areas aren't documented on flight test day, the examiner walks out. Hopefully your instructor is somewhere to be found but if he/ she isn't, then you will have to reschedule your flight test.

I will outline all of these Private Pilot License Requirements for you and try to make it as simple as possible. So like my cost estimates I will break everything down into The Following:

Private Pilot License, Pre-Solo Training Requirements

Private Pilot License, Post-Solo Training Requirements

Private Pilot License Requirements

The reason I do this is so you can get an idea of what you are required to do at each stage of your training and then what is required for you to take your flight test. There are a lot of things to learn so my advice is to plan this process out before you spend a dime flying.

Hope to See You In The Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Guide

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

New Learning To Fly website for People who want to become a Private Pilot

2008-08-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

For Those of You who are Interested on information on how to become a Private Pilot I have just updated one of my subdomains for people who are interested in getting a private pilot License and becoming a pilot. I have all the links below for you.

Private Pilot Cost I have detailed the cost of learning to fly and the private Pilot License

Private Pilot Handbook and Manual Step by step guide to learning to fly and the private pilot license

Pilot Training Stories 18 Flight trainging stories that all pilots can learn from

Private Pilot Course I have put together a new 10 day Ecourse explaining the entire process of learning to fly and becoming a pilot

Private Pilot Requirements I have explained all of the requirements for learning to fly

Hope You enjoy the reading

Airfreddy

Arizona Flight Training

Flight Training: Almost Upside Down at Night

2007-11-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

Almost Upside Down at Night: With all of your flight training, there will be times when you get the notion that your instructor is mean or doesn’t know what they are talking about—perhaps not in such a bold way, but it will happen. This brings me to a story I have of a night cross-country with a student.

The flight itself is a pretty simple one and is safe for night flights. The flight goes from Mesa Falcon Field to Wickenberg, Arizona. I have personally put this flight in my syllabus for many reasons. I have gotten into many arguments with instructors who worked for me about this flight. Several of them refused to do the flight and instead ended up taking the student down to Tucson. As far as I am concerned, this defeats the purpose of the night cross-country. Following a big lit-up highway in between two bright major cities does not expose you to the real situations that can happen on a night cross-country.

Don’t let your instructor take you to an easy-to-find destination that is lit up like New York City. Go somewhere that is pretty difficult to find, at least for you, not your instructor. Yes, you want to make sure the instructor knows where he is going to land in the event of an engine failure, but you need to be on a flight that can get you into a little bit of trouble if you aren’t paying attention.

Back to my story.

I will call the student John. You know that I am totally against using all these high-tech things for private pilot training and even instrument ratings. Remember what job number one of the pilot is ? Yes, fly the airplane! I have also already stated that it will take you about 500 hours before you have this second sense stuck in you inner memory. Even then, a difficult situation will be a battle between many parts of your brain at the same time.

John called me in the afternoon about his night flight. We verified the time, and at the end of the call, John stated that he had just gotten his new Garmin 95 latest-and-greatest GPS device and asked if he could bring it along. You probably know me pretty well by now and know exactly what my answer was: “No!”

John showed up at the airport with his cross-country planned and flight plan filed, and ready to go. Before we walked out of the office, out came that shiny new Garmin box. “Fred, you need to check this out . . . this is the new Garmin 95, top-of-the–line, latest-and-greatest . . . ” This was back in 1996. Garmin was a no-name back then and was just getting into the market.

"Please, please, please can we take it with us?" After all the begging, I finally gave in. Deep in my mind somewhere, I had a little smile, and a voice just said, “Okay.”

Before John even started his pre-flight, he set up his new Garmin 95 on the control column. I knew right then that we were in for a good time! I told John that he couldn’t turn it on until we got out of Phoenix airspace, which is right where it starts to get nice and dark. He said, “Okay, no problem.”

We took off and headed west as planned. John was right on the money with all of his checkpoints and times. Flight plan opened at the right time. He was getting an A+ at this stage of the ball game. We got about five miles west of Deer Valley airport, where it starts to get nice and dark. (Again, don’t do a night cross-country when there is a full moon! It is nice to see the big bright moon from 4,500 above the ground, but it makes your night cross-country easier. If you are doing your first night flight as a licensed pilot with your girlfriend/boyfriend, go for it—that is the safe thing to do.)

John looked at me with those puppy eyes and asked, “Can I turn it on?” At this point, I just looked at him and said, “Yes.” The little voice in my head spoke to me again, “Now it is time for the real lesson to begin.”

John turned on the new greatest gift to mankind. The screen came on, and he said, "Look, Fred, isn’t this great? It tells you everything!” The little voice in my head said, "Yeah. Right. It tells you everything except what your #1 job in an airplane is.”

John kept playing with his new toy. I learned way back in 1989 that there are times when the flight instructor’s job is to shut up and let the student go. This was definitely one of those times.

At first, John had it under control. He was following his line on the screen and was okay, but I knew that sooner or later, it was going to distract him from his number one job . . . Yes, fly the airplane!

A little while passed, and John decided to start playing with the screen options. I knew now that the big lesson had begun, so I just sat there. Slowly, his altitude started to go up and down—not very much at first, but I knew it was just going to get worse.

I looked at John, and his head was down looking right at the GPS. By the way, the time frame of this entire lesson was probably less than a minute.

John continued to look down and said, "Hm, I can’t find the screen I am looking for.” I just sat there. Slowly, he started a right turn, only a few degrees bank, heading right into the mountains. The plane began to slowly lose altitude as the right turn started to get steeper. There was no horizon at all, so John had no clue of what was going on. Luckily, he was one of the students that took my aerobatic option before solo, so he was familiar with extreme unusual attitude. But not at night.

Slowly but surely, the plane had entered the dreaded graveyard spiral at cruise power setting. I waited and waited, hoping that the sound of the wind howling across the airplane would give him a clue, but nope—he had been trained for this many times, but he didn’t pick it up.

The plane kept going into a steeper bank. If it had been daytime, I would have let him get upside down, but not at night. Finally, it was time to open my mouth. "Anything wrong?"

John looked up, and the string of four-letter words began to flow. He got the plane under control. Power back wings level and nose level. However, he was still heading on the quickest path to meet God, right into the mountains a few miles north of the very dimly lit highway I plan as my emergency landing spot.

I said to him, "What can you see in front of you?" "He replied with, "Nothing." I said, “So that means . . . ?” I got the reply, “I am flying right into the ground.” That answer was pretty much correct; with his new heading, he was flying straight into the hills. Since we lost about 1,500 feet, our altitude was perfect for the big smack.

I raised my voice slightly and said, “If you can’t see anything, you are in trouble. Find some light, start climbing, and head in that direction.”

John got the plane under control, turned the GPS off, and we had an uneventful flight to Wickenberg and then back home to Falcon Field.

When we got back on the ground, John said, "I think I am going to learn to fly before I worry about that GPS.” He also requested some night unusual attitude training. I also highly recommend this.

So again, the little lesson is fly the airplane! John got distracted from that job by his little GPS. If you insist on using this stuff, make sure you know how to use it, and don’t try to learn it in the plane, especially at night!

As far as disorientation goes, it can happen very quickly, and when it does, it is not going to be pretty. It has happened to me in actual instrument conditions. I had all my ratings, and it still took a few minutes before the blood pressure went down.

Just remember this little unusual attitude check, which you should be able to repeat at the bar when you are about to fall on the floor:

Airspeed High, Or, "I Hear the Wind Howling Outside the Plane”

1: Power Back
2: Wings Level
3: Nose of the Airplane Level
4: Once You Have the Plane under Control, then bring the power back in, and get back to your altitude and heading

Airspeed Low: or " I can't Hear any wind Blowing over the Airplane"

1: Nose Forward
2: Wings Level
3: Once you have the nose at descent attitute, then add power. Why? If you do not remember, go back to the “To Spin or Not To Spin, That is the Question” chapter.

If you are out on a dark night, you are going to be fighting that attitude indicator. Get some training on night unusual attitudes. Then come back a few weeks later and do it again until you automatically react, especially after some time has gone by.

Make sure you go somewhere that is not easy, and make sure it is on a dark night.

Airfreddy

Arizona Flight Training and Instruction

This Story is Part of "Airfreddy's Flying Stories"
And Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook

Arizona Flight Training And Instruction: New Phoenix class B airspace

2007-10-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hello aviators out there:

I still haven't found an actual map online but I did find the proposal on the AOPA Website. I found some articles on the subject

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

The link below takes you to the proposal. From what I can see this is it.

Proposal PDF

The only thing I don't like is the fact that they lowered the airspace on the east side. So with all the traffic from the two airline flight schools at falcon field and the new one comming in, there are going to be a lot of planes out there with less space.

So update your maps and GPS units. I am sure there are going to be a lot more airspace violations with the number of student pilots on the east side. When I was training in oakland the airspace just as complex and we all did just fine.

time will tell

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Arizona Flight Training and Instruction