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The requirements for being
issued a private pilot license are governed by the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
To get a private pilot’s
license, you must
-
be at least 17 years
-
have a current FAA
third-class medical certificate
-
log at least 40 hours of
flight
-
have at least 20 hours of
flight with an instructor
-
have at least 10 hours of
solo flight
-
pass the FAA Private
Pilot Airmen Knowledge written test
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pass a FAA Private Pilot
flight exam
Although the minimum required
flight time is 40 hours, the national average is approximately 65 hours
and most additional time is due to instruction.
The amount of flight time
necessary to achieve your license is, in part, a function of how often you
fly. Students who fly twice a week are likely to earn their license with
fewer logged hours than those flying only two or three times a month.
Keeping Your License Current
Remember, a private pilot
license is really only a license to learn, and to maintain and improve
flight proficiency. You should be prepared to fly at least 50 hours every
year to maintain your skills.
The legal requirements for
flight reviews and recent flight experience are governed by FAA FAR
(Federal Aviation Regulations) Sec. 61.56 and Sec 61.57.
In general, in order to keep
your license current, so that you can operated an airplane as “pilot in
command,” the FAA requires that you complete a Biennial Flight Review (BFR)
with a certified flight instructor every two years. This review requires a
minimum of 1 hour of ground instruction and 1 hour of flight instruction
to review flight maneuvers and emergency procedures.
In order to carry passengers,
you must also have completed at least three takeoffs and three landings as
the sole manipulator of the flight controls in an aircraft of the same
category and class within the preceding 90 days. To fly at night (one hour
after sunset to one hour before sunrise), you must have completed, within
the preceding 90 days, at least three takeoffs and three landings to a
full stop at night in the category and class of aircraft to be used.
How Can I Prepare for the Written
Exam?
There are many courseware
packages available that give you the information that the FAA Private
Pilot Exam covers. The following are a list of useful government manuals.
Several of these manuals can be accessed on the Landings
home page.
.FARs Federal Aviation
Regulations
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AIM (Airman's Information
Manual)
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U.S. Government Printing
Office (GPO), Aviation Weather
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U.S. Government Printing
Office (GPO), Aviation Weather Services
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U.S. Government Printing
Office (GPO), Flight Training Handbook (AC-61-21)
Where Can I Go to Learn to Fly?
Take a trip to your local
airport and visit the businesses on the airfield. If it isn’t obvious
where the flight schools are, local business, the Airport Manager, and the
“guy at the gas pump” often know who gives lessons locally. You can
often find flight school listings in the phone book.
When you find a flight
school, spend the time to learn about their policies, the cost to join the
club, monthly and yearly dues, what type of planes they have, how the
planes are maintained, what their insurance coverage is, and who the
flight instructors are.
Be sure to interview the
flight instructor that you are thinking about taking instruction from.
This is a person that you will be spending at least 20 hours in a plane
with and a lot of time at a desk with, so you should feel comfortable with
the instructor. The right instructor-student combination can make learning
to fly very pleasant.
OK, So What Are the Detailed
Requirements for a Private Pilot License?
Well, here they are. The
links in this section are to a very helpful Internet site.
Requirements regulating the
licensing of private pilots are established by the Federal Aviation
Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and set forth in
Federal Aviation Regulation, Part 61.
Sec. 61.109 Airplane Rating:
Aeronautical Experience
An applicant for a private
pilot certificate with an airplane rating must have had at least a total
of 40 hours of flight instruction and solo time which must include the
following:
(a) Twenty hours of flight
instruction from an authorized flight instructor, including at least--
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Three hours of cross
country;
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Three hours of instrument
flight training;
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Three hours at night,
including 10 takeoffs and landings for applicants seeking night flying
privileges; and
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Three hours in airplanes
in preparation for the private pilot flight test within 60 days prior
to that test.
An applicant who does not
meet the night flying requirement in paragraph (a)(2) of this section is
issued a private pilot certificate bearing the limitation "Night
flying prohibited." This limitation may be removed if the holder of
the certificate shows that he has met the requirements of paragraph (a)(2)
of this section.
(b) Ten hours of solo flight
time, including at least:
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Five hours of
cross-country flights, each flight with a landing at a point more than
50 nautical miles from the original departure point. One flight must
be of at least 150 nautical miles with landings at a minimum of three
points, one of which is at least 50 nautical miles from the original
departure point.
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Three solo takeoffs and
landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower.
Sec 61.103 Eligibility
requirements: General.
To be eligible for a private
pilot certificate, a person must--
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Be at least 17 years of
age, except that a private pilot certificate with a free balloon or a
glider rating only may be issued to a qualified applicant who is at
least 16 years of age;
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Be able to read, speak,
and understand the English language, or have such operating
limitations placed on his pilot certificate as are necessary for the
safe operation of aircraft, to be removed when he shows that he can
read, speak, and understand the English language;
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Hold at least a current
third-class medical certificate issued under Part 67 of this chapter,
or, in the case of a glider or free balloon rating, certify that he
has no known medical defect that makes him unable to pilot a glider or
free balloon, as appropriate;
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Pass a written test on
the subject areas on which instruction or home study is required by
Sec. 61.105;
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Pass an oral and flight
test on procedures and maneuvers selected by an FAA inspector or
examiner to determine the applicant's competency in the flight
operations on which instruction is required by the flight proficiency
provisions of Sec. 61.107; and
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Comply with the sections
of this part that apply to the rating he seeks.
Sec 61.105 Aeronautical Knowledge (Airplanes and rotorcraft Sec 61.105(a)
only)
An applicant for a private
pilot certificate must have logged ground instruction from an authorized
instructor, or must present evidence showing that he has satisfactorily
completed a course of instruction or home study in at least the following
areas of aeronautical knowledge appropriate to the category of aircraft
for which a rating is sought.
Airplanes and rotorcraft.
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The accident reporting
requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board and the
Federal Aviation Regulations applicable to private pilot privileges,
limitations, and flight operations for airplanes or rotorcraft, as
appropriate, the use of the "Airman's Information Manual,"
and FAA advisory circulars;
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VFR navigation using
pilotage, dead reckoning, and radio aids;
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The recognition of
critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, the
procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;
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The safe and efficient
operation of airplanes or rotorcraft, as appropriate, including
high-density airport operations, collision avoidance precautions, and
radio communication procedures;
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Basic aerodynamics and
the principles of flight which apply to airplanes or rotorcraft, as
appropriate; and
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Stall awareness, spin
entry, spins, and spin recovery techniques for airplanes.
Sec 61.107 Flight Proficiency
(Airplane Sec 61.107(a) only)
The applicant for a private
pilot certificate must have logged instruction from an authorized flight
instructor in at least the following pilot operations. In addition, his
logbook must contain an endorsement by an authorized flight instructor who
has found him competent to perform each of those operations safely as a
private pilot.
In Airplanes.
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Preflight operations,
including weight and balance determination, line inspection, and
airplane servicing;
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Airport and traffic
pattern operations, including operations at controlled airports, radio
communications, and collision avoidance precautions;
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Flight maneuvering by
reference to ground objects;
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Flight at slow airspeeds
with realistic distractions, and the recognition of and recovery from
stalls entered from straight flight and from turns;
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Normal and crosswind
takeoffs and landings;
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Control and maneuvering
an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including descents and
climbs using radio aids or radar directives;
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Cross-country flying,
using pilotage, dead reckoning, and radio aids;
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Maximum performance
takeoffs and landings;
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Night flying, including
takeoffs, landings, and VFR navigation; and
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Emergency operations,
including simulated aircraft and equipment malfunctions.
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