My Flight Lessons

Few experiences compare with the freedom, challenge, and exhilaration of flying an airplane. To get your license, you’ll need the right training and education.

What Kind of Education You Need

The first step in obtaining your pilot’s license is going to flight school. How much school you’ll have to complete depends on your goals. If you’re simply looking to get your PPL, or Private Pilot’s License, there are several schooling options available and you don’t need to have a formal degree. If you plan to eventually get your Commercial Pilot’s License, or CPL, know that most airlines require applicants to have a minimum two-year college degree and some even prefer a four-year degree.

Types of Flight Schools

Flight schools are divided into two main categories, known as Part 141 and Part 61 under the Federal Aviation Requirements (FARs). Part 141 schools follow a specific curriculum based on FAA guidelines. Part 61 schools and training facilities often offer more flexible class schedules, and are sometimes ideal for students with family or work obligations that interfere with a traditional class schedule. Both types will give you the training necessary to become licensed, and the choice often comes down to a matter of how much time you can devote to training each week.

Choosing the Best School

Since there are different types of flight training schools, it’s important to think carefully about which one will best suit your needs. In addition to Part 141 and Part 61 schools, there are fully accredited private institutions offering flight training.  The goal of any of these programs is to prepare students to take the FAA pilot licensing exam, which is a multiple choice test consisting of 100 questions. Research and then visit potential schools to see how their programs are structured, what is included in their tuition fees, and whether these things work well for you and your particular goals.

Flight Time Requirements

You’ll have to log a few more in-flight training hours to qualify for private certification through a part 61 school. Keep in mind, though, that this refers only to a minimum requirement and that most student pilots end up with around the same number of training hours (around 65) before they are ready to test for licensing anyway. If you’re aiming for commercial certification in the future, consider that you’ll need a minimum of 250 training hours through a Part 61 school, as opposed to the minimum requirement of 190 for Part 141 school programs.

Getting your Helicopter Certification

Many pilots choose to supplement their PPL with a private helicopter piloting certification. This can open you up to even more exciting personal and professional opportunities. You can ask your school or instructor for recommendations on good helicopter training schools near you. Expect to spend about 40 more hours of instructional flying time in addition to your solo flight(s) in order to be eligible for private helicopter pilot certification. As with airplane piloting, you can train further for eventual commercial certification.

Knowing what you need to get your license is the first step toward achieving your dream of becoming a pilot. Whether you just want the freedom of commandeering your own aircraft, or aspire to one day fly for commercial airlines, getting the right training is key.

Flying has been a dream of man and woman alike for millennia. However, despite our technological conquests over the last couple thousand years, it wasn’t until December 1903 when the Wright brothers first took to the skies and demonstrated that it was indeed possible. The century that followed saw rapid advancement of this new human capability, with planes quickly changing warfare, and then commercial travel for good. We even managed to fly to the moon using aeronautical knowledge first acquired during that first flight in 1903. With this in mind, the benefits of learning to fly are many, but here are just a few.

Worldwide Employment Opportunities

Anyone interested in making a living by learning to fly will need a commercial pilots license (CPL). This is true whether you hold an interest in helicopters or airplanes. However, once you take that road, there really are an endless number of opportunities available. The biggest problem is that the industry is competitive and many companies that are hiring pilots only want those who are the most experienced. Ironically enough one of the first stepping stones that pilots can choose is to become an instructor at a small local flight school. After that there are other opportunities such as:

• Commercial airline employment
• Courier airline employment
• Crop dusting and cattle mustering (perhaps one of the most fun options but very competitive)
• Sky diving and para jump employment – and more…

An Expensive Hobby

Most pilots choose to learn to fly simply because they initially liked the idea, and then fell in love with the practice. If you have enough money to have your own plane then perhaps one of the greatest benefits of learning to fly is that you can take to the skies whenever you feel like it. Some people choose to join old Warbird squadrons like the Breitling Fighters and fly planes like the P51 Mustang, Corsair, P41 or Spitfire; or take part in stunt flying in planes like the Extra 300 or Pit Special to entertain crowds at air shows. Once pilots have built a lot of hours, they can even consider competing in competitions like the Red Bull Air Race.

Fly to your own Vacations

Another of the benefits of learning to fly for anyone with their own plane is the ability to fly to your own vacations. This might simply be to visit the east or west coast for a quick weekend getaway, or somewhere a little more exotic but not too far like the Caribbean or Mexico. In some cases it is possible to rent a plane and perhaps just split the cost of the rental and fuel with family or friends to keep it affordable. Whatever the case, this is one way to make a vacation a little more personal and a lot more fun.

The benefits of learning to fly really are numerous and will vary depending on what each individual would like to get out of it. Whether you decide to become an instructor on the other side of the World, or eventually choose to open your own flight school, it is clear that flying is considered a way of life and not just a job.