Airfreddy's Learn to Fly Blog

Private Pilot's License

2009-05-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hello all:

I have made some changes to the Private Pilot's License Section Of My Site. There is new information up there

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot's License Manual

Flying Stories

2009-04-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have just updated my flying stories section for my book. Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy

Private Pilot Training Requirements

2009-04-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have just updated the Private Pilot Training Requirements Section of my site

Airfreddy

Private Pilot Cost

2009-04-28T09:06:00.001-07:00

Hello All:

I have just updated My Private Pilot Training Cost Section

Airfreddy

Private Pilot Course

2009-04-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have updated my Private Pilot License Ecourse

Airfreddy

Private Pilot Training

2009-04-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I have updated my private pilot license info section of my website

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Manual

Private Pilot License Tips

2008-11-10T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hello All:

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 License Manual

Aviation Headsets

2008-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Hello all:

I put a new section in my pilot supplies section of my website. I linked up the davic Clark Headsets auctions up there for you. I know one person who got two sets of david Clark H-13.4 headsets for $60. Not each both of them

Aviation Headsets

Hope to see you in the Sky

Airfreddy

Pilot Supplies

2008-11-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

Hello All:

I am in the process of completely re doing my private pilot website. I have put up a new pilot supplies section. I have put up the ebay auctions that relate to pilot supplies so you can all save some money.

Pilot Supplies

Hope to see you in the Sky

Airfreddy

Private Pilot License Ecourse

2008-11-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Hello all:

I have just updated the new and improved private Pilot License Ecourse for you all

Private Pilot License Course

Hope to See you in the Sky

Airfreddy

Private Pilot License Requirements

2008-11-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

Hello all

I have just put up detailed explanation of the Private Pilot License Requirements up.

Private Pilot Requirements

Hope to see you in the Sky

Airfreddy

Private PIlot License Cost

2008-11-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Aviators out there:

I just wanted to let you all know that I have just put up some new private Pilot Cost Explanations up on my site.

Private Pilot License Cost

Hope to see you in the Sky

Airfreddy

Private Pilot Flight Test

2008-09-30T05:17:00.000-07:00

This is it, the day you have been waiting for, your Private Pilot Flight Test. This is the day you will hopefully become a private pilot and have your own wings.

On this day you will meet up with the Designated Pilot Examiner and begin your flight test. The test will probably be about 4 hours long. You can expect to sit on the ground and answer questions for about 2 ½ hours and then fly for about 1 ½ hours.

You will want to remember a few things about your flight test:

1: The pilot examiner will have the attitude that you have to prove to them that you are unsafe in order to fail the test. Many people will say that the Pilot Examiner is out to get you. This is just not true. The pilot examiner started off just like you a long time ago. They remember the day of their flight test.

2: If you demonstrate to the examiner that you are safe, you will probably pass the test as long as you stay within the practical test standards. Safety is the main factor here. The Examiner knows you are going to make a mistake. All pilots make mistakes every single day. When you make a mistake you have to demonstrate the correct action to correct the problem. Part of the Private Pilot Flight test is testing your judgment.

3: If for some reason you do fail something, you don't have to take the entire test over again. If you passed everything and messed up your short field landing, then you will only have to take a retest on the short field landing. In most cases the retest is relatively painless. You go up with your instructor for a short flight and review the deficient areas and then go back up for a short flight.

Practical Test Standards: The practical test standards are standards that are made up by the FAA. The pilot examiner has to follow these as an outline for the test. Make sure you know the Practical Tests Standards. The entire test is spelled out for you.

Hope to See You in the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot E Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot Training , Post Solo Maneuvers

2008-09-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to explain the post solo instruction needed for you to obtain your Private Pilot License.

After you solo there are a few things you must do to finish the cross country phase of your flight training. I have listed them below.

You must receive and log instruction in the areas listed below. Once you have this training, you can go on your solo cross countries.

Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings

Short Field Takeoffs and landings

Simulated Instrument Training

Cross Country Instruction

VOR Navigation.

Night Flying / Night Cross Country

1: Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings: This is a different type of landing that is used on grass runways. You probably won't fly to a grass runway but you will have to be able to perform these takeoffs and landings.

2: Short Field Takeoffs and Landings: This type of takeoff and landing is used on short runways. We also practice them with an obstacle at the end of the runway.
Both of these types of takeoff and landing will help you improve your landings dramatically.If students are having problems waiting for the landing light bulb to come on, I will move forward with students and practice these types of takeoff and landing.

3: Simulated Instrument Training: This is when you will fly just with the reference to the instruments in the cockpit. You will have to have logged simulated instrument time before you
4: Cross Country Instruction: This is where you will go to another airport more than 50 nautical miles from your home airport.

5: VOR Navigation: This is a type of basic instrument navigation. There is a device in the airplane that will basically tell you where you are from a given radio beacon. The requirement for using this instrument is to help you on your solo cross countries in case you get lost.

6: Night Flying / Night Cross Country: If you want night flying privileges, you will have to do 3 hours of night flying including one cross country. Some instructors may do some of the night flying before solo. I personally do this after everything else.

7: Solo Cross Country: You will have to do at least 1 long cross country. All of the requirements for the solo time are listed in the previous lessons from this course and in the Private Pilot License Requirements Section of this Website.

Tomorrows Installment is Your Private Pilot License Flight Test
Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot License, Pre Solo Maneuvers

2008-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today I will talk about the first part of your Private Pilot Training, also known as "Pre Solo Training" This is all the flight training required in order for you to solo the airplane by yourself.

This part of your training is the most work getting used to flying the plane and breaking the habits you all have of driving a car.

Your pre-solo flight training includes a few areas, I have listed them below:

1: Four Fundamentals of flight.

2: High Altitude Maneuvers

3: Ground Reference Maneuvers

4: Landings

5: Emergency Procedures

6: Your First Solo

In order for you to go up in the airplane solo by yourself, you will have to have logged instruction from an authorized instructor in these areas.

1: Four Fundamentals of Flight: This is the very basics of flying. Climbs, Turns, Descents and Straight and Level Flight. You should be taught these maneuvers outside the airplane. You don't want to get in the habit of looking inside the airplane right off the bat.

2: High Altitude Maneuvers: The high altitude maneuvers are maneuvers designed for you to understand how the aircraft reacts in different flight configurations. These maneuvers are: Steep Turns, Minimum Controllable Airspeed, Power on Stalls, Power off Stalls and Forward Slips. In my syllabus I ad two more maneuvers for hand eye coordination they are Flat Turns and Dutch Rolls.

3: Ground Reference Maneuvers: The Ground Reference maneuvers are maneuvers to get you used to controlling the airplane in relation to the ground. All of these maneuvers are practiced at an altitude of 500 - 1000 feet above ground level. The maneuvers you will have to practice are: Turns around a point, S-turns on a road and Rectangular courses.

4: Landings: This is the fun part and for most students the most frustrating part of their Private Pilot Certificate. Some students will pick this up in a few flights and others will need more practice.

5: Emergency Procedures: This part of your training, you go over what to do when something goes wrong. In most cases the planes just keep running and there are usually no problems but every once in a while something will happen. This part of your training is very important. You want to make sure you know exactly what you are going to do if something happens.

6:Your First Solo: After you have gone thru all of the above training it is that time of your training when you will finally get to go up all by yourself. In most cases this first solo flight will be at your local airport and you will go do three takeoffs and landings all by yourself.

Tomorrows Installment is Your Post Solo Maneuvers

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Guide

Airfreddy's Private PIlot E Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot Training, Your Flight Instructor

2008-09-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Your Flight instructor is the person who is going to be teaching you in the airplane. This is one area you will want to research and ask around the community before you start flying. I have seen many people waste thousands of dollars on their Private Pilot Training because they hired the wrong instructor.

The training schedule you have is another very important factor in how much you are going to spend on a Private Pilot License. I have seen many articles and posts on forums that state you can do it in one lesson per week. The norm out there is twice a week. I would not do any less than twice a week. If you can I would try and make some arrangements with work and see if you can fly more than that.

I personally taught students at two lessons per week for years. It does work out ok but it will take you at least 15 weeks to get done. At the time I was doing this I was flying with about 14-16 students at a time. This can be a realistic schedule if you have a dedicated instructor.

Recently I have changed my ways and have put all students on a semi accelerated schedule. I fly with every student at least 4 lessons per week. This new schedule works very good. Now I only fly with about 4 students at a time and they are getting done in about 6 weeks or so.

This is not a totally accelerated schedule and gives the student time for the other things in life.

Factors you must consider

Instructor Availability: This is a very important factor in your Pilot Training. You will want to find out how many students your instructor has. You will also want to find out what the instructors goals are and why they are flight instructing. In many cases you will find that they just want to go to the airlines. You need to make sure you start with an instructor that will commit to finishing your training otherwise you will end up switching instructor and spending a lot more money.

Aircraft Availability: The aircraft availability is another factor that you must consider. There are schools out there that you can't schedule anything less than a month ahead of time. You want to make sure you can schedule the airplane out on the time and days that fit your schedule.

I don't start a new student until I can commit to them and finish their training. Once we set a schedule I reserve the airplane on the same day and time for every lesson in my syllabus. That way the student can plan and know when he/she is flying.

Tomorrows Installment is Your Pre Solo Maneuvers

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot E Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot License, Types of Flight Schools

2008-09-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

There are two different types of Flight Schools, Part 61 and Part 141. The Part refers to the Section of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The one thing that most people don't understand is the fact that the Private Pilot certification will always come under part 61 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Once again this boils down to the flight instructor signing you off for your flight test.

The only difference between the two is an official FAA approval. The Part 141 flight schools have gone thru the process of getting their flight syllabus approved by the FAA. In most cases the syllabus is exactly the same as the part 61 syllabus with the exception of what is called "STAGE CHECKS". These are flights with another instructor to make sure you are progressing on the right pace. In many cases the part 61 Flight Schools will also have Stage Checks.

There are a lot of options out there that most people don't realize exist. Under part 61 you have a number of options. I have listed them below:

Part 61 Flight Schools: Most of the flight schools you will come across are part 61 flight schools.

Flying Clubs: Flying Clubs are another option that fall under Part 61.

Aircraft Ownership: Many people will decide that owning an airplane is the best option for them. You can own your own airplane and then hire a flight instructor to do your flight training in your own airplane.

Freelance Instructors: There are thousands of Freelance instructors out there that are not associated with traditional flight schools. I am a freelance instructor. The good thing about Freelance instructors is that many of them have been teaching pilots forever. The one drawback can be that they don't work with most of the flight schools on the airport. Sometimes finding an airplane to teach in can be a problem. Most of them will teach in privately owned aircraft.

Part 141 Flight Schools: Many people will just look at the title of being FAA APPROVED and start training. There are a lot of things you will want to look into if you are not going to be a full time student.

Like the flight training cost estimates I gave you in the first few lessons, all flight schools will give you price estimates based on the minimum required by the FAA, not a realistic estimate. Some schools will be a little straight forward about this but many won't. You don't want to start your training and then run out of money half way thru. Planning ahead is the most important thing when you are flight training for your Pilot License.

Tomorrows Installment is Flight Instructors and Training Schedules.

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Manual

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot License, The Aviation Medical

2008-09-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to explain a little bit about the aviation medical and the different types of Flight Schools. You are required to have an aviation medical to solo and once you have your Private Pilot License.

There are a few types of medical certificates for pilots. Each one is for a different type of piloting desired.

The Aviation Medical: First thing is your local family doctor can't do this. Time after time I have had new students come into my office with a note from the family doctor stating they are fit to fly. In the case of aviation this won't work. You need to go to an FAA Approved Medical Examiner. In most cases it will cost you somewhere between $84 and $120 Depending on where you are in the country.

There are three classes of medicals for pilots. Each class is for different types of piloting operations. For a Private Pilot License you only need to have a third class medical but I tell people to get a first class medical the first time around and make sure there is nothing wrong with you. You don't want to get your Pilot License and then in two years not be able to fly.

1: First Class: This class medical is required for airline transport pilots .

2: Second Class: This class medical is required for Commercial Operations

3: Third Class: This is the medical you need for the Private Pilot License.
In most cases students don't have any problems but every once in a while someone will get denied for some reason. Once this happens you could wait up to a year to get your medical if you don't know the system.

STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE: You will also need a Student Pilot Certificate. The aviation medical examiner also issues this certificate. You will need this before you solo. You will want to make sure you tell your examiner that you also need the Student Pilot Certificate. If for some reason you don't get it included with your medical, you can also have a Designated Pilot Examiner issue you one.

Hope to see you in the sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Guide

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot LIcense , Flight School Terminology

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

Today I am going to start pointing you in the right direction about your dream of learning to fly. The first thing you want to do is plan. Would you just start building a new house without a plan? Probably not. So why do so many people just start taking flying lesson without a budget or plan?

Today I will familiarize you with some terminology that you will need to know and start you going thru this entire process. When you start looking around you will find a few things that are in the cost estimates of all the flight schools. Each school will have a Private Pilot License Course. If you look at the syllabus, you will probably find that the hours in the course are more than the cost estimate since most schools quote their estimates on the FAA minimum Requirements.

Dual Instruction: This is also known as flight instruction received. This is the time you are up in the airplane with your flight instructor. In the case of dual instruction the cost will include both the airplane and instructor.

Solo Time/Aircraft Rental: This is the time you will be renting the aircraft that is charged on a per hour basis like the dual instruction:

Flight Instructor: This is the charge per hour for the flight instructor.

There are some different ways that a flight school will word their cost estimates. One school may have DUAL INSTRUCTION in an estimate and another school may have AIRCRAFT RENTAL and FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. I will give you some sample prices below:

Flight Instructor Rate: $50.00 Per Hour

Aircraft Rental Rate: $96.00 Per Hour

Examples of a brief cost estimate from a flight school may look like this:

A: 40 Hours Aircraft Rental: $3,840.00

B: 20 Hours Certified Flight Instructor: $1,000.00

Total: $4,840.00

Another Flight School May have a cost estimate that looks like this:

A: 20 Hours Dual Flight Instruction $2,920.00

B: 20 Hours of Solo Flight $1,920.00

Total $4,840.00

You will notice that both are the same cost, just the way they are presented is a little different. In many cases the above may be all they tell you.

You will want to start digging into what is really going on. This is why I have listed the Private Pilot License Requirements and then used them for a Private Pilot License Cost Estimate for you in the other lessons.

From the cost estimates above, I told you some of the ways that flight schools will structure their pricing.

In a lot of cases this will be all they tell you.. Some schools do try and make this a little more realistic. But in general they all will stay very competitive. Since flying is very expensive they like to keep their cost estimates as low as possible to get the students. You have to remember this is just pure business. So you may want to call it a scam or you may not want to call it that. I call it just telling the customer what they want to hear.

Now the FAA only requires 20 hours of dual instruction and 10 hours of solo but there is still a minimum of 40 so you have to get them somewhere.

Most of the schools will be honest about it if you start asking the right questions. You have to remember that there is a lot of competition in this industry and there aren't enough students to keep every flight schools planes flying 100 hours per month. Bottom line is they need to keep the planes flying or they go out of business.

You will want to remember that the national average for private pilots is 65 hours. Most private pilot syllabuses are between 45 and 55 hours. There are to many things that need to get covered. I have listed all of them in the other my other articles.

If you want to be a safe pilot you should plan on about 30 hours of Dual Instruction. With that said, you have just added another $2000 on to the above cost estimate. Remember this will also depend on the aircraft rental rates and the flight instructor rates. So you are already somewhere around $6,800 and you haven't included any books, materials, medical expenses, flight test fees and any other costs you may have.

This is one thing that causes students to stop flying. NOT PLANNING CORRECTLY.

Tomorrows Installment is The Aviation Medical and Flight Schools

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Learn to Fly Guide

Airfreddy's Learn to Fly Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private PIlot License, Books and Materials

2008-09-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to go over the Aeronautical Knowledge part of your Private Pilot Flight Training. Remember there are two parts of your training in order to get your pilot certificate.

1: Aeronautical Knowledge: The Knowledge required for your FAA Written Test

2: Aeronautical Experience: This is all of your flying
There is a written test for the Aeronautical Knowledge Portion of your Training.

There are many different subject areas that you will need to cover in order to pass this test. There are also many different ways to get the study materials for this. The Regulation for the Subject areas required is listed below:

(a) General. A person who is applying for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the aeronautical knowledge areas of paragraph (b) of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.

(b) Aeronautical knowledge areas.

(1) Applicable Federal Aviation Regulations of this chapter that relate to private pilot privileges, limitations, and flight operations;

(2) Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;

(3) Use of the applicable portions of the “Aeronautical Information Manual” and FAA advisory circulars;

(4) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems;

(5) Radio communication procedures;

(6) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;

(7) Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence;

(8) Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance;

(9) Weight and balance computations;

(10) Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems;

(11) Stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques for the airplane and glider category ratings;

(12) Aeronautical decision making and judgment; and

(13) Preflight action that includes—

(i) How to obtain information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and
(ii) How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered.

In most cases the flight schools you are looking at will have what is called a "Private Pilot Kit " This will include most of the things you need depending on which kits are offered by the flight school. I have listed the best kits in the free report.

In most cases the private pilot kits will cost between $150 - $200. For some people this is the easiest way to go. I have explained this in the Section Of my Website.

The link is below:

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

There are other options also. You can buy all of the materials individually . I will list them again here for you. The things you will need to get started are listed below:

Fuel Tester

Fuel Tank Gauge

Aircraft Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) This is for the make and model of the plane you use for training.

Pilot Logbook

Maps: Sectional Chart and Terminal Chart if applicable

Flight Planning Sheets

Course Plotter

E6B Flight Computer

Private Pilot Practical Test Standards

Text book: You will also need a text book with all the aeronautical knowledge areas in it. There are many books out there that cover this. The top companies that produce these books are ASA, GLEIM and JEPPESON. They are all pretty much called "Private Pilot Manuals". In most cases they come as part of a Private Pilot Kit.

These Textbooks cover all the material covered by the FAA books. Most of the aeronautical knowledge is taken from four books.

The Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

The Airplane Flying Handbook

Aviation Weather

Aviation Weather Services

Some People like the Full Textbooks that have all the information in one spot.

The Written Test: The FAA written test is the last thing you will need to do. Some people may decide to take this test before they even start flying. Others will wait until the week of their flight test. It is a good review for the oral portion of your flight test if you wait until closer to your flight test. I would advise that you purchase a written test preparation guide. They will usually run about $15. I have links to those in your free report.

There are also many weekend seminars out there that will prepare you for the written test in one weekend or a few nights during the week.

It is really up to you how you want to handle this. You just can't take your flight test without it being done. I recommend to my students that they have it done by the time you are in the cross country phase of your training. Your instructor will cover all of these areas through out your training also.

Tomorrows Installment is Aviation Terminology and Flight School Cost Estimates

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Understanding Private PIlot Llicense Requirements

2008-09-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Most Flight Schools don't explain all of the student pilot regulations and how they apply to your Private Pilot License Flight Training. In the last article I pointed out how there were a lot of regulations for the Student Pilot Training within the general Private Pilot License Regulations.

Today I will explain them. Once again I have them all listed in the regulations section of my website but I will walk you through them so you can understand them. I have explained them pretty good in my regulations section but I will add some things here.

We will start out with the requirements for solo flight. Before you can go up and solo, your instructor must log all of the areas listed in the regulation in your logbook. The problem that often happens is when you are somewhere that is going through instructors left and right, each time you switch the next instructor has to go over everything with you. You may get lucky and get a solo endorsement from a previous instructor but that is not always the case.

The link below will take you to the regulations article:

Student Pilot Solo Requirements

Now all of these requirements must be documented in your logbook. There is also a requirement for a Pre Solo Written test. Most people don't understand that this test must be given by the instructor who will sign you off for solo flights. Not the Flight school. In many cases the test may be the same but it is supposed to be from the individual instructor and not the school.

So say for example your instructor says you are ready to solo and you pass his / her pre solo written test. The next week you find out your instructor left the school and is nowhere to be found ( yes it happens all the time). Now not only do you need to take another test given by your new instructor, you have to do all the pre solo requirements with the new instructor also.

I see this all the time because I get a lot of these upset students calling me for help. In this case I move the student forward and don't worry about the solo till after I get them through the post solo requirements. This allows me the time and flights to go over all of the pre solo requirements without adding a ton of extra flights.

Many schools and instructors will not let you move forward until you solo, this is one thing you want to look into. This can cost you a ton of money.

The same is true for the post solo requirements. I have listed them below.

Student Pilot Pre Solo Cross Country Requirements

In this phase of training there is not written test requirement but your instructor has to have given you flight instruction in the areas listed in the student pilot pre solo cross country requirements.

Tomorrows Installment is Aeronautical Knowledge, Books and Materials

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Manual

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Learn to Fly, Private Pilot License Requirements

2008-09-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Pilot Training Requirements for the Private Pilot License are in other articles I have written. For the purpose of this article I will just give you an idea of what the regulations mean.

Most people will just look at the basic requirements that are the General Private Pilot License requirements. Most flight schools don't explain all of the student pilot requirements and the aeronautical experience requirements.

Also most people don't understand that your instructor has to Sign you off as "competent" in each of these areas.

When you end up switching instructors, your new instructor has to go through everything with you. This adds up to added flights and increased expense. If you didn't choose the right school or instructor ahead of time, this will happen. This does happen a lot in the industry.

Lets start off with the basics and go from there.

The national average for the private pilot rating is somewhere around 65 hours. It changes from year to year. The FAA only requires 40, so why the big difference? There are many reasons for this that I will explain to you through-out this mini course.

As far as the general requirements for the private pilot certificate, you will have to:

1: Be 17 years of age or older.

2: Be able to read, speak and understand the English language

3: Pass a written test on the required aeronautical subjects

4: Meet the minimum requirements of the FAA Regulations

5: Pass a practical test on all the subject areas

This is just a general requirement for you to obtain a Private Pilot License ( certificate) If you notice number 4 is meet the minimum requirements of the FAA regulations. This means you have to meet the requirements of the following Two Areas:
Aeronautical Experience. This is all of your Training In the Airplane
Aeronautical Knowledge. This is the Bookwork Subject areas.

During your flight training you are known as a student pilot. This means that you have regulations that apply to you during your flight training. The term STUDENT PILOT means that you are out there on your own practicing. At each phase of your training you have requirements that need to be met. I have them outlined below:

The Student Pilot Aeronautical Experience Requirements

The Student Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge Requirements

The Student Pilot Pre Solo Cross Country Requirements

The Prerequisites for the Flight Test Requirements

The Private Pilot Aeronautical Experience Requirements

The Private Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge Requirements

Now most of the Schools will just mention the minimum requirements and not all of the student pilot requirements. Most time the student doesn't understand how everything works so of course you are doing extra flights because something was missed.

If you look into this further you will find the following number of requirements
15 Individual Requirements for Student Pilot Aeronautical Experience.

A written test requirement for Student Pilot Solo Flight ( Not the FAA Written Test)

12 Individual Requirements for Student Pilot Solo Cross Country Flight

7 Individual Requirements for the Prerequisites for the Flight Test

12 Individual Requirements for Aeronautical Experience

13 Individual Requirements for Aeronautical Knowledge

The other thing that you need to understand is that the word "Competent" is attached to all of these subject areas. That means that you need to show your instructor that you are competent in these areas before you can get a signature for any one of the 6 sets of requirements.

Now the requirement you probably have seen out there is the general requirement:

40 Hours Total

20 Hours Dual Instruction

10 Hours Solo

Now in other places you may see some added information These are other requirements that are subparts of the above regulation.

3 Hours Instrument

3 Hours Night

5 Hours Solo Cross Country

If you look at this regulation itself it states the following:

(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— ( SMALL ISLANDS AND ALASKA)

(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.

Many people will get a little flustered at all of this. Like anything new it will seem like a lot at first but once you get going it is not that bad. You will notice that within this regulation it refers to other regulations. These are the ones that I have listed in my requirements section. I have links to them throughout this course..

There is another regulation that is for the Aeronautical Knowledge, this regulation is listed below:

(a) General. A person who is applying for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the aeronautical knowledge areas of paragraph (b) of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.

(b) Aeronautical knowledge areas.

(1) Applicable Federal Aviation Regulations of this chapter that relate to private pilot privileges, limitations, and flight operations;

(2) Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;

(3) Use of the applicable portions of the “Aeronautical Information Manual” and FAA advisory circulars;

(4) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems;

(5) Radio communication procedures;

(6) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;

(7) Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence;

(8) Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance;

(9) Weight and balance computations;

(10) Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems;

(11) Stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques for the airplane and glider category ratings;

(12) Aeronautical decision making and judgment; and

(13) Preflight action that includes—

(i) How to obtain information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and
(ii) How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered

These are the regulations that have to be met the day of your flight test, not all of the student pilot regulations. I have all of the student pilot regulations in the regulations section of this site. I have them broken down into 3 parts:

The individual regulations for the student pilot Pre-Solo and Post-Solo are explained in the next lesson.. One thing that people don't understand is the fact that if you are at a school that is going through instructors left and right, the instructor who signs your logbook for solo, solo cross countries or you private pilot flight test has to go through everything with you before he/she can sign you off. If you end up with six instructors ( I have seen this), You are doing a lot of extra flights.

You may be ready to solo and your instructor leaves. The next instructor has to go through everything with you before they can sign you off. If this happens two or three times ( yes it happens all the time) you have added another 10-15 hours to your training. At up to $200 Per hour that can be from $2,000-$3,000.

Tomorrows Installment is Student Pilot Requirements

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Learn to Fly Guide

Airfreddy's Flight Training Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot LIcense Cost, Understanding the Cost of a Private Pilot License

2008-09-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

The First thing you want to do is understand what the private pilot license is going to cost you. If you have looked around my website you can see that I have an entire section on the Cost of learning to fly and the Private Pilot License Training Cost.

I will outline and explain it here in the Private pilot License Course.

Most people don't have unlimited budgets so the most important thing to do is plan ahead so you don't get stuck halfway through your training.

With rising fuel costs, the costs per hour for airplanes is getting more expensive. You don't want to make the wrong choices. You want to research and plan all of your options before you start. Once you have your Private Pilot License, it is yours for the rest of your life. You will have to do a flight review every two years and meet some other requirements to carry passengers but once you get it, it is yours.

So many times I have seen students start and stop and start and stop again. Once they are finally licensed, they may have spent up to three times what they should have if they had committed to it in a short period of time.

First thing is, you need to understand that this is going to cost you more that most flight schools will put in their cost estimates. There is a difference between the FAA minimums for the Private Pilot License and the amount you are going to actually fly.

Many students will just go into a flight school and start flying. Half way thru their training, they will run out of money. Why does this happen all the time?... Because people don't plan. It is really that simple.

First of all you want to get a REALISTIC idea of what it is going to cost you. The quotes from most flight schools are probably at least $2,000 if not more short of what you are going to actually spend. So if you are on a tight budget for your Pilot Training I suggest you do some planning ahead.

If you haven't looked yet, I have broken the cost of learning to fly down into four parts. I do this so you can understand what is required at each phase of your training. I make reference to the rates that I charge for the airplanes and the instructor rates. In different parts of the country this can be cheaper or more expensive. I use the C-172 for my cost estimates. There are many other airplanes out there that you can train in.

I have looked at some articles out there that say it will cost $4,000-$6,000. Maybe ten years ago but not now. If you are in a less expensive part of the country I would say that you may be able to get your license for $7,000 or so if you have a good instructor and stay on track.

Here in the phoenix area, I tell people to plan on $8,000- $9,000. That is on a steady schedule with an instructor who is dedicated and will commit to finish your training all the way through.

As I have said before there are many factors that can change the cost of your training. You have to look at all of your options before you start flying.
So lets take a look at the cost estimates. I have them broken the Private Pilot License Cost into four sections. This way you can understand how the Pilot Training Process works.

Private Pilot License - Books and Materials Cost

Private Pilot License - Pre Solo Training Costs

Private Pilot License - Post Solo Training Costs

Private Pilot License - Flight Test Preparation Costs

I have this broken down this way so you can see what it required of you and the cost associated with it. I will just give you the outline here and you can look at my individual articles about each one.

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost: This is the cost of the things you need to study for the Private Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge required and all of the other things you will need for your flight training. There are many industry standard courses out there based on the FAA publications for the Private Pilot License. They all have the same material they are just presented differently.
Private Pilot License - Pre Solo Training Costs: These are the costs that it will take you to get through the Pre Solo Phase of your training. This is the cost of all training required before your instructor can get out of the plane and let you go on your own.

Private Pilot License - Post Solo Training Costs: These are the cost that it will take you to get through the post solo phase of your flight training. This includes your cross countries, night flights and simulated instrument flight.

Private Pilot License - Flight Test Preparation Cost: This is the final phase of your flight training. In this phase your instructor will get you ready for the Private Pilot License Flight Test.

Total Private Pilot License Cost: Here in this section I put everything together so you can get a realistic idea of what it will actually cost for a Private Pilot License.

When you put all of these together, you will see there is a little bit more involved than most flight schools will lead you to believe. When you add all of these up you get a number that is somewhere around $8,500. Remember this will depend on the Aircraft and Instructor Rates but will also depend on many other factors.

Tomorrows Installment is Understanding The Private Pilot License General Requirements

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 Website

Private Pilot LIcense Cost, Post Solo Training Cost

2008-09-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

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 License, Post Solo Requirements

Basically there are 5 things needed before you can go on solo cross countries and then another

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 License Cost
Hope to see you in the sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Training Guide

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot license Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot License , Pre Solo Flight Training Cost

2008-09-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

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 License 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:

Private Pilot Training Spin 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 Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Site

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site