The number 1 way to ensure your success in becoming a pilot is by properly managing your time and 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 School.
The ground school was created with these ideas at the heart of our mission statement:
How does Part Time Pilot compare to other Online Ground Schools?
I went to the website of each of the Top 10 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.
TLDR
This Part Time Pilot page explains that the Private Pilot Certificate offers the most privileges and serves as the foundation for future pilot ratings and add-ons (like Instrument, Commercial, Tailwheel, Floatplane, High Performance, Glider Towing, etc.). It describes what is needed for a private pilot certificate holder in order to add these privileges to their certificate. In most cases, but not all, there is additional training and sign off from a flight instructor and possibly a written or checkride exam.
So what happens if you get your Private Pilot’s Certificate and now you want to fly a high performance aircraft? Or fly a glider plane? Or tow a glider plane? Or fly a float plane? Or fly a dual engine plane? Well, they all require a Private Pilot to take additional steps in order to achieve the additional rating. I am not going to cover all the requirements to get every single add on rating here because many of them require their own set of lessons and courses. However, I will provide an overview of some of the most common and you can browse the Practical Test Standards for the FAA for any additional rating you are interested in here.
FAR § 61.63 Additional aircraft ratings
To add a class rating under the same category (adding single-engine sea or multi-engine land to a certificate for Airplane, single-engine land for example) while holding a certificate in that category the following applies:
Unlike adding an additional Class rating, some add-ons can be acquired without the need to pass an additional checkride. For aircraft that are similar enough in characteristics to the same category and class as the aircraft you hold a certificate in, you simply need to perform adequate training with an instructor and have that instructor endorse your logbook. Here are some of those aircraft add-ons:
FAR § 61.69 Glider and unpowered ultralight vehicle towing: Experience and training requirements:
Here are some frequently asked questions about the topic of private pilot certificate ratings and add-ons.
The most common pilot rating to get after getting a Private Pilot certificate is an Instrument Rating. In 2024, the FAA reported 46,132 people took the Private Pilot written exam and 23,363 people took the IFR written exam. Therefore, about 1/2 the people who get Private Pilot, get their Instrument (IFR) rating.
This is because an Instrument Rating allows a pilot to fly in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), or in other words, bad visibility weather. Therefore, pilots who want to fly as a career are pretty much required to have an Instrument Rating.
It is also highly recommended to get an Instrument Rating because it teaches pilots a more advanced and intimate knowledge of flying as well as preparing them to fly in poor weather conditions. Being an Instrument Rating pilot makes you a more competent pilot as long as you remain proficient.
There is a common misconception that IFR flying requires another pilot certificate. In reality, IFR is a rating (instrument rating) that you add on to your Private Pilot certificate. However, the steps needed to obtain this rating are very similar to the steps needed to obtain a certificate. To obtain an Instrument Rating, you’ll need at least…
A high-performance airplane is currently defined as an airplane with an engine with more than 200 horsepower. A high-performance endorsement is required for pilots to fly these types of aircraft.
Pilots must receive and log ground and flight training from an authorized instructor in a high-performance airplane and be deemed proficient by the instructor. Once deemed proficient, the instructor will endorse the pilot’s logbook.
A complex airplane is considered an airplane that has retractable landing gear, flaps and a controllable pitch propeller (or for a sea plane just flaps and a controllable pitch propeller). A Complex Aircraft Endorsement is required to act as pilot in command of these aircraft. It’s essential for flying many high-performance general aviation aircraft and is a prerequisite for the Commercial Pilot Certificate.
There are no minimum number of flight hours required to get a Complex endorsement but pilots are required to receive ground and flight training from an instructor and be endorsed for being proficient in a complex airplane. The training can be in a complex airplane or in a flight simulator that represents a complex airplane.
A Multi-Engine Rating is a rating “add-on” that a pilot can add on to an existing pilot certificate such as a Private Pilot or Commercial certificate (like an Instrument Rating). A Multi-Engine Rating allows you to fly aircraft with more than one engine.
A Multi-Engine Rating requires specific flight training in a multi-engine aircraft, understanding of multi-engine aerodynamics and systems, and successful completion of a practical flight test (Checkride). There’s no specific written exam or minimum number of flight hours.
A Tailwheel Endorsement is required to act as pilot in command of an aircraft with a tailwheel (also known as “conventional gear”) rather than a nose-wheel. All aircraft have two main-gears as part of their landing gear and a third gear that is either on the nose of the tail.
A Tailwheel endorsement does not require a minimum number of flight hours to obtain it, nor does it require an additional Checkride or Written Exam. An instructor just needs to determine that you are proficient in the tailwheel aircraft and then they endorse your logbook. The FAA does mandate that your instructor grade you on normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings as well as go-around procedures specifically for tailwheel aircraft. But, this can usually be accomplished in a few hours of training.
You still have to hold a Private Pilot certificate and be proficient and current under that certificate.
Many experienced pilots and instructors recommend that student pilots and certificated pilots get a tailwheel endorsement. This is for several key reasons:
Yes you can. Most people get their Instrument Rating after their Private Pilot certificate because it is a more natural progression and an Instrument Rating is required for most pilot jobs and recommended for all pilots. However, because an Instrument Rating is a rating that you add to your Private Pilot, you COULD get your Commercial certificate directly after your Private Pilot certificate. There just aren’t many cases where it would be recommended to do so.
A Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate allows you to teach others to fly and endorse them for certificates and ratings. It requires holding a Commercial Pilot Certificate (or ATP certificate), passing rigorous written and practical exams on instructional knowledge and teaching abilities, and a high level of piloting skill.
Many people take the route of becoming a Private Pilot, getting their Instrument Rating, becoming a Commercial pilot and then becoming a CFI so that they can get paid to train students while they build the minimum hours required to be receive an Airline Transport Pilot certificate.
ATP or Airline Transport Pilot is the certificate needed in order to become an Airline Pilot. It is the highest level of aircraft pilot certificate an individual can obtain. In order to obtain an ATP certificate someone must:
A Restricted ATP certificate allows a pilot to fly for an airline with less total hours when the pilot has also received a degree. If the degree is a 4-year program then the total hour requirement is lowered to 1000. If the degree is a 2-year program then the total hour requirement is lowered to 1250.