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:
- 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.
Listen to your ENTIRE Ground School
Audio books and podcasts are so popular in today’s world because they allow us to consume content and learn while on the go and even while offline.
Scientists have even proven that there is no difference in learning while listening or learning while reading.
This is why Part Time Pilot has made ALL our Online Ground School lessons available in audio in the…
VIP Audio Ground School podcast.
The VIP podcast allows you to listen to lessons 100% ad free on your favorite podcast app and even download the episodes for when you are offline. That means learning ground school while…
- Walking
- Running
- Driving
- Working out
- Working
- Doing yardwork
- Doing the dishes
- Flying commercial
- Fishing
- Hiking
Basically wherever your phone goes, you can learn ground school with the Part Time Pilot VIP podcast.
How do you get access?
The only way to get access to EVERY Online Ground School lesson with no ads is to enroll in the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School. Once you enroll, an exclusive invite link to the VIP podcast is sent to your email address for you to add on your favorite podcast app.
Want to try out our Online Ground School audio lessons for FREE?
Listen to our free Audio Ground School podcast anywhere you get podcasts and follow along as we release a new lesson every week from both our Private Pilot and IFR Online Ground Schools.
Did you know that Part Time Pilot has been rated the BEST Online Ground School?
It’s true! If you take the average rating by independent student reviews of all the online ground schools in the US, Part Time Pilot tops them all with an average rating of 4.94 out of 5 stars.
You can read over 400 independently verified reviews here at TrustPilot.com.
What is it that students like so much about Part Time Pilot?
From reading the reviews and feedback we have gotten over the years, I believe it is a combination of our features, value, and personable customer service that makes you feel like you have your very own instructor and mentor ready to answer all your questions.
No where else in the US can you find a combination of the below features:
- Lifetime access
- Full, money-back guarantee
- Customer friendly refund policy
- Written, Video and Audio lessons for any learning style
- Exclusive access to VIP podcast for ad free listening on your favorite podcast app
- Quizzes, Practice Tests and Flash Cards
- FAA Written Endorsement upon completion
- 7-Day a week email support
- Online study community
- Trained AI instructor chats on every lesson
- Live zoom lessons and Q&As
- BONUS PDF downloads such as the Ultimate Private Pilot Test Prep book, Cross-Country eBook, Mnemonics & Acronym Guide, Flash Cards & more
- Live Lesson video vault to rewatch any live lesson you miss
- Grade tracking
- Free Flight Instructor access that allows your instructor to monitor your progress and view your grades
- 4 yearly scholarships to members
- WINGS credits
- Custom practice test reports
- Digital note and PDF download feature
- And more…
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:
- 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.
Listen to your ENTIRE Ground School
Audio books and podcasts are so popular in today’s world because they allow us to consume content and learn while on the go and even while offline.
Scientists have even proven that there is no difference in learning while listening or learning while reading.
This is why Part Time Pilot has made ALL our Online Ground School lessons available in audio in the…
VIP Audio Ground School podcast.
The VIP podcast allows you to listen to lessons 100% ad free on your favorite podcast app and even download the episodes for when you are offline. That means learning ground school while…
- Walking
- Running
- Driving
- Working out
- Working
- Doing yardwork
- Doing the dishes
- Flying commercial
- Fishing
- Hiking
Basically wherever your phone goes, you can learn ground school with the Part Time Pilot VIP podcast.
How do you get access?
The only way to get access to EVERY Online Ground School lesson with no ads is to enroll in the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School. Once you enroll, an exclusive invite link to the VIP podcast is sent to your email address for you to add on your favorite podcast app.
Want to try out our Online Ground School audio lessons for FREE?
Listen to our free Audio Ground School podcast anywhere you get podcasts and follow along as we release a new lesson every week from both our Private Pilot and IFR Online Ground Schools.
Did you know that Part Time Pilot has been rated the BEST Online Ground School?
It’s true! If you take the average rating by independent student reviews of all the online ground schools in the US, Part Time Pilot tops them all with an average rating of 4.94 out of 5 stars.
You can read over 400 independently verified reviews here at TrustPilot.com.
What is it that students like so much about Part Time Pilot?
From reading the reviews and feedback we have gotten over the years, I believe it is a combination of our features, value, and personable customer service that makes you feel like you have your very own instructor and mentor ready to answer all your questions.
No where else in the US can you find a combination of the below features:
- Lifetime access
- Full, money-back guarantee
- Customer friendly refund policy
- Written, Video and Audio lessons for any learning style
- Exclusive access to VIP podcast for ad free listening on your favorite podcast app
- Quizzes, Practice Tests and Flash Cards
- FAA Written Endorsement upon completion
- 7-Day a week email support
- Online study community
- Trained AI instructor chats on every lesson
- Live zoom lessons and Q&As
- BONUS PDF downloads such as the Ultimate Private Pilot Test Prep book, Cross-Country eBook, Mnemonics & Acronym Guide, Flash Cards & more
- Live Lesson video vault to rewatch any live lesson you miss
- Grade tracking
- Free Flight Instructor access that allows your instructor to monitor your progress and view your grades
- 4 yearly scholarships to members
- WINGS credits
- Custom practice test reports
- Digital note and PDF download feature
- And more…
Ultimate FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions we get from Student Pilots
Read below to get answers to the most frequently asked questions we get from student pilot from all things flight training and ground school. For a lot of these, we have links to in-depth and free lessons on the subject that goes into more detail that can help student pilots navigate flight training more efficiently and save more money.
What are the Qualifications to be a Student Pilot?
Must be at least 16 years old, be able to read, speak and understand English, and have a valid photo ID in order to get your student pilot certificate. To learn more about how to get your student pilot certificate, click here.
When do I need my Student Pilot Certificate?
You need your student pilot certificate before you fly solo. You can start your flight training with your flight instructor prior to that, but to fly solo you have to have your student pilot certificate and your medical certificate. To learn more about how to get your student pilot certificate, click here.
How do I get my Student Pilot Certificate?
It is a 2 step process. Step 1, you can do right now but making an account and starting an application for student pilot on the FAA IACRA site here. Step 2 requires what the FAA calls a Recommending Instructor or RI. This can be your flight instructor and your RI needs to meet you in person, verify your qualifications and then finalize your application in IACRA. To learn more about how to get your student pilot certificate, click here.
What are Acceptable Forms of ID from the FAA?
The FAA lists acceptable forms of ID at this page here.
How do I Become a Pilot?
We created a free course on How to Become a Pilot & Save Money that goes step by step in great detail on everything you need to do to become a pilot. To get that free email course, you can sign up here.
But to answer the question concisely, the overall steps to becoming a pilot are:
- Determine your goals for flying (career, hobby, etc.)
- Verify you meet FAA Qualifications to become a pilot
- Obtain the required medical certificate
- Obtain a student pilot certificate
- Complete ground school to learn required knowledge and receive endorsement from instructor
- Take & pass the FAA Written Exam
- Find a flight school/club/instructor and conduct flight training
- Meet minimum hour and skill requirements for flight training to receive endorsement from flight instructor
- Take and pass your FAA Practical Checkride
How do I Become an Airline Pilot?
We wrote a detailed article about the hours and certificates you’ll need to achieve in order to be eligible for an airline pilot job that you can read here.
But in concise summary, the following steps need to be taken in order to become an airline pilot:
- Obtain a Student Pilot Certificate
- Obtain at least a 3rd Class Medical Certificate
- Obtain a Private Pilot Certificate
- Obtain an Instrument Rating (IR)
- Obtain at least a 2nd Class Medical Certificate (if you haven’t already)
- Obtain a Commercial Pilot Certificate
- Obtain a Multi-Engine (ME) Rating
- Obtain Flight Instructor Certificates (optional but recommended to earn money while building hours)
- Obtain a First Class Medical Certificate (if you haven’t already)
- Obtain an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate
The typical amount of hours to get hired for an airline pilot job is ~1500 for Regional Airline First Officer positions and ~3000 and more hours with several years of experience for a Major Airline Captain position. If hired by an airline, a pilot will also have to receive a Type Rating for the specific aircraft they will be flying.
What do I have to Learn to be a Pilot?
The FAA requires that a student pilot must have adequate knowledge in a variety of subjects in order to become a pilot. They determine this by a written knowledge exam, an oral exam during your checkride and using your flight instructor that endorses that you have learned the knowledge prior to those exams.
To get the most detailed view of the subjects you will need to know the Airmen Certificate Standard (ACS) is easily the best resource. It is straight from the FAA exactly what they expect of you in order for you to become a pilot. The Part Time Pilot Online Ground School has created our syllabus based upon the ACS and we include checklists and calendars for our students to download in side their lifetime membership.
Here is a summary of the subjects you’ll need to learn:
- Preflight Preparation
- Preflight Procedures
- Airport Operations
- Takeoffs, Landings & Go-Arounds
- Performance & ground Reference Maneuvers
- Navigation
- Slow Flight and Stalls
- Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- Emergency Operations
- Night Operations
- Postflight Procedures
How many Flight Hours do I need to Become a Pilot?
The minimum amount of flight training hours you need depends on which certificate you are training for and under what regulations:
Private Pilot:
- Part 61: Minimum of 40 flight hours
- Part 141: Minimum of 35 flight hours
Sport Pilot:
- Minimum of 20 flight hours
Recreational Pilot:
- Minimum of 30 flight hours
After Private Pilot, if you decide to move on to IFR training, commercial training and ATP training you will have additional minimum flight hours you have to meet.
These are just the minimum required by the FAA. There are additional requirements about the type of flight hours within these minimums (such as night hours, cross-country hours, etc.) which we describe in every detail here. It is very rare for student pilots to finish their training in the minimum amount of hours. It’s possible, but very rare. The national average for a student pilot to receive their private pilot is around 75 total hours.
What Flying Skills do I need to have to Become a Pilot?
In order to become a pilot you must meet a certain level of proficiency in specific flying skills, procedures and tasks. The ultimate guide to knowing what is required of you is the Airmen Certificate Standards or ACS from the FAA. This document is what the examiner used to know what to test you on and what they need to see from you on your final Checkride.
Here is a summary of the skills/procedures that you’ll need to be proficient at in order to become a Private Pilot:
- Preflight assessment
- Flight deck management
- Engine starting
- Taxiing
- Before Takeoff checklist
- Communications, Light Signals, and Runway Lighting Systems
- Traffic Patterns
- Normal takeoff & climb
- Normal approach & landing
- Soft-field takeoff & climb
- Soft-field approach & landing
- Short-field takeoff & climb
- Short-field approach & landing
- Confined area takeoff & max performance climb
- Confined area approach & landing
- Forward slip to landing
- Go around/rejected landing
- Steep turns
- Ground reference maneuvers
- Pilotage & Dead Reckoning
- Navigation systems & radar services
- Diversion
- Lost procedures
- Maneuvering during slow flight
- Power-off stalls
- Power-on stalls
- Spin awareness
- Straight-and-level flight with instruments
- Constant airspeed climbs with instruments
- Constant airspeed descents with instruments
- Turns to headings with instruments
- Recovery from unusual flight attitudes with instruments
- Emergency descent
- Emergency approach & landing (simulated)
- Systems & equipment malfunctions
- Emergency equipment & survival gear
- Engine failure during takeoff before Vmc (simulated)
- Engine failure after liftoff (simulated)
- Approach & landing with inoperative engine (simulated)
- Night operations
- After landing, parking and securing
How do I get my Pilot Medical Certificate?
You simply need to get an exam from a Doctor that is qualified as an Aviation Medical Examiner or AME. You can search for AMEs here. However, more planning and prep should be done before taking an aviation medical exam because you if you are denied or deferred, it can take years to resolve if it even can be resolved. Read here on how to give yourself the best chance at success during your aviation medical exam.
Does a Private Pilot Certificate require a Medical Certificate?
Yes, a Private Pilot requires a 3rd Class Medical Certificate.
Does a Sport Pilot Certificate require a Medical Certificate?
No. A Sport Pilot does NOT require a Medical Certificate. A valid US Driver’s License can take the place of a Medical Certificate for Sport Pilot. However, if you apply for a Medical Certificate & do not get it or you had one and got it removed, you will not be able to become a Sport Pilot
How often must a pilot receive an Aviation Medical Exam?
If a pilot is under the age of 40 they are required to get an exam every 60 calendar months. If a pilot is 40 or over they are required to get an exam every 24 calendar months.
This can be reduced by using the BasicMed method which we describe in detail in our Private Pilot Online Ground School. Instead of an aviation medical exam every so often, after the initial exam is passed, a pilot operating under BasicMed can use their own primary care doctor to fill out an FAA checklist every 48 calendar months & complete an online training every 24 calendar months instead. However, pilots operating under BasicMed are more limited than pilots who meet the Medical Exam criteria.
What are the possible Results of an Aviation Medical Exam?
The possible results of an aviation medical exam are either a Pass/Issued, a Denied, or a Deferred. For more details on each result, read here.
What Medical Conditions are Disqualifying for a Pilot?
Some of the most common conditions that will disqualify you from passing an FAA medical exam are diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, stoke-like symptoms, and substance abuse. But the list is much longer than this and not always black or white.
If you are curious about your own condition I highly recommend phoning an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) to ask them. You can also take a look at the list we have here or ask our FREE AI trained on the FAA aviation medical process here.
How long does Flight Training take?
This depends on a lot of factors including how well you are able to master flight skills, how often you fly, and what the weather is like. While training for a private pilot license you are only able to fly in VFR weather. So low ceilings and bad visibility days in the winter make it harder to find days when you can fly.
The minimum amount of flight hours required to get a private pilot license is 40 hours for Part 61 and 35 for Part 141 but the average is around 70 hours for a student to finish their training. So if you fly for an average of 1 hour each lesson, that is 70 days of flying the average student needs to finish flight training.
Since the number of hours directly impacts the amount you spend on flight training, limiting this is key to managing the costs and saving money during training. We have composed a list of tips on how to ensure you do that.
How long does Ground School take?
This depends on the student! And I don’t just mean the student’s work ethic or time they have to dedicate to ground training. Some students simply take longer to digest subjects and that’s okay!
With that said, we at Part Time Pilot have created the below table that tells you the average amount of months it will take you to finish ground school based off of how many hours a week you can dedicate to studying. For more on this topic, click here:
How do I find the Best Flight School near me?
We wrote a detailed guide of how to find the best flight school for you here.
In short, you need to do your research and not just go to the flight school nearest you or the flight school with the lowest rental rates for aircraft because a lot of the times those schools wont equate to you paying less or receiving better training.
Here is some of the questions you should get answers to about each of the finalist for the flight school, flight club, etc. that you will attend:
- How many aircraft do they have operational?
- What type of aircraft do they have?
- What are the age of the aircraft?
- What is the hourly rental rate of the aircraft?
- How many instructors do they have?
- How many students they actively have?
- Are they Part 61 or do they have Part 141 option? If they are Part 141, can you still attend as Part 61?
- What are the age of each instructor and are they all pursuing an airline job?
Once you gather this info, you can make an informed decision using our guide here.
What's better Part 141 or Part 61?
There are good Part 141 schools and there are bad Part 141 schools. There are good Part 61 schools and there are bad Part 61 schools. No matter which you choose, make sure you do your research on them with the things mentioned in the above FAQ.
No matter which you do your training under, Part 141 or Part 61, you will become the same amount of pilot when you are done. However, in my personal opinion Part 61 offers much more flexibility, a less stressful environment and more opportunities to reduce the cost of training while still receiving great instruction.
Often students see that Pat 141 schools require less minimum hours than Part 61 schools and think that they will save money at Part 141… but this is almost never the case. Usually Part 141 schools are more expensive, have more requirements such as stage checks and require that you take their in person ground school at $500 to $1200 cost. A Part 61 training program allows you to train on your schedule, learn ground school in whatever way works best for you, and it gives you the options of flying at a flying club or buying your own aircraft. To read more about the differences of Part 141 and Part 61, click here.
How much does it Cost to get a Private Pilot Certificate?
It depends on a lot of factors including how many flight hours it takes you to finish, how you learn ground school, where you fly, what you fly, what gear you buy, and even how you engineer your training schedule.
To learn more about how these things can change the price and to see every single line item cost so you can build your own personal quote, click here. But in terms of averages, an estimate is between $14,000 and $17,000 to receive a Private Pilot Certificate.
How much does it Cost to get a Sport Pilot Certificate?
It depends on a lot of factors including how many flight hours it takes you to finish, how you learn ground school, where you fly, what you fly, what gear you buy, and even how you engineer your training schedule.
To learn more about how these things can change the price and to see every single line item cost so you can build your own personal quote, click here. But in terms of averages, an estimate is between $10,000 and $13,000 to receive a Sport Pilot Certificate.
How do I Pay for Flight Training?
To directly answer the question… you pay you either your flight school or fight instructor directly with cash, check, debit or credit.
But to actually come up with the funds to pay it is a different story. There is no easy answer, but here are the ways we cover in detail in our article on How to Pay for Flight Training without Breaking the Bank:
What Scholarships are available to Student Pilots?
There are a variety of scholarship opportunities around the US that come and go. Some are available to all student pilots while others are more selective. We try to keep a running list of scholarships we find on this page here.
What are the Different Options for Ground School training?
There are several options to complete your ground training according to FAA standards:
- 1-on-1 sessions with Instructor
- In person/classroom Ground School
- Online Ground School
- Self Study
Each of these comes with their pros and cons but these days Online Ground Schools are by far the most popular due to the fact they allow for flexible study options and resources on any device. To view the pros and cons of each as well as how to avoid paying for the wrong option, read here.
What is the Best Online Ground School?
This depends on several factors including your learning style, your level of previous aviation knowledge and if you’re looking for test prep or full knowledge training.
There are many Online Ground Schools out there and the one you choose should check all your boxes. Lucky for you, we have compiled a comparison table of the top 10 Online Ground Schools so that you can make an informed decision. The table compares features, price, and average 5 star customer ratings. You can see that comparison table here.
But to answer the question directly, we believe the best Online Ground School is Part Time Pilot because of the combination of features, price and the highest average rating from independent student reviews which you can see in the comparison table linked in the paragraph above.
What are the Different Options for Flight Training?
There are several options you can take to get your pilot certificate as long as you follow the rules that FAA has laid out in Part 61 or Part 141 of the FARs. A flight school can operate under Part 61 or they can operate under Part 61 and Part 141. Both Part 61 and Part 141 make you a certificated pilot but under Part 141 there are more stringent requirements to adhere to a syllabus and stage-check schedule that the FAA has approved. In exchange, the student requires less minimum hours to complete their training. However, this reduced hour requirement only benefits you if you finish in the minimum amount of hours, which happens very rarely. For this reason, Part 61 training is the most popular because of its felxability and less stringent requirements. You can read more about the differences between Part 61 and Part 141 here.
Options for flight training include:
- Accelerated flight school/University program (Part 141)
- Flight Schools (Part 141 or Part 61)
- Flying Club (Part 61)
- Buying your own Aircraft or Using a Friends (Part 61)
- Military
To read more about each of these options and what they entail, including cost, click here.
What is the Best Flight School?
The best flight school is the one that makes the most sense for you! Many students will simply choose the flight school with the lowest hourly rental rate for aircraft. THIS IS A MISTAKE. There are many other factors that go into picking the best flight school for yourself and I have outlined a few of those below. However, if you want to read more into detail about how exactly to choose the best flight school and what to look for and ask when searching for them… read this guide I wrote for students here.
Factors to look for in a Flight School:
- Location in relation to you
- Flight instructors on staff
- Number of active students
- Number of working aircraft
- Hourly aircraft rental rate
- Additional student requirements
- Maintenance on site
- Local weather
What are the Limitations of a Sport Pilot Certificate?
The most commonly discussed limitations of a Sport Pilot Certificate are listed below. However, to view the full list you can click here.
- Limited to light sport aircraft or LSAs that have a max of 1320 lb gross weight, max of 2 seats and no retractable landing gear.
- May not act as Pilot in Command for compensation or hire or in furtherance of a business (must pay at least half of operating costs)
- May not carry more than 1 passenger
- May not fly at Night
- May not fly above 10,000 ft MSL or 2000 ft AGL, whichever is higher
- May not fly with surface visibility less than 3 statute miles
- May not fly without visual reference to the surface
- May not fly above 120 knots airspeed
What is the Difference between Sport, Recreational and Private Pilot?
We dive deeper into a breakdown of each certificate here but read below for a brief overview of the differences:
- Private Pilot Certificate
- Most popular certificate because it has least amount of limitations
- Required if you want to be an instrument pilot or fly for hire (as a career0)
- Requires a 3rd Class medical certificate
- Requires you to pass written and checkride exam and get at least 40 hours of flight time (35 if Part 141)
- Most expensive option of the 3 because of higher hour requirements
- Recreational Pilot
- Least popular certificate
- More limitations than private pilot such as limited to aircraft with 180 HP and 4 seats and limited to flying during the day
- Still requires a 3rd class medical certificate
- Requires you to pass written and checkride exam and get at least 30 hours of flight time
- Due to less flight hour requirement, can be less expensive than private
- Sport Pilot
- More limitations than both private and recreational
- Limited to Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) which are max of 1320 lbs, 2 seats and 120 knots airspeed and are limited to flying during the day only
- Does NOT require a medical certificate but a US Driver’s License instead
- Requires you to pass written and checkride exam and get at least 20 hours of flight time
- Due to only 20 hours of flight needed can be much less expensive training than private or recreational
Should I get an IFR Rating?
If you want to make a career out of flying then you most certainly want to receive your IFR rating. Technically, you only need a private pilot and commercial certificate to make money as a pilot but the job opportunities will be rare if not non-existent for that type of pilot.
But even if you don’t plan to make flying a career, getting your IFR rating is still a really good idea. Becoming an IFR pilot makes you a better and safer pilot. It makes cross-country adventures more fun and less scary when weather inevitably switches on you. IFR training teaches you IFR procedures but it also teaches you a more intimate knowledge of hazardous weather and flying with your aircraft instruments.
How can an International Student Train in the US?
In order for a foreign, non-citizen of the United States to flight train in the United States they first must meet the age, English proficiency and medical requirements all pilots are required to meet in the US.
An international student will need to secure an approved Visa (F1, B1/B2 or student M1) to be in the US and be able to flight train. For which Visa is best, students should work with the flight school that they will train with in the US over the phone or email.
Once they have selected a flight school, they will need to call and notify the school of their plans to train with them as an international student pilot.
The flight school must then work with you and the US Transport Security Administration (TSA) to clear you for training. International students will want to apply for the TSA Alien Flight Student Program (AFSP) prior to coming to the US because it can take some time.
International students can start ground training whenever they want with an Online Ground School. This is actually recommended and will help their chances with a flight school if they are already knowledgeable about the topics. We compare the top 10 US Online Ground Schools here.
We wrote an entire lesson on this process that goes into more detail on the steps of getting TSA AFSP approval. You can read that here.
Can Private Pilots make Money Flying?
No. Private pilot may not fly for compensation or hire and must pay at least half of the operating expenses of a flight.
What are some Tips to save Money during Flight Training?
There are several things you can do to save money during flight training. None of them are sexy and most of them require planning ahead and putting in the work. A lot of these are things that will make your flight training easier, less stressful and ultimately less expensive.
The first course I ever made, which is now a FREE email course that you sign up for here, was a course that details step by step how to become a pilot and what you can do and avoid to save the most money possible during your training.
There is a lot more in the free course so I highly recommend signing up for that but the below list is a good start on what to be aware of before you start your training:
- Get a great ground school education before you do flight training (makes everything easier and students end up spending less).
- Get a ground school that BOTH teaches you how to understand the concepts AND prepares you to pass the written exam… like what we do at Part Time Pilot
- Get a ground school with lifetime access. A good pilot is always learning and refreshing their knowledge and the FAA requires you do so every 2 years as a pilot.
- The best way to ensure you spend less is to understand that flight training is all about momentum. Keep breaks in your training to the absolute minimum
- Do your research on flight schools and watch out for the “low rate traps” or schools that advertise low hourly rental rates but have super old aircraft that are always under maintenance and you’re always battling with 50 students to schedule them
- Chair fly and prepare for your flight lessons at home
- Try and find a flight instructor that you know is going to be around for your entire training
- And many more in the free email course!
What things do I need for Ground and Flight Training?
We have an entire list of recommended products categorized into what you need for ground school, flight training and then what you might not need but makes your training a lot easier at the link here. We even have a few coupon codes to some pilot products to help out with the cost a bit.
In general, the minimum products you need for ground and flight training are:
- FAR/AIM book
- Plotter tool
- E6B flight computer
- Logbook
- Kneeboard
- Flight bag or backpack
- Flashlight with white & red light
- Sunglasses
- Aviation headset
- Aeronautical Sectional & Terminal Area charts
Other items like iPads, GPS, flight planning software, foggles, knife, first aid and more are detailed here.
What is a Light Sport Aircraft?
A light sport aircraft or LSA is an aircraft with the following characteristics:
- Maximum takeoff weight of 1320 lbs for land aircraft and 1430 lbs for seaplanes
- Maximum airspeed of 120 knots
- Two seats maximum
- Fixed landing gear
- Single engine
What is the Best Airplane to Train in?
There are many, many aircraft options available these days but flight schools have typically decided on a handful of aircraft that are easy to fly, forgiving, fuel-efficient, reliable, maintainable and safe.
- Aircraft for Private Pilot training
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer, etc.
- Diamond DA20 or DA40
- Cirrus SR20
- Light Sport Aircraft for Sport Pilot training
- Piper J-3 Cub
- Evektor SportStar
- Flight Design CTLS
- Remos GX or G3
- Van’s RV12
- Cessna Skycatcher
- Tail-wheel Aircraft
- Piper J-3 Cub
- Citabria 7ECA or 7GCBC
- American Champion Super Decathlon
- Cessna 140 or 170
- CubCrafters Carbon Cub or Sport Cub
What is the ACS or Airmen Certification Standards?
The Airmen Certification Standards or ACS are official guides published by the FAA to outline exactly what student pilots need to know, do and demonstrate in order to pass their practical checkride exam for a specific pilot certificate.
The ACS is your best friend when preparing for your checkride as it is not only used by students to know what is expected of them but it is also used by examiners to know what to test you on and how to grade you. We created our Part Time Pilot Private Pilot Checkride Prep course using the ACS to guide us on the structure and content of our lessons.
What other Pilot Ratings can I get with a Private Pilot Certificate?
As a private pilot you can get a little more training and pass a test or two to add on a lot more privileges to your certificate, such as:
- Class Rating such as multi-engine or Seaplane
- Tailwheel endorsement add on
- Complex airplane endorsement add on
- High performance aircraft endorsement add on
- High altitude endorsement add on
- Experimental aircraft endorsement add on
- Glider Plane towing
To read more about what is required of you to obtain each of these, click here.
Do I have to get an IFR Rating to fly Commercial?
Technically, no. IFR is a rating not a certificate. You get a private pilot certificate and then you add on an instrument rating that allows you to fly in below VFR weather. But you aren’t required to get an IFR rating after private pilot and could even go straight to a commercial certificate where you learn about flying for hire in the type of aircraft and altitudes common in commercial flight.
However, if you are trying to get hired by an airline of some kind than you almost certainly want to get an IFR rating. The vast majority of pilot jobs require that you have an IFR rating because without one, you are limited to VFR weather and can only fly passengers for hire for 50 nm.
What is ATP?
Not to be confused with an accelerated training program, ATP stands for Airline Transport Pilot and refers the the Airline Transport Pilot certificate required to act as pilot in command (captain) at an airline.
In order to get an ATP a person must have a private pilot certificate, instrument rating, commercial certificate, multi-engine add on and 1500 total flight hours of which 500 have to be cross-country, 100 at night, 75 with instruments, and 250 as PIC. A person must also be 23 years old and hold a first class medical certificate.
What FARs do I need to know?
Generally speaking the FARs that a pilot must understand are listed under Part 61 which details the certification of pilots and Part 91 which details the general operating and flight rules. Then, others like Part 830 which details NTSB operations, Part 67 which details medical certification and Part 71 which details airspace also need to be understood.
There are a lot of individual FARs that a pilot must understand. However, a pilot or student pilot does not need to memorize the FAR numbers as long as they understand the meanings and regulations behind them. At Part Time Pilot we reference the FARs when we talk about them and write them in plain English with examples and visual aids so our students can grasp the meaning behind each one. So instead of memorizing which FARs you need to know, I recommend understanding the regulations behind them and how to navigate the FAR/AIM should you need to reference it.
What is the best way to use the FAR/AIM?
As mentioned in the above FAQ it is more important that a pilot or student pilot understand the meaning of each FAR rather than memorizing the FAR numbers. However, a pilot or student pilot should be able to easily navigate the FAR/AIM when they need to reference any details.
There are a lot of people that sell pre-tabbed FAR/AIM books that have tabs on all the pages you need to reference for a certain certificate. I usually don’t recommend these although I don’t mind if students get them. They can definitely make things easier but to be honest, it isn’t that hard to understand how to navigate around the FAR/AIM and it is a good skill to know. So the best way to use the FAR/AIM is as a reference guide. Whenever you are in doubt about a rule or regulation, you should be able to use the table of contents and quickly find what you are looking for. In this post and video here, I show how to find the things you need to know for a private pilot certificate.
