Required Knowledge Private Pilot Students Need to Master in Training
TLDR
The following major subjects are required knowledge for Private Pilots:
- Preflight Preparation
- Preflight Procedures
- Airport Operations
- Takeoffs, Landings and Go-Arounds
- Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers
- Navigation
- Slow Flight and Stalls
- Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- Emergency Operations
- Night Operations
- Postflight Procedures
In order to give you an endorsement for the FAA Practical Checkride, your instructor not only has to ensure that you meet the minimum hour requirements we talked about here but he/she also must ensure that you are proficient in a specific list of maneuvers, procedures and knowledge. So if you are not proficient in all these areas by the time you meet your minimum hour requirements, your instructor should and WILL NOT endorse you.
You wouldn’t want them to endorse you without knowing this stuff anyways because you’ll just end up paying for, stressing over and failing your Checkride. The examiners entire purpose is to make sure the FAA is not accepting new pilots that like the skill or knowledge to keep themselves and others safe while flying. Here is a summary of what you need to learn to get your private pilot license as per the Airmen Certificate Standard (ACS) which is going to be your ultimate resource for what you need to learn:
- Aircraft Systems
- Pitot-static system, vacuum system, fuel system, electrical system, flight control system, communications and engine
- Preflight Preparation
- Pilot qualification, airworthiness, weather info, cross country planning, airspaces, performance, limitations, operation of systems and human factors
- Preflight Procedures
- Assessment, flight deck management, engine starting, taxiing and before takeoff checks
- Weather Theory
- Air masses, fronts, atmospheric stability, wind, hazardous weather, pressure, temperature and density
- FAA Regulations
- Hemispherical Rule, National Airspace, Seatbelts & Harnesses, Fuel Requirements, Formation Flight, Dropping Objects, Airworthiness Requirements, Required Equipment, Pilot in Command, Pilot Currency, Medical Certificates, etc.
- Airport Operations
- Communications, light signals, runway lighting systems and traffic patterns
- Takeoffs, Landings and Go-Arounds
- Normal TO & climb, normal approach and landing, short and soft-field TO and climb, short and soft-field approach and landing, confined area TO and max performance climb, confined area approach and landing, forward slip to landing and go-around/rejected landings
- Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers
- Steep turns, rectangular pattern, s-turns and turns around a point
- Navigation
- Pilotage and dead reckoning, navigation systems and radar services, diversions and lost procedures
- Slow Flight and Stalls
- Maneuvering in slow flight, power-off stalls and spin awareness
- Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- Straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to headings, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, navigation systems and facilities and radar services
- Emergency Operations
- Emergency descent, emergency approach and landing (simulated), systems and equipment malfunctions, emergency equipment and survival gear, engine failure during takeoff before Vmc (simulated), engine failure after liftoff (simulated) and approach and landing with an inoperative engine (simulated)
- Night Operations
- Night Preparations & Scanning Techniques
- Human Factors
- Hypoxia, CO poisoning, illusions, self-assessment, hazardous attitudes, etc.
- Postflight Procedures
- After landing, parking and securing
In the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School we cover every subject in the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) but have organized them in a way that is most efficient for learning and retention. Students can really benefit from a structured syllabus like this because it allows a student to lay the ground work and foundation needed with first principle fundamentals before getting into more detailed and nuanced subjects that often confuse students when they don’t have this structure.
For example, many ground schools will teach students weather and the relationship of atmosphere and the altimeter prior to teaching the student fundamentally how their flight flight instruments and altimeter work. Because of this, students are always confused as to why their altimeter acts a certain way with changes in temperature and pressure. But, if they were to understand how the altimeter works, it would be rather easy to understand what was happening to the instrument when the atmosphere changes.
Part Time Pilot also offers our students printable PDF calendars to keep track of their studies. Our online system will of course keep track in our grading and report features but this printable PDF allows for students to keep themselves accountable while studying. This can be a struggle for a lot of students who go the online ground school/self-study route. Our PDF calendars are tailored for how much time you can dedicate to studying each day and on every day of the calendar it lists the lessons you should strive to complete each day. These calendars make the overwhelm of all this content seem much more achievable and rewarding.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the topic of the required knowledge needed to become a private pilot:
How long does Ground School take?
The amount of time it takes to finish an Online Ground School is up to you, the student. Each online ground school is required to teach you all the knowledge from the Airmen Certificate Standards from the FAA. This document details all the knowledge, skills and areas of proficiency required to achieve a pilot certificate.
The amount of time it will take you to finish learning all the required content depends on how quickly you learn and how much time you can dedicate each day to studying. On average, is takes students about 3 months to complete online ground school with some students completing it in as quickly as 1 month and others taking 6 months to even a year.
Part Time Pilot provides each of our students with study tracking calendars they can download to keep track of their progress. There are different calendars based off of how much time a student can dedicate each day to studying (30 min, 1 hour or 2 hour) and each calendar shows the lessons the student should complete each day to stay on track.
What options are there for Ground School?
Ground school can be completed a variety of ways as long as you receive an endorsement from a certified instructor who validates you have completed the required studies. This can be done in one of the following ways:
- 1-on-1 Lessons with Instructor
- This is the most expensive option as it costs $40-$80 per hour to pay the instructor for 30-50 hours of training
- In-Person lecture class
- Typically held at flight schools or colleges this can cost anywhere from $400 to $1200 or more and requires you to sit through lectures once or twice a week for several weeks on location
- Online Ground School
- The most popular option due to the flexibility of being able to study anywhere at any time and still receive certified instruction and endorsements. Online Ground Schools like Part Time Pilot can provide the best of online training and 1-on-1 instruction
- Typically $200 to $400
- Self-Study
- Can be cheaper than online ground school but still requires you to purchase an endorsement and test prep material. Difficult for students who want questions answered and a structured syllabus, test prep, lessons and study aids in one place.
What is Online Ground School?
Online Ground School contains a structured syllabus of all the required knowledge a student must learn in order to earn a pilot certificate. Every online ground school is different as some provide mostly test prep content in the form of practice tests and flash cards while others contain mostly written or video lessons to teach the subjects. Some, contain both comprehensive lessons AND test prep. If you are looking for an online ground school, you want to make sure that it contains both lessons and test prep so you don’t have to spend more money.
It is also recommended that you find one that provides an endorsement upon completion of the course for your FAA written exam and provides lifetime access to the course. Life happens and a good pilot is always maintaining their knowledge. In order to see a comparison of the Top Online Ground Schools in the US in a single chart comparing them in terms of price, student reviews and features, you can click here.
What are the Training Requirements for Private Pilot?
Here is a summarized list of the training requirements for a Private Pilot, broken down into knowledge and flight. For all flight skill and knowledge requirements please refer to the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS):
Knowledge Requirements:
- Ground Instruction: You must receive comprehensive ground training from an authorized instructor (or complete an FAA-approved home-study/online course). This covers essential aeronautical subjects including:
- Aircraft Systems
- Preflight Preparation
- Preflight Procedures
- Weather Theory
- FAA Regulations
- Airport Operations
- Takeoffs, Landings and Go-Arounds
- Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers
- Navigation
- Slow Flight and Stalls
- Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- Emergency Operations
- Night Operations
- Human Factors
- Postflight Procedures
- Knowledge Test: After receiving an endorsement from your instructor, you must pass a computerized FAA Private Pilot Airman Knowledge Test with a score of 70% or better.
Flight Requirements (Minimums under Part 61):
- Total Flight Time: A minimum of 40 hours of logged flight time is required.
- Dual Instruction: At least 20 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor, including:
- 3 hours of cross-country flight training.
- 3 hours of night flight training (including one cross-country flight over 100 NM total distance and 10 takeoffs/landings to a full stop).
- 3 hours of instrument flight training (using instruments only).
- 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months.
- Solo Flight: At least 10 hours of solo flight time, including:
- 5 hours of solo cross-country flight.
- One solo cross-country flight of at least 150 NM total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three airports, and one segment of the flight being at least 50 NM straight-line distance.
- Three solo takeoffs and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower.
- Practical Test: After receiving an endorsement from your instructor, you must pass a practical flight test (checkride) with an FAA examiner, demonstrating proficiency in all required maneuvers and knowledge.
What is the basic Knowledge of Pilots?
The basic knowledge of pilots revolves around the following subjects:
- Aircraft Systems
- Preflight Preparation
- Preflight Procedures
- Weather Theory
- FAA Regulations
- Airport Operations
- Takeoffs, Landings and Go-Arounds
- Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers
- Navigation
- Slow Flight and Stalls
- Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- Emergency Operations
- Night Operations
- Human Factors
- Postflight Procedures
What do Private Pilots have to learn?
The following major subjects are required knowledge for Private Pilots:
- Aircraft Systems
- Preflight Preparation
- Preflight Procedures
- Weather Theory
- FAA Regulations
- Airport Operations
- Takeoffs, Landings and Go-Arounds
- Performance and Ground Reference Maneuvers
- Navigation
- Slow Flight and Stalls
- Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- Emergency Operations
- Night Operations
- Human Factors
- Postflight Procedures
How hard is Private Pilot training?
This is relative to each student’s own unique experience. Private Pilot training can be very hard for some but very fun and easy for others. In fact, Private Pilot training for myself was much harder than it needed to be because I made so many stupid mistakes. It is actually how I started Part Time Pilot. Part Time Pilot is created for the sole purpose of making Private Pilot training easier, less stressful and more affordable for student pilots.
One of the ways we do this is with our free email course “How to Become a Pilot and Save Money” which tells students the step by step process of how to prepare for and navigate a success private pilot training journey. Another way we do this is with our Online Ground School which provides students the super important knowledge foundation and a guarantee that they pass their exams with new-age tools like audio lessons, interactive AI, simple examples and more. The time and money we save student pilots is what makes us the #1 rated Online Ground School in America according to student pilots.
Do you need to be good at Math to become a Pilot?
No. There are many great pilots who are not traditionally good at math. All mathematical equations and formulas in aviation have an alternative procedure that you can learn rather than an equation. For example instead of calculating crosswinds and headwinds using trig functions you can instead follow a procedure on a chart. However, being good at math does have its perks and can make understanding things like the fundamentals of aerodynamics easier.
