Q. How much will it cost to get my private pilot's license?
A. The short answer is, it depends. As a rough estimate, if you plan on at least $8,000 you'll be in the ballpark. The reason it depends is that while the minimum requirements are 40 hours of flight time, the average is between 60 and 80 hours. With typical training airplanes renting from between $80 to $120 per hour the overall cost is just a matter of how many hours it takes before you're proficient and ready to pass a checkride.
A few notes about cost. First, it will never be cheaper than it is now to earn your license.
Second, you don't need to have a pile
of money sitting there before you begin. You can pay as you go, so
you control how much you spend based on how many hours per week you
fly.
↑ Top
Q. How long will it take to get my private pilot certificate?
A. Again, it depends. I highly recommend you plan on flying at least twice a week, for about an hour each lesson. At that rate, you'll probably be ready for your checkride in about 35 weeks, or about 9 months. If you fly more each week it will take less time and if you fly less, guess what, it will take longer. But planning for 9 months to a year is a good start.
For what it's worth, when I got my
private pilot's certificate it took me about 63 hours and four
months. I was in a position where I could fly about four-hours per
week at the time, which is a lot of flying. If you're the kind of
person who likes that level of intensity then you can probably get
your license in three or four months. If you prefer a more relaxed
pace, that's no problem.
↑ Top
Q. I wear glasses/contacts. Can I still be a pilot?
A. Absolutely. The vision requirements
for a Third Class Medical certificate are 20/40 in each eye, with our
without correction. If your vision, glasses or no glasses, is 20/40
or better you meet the vision requirements.
↑ Top
Q. I think I'd like to learn to fly, but I'm not sure. What should I do?
A. Take an introductory flight. Most
FBOs offer introductory flights at a significant discount. You'll fly
for perhaps an hour, get to take the controls and get a feel for what
it's like to fly. If you're interested in an introductory flight,
feel free to contact me and I can set one up at a convenient airport.
↑ Top
Q. What can I do as a private pilot?
A. As a private pilot you can rent airplanes and fly just about anywhere you please. You can take your family on weekend trips, go sightseeing or just go fly for the fun of it. It's a wonderful experience and one that you'll probably enjoy sharing with others.
You may also be able to fly for business as long as the flying is incidental to your business. For example, if you live in Minneapolis and have a business meeting in Des Moines you can fly to your meeting and have your company cover your expenses. You can also split the cost of flying with your passengers, which may make flying yourself to a weekend football game or on vacation fairly cost-effective compared to booking a ticket on an airline.
What you can't do as a private pilot is
fly for compensation or hire. That is to say, you can't be paid for
flying an airplane or receive some other form of compensation.
↑ Top
Q. How long will it take me to solo?
A. Your first solo will be a truly memorable experience and represents an awesome accomplishment. How long it takes, again, depends but most students will be ready to solo after perhaps 20 to 30 hours of training.
Soloing is a big deal, but there's also
no rush and quite a bit to learn before you can get turned loose to
fly by yourself (under your instructor's supervision of course.) The
most important thing is that you can operate the airplane safely by
yourself and in varying conditions. Learning to do so takes time and
no instructor is going to authorize you to solo until you're ready.
↑ Top
Q. Which headset should I buy?
A. Headsets are a pretty personal thing, so it's a good idea to try several out before you plunk down your hard-earned cash. There are two basic schools of thought on the matter.
School A says buy a cheap headset for training then invest in a more expensive headset after you get your license. Since you'll probably be taking other people flying, you're going to need more than one headset anyway.
School B says if you have the means, buy the nicest headset you can afford. Bose makes a wonderful Active Noise Reduction headset, their Aviation X, that is light and extremely comfortable.
Personally, I wear a David Clark 13.4
model. It's reasonably priced (about $300) and reasonably comfortable
for a few hours of wear. I've used the Bose headsets before and love
them, but haven't gotten around to buying a pair for myself yet,
although I plan to.
↑ Top
Bottom line, try some out or ask around.
Q. Is flying small airplanes safe?
A. Tough question. It depends a bit on what you consider safe, but I prefer to think of safety in terms of risk. Certainly, flying small airplanes carries a higher degree of risk than flying the airlines, staying in bed or driving a car.
That being said, understanding the risks involved and actively working to mitigate those risks can make flying small airplanes very “safe” indeed. Most accidents involving small airplanes stem from two causes: Non-instrument rated pilots continuing a flight into poor weather and pilots running out of fuel. If you exercise prudent judgment regarding weather and are diligent about fuel management the level of risk drops dramatically.
But the fact remains that airplanes do
crash and pilots make mistakes so flying small airplanes does carry a
higher degree of risk than, say, staying in bed. I'm much more
concerned about driving to the store than I am about flying a small
airplane, but then again I'm anal when it comes to managing the risks
involved.
↑ Top
Q. How do I convince my husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/mom/dad that getting my license is a good idea?
A. Sorry to say, but you're pretty much on your own here because it depends on what their concerns are and what your goals as a pilot are.
The best approach is to understand their concerns and do your best to educate them about the facts or to point out the benefits of you becoming a pilot.
One example I use is how convenient it is to utilize a small airplane on a weekend vacation. My wife and I go to Milwaukee and Madeline Island every year for long weekends. In both cases, it's about a five-hour drive each way but by air it takes us between 90 minutes and two hours. We arrive rested and relaxed from the flight and have more time to spend enjoying the weekend away.
This summer we watched the Twins play
the Brewers in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. The game was over at 4
p.m., we were at the airport by 5 p.m. And home by 7:30. That's just
something we couldn't have done had we driven and was far less hassle
than had we flown the airlines.
↑ Top
Q. I'm worried about getting airsick.
A. Hey, I'm worried about you getting airsick too!
Seriously, it happens occasionally and it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's very rare that people who are actually flying the airplane experience motion sickness. You're typically looking outside and concentrating on flying the airplane so you're far less apt to experience motion sickness.
If you are prone to motion sickness there are several techniques that you can use to overcome it and the bottom line is not to let a concern about becoming airsick get in the way of becoming a pilot. I'm aware of several people who experienced severe motion sickness while learning to fly. In every case they all overcame it and went on to become outstanding pilots.
I'm also aware of plenty of people who
get motion sickness just looking at a boat or carnival ride who never
experience a bit of discomfort while flying.
↑ Top
Q. How can I incorporate flying into my business?
A. It depends, but as a private pilot you can fly yourself (and probably your business associates) to meetings and on other business as long as the actual flying is incidental to your business.
For example, if you have a meeting in Des Moines and would normally drive or fly the airlines you could legally fly yourself to the meeting and be reimbursed for your actual costs. If you'd normally be getting paid while you were driving or flying an airliner to your meeting you can continue to do so while you're flying yourself as well.
As a private pilot you can't fly for compensation or hire, which means you can't be paid just for flying an airplane.
One important point about flying for your business: If you absolutely have to be somewhere, take the airlines. It removes the pressure on you as a pilot to complete the flight if conditions deteriorate and nobody beats the airlines when it comes to safely handling challenging weather conditions.
Another option would be to buy an airplane and hire somebody to fly it for you. As a commercial pilot I'd be happy to discuss your options. In fact, with your own airplane and a flight instructor at your side you could learn to fly while you were travelling for business, which might work out well for you.
↑ Top
Q. I'm old, can I still learn to fly?
A. Of course. As long as you can obtain a medical certificate you can fly. In fact, a gentleman in his 90s recently took up flying and soloed!
If you have medical issues that might prevent you from obtaining a third-class medical certificate you may still be able to fly as a Sport Pilot, which requires only a valid driver's license in place of the FAA medical certificate.
The fact is that learning to fly is
within the capability of just about anyone, regardless of age, and
doing so represents an enormous personal achievement.
↑ Top
Q. I'm really young, can I learn to fly?
A. Yes, but you need to be 16-years-old
to solo a powered aircraft and 17-years-old to obtain a private pilot
certificate. It is not uncommon for young people to start taking
lessons every few months starting at 12 or 13, solo at 16 and take
their checkride at 17.
↑ Top
Q. I'm not a U.S. Citizen, can I take flying lessons?
A. Probably, although there is a process you need to go through before you can begin flight training.
It begins by registering with the TSA and selecting a flight training provider. You'll then be required to submit some documentation, pay a $130 processing fee and provide your fingerprints to the TSA.
I've gone through this process with one student so far and it's not terribly difficult or onerous. There are some quirks, but the TSA seems to be doing a pretty good job processing applications quickly.
One of the best sources around for the
exact process is the AOPA's guide to the TSA's Alien Flight
Training/Citizenship Rules at http://www.aopa.org/tsa_rule/
↑ Top
Q. Will I get dates if I'm a pilot?
A. Well, if you were getting dates
before you were a pilot you'll probably still get them, although you
may have to split the check. If you weren't getting dates before you
won't get them as a pilot either. Trust me.
↑ Top
Q. I've watched Top Gun 72 times. Can we fly like Tom Cruise?
A. No.
However, I'd be happy to recommend some
good aerobatics instructors if that's your thing. I'm perfectly happy
keeping my airplane upright at all times.
↑ Top