The Required Minimum Hours to get your Private Pilot License

In order to receive your endorsement for a FAA Practical Checkride, your instructor has to ensure that you meet a set of minimum flight hours in different types of flight environments. Knowing these requirements and keeping your logbook up to date can be a very easy way to save yourself some time and money. Do not expect your instructor to keep track of this for you.

Having a good idea of what is needed for each requirement will keep you focused on the right things and will help you avoid repeating flight lessons that do not to be repeated. If you think that sounds crazy, don't... it happens. And trust me when I tell you that there are flight schools out there that take advantage of students not knowing what is actually required from the FAA.

The required minimum hours to get your private pilot license depend on if your flight school/club operates under Part 61 or Part 141. To read more about the differences between Part 61 and Part 141, click here.

Part 61

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 of which at least 20 hours of that time is flight training from and with an authorized flight instructor. This 40 hours of minimum training can be further broken down into the following requirements: 

• At least 3 hours of cross-country flight
• At least 3 hours of night flight
• With part of this training including a 100 nm or more night cross-country
• With at least 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night (at an airport)
• At least 3 hours using instruments only
• At least 3 hours of practical checkride prep (must be within 2 preceding calendar months from month of test)
• At least 10 hours of solo flight
• With 5 hours being solo cross-county flight
• With on solo cross-country a flight of 150 nm or more in total distance (with 3 full stop landings at 3 separate points and one segment of flight a straight-line distance over 50 nm)
• With 3 takeoffs and 3 landings to full stop at airport with operating control tower

Part 141

A person who applies for a private pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 35 hours of flight time of which at least 20 hours of that time is flight training from and with an authorized flight instructor. This 35 hours of minimum training can be further broken down into the following requirements: 

• At least 3 hours of cross-country flight
• At least 3 hours of night flight
• With part of this training including a 100 nm or more night cross-country
• With at least 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night (at an airport)
• At least 3 hours using instruments only
• At least 3 hours of practical checkride prep (must be within 2 preceding calendar months from month of test)
• At least 5 hours of solo flight
• With 3 hours being solo cross-county flight
• With one solo cross-country a flight of 150 nm or more in total distance (with 3 full stop landings at 3 separate points and one segment of flight a straight-line distance over 50 nm)
• With 3 takeoffs and 3 landings to full stop at airport with operating control tower

But... How Long does it Really Take to get your Pilot License

In reality the vast majority of student pilots do NOT finish their hours in the minimum amount. Only those able to fly full-time and at least 3-4 days a week are able to finish in the minimum amount of time. In reality the national average is closer to 70 total hours.

This is why we recommend a Part 61 school because of it's flexibility in training. Students are often drawn to the 5 less hours needed in a Part 141 but in reality the Part 141 has more requirements and costs more (see more info about Part 141 vs 61 here). The amount of hours it will actually take you depends on...

1. How often you can fly: Much of flying is not only becoming comfortable with the plane, but also muscle memory! This is where flying often keeps you proficient and develop almost a muscle memory to your controls!! 
2. How often you can study: Although flying is a ton of fun, you must have a strong foundation in many subject areas so that you are well prepared for anything to happen!
3. Finding A School That Fits Your Needs: If you are working or in school, find a school that is willing to work the times that you are able to and will have the availability to put you as a priority. 

So, it's important to understand the training minimums for which school you chose. Upon completion of each school’s requirements, keep in mind that those hours are the minimums and no matter which school you choose, the average is still 60-70 hours. For this reason, the minor difference in total flight hours of Part 61 and Part 141 might be insignificant in your decision when selecting a flight school.