What is required to get a pilots license?

What is required to get a pilots license? Here are some of the common questions people ask us when they want to learn to fly. Call Perry Air LLC at 1-478-284-0880 to schedule a discovery flight or if you have additional questions. Servicing Perry, Macon, Warner Robins, Atlanta GA and surrounding counties.

What is required to get a pilots license1. What is the process to becoming a pilot?
It is actually very easy to become a FAA certified Private Pilot. All it takes is scheduling your first lesson. The process for training is listed in 14 CFR 61 (Federal Aviation Regulations). The minimum experience to be eligible to take the Private Pilot Practical and Oral Exam (commonly referred to as the “check ride”) is 40 hours. Included in this 40 hours is prescribed minimum times of night flying, cross country flying and other requirements.

In the quest for efficiency, we recommend you purchase an online ground school for the Private Pilot course. This will save you money and time while learning the knowledge required to take the Private Pilot Knowledge Test. A passing score on the knowledge test is required to be eligible for the check ride. The ground school does not have to be completed prior to starting your flying. We highly recommend taking the online ground school while you are actually flying to aid in your overall understanding.
Once you are ready for the knowledge test (written exam), you can take the exam locally. This usually occurs a few weeks prior to your check ride. When your flight training is complete, you will schedule a day and be sent to a Designated FAA Examiner who will evaluate you. After a satisfactory completion of the check ride, you will be a Private Pilot!

2. What can I do with a Private Pilot License?
The Private Pilot License is a license to learn. Being a pilot means you’re always learning. Fly as much as you can, whenever you can. As a private pilot you can fly anywhere in the United States. That being said, weather and airspace will be the only limiting factors. A VFR Private Pilot is able to fly themselves and passengers on good weather days. So go fly and build experience.

3. What’s after the Private Pilot License?
Whatever you want. Always be training for something. Immediately after the licensing of a new pilot, I encourage tail wheel training, upset recovery, basic aerobatics, and good fun flying. These types of courses are similar to going through defensive driving courses or racing classes in for cars.
After you gain quality experience, the next step is an instrument course. To be able to fly in low visibility and clouds, you are required to have an instrument rating. This is another 40 hour minimum course but it is the most important license you can get. With this license, not only can you fly on days that would keep a VFR pilot grounded but you can take full advantage of the Air Traffic Control system making any cross country flight safer.

4. How much does a Private Pilot license cost?
It all depends on you. In the C-152, the average is $5,500. In the C-172, the average is $7,500. Keep in mind, these are average costs. The minimum hour requirements are MINIMUMS. The national average to complete these courses is closer to 70 hours. You are learning a new skill; one that is not “natural” so what may take Jim 55 hours may take John 45 hours.

5. Do people pay all at once?
No. The most common way to pay is at the end of each lesson. We do offer discounts on the airplanes if you pay for 10 hours up front. This discount is on the airplane rental only and not on the instruction fee. The “Block Rate” discounts the airplane rental between $5 and $10 per hour.

6. What if I haven’t been flying and think I may be scared?
This is one reason we offer a Discovery Flight. It’s a 30 minute maximum for $50. This way you’re not paying for a full lesson to find out in five minutes that God doesn’t want you flying.

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