The Process of Learning to Fly

By Gene Benson

I recently began teaching a new session of my Private Pilot Ground School. Like I have done for the past thirty-two years and several hundred classes, I began by giving a brief summary of the process involved in earning a Private Pilot Certificate. When I had finished, one of the students asked where that information might be found. The best answer I could come up with was, "I'm not sure." Over the next couple of days, I did some research. Certainly there was information on the Internet or in a pamphlet. I came up with a few references, but everything I found was either trying to sell a particular program, was incomplete, or was just plain incorrect. So, I'll go with the old adage, "If you want it done right, do it yourself." I'll try to be brief.

The beginning student has at least three choices regarding the kind of certificate sought and therefore the privileges and limitations associated with each. First, there is the brand new "Light Sport Airplane" Certificate. This has lots of promise, but isn't readily available yet in terms of finding a training school. The second is the "Recreational Pilot Certificate." This requires limited academic training and not as much flight experience, so the cost might be attractive. However, there are severe limitations such as being allowed to carry only one passenger, not flying at night, and not flying more than fifty nautical miles away. The third, and I believe the most logical choice is the "Private Pilot Certificate." This article will explore the process of becoming a Private Pilot.

The first step should be to schedule and take the required physical examination. The student can obtain a list of local AMEs, or Aviation Medical Examiners. These are local doctors who have been approved by the FAA to administer the physical exam and issue the FAA Medical Certificate and Student Pilot Certificate. A Medical Certificate and Student Pilot Certificate must be obtained before the airplane may be flown solo. The exam should be taken early in the training process in case something is found that requires time to sort out. For example, it is quite common for male students to fail the color blindness part of the exam. Almost all of those individuals will meet the requirement for a waiver of demonstrated ability, but the process takes a couple of months to complete.

There are three classes of FAA Medical Certificates. If the student only intends to fly for recreation or personal and business travel, then only a Class III Medical Certificate is needed. If the student intends to eventually fly as a professional pilot, then a Class I Medical Certificate will be needed and should be obtained before proceeding very far into the training process just to make sure that the higher level of medical scrutiny can be passed.

The training process will probably begin by becoming enrolled in a ground school class or by purchasing a self-study ground training course. Flight training will probably be scheduled to run concurrently with the ground training. Each flight lesson will also consist of a brief ground training lesson specific to that flight lesson.

The early flight lessons will consist of maneuvers designed to improve basic, coordinated handling of the airplane. These lessons will gradually evolve into ground reference maneuvers. These maneuvers combine the basic airplane handling with learning to compensate for the effects of the wind.

The next phase consists of learning to make takeoffs and landings. As this phase begins, the student should make sure that the Medical Certificate and Student Pilot Certificate have been obtained. If they are not yet in place, training should be slowed until they are both in order.

During this takeoff and landing phase, the student will also be exposed to a variety of simulated emergencies. The instructor must make sure that the student can handle anything that might go wrong during solo flight. This is the phase where the student flies seemingly endless circuits of the traffic pattern performing "touch-and-goes." Instructors sometimes refer to these takeoffs and landings as "crash and dash."

During this phase, the instructor will administer a short written test. It is required by the Federal Aviation Regulations prior to solo and is called the Pre-solo Written Examination. It is usually made up by the instructor or by the flight school and will consist of questions on airplane systems, operating practices, weight and balance, airplane performance, weather, emergency procedures, and Federal Aviation Regulations. It will be scored by the instructor, and questions answered incorrectly will be discussed, and the exam will be kept by either the instructor or the flight school.

Finally the big day arrives and the student completes his or her first solo flight while the instructor nervously watches. The first solo usually consists of two touch-and-goes and a full-stop landing. Prior to authorizing that first solo flight, the instructor is required to endorse the Student Pilot Certificate for solo flight, stating which make and model of airplane is to be used. The instructor must also make a student logbook endorsement authorizing the solo flight. In the logbook, the instructor may place limitations regarding weather or just about anything else that he or she deems to be appropriate.

The student will typically make several supervised solos. These are flights that will start out with the instructor along. Once the instructor is satisfied that the student is competent to handle the airplane under the existing conditions, her or she will get out and allow the student to fly the remainder of the lesson solo in the traffic pattern.

After a few solo flights in the traffic pattern, the student will be allowed to fly solo to the practice area, perform some of the maneuvers learned earlier, and return. This builds the student's confidence in being alone in the airplane and away from the airport.

Next comes the cross-country phase. The FAA defines, for the purpose of private pilot certification, a cross-country flight as a flight including a landing at a point more than fifty nautical miles from the point of departure. Here, the ground training regarding navigation will be put to work. Each cross-country flight must be planned in great detail prior to the flight. Usually, a short cross-country flight of sixty or seventy miles is flown followed by a longer, triangular flight with at least one leg measuring at more than one hundred nautical miles.

Now it's time for the student to begin the solo cross-country phase. Again, each flight must be carefully planned. The instructor is required by Federal Aviation Regulations to check the students flight planning and the weather on the day of the flight and to make a logbook entry certifying that the planning and weather are satisfactory. Prior to the first solo cross cross-country flight, the instructor must endorse the Student Pilot Certificate for solo cross-country flight. The student must log a minimum of five hours of solo cross-country flying, including a flight with one leg at least one hundred nautical miles in length, plus a couple of other requirements.

There will almost certainly be some flight cancellations due to weather during this phase. That presents a good opportunity for the student to take the FAA Knowledge Examination. This is a sixty question, multiple-choice exam that covers the material presented in the ground school program. The exam is taken on a computer at any FAA authorized testing center. Chances are that there will be a testing center on the airport where the flight instruction is taking place. The minimum passing score is 70%. The score is known immediately upon completion of the exam. The student will be issued an official copy of the test results. To take the exam, the student must present an endorsement from an instructor certifying that the required ground training has been completed.

Once the solo cross-country phase has been completed, the student moves into what I have always called the wrap-up phase. All the maneuvers and operations required of a private pilot will be reviewed and polished. The instructor will spend additional ground training time with the student in preparation for the FAA Oral and Practical Examination.

The first part of the FAA examination triad was completed by passing the Knowledge Examination. Once the flight hour and levels of proficiency requirements have been met, the instructor will make appropriate logbook endorsements and complete an FAA Form 8710 certifying that the he or she finds the student competent to pass the FAA Oral and Practical Examinations. This, collectively, is commonly called the check ride. It will be administered by an individual who has been designated by the FAA to perform examinations on its behalf. These individuals are called Designated Pilot Examiners or DPEs. More commonly, they're just referred to as examiners.

The check ride will usually take about half a day. It will begin with a review of the paperwork for both the prospective private pilot and for the airplane to be used. The copy of the FAA Knowledge Exam results must be presented along with the other items. Next comes the oral portion of the exam. The student will be asked to perform a weight and balance calculation, a couple of airplane performance calculations and to plan a cross-country flight to an airport several hundred miles away. The examiner will usually leave the student alone to perform these tasks. The examiner will examine the calculations and flight planning, then pro cede to ask questions about them, Federal Aviation Regulations, airplane systems, emergency procedures, and other areas. Once satisfied that the student is competent in the aeronautical knowledge area, it's time to fly.

The check ride usually starts out with the cross-country portion. The student will begin the flight as if to actually take his or her passenger (the examiner) to the selected destination. Once convinced that the student can fly the course and perform the necessary calculations along the way, the examiner will simulate a bad weather scenario in which it is necessary to divert to another airport. The student will plan the new course and turn toward the new destination, providing the examiner with any requested information concerning time to reach the alternate airport and how much fuel will be required.

Next comes the flight maneuvers portion of the check ride. The student will be required to perform a selection of the maneuvers previously learned, to tolerances stated in the FAA's "Practical Test Standards."

Finally, the examiner will tell the student to return to the airport and the takeoff and landing phase will be completed. This will consist of performing the different kinds of landing learned earlier in the training. Emergencies will be simulated throughout this and previous portions of the check ride.

Satisfied that the student is competent to be a private pilot, the examiner will issue a Temporary Airman Certificate. This affords all the privileges of a Private Pilot Certificate, but is only valid for 120 days. Within that time, a permanent pilot certificate will arrive in the mail. The pilot certificate will never expire, but pilots must meet certain, minimal recent experience requirements to exercise its privileges. Also, the FAA Medical Certificate, if used only as a private pilot, must be renewed every thirty-six months if the pilot is under the age of 40 and every twenty-four months if age 40 or older.

To get the most out of your time and money, click here to read my four-part article "How to Maximize Your Training and Minimize Your Cost."