The number 1 way to ensure your success in becoming a pilot is by properly managing your time & money
And the easiest way to properly manage your time & money is by doing ground school before it’s too late and ACTUALLY understanding the material
5 years ago I saw NO ONE mentoring unsuspecting students on the traps in flight training that was costing them $1000s
This is why I created the Part Time Pilot Online Ground Schools
The ground schools were created with these ideas at the heart of our mission statement:
- Mentoring students from start to finish
- Providing content that saves time & money & provides a deep understanding
How does Part Time Pilot compare to other Online Ground Schools?
I went to the website of each of the Top10 Online Ground Schools and gathered ALL the relevant info a student pilot like you needs to make an informed decision.
Things like cost, student ratings, lifetime access or not, types of lessons, bonuses included, scholarships included, support available and more.
Then, I lined them all up and compared them all in a single table so that student pilots could make the best, most informed decision on their training.
What Pilot Certificate is Right for You?
You may have heard of a private pilot certificate, a sport pilot certificate, a recreational pilot certificate, IFR rating or commercial certificate… Which one do you start with? Which one is right for you and your aviation goals? We answer all these questions in this lesson.
The first thing you need to get to become a pilot is one of the 3 entry level certificates. You can start with either Private, Sport or Recreational. You cannot start with IFR as IFR is actually an add-on rating and not a certificate. And you cannot start with a commercial certificate either. Which one you start with (private, sport, recreational) depends on what you want to do as a pilot. Let’s discuss each of these.
Private Pilot Certificate
A Private Pilot certificate is the most common certificate because it has the least amount of limitations of the 3 entry level certificates and allows pilots the most flexibility to add ratings and certificates going forward with their pilot career. A Private Pilot certificate is required if you want to get an IFR rating and be able to fly in low visibility weather conditions. A Private Pilot certificate is required if you want to achieve your Commercial certificate. And both an IFR rating and a Commercial certificate are required if you want to fly for the airlines as a career. Therefore, if you want to fly as a career, you need a Private Pilot certificate.
As a Private Pilot you will be able to fly single engine aircraft, carry passengers and fly day or night in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) weather conditions, fly in any Class of airspace and fly cross-country without any additional endorsements. Then, as a Private Pilot you can add-on additional ratings such as an IFR rating to fly in non-VFR conditions or in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). You can also add-on endorsements for the ability to tow gliders, fly float planes, fly tail-wheel aircraft, fly high-performance aircraft, fly complex aircraft and more.
To become a Private Pilot a student pilot must receive a minimum of 40 flight hours (35 if under Part 141) and pass both a written knowledge exam and practical flight exam (checkride). The pilot must also be able to pass a 3rd Class aviation medical exam and keep that medical certificate valid.
Recreational Pilot Certificate
One tier lower than a Private Pilot in terms of limitations to the pilot holding the certificate is a Recreational Pilot certificate. Like a Private Pilot, a Recreational Pilot requires a 3rd Class medical certificate and allows you to fly single engine aircraft.
However, unlike Private Pilot, the aircraft a Recreational pilot can fly are limited to 4 total seats and 180 horsepower. Furthermore, a Recreational Pilot cannot operate at an airport with an operating control tower, in Class B, C or D airspace, or 50 nm away from the vicinity of the airport without additional endorsements from an instructor. Finally, a Recreational pilot cannot fly at Night (with or without an endorsement).
A Recreational pilot requires 30 total hours minimum of flight training compared to the 40 (35 at Part 141) required for Private pilot. Finally, a Recreational pilot student must pass a written knowledge exam and practical flight exam (checkride).
Sport Pilot Certificate
A Sport pilot certificate is the certificate with the least amount of privileges but is the next most popular entry-level certificate because of one main reason; A Sport pilot certificate does NOT require you to pass an Aviation Medical Exam of any sort. The only requirement in terms of medical is that a Sport pilot hold a valid and current U.S. Driver’s License. This makes Sport pilot a popular choice for those that want to fly as a hobby and are okay with the limitations.
A Sport pilot is limited to flying in Light Sport Aircraft or LSAs. LSAs are aircraft with a max gross takeoff weight of 1320 lbs (or 1430 lbs for sea-plane), a maximum of 2 seats and fixed landing gear. This means a Sport pilot can only take a maximum of 1 passenger. Sport pilots can NOT fly at Night, cannot fly above 10,000′ MSL or 2000′ AGL (whichever is higher) and need an endorsement in order to fly in Class B, C or D airspace. However, Sport pilots have no limitations for cross-country flights.
Student pilots require 20 total hours in order to get a Sport pilot certificate but still must pass a written knowledge exam and practical flight exam (checkride).
So which pilot certificate is right for you?
If you want to fly as a career then you need to start with a Private Pilot certificate. You will then need an IFR rating and a Commercial certificate in order to make money flying. It is possible to get a Commercial certificate without an IFR rating but you will be limited to day VFR flights which is not something a lot of employers are looking for.
If you think that you may not be able to pass an aviation medical exam (which we talk about here) then a Sport pilot certificate is likely for you. Make sure you figure this out before taking your Aviation Medical Exam because if you fail the exam, you wont be able to get a Sport pilot certificate. You simply need to discuss this with an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) before taking any exam so that if it looks like you wont be able to pass, you simply avoid taking the exam and go the Sport pilot route.
If you just want to fly as a hobby in day VFR (clear) weather conditions then a Sport or Recreational pilot certificate is right for you. Recreational pilot certs are sort of the odd-one and are rarely pursued. But if you only care to fly as a hobby in day VFR conditions and want to still take your wife and two kids on flights then this could be a perfect fit for you.
