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Considering all the tasks involved in flight training, getting a pilot's license can appear very discouraging. However, if your top dream is to become a pilot, it is worth investing the time. Here is an easy to understand walk-through of the entire process.
Begin by taking the time to research and find quality flight instruction. If you have any friends who are already pilots, it would be a great idea to find out which flight school they attended. Usually they will recommend the school they trained at or they will direct you to an even better one.
Don't worry if you don't hang out with pilots; you can meet them. Pilots are among the easiest people to associate with because they perceive the aircraft community as a clique or family. Finding pilots who are helpful to talk with and get answers from can likely be accomplished by visiting small airports. You can even look in your local telephone directory for flight instructors.
Be careful, however, to take the time to get some information on the school you choose this way. Researching the flight schools you are considering attending is recommended. You should find out how long they have been teaching pilots, what type of planes they train with, how old those planes are, and how often they maintain those planes. Inspecting an airplane/aircraft on a regular basis is required by the flight board and a good flight school will make these inspections. It may also be a good idea to choose a flight school that uses Hobbs Meters for their engine hour meters. Your flight time will be accurately recorded by an engine hour meter that records time from the start of the engine to shut off.
Make it through ground school. You will take classes at ground school as well as completing flight hours, all of which are extremely valuable. Do not expect to jump immediately "behind the stick" before learning some foundational facts and principles of flying. It is a rare thing for a flight school to include simultaneous ground and flight training. The process is more like Driver's Education classes, which carefully prepare a student before turning control of an automobile over to him or her. You will learn many important procedures and protocols during ground training such as how flight actually happens, aerodynamics, airport protocol, dos and don'ts of flying, how to inspect the plane, and how to read sectionals (maps, radio frequencies, avionics, etc). The information you will be tested on during the written exam will be learned during your ground training.
Keep good health. Passing your physical is paramount. All participants of the training program are required to take and pass a physical examination before they can fly. Included in this evaluation will be a basic physical health check, blood tests for drugs and other anomalies, and the critical eye examination. Yes, you are still allowed to fly if you wear corrective lenses! However, you must have a physician attest to the fact that your vision is good enough to fly an airplane safely.
The more flight hours you can obtain, the better off you'll be. Your initial flight hours will be with an instructor and will be largely informational. During training, the instructor will ensure that you are competent in many areas including take off, landing, and stalling.
Learning how to stall teaches you how to come out of a stall and as such is an extremely valuable lesson. Power on and power off are the two types of stalling. Power on stalling happens during take off and is when the plane stalls from being at full throttle. Conversely, power off stalling occurs when the plane is in the landing sequence and is in a low idle. It is necessary to be comfortable in both of these situations should they occur.
Your flight time will also train you for maneuvers. One of the many tasks learned during flight hours is ground reference maneuvers which involve making 360 degree turns around an object while maintaining your starting altitude and distance. Included in the flight hours will be the important tasks of learning how to fly with instruments only, flying without instruments, and the proper and accurate reading of instrument panels. Then, after training there is a required number of solo flight hours you must complete.
Be sure to fully understand the importance of testing. When all of your flight hours have been recorded in your flight log and your ground training is done, you will then get to start the testing process. Prepare and do as well as you can; if your plan is to become a commercial airline pilot, it is especially important that you do well on this test. Standards are high, and all tests must be passed in order for a commercial pilot to be licensed. Failure of a test is not terminal, however, because policy dictates that a failed test may be retaken.
First, you have to take a written test. Your instructor will usually give you several locations to choose from, but any certified testing location is okay. You will be tested on what you learned both in the air and in ground school. Passing the written test will allow you to advance to the final test, in which you must prove your skills in a flight with a certified examiner.
Your instructor will be asking many questions during flight, mainly directed on your missed answers from the written test. Your flight instructor will ask you to inspect the plane before your flight and, while in flight, you will be asked to complete any number of maneuvers including landing the plane more than once. Receiving you license will depend on the outcome of that flight.
About the Author: James Bunter has been a pilot for many years. He has flown multiple aircraft, and has used many different kinds of aviation electronics, including a Avionics. James knows that a good pilot will keep his plane as up to date as possible, which is why he always goes to TGH for avionics repair and aviation supply.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
