Private Pilot License Requirements

Hello all

I have just put up detailed explanation of the Private Pilot License Requirements up.

Private Pilot Requirements

Hope to see you in the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook

Private PIlot License, Books and Materials

Today I am going to go over the Aeronautical Knowledge part of your Private Pilot Training. Remember there are two parts of your training in order to get your pilot certificate.

1: Aeronautical Knowledge: The Knowledge required for your FAA Written Test

2: Aeronautical Experience: This is all of your flying
There is a written test for the Aeronautical Knowledge Portion of your Training.

There are many different subject areas that you will need to cover in order to pass this test. There are also many different ways to get the study materials for this. The Regulation for the Subject areas required is listed below:

(a) General. A person who is applying for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the aeronautical knowledge areas of paragraph (b) of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.

(b) Aeronautical knowledge areas.

(1) Applicable Federal Aviation Regulations of this chapter that relate to private pilot privileges, limitations, and flight operations;

(2) Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;

(3) Use of the applicable portions of the “Aeronautical Information Manual” and FAA advisory circulars;

(4) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems;

(5) Radio communication procedures;

(6) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;

(7) Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence;

(8) Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance;

(9) Weight and balance computations;

(10) Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems;

(11) Stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques for the airplane and glider category ratings;

(12) Aeronautical decision making and judgment; and

(13) Preflight action that includes—

(i) How to obtain information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and
(ii) How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered.

In most cases the flight schools you are looking at will have what is called a "Private Pilot Kit " This will include most of the things you need depending on which kits are offered by the flight school. I have listed the best kits in the free report.

In most cases the private pilot kits will cost between $150 - $200. For some people this is the easiest way to go. I have explained this in the Section Of my Website.

The link is below:

Private Pilot License Books and Materials Cost

There are other options also. You can buy all of the materials individually . I will list them again here for you. The things you will need to get started are listed below:

Fuel Tester

Fuel Tank Gauge

Aircraft Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) This is for the make and model of the plane you use for training.

Pilot Logbook

Maps: Sectional Chart and Terminal Chart if applicable

Flight Planning Sheets

Course Plotter

E6B Flight Computer

Private Pilot Practical Test Standards

Text book: You will also need a text book with all the aeronautical knowledge areas in it. There are many books out there that cover this. The top companies that produce these books are ASA, GLEIM and JEPPESON. They are all pretty much called "Private Pilot Manuals". In most cases they come as part of a Private Pilot Kit.

These Textbooks cover all the material covered by the FAA books. Most of the aeronautical knowledge is taken from four books.

The Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

The Airplane Flying Handbook

Aviation Weather

Aviation Weather Services

Some People like the Full Textbooks that have all the information in one spot.

The Written Test: The FAA written test is the last thing you will need to do. Some people may decide to take this test before they even start flying. Others will wait until the week of their flight test. It is a good review for the oral portion of your flight test if you wait until closer to your flight test. I would advise that you purchase a written test preparation guide. They will usually run about $15. I have links to those in your free report.

There are also many weekend seminars out there that will prepare you for the written test in one weekend or a few nights during the week.

It is really up to you how you want to handle this. You just can't take your flight test without it being done. I recommend to my students that they have it done by the time you are in the cross country phase of your training. Your instructor will cover all of these areas through out your training also.


Tomorrows Installment is Aviation Terminology and Flight School Cost Estimates

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Learn to Fly, Private Pilot License Requirements

The Pilot Training Requirements for the Private Pilot License are in other articles I have written. For the purpose of this article I will just give you an idea of what the regulations mean.

Most people will just look at the basic requirements that are the General Private Pilot License requirements. Most flight schools don't explain all of the student pilot requirements and the aeronautical experience requirements.

Also most people don't understand that your instructor has to Sign you off as "competent" in each of these areas.

When you end up switching instructors, your new instructor has to go through everything with you. This adds up to added flights and increased expense. If you didn't choose the right school or instructor ahead of time, this will happen. This does happen a lot in the industry.

Lets start off with the basics and go from there.

The national average for the private pilot rating is somewhere around 65 hours. It changes from year to year. The FAA only requires 40, so why the big difference? There are many reasons for this that I will explain to you through-out this mini course.

As far as the general requirements for the private pilot certificate, you will have to:

1: Be 17 years of age or older.

2: Be able to read, speak and understand the English language

3: Pass a written test on the required aeronautical subjects

4: Meet the minimum requirements of the FAA Regulations

5: Pass a practical test on all the subject areas

This is just a general requirement for you to obtain a Private Pilot License ( certificate) If you notice number 4 is meet the minimum requirements of the FAA regulations. This means you have to meet the requirements of the following Two Areas:
Aeronautical Experience. This is all of your Training In the Airplane
Aeronautical Knowledge. This is the Bookwork Subject areas.

During your flight training you are known as a student pilot. This means that you have regulations that apply to you during your flight training. The term STUDENT PILOT means that you are out there on your own practicing. At each phase of your training you have requirements that need to be met. I have them outlined below:

The Student Pilot Aeronautical Experience Requirements

The Student Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge Requirements

The Student Pilot Pre Solo Cross Country Requirements

The Prerequisites for the Flight Test Requirements

The Private Pilot Aeronautical Experience Requirements

The Private Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge Requirements

Now most of the Schools will just mention the minimum requirements and not all of the student pilot requirements. Most time the student doesn't understand how everything works so of course you are doing extra flights because something was missed.

If you look into this further you will find the following number of requirements
15 Individual Requirements for Student Pilot Aeronautical Experience.

A written test requirement for Student Pilot Solo Flight ( Not the FAA Written Test)

12 Individual Requirements for Student Pilot Solo Cross Country Flight

7 Individual Requirements for the Prerequisites for the Flight Test

12 Individual Requirements for Aeronautical Experience

13 Individual Requirements for Aeronautical Knowledge

The other thing that you need to understand is that the word "Competent" is attached to all of these subject areas. That means that you need to show your instructor that you are competent in these areas before you can get a signature for any one of the 6 sets of requirements.

Now the requirement you probably have seen out there is the general requirement:

40 Hours Total

20 Hours Dual Instruction

10 Hours Solo

Now in other places you may see some added information These are other requirements that are subparts of the above regulation.

3 Hours Instrument

3 Hours Night

5 Hours Solo Cross Country

If you look at this regulation itself it states the following:

(a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (k) of this section, 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 that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training in the areas of operation listed in §61.107(b)(1) of this part, and the training must include at least—

(1) 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane;

(2) Except as provided in §61.110 of this part, 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane that includes— ( SMALL ISLANDS AND ALASKA)

(i) One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance; and
(ii) 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.

(3) 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight;

(4) 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test in a single-engine airplane, which must have been performed within 60 days preceding the date of the test; and

(5) 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, consisting of at least—

(i) 5 hours of solo cross-country time;
(ii) One solo cross-country flight of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations; and

(iii) Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

Many people will get a little flustered at all of this. Like anything new it will seem like a lot at first but once you get going it is not that bad. You will notice that within this regulation it refers to other regulations. These are the ones that I have listed in my requirements section. I have links to them throughout this course..

There is another regulation that is for the Aeronautical Knowledge, this regulation is listed below:

(a) General. A person who is applying for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the aeronautical knowledge areas of paragraph (b) of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.

(b) Aeronautical knowledge areas.

(1) Applicable Federal Aviation Regulations of this chapter that relate to private pilot privileges, limitations, and flight operations;

(2) Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;

(3) Use of the applicable portions of the “Aeronautical Information Manual” and FAA advisory circulars;

(4) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems;

(5) Radio communication procedures;

(6) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;

(7) Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence;

(8) Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance;

(9) Weight and balance computations;

(10) Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems;

(11) Stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques for the airplane and glider category ratings;

(12) Aeronautical decision making and judgment; and

(13) Preflight action that includes—

(i) How to obtain information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and
(ii) How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered

These are the regulations that have to be met the day of your flight test, not all of the student pilot regulations. I have all of the student pilot regulations in the regulations section of this site. I have them broken down into 3 parts:

The individual regulations for the student pilot Pre-Solo and Post-Solo are explained in the next lesson.. One thing that people don't understand is the fact that if you are at a school that is going through instructors left and right, the instructor who signs your logbook for solo, solo cross countries or you private pilot flight test has to go through everything with you before he/she can sign you off. If you end up with six instructors ( I have seen this), You are doing a lot of extra flights.

You may be ready to solo and your instructor leaves. The next instructor has to go through everything with you before they can sign you off. If this happens two or three times ( yes it happens all the time) you have added another 10-15 hours to your training. At up to $200 Per hour that can be from $2,000-$3,000.

Tomorrows Installment is Student Pilot Requirements

Hope To See You In the Sky

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's Private Pilot Handbook

Airfreddy's Flying Stories

Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Course

Airfreddy's Flight Training Site

Private Pilot License Requirements

Hello all:

For those interested in what the private pilot requirements are I have posted them on my website at the link below


Private Pilot License Requirements

Airfreddy

Airfreddy's
Private Pilot License Manual

Flight School