I am not trying to sell you anything. This page is intended to serve as an information resource for people around the world seeking honest and realistic answers about pilot training. What you will find here are my own opinions and facts based on my own experiences.
You can take a thrilling half-hour "Discovery Flight" with an instructor for about $75-125, depending upon the location and the airplane. That will give you a chance to experience the wonder and excitement first-hand. You will get to take the controls and fly the airplane yourself! If you like it, you may choose to continue.
You can go to a large flight school or a small one. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.
LARGE FLIGHT SCHOOLS often train under Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The training is usually intense, fast-paced and career-oriented. A large flight school would be an ideal choice for someone who is serious about becoming a professional pilot, is ready to go to flight school full-time and work very hard and is able and prepared to pay a lot of money ($20,000-50,000). A large flight school may even be able to take you from zero time to your first job in a year or two! There are absolutely no guarantees in this industry, however, so be ready for the possibility of not being able to find work right away.
SMALL FLIGHT SCHOOLS often train under Part 61 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. This is where an individual student can work with an individual instructor in a more relaxed environment. The instructor has a lot of freedom and flexibility to work with students on a one-on-one basis, tailoring the training to meet their needs, expectations and schedules. You pay for your flight training as you go, lesson by lesson. Or if you prefer, you can put money on account and then "fly it off." Fly at your own pace. There are no contracts. There is no long-term commitment or obligation. You can stop at any time.
The rental cost of a Cessna 152 (the world’s most common two-seat training airplane) is usually about $75 an hour. (That includes fuel.) Flight instruction is usually about an additional $25-35 an hour. Both the instruction and the rental are tax-free while you are in training.
Figuring in airplane rental, flight instruction, test fees, books, and other miscellaneous expenses, you can expect to spend somewhere between $4,500 and $6,500 to get your private pilot's license. You can spread that cost out over whatever space of time makes you comfortable. A year is a common time frame.
If you want to fly a seaplane, an airplane with more than one engine, a helicopter, a gyroplane, a glider, a hot-air balloon etc., then you will need additional flight training and additional ratings. The various categories, classes and types of aircraft all fly differently and require unique skills. Therefore, they also require separate licenses.
Although incidents and accidents do happen, the overwhelming majority of them are very preventable, the result of careless, reckless, or just plain absent-minded behavior. Most of them would not have happened if the pilot had carried out his basic responsibilities, including thorough preflight planning and inspection. (For example, a significant percentage of accidents occur because pilots run out of gas. Sad, but true.) So if you use prudence and common sense, you will find flying to be an extremely safe activity. All good instructors make it a high personal priority to see to it that their students become proficient pilots with sound judgment and good decision-making abilities.
I built up my own flight time as a Part 135 cargo pilot. I enjoyed it so much that I did it for 13 years! I eventually got promoted into management and was able to do something that a lot of cargo pilots struggle to do -- make an actual decent living. See my photo-essay "A Day in the Life of a Freight Dog" if you want to see what the real world of single-pilot cross-country IFR Part 135 cargo hauling is like. It wasn't glamorous, but every day was an adventure!
You may also choose to become a flight instructor to build time. Flight instructing is a demanding but rewarding job. It's not for everyone. In some ways, it is the toughest and most important work in aviation; it is also one of the lowest-paying and sometimes the most thankless! It can also be a lot of fun, but only if you sincerely enjoy teaching.
In order to do any of those things, however, you still must have at least a commercial pilot certificate (250 hours minimum), and in most cases you also need an instrument rating.
You must get a private pilot certificate first, no matter what else you decide to do later. So I always recommend to prospective but uncertain students who are considering a flying career that they go ahead and become private pilots. Some may elect to stop there. Others may elect to continue beyond that point. Many people find being a private pilot perfectly adequate and fly that way for many satisfying years.
Here is an APPROXIMATE breakdown of the training you will receive pursuant to your private pilot certificate. Remember that all training is individually tailored. The phases listed here are not formal or official. They are only general guidelines.
If you fly 2-3 times a week, it will take you about 4-6 months to become a private pilot, and will cost approximately $2,500-4,500. Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) §61.109 requires at least 40 hours of experience, but that is only a minimum. Individual rates of progress tend to be very different, and some people find that it takes much more or much less time and money. One thing is certain, however: the more often you fly, the faster you will learn. Conversely, flying less often than once a week will result in an extremely slow rate of progress, and will therefore ultimately lead to greater cost.
Phase I
During the first phase of training, you will be introduced to the basics of airplane
control. You will practice the following maneuvers:
Phase II
During the second phase, you will practice new, slightly more advanced maneuvers
designed to help you begin to acquire the fundamental skills, the necessary building
blocks, which will enable you to start learning how to fly an airport traffic pattern in
phase III. These maneuvers include:
Phase III
During the third phase you will get into the airport traffic pattern and start the long
process of beginning to learn how to land an airplane. Do not get discouraged if this
seems to take a while. Pilots spend years refining their approach and landing techniques,
and no one can land an airplane perfectly 100% of the time. The elements of this phase
are:
Phase IV
During the fourth phase, you will venture into the air alone for the first time. You
will not be released to fly solo until both you and your instructor feel that you are
completely ready. Phase IV includes:
comprehensive review of Phases I - III
Phase V
Once you have soloed, you will begin learning how to navigate to other airports,
and how to fly at night. This phase will involve:
Phase VI
Finally, you will get ready to take your FAA practical test.
NOTE: The preceding material was written by Austin S. Collins. The information contained herein is for general purposes only and does not replace the facts available from applicable official publications.
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