How to become a Pilot ?

Flight training options include training with a small flight school or fixed based operator (FBO) or with a larger flight school like PEA.

There are many advantages to conducting flight training at an accredited school like PEA. These advantages include access to instructors and aircraft, frequent flights and well-maintained aircraft.

Fast-track flight programs like PEA are often the quickest and least expensive route to becoming a commercial pilot.

. Fast-track programs are flight programs that allow students with zero flight hours to gain the necessary experience to become a commercial pilot in a very short amount of time.

Collegiate flight training programs usually include flight training and a college degree. These programs are often the most expensive of the flight training programs and take the longest to complete (about four years). If you choose a collegiate flight program, be sure it’s an accredited school.

Local fixed base operators, or FBOs, often provide flight training at your own pace. There are multiple advantages and disadvantages to this method of flight training.

The ability to fly at a small, local airport without the rigid schedule found at some fast-track or university programs is appealing to some, but this same benefit can also be a detriment, as students in these programs might be less likely to fly regularly and training programs at these schools are less regulated than collegiate and fast track flight schools.

Flying at an FBO can also mean frequent instructor changes and scheduling interruptions.

In addition to the specific training methods involved, there are many other factors involved with choosing a flight school. These include cost, aircraft types, instructor availability, location, living conditions, student success rates and graduate job placement.

There are two different types of FAA flight training programs that are available to prospective pilots: Part 61 and Part 141 training. Both types of training are acceptable, but there are slight differences you’ll want to know before you choose a training program.

Part 61 flight training programs are the most common type, and the kind that most small flight schools offer. Part 61 training is flexible and allows for you to go at your own pace and allows the program to be adjusted to suit the needs of the students

Part 141 flight training programs can often be found at larger institutions, including fast-track programs and universities with flight programs. Part 141 flight training is conducted to the same standards as Part 61, but is done under a more structured training outline and more efficiently.

For flight training to be conducted under Part 141 regulations, an FAA-approved training curriculum is required, including detailed lesson plans. In addition, the FAA monitors the performance of Part 141 training, so too many failures or poor performance will be managed. Because Part 141 flight training is much more structured, the FAA allows students to complete the same training in less required flight time.

a private pilot certificate requires at least 40 hours of flight time under Part 61 rules, and only 35 hours under Part 141 regulations. Part 141 programs can be intense and fast-moving for students, and there’s not always a lot of time to catch up when a student gets behind. MORE: Part 61 vs. Part 141

The FAA requires students to obtain a student pilot certificate and aviation medical certificate before they are allowed to fly solo in an aircraft. As such, most flight schools require students to get their student pilot certificate and medical certificate before they arrive for training.

The minute you lift off the ground, you realize you’re the only person that can bring the plane back to the ground safely. And when you touch down, you realize you’ve accomplished something very few people have.

You need to understand situations and make decisions based on the information you have available to you. You’ll also quickly understand your limits, and what it takes to improve them.

No joke. Becoming a pilot makes you smarter. You’ll gain knowledge that you never thought you would need to know. You’ll become a better planner and a logical decision maker.

You’ll learn good resource management, how to be patient and how to operate safely, with a sense of urgency.

Flying an airplane is fun stuff. That’s why people are attracted to it in the first place. Getting behind the controls of a huge machine, pushing the throttle forward and taking off from the runway is a blast.

Even when the initial adrenaline rush wears off and you’ve become so experienced that your actions are almost automated, there is always somewhere new to fly or a new airplane to learn.

Most people think of airline pilots as the primary flying career, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to flying.

Aviators may have a reputation for being bold, careless and insensitive, but this stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. The people in the aviation industry are a different breed.

When you become a pilot, you join an instant fraternity – without the hazing. As a new pilot, your new aviation friends will embrace you, help you and support you. They’ll make you never want to give up.

It doesn’t matter if you’re flying around your state or around the world, you’ll get to see things like never before.