Private pilot certificate
Obtaining your private certificate is the gateway to a career as a professional aviator. During your training you will experience all the steps and challenges an airman deals with on a regular basis as an airline pilot. From studying to check rides, remember that a good pilot is always learning new things, improving his skills and proving that he is worthy of keeping his credentials set by the Federal Aviation Administration standards. With your private certificate, you will be able to be the pilot in command of an airplane and carry people, providing you remain in visual flight rules, commonly called VFR, at all time. This means that you will not be able to fly in low visibility ( less than 1 nautical mile ) or with ceilings less than 3000 feet.You will acquire knowledge about aviation regulations ( FAR’s ), basic aerodynamics, weather and navigation. All these information will be part of the first written test you will take at an FAA approved testing center, and you must score at least a 70% to pass. In the airplane you will start by learning how to maneuver it and as you get more and more comfortable, you will learn important airmanship maneuvers like stalls, slow flight and steep turns. Remember it is not a race. Everybody learns at its own pace. Some days will seem harder than others and your frustration might follow the same upward trend. Just stay focused and come prepared for every lesson. The one day, you will hear the magic words by your instructor “time to solo”. With your logbook and student certificate endorsed, you will be talking to the skies alone, for a few laps in the pattern and a couple of landings. The next step will be to work on cross country and the associated navigational skills like pilotage and dead reckoning. You will then get to complete two cross country by yourself and when you and your instructor feel ready for it, you will be signed off to do your private pilot check ride with an FAA examiner. It can be very stressful but remain calm and precise in all the tasks you are asked to performed. You will go thru an oral and a practical check to prove the examiner that you are ready to be a responsible and competent pilot in a your cockpit. Your faith will be sanctioned by either a satisfactory, unsatisfactory or a discontinuance ( for weather reasons perhaps ) decision. Good luck !
For complete eligibility and training requirements, please read the regulations specific to pilots seeking a private pilot certificate, by clicking here |