PRIVATE PILOT FLIGHT TRAINING - STEP-BY-STEP
Sign up/make an account on Flight Circle, our scheduling/tracking/billing suite.
Not a bad idea to start ground school training at the same time that you begin your practical instruction. It is not mandatory, by any means, and can be done before you ever start flying or at the end, like a crash course, but there is a synergy when the practical training is coupled with the book training. See more about Ground School in Step 7 below.
Call us at 704-614-3084 and ask to speak to a flight instructor; be sure to leave a message if we are all out flying. Individual instructor names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses are also available on the Instructors page of this website, but if you contact them directly, please be sure and tell them you got their information from here, so they know you are legit!
Schedule a flight with your flight instructor - this can be a formal lesson, an evaluation flight if you have previous flight time, or simply a demonstration ride, which will give you about 30 minutes in the air with a flight instructor to give you some hands on experience flying the plane and doing some basic maneuvers to help you decide if you really want to pursue training.
Once you have your initial flight under your belt - don't worry if your first flight was a humbling experience, you are not alone - it was for all of us - now it is time to start training in earnest. In order to maintain a steady progression, you will want to fly not less than once or twice week, and three times a week is even better. Flying too infrequently inevitably results in the need to re-learn things because you simply can't retain the skills that you are learning for a very long time. In fact, you begin to lose proficiency immediately, and this leads to frustration due to stagnation, and worse, unnecessary additional cost. So within reason, more is better and three times a week is a good starting point. In short, you will learn quicker if you fly more often.
Before you can progress to step 7, you will have to obtain a 3rd class (or better) Medical, by getting a Flight Physical from an FAA-certified doctor. Don't worry, it won't hurt and gives you, your loved ones, and those of us who are under your flight path the peace of mind knowing that you don't have any medical condition(s) that would prevent you from successfully piloting an aircraft safely to the ground.
Soon, your instructor will deem you proficient enough to fly the plane solo - yes, all by yourself. This day will be one of the highlights of your entire life. It is now, when you are taxiing out for your first solo departure, that you look in the empty seat that has until now been occupied by your instructor, your safety blanket, and say to yourself, "wow, this is for real, it is all on me, I really have to fly this thing!" It has been said about flying that the greatest thrill in a pilot's lifetime is their first solo landing and that the second greatest thrill is every landing thereafter. And it was said - by none other than Charles Lindburg, that "flying is the second greatest thrill known to man, landing is the first." You realize how true this is when you embark upon your 1st solo flight! Cherish it, because it only happens once and we would be honored for you to experience that thrill here at The Goose.
Now that you have soloed, you will start to fly solo flights but will continue with dual instruction as well. As per FAA regulations, you must have not less than 40 hours logged as pilot in command (PIC) including the following specific requirements, before you may take a check ride to become a Private Pilot:
Not less than 10hrs solo
Not less than 20 hours dual (with an instructor)
Beyond those basic minimums, the FAA also requires the following:
Three (3) hours of cross-country flight training
Three (3) hours of NIGHT flight training consisting of:
One cross country flight over 100 nautical miles total distance
10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern at an airport
Three (3) hours of flight training on control and maneuvering solely by reference to instruments
Three (3) hours of flight training with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test
Ten (10) hours of solo flight time consisting of:
Five (5) hours of solo cross-country time
One solo cross country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance with full stop landings at three points and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight line distance of more than 50 nautical miles between takeoff and landing locations
Three (3) takeoffs and three (3) landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower
Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.
A more comprehensive list of requirements can be found in the Code of Federal Regulation at this link 14CFR61.103.
If that sounds like a lot, it is, and But by using a structured, systematic approach, our instructors can get you there as quickly as possible. Assuming it takes the US National average of 75 hrs flight time (note that the FAA minimum is 40 hrs, but the actual average is about 75) to obtain your Private Pilot Certificate (PPC), if you diligently fly for one hour, three times a week, it should take approximately six months to complete your private pilot flight training. The less frequently you fly, the more hours it will take for you to gain the necessary skills to be able to demonstrate to the FAA that you meet the requirements to become a certified pilot. You demonstrate this proficiency by taking a check ride with an FAA pilot, or designee, in which you will be required to perform certain maneuvers to the
As noted (in step 2) above and in 14CFR61.103 as well as on this FAA website page, the FAA also requires completion of Pilot Ground training. There are many ways to meet this requirement, including community colleges, on-line classes, approved self-study courses such as Gleim, The King Schools, Sporty's, ASA, etc. Ground school classes are periodically held at Goose Creek, as well, and if they work with your schedule, we would love to see you in the classroom. But no matter where you receive the ground school instruction, you will be given the opportunity to demonstrate to the FAA that you have learned required the material when you take your Private Pilot Written Exam - YAY, a test! You must successfully pass this test with a 70% or better score. A satisfactorily completed knowledge test expires 24 calendar-months after the month it was taken. If a practical test is not satisfactorily completed during that period, another knowledge test must be taken. Don;t worry, it is a multyiple chouce test - you can handle it!
By now you are a seasoned pilot, ready to take on any pilot task, but are you ready for the dreaded FAA Oral and Practical (flight) tests? Of course you are, you've been training with the best instructors around, who have prepped you for this day for months and will be there to support you on the day of your check ride and oral exam. You take the FAA head on and you pass.
Guess what? Yup, you are now a licensed pilot and are ready to go out and REALLY learn how to fly, because as we say, your PPC is actually a license to learn and you will find that you learn something new every time you fly, even if only when landing. As my dad, Reo Rood famously said, "landing is the only thing that is really interesting about flying, because every one is different." Well said, pappy!
PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE MILESTONES
PPC requirements in a nutshell:
a) 16 years of age to solo; 17 years of age to take check ride and obtain PPC; read, write and understand the English language.
b) Flight Training (40 hours minimum FAA requirement, 75 hours is the national average)
c) Ground Training ( FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Exam - pass FAA computerized exam )
c) Flight Physical (given by FAA certified physician prior to your first solo)
d) "Check Ride" (given by FAA designated examiner which will include an oral exam and flight test)
COSTS
Plan for a total cost of $8,000 and $13,000, spread over approximately a 6-12 month time period.
The actual flight time, chorological time and associated total cost will vary depending on frequency of lessons and your own individual abilities; yes, some people are natural brn flyers (not me) and some are... not!
The above assumes that you have average flying aptitude, will fly two to three times a week for one hour each session and includes the aircraft rental, instructor time, pilot supplies and ground training.
Flying less than twice a week will likely increase the number of hours required and, obviously will take a longer time - as noted above. Flying once per week will, for example, typically result in an elapsed time of 12 to 18 months to complete PPC.
We are happy to say that our partner Pilot Finance, Inc. is there to assist you with financing your flight training. It is a great program and we will be happy to discuss it with you in detail if you feel that it may help you attain your flight training goals.
MISCELLANEOUS
When you start training at The Goose, you will automatically join the Flight School/Flight Club which affords you a reduced rental rate on the aircraft and various other benefits.
Each time you fly, you will record your flight time and aircraft time in Flight Circle, our scheduling software, and on a record sheet in the respective aircraft's "Can" (basically a clipboard with an enclosed compartment - there is a Can dedicated to each aircraft). The Cans are located in the main office and are used to track aircraft flight hours, used to ensure that FAA-required inspections are completed within the allotted time, in addition to tracking time for billing purposes.
We accept Cash, Check, Paypal, Venmo, and credit card payments (%3 fee for credit card). You are required to keep a valid credit card on file on the secure section of Flight circle or have a prepaid account. If paying by cash or check, can pay as you go or establish a prepay account (discounts are available for cash or Venmo pre purchase of 20 hours or more). The card on file will be used to pay accounts in arrears if there is no prepay money on your account.
Pilot supplies you will need soon after you begin your flight training include: aviation headset, pilot logbook, and fuel tester.