What You Need to Know About Flight-Training—Start Here!
This page is where we get technical and detailed about flight-training—Of course, we would rather talk to you in person or on the phone about all of this but we recognize that the Internet is where you’ll come first. So, a few things to say right from the start:
If you’ve come this far (on our website and in your life) then you already know there are some things in life that you SHOULD NOT be looking for the cheapest deal! This is especially true when you are choosing the right flight instructor or flight school, where the risk of taking the cheap way has far more consequences.
Learning To Fly–Here’s What You Really Need to Know.
Private Pilot Certificate
The Private Pilot Airplane, Single Engine Land certificate is one of the most popular primary pilot certifications you can achieve. Private pilots fly for recreation, to travel longer distances in shorter time, for family vacations, and on business trips.
As a private pilot you can fly most single engine aircraft, you can fly at night too but you cannot fly for pay—that requires a commercial pilot certificate, or in the clouds without an instrument rating.
Private Pilot Training FAQs (Click for Dropdown)
Private Pilot Flight-Training:
The FAA requires all private pilot applicants to prove they can meet the national private pilot airmen certification standards. This is done through completion of flight training, passing a knowledge test, and passing a check-ride, also called the practical test. You’ll have the opportunity to developed flying and risk management skills along with a wealth of aeronautical knowledge.
The FAA’s minimum requirements are:
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- 40 flight hour minimum (recommended 55-70 flight hours)
- FAA medical certificate (Visit FAA Medical Certification for info)
- Can fly under day or night visual flight rules (VFR) unless instrument rating is obtained
- Be at least 16 to solo an airplane
- Be at least 17 to test for a private pilot airplane certificate
- Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English
- Pass an FAA private pilot knowledge test. TakeWING is a testing center. (click for more on: FAA aeronautical knowledge tests)
- Pass a the private pilot practical exam (oral and flight) “check ride”
- 40 flight hour minimum (recommended 55-70 flight hours)
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How long should I expect my private pilot training to take?
Flight hours v. calendar days. We want you to complete your training in as short as possible amount of time as it will take to make you a safe pilot. The FAA requires applicants training under Part 61 of the code of Federal Aviation Regulations to have a minimum of 40 flight-hours, pass an aeronautical knowledge test, and pass a practical test (oral and flight test) for certification as a private pilot.
There’s usually a conflict between finishing your pilot certificate within the FAA’s minimum flight time requirements and fitting the training into your “real-life” of living and working.
Most working adults are not able to devote enough personal time both at the airport and at home (study-time) to complete knowledge and flight hour requirements within the FAA minimums. A reasonable goal is about 50 to 70 flight hours and between 12 to 18 months for completing private pilot training.
How often should I schedule lessons?
For best results plan on one or two lessons and two to four hours of home study per week.
TakeWING offers you a self-paced training program with flexible lesson times. You can choose a different day and/or time(s) each week to meet your personal and work-day preferences. However, you will also need to put aside time at home to complete assignments and study aeronautical subjects. Much of this is done using the Cessna online ground school course—the most modern training curriculum available today (Click here for a demonstration of the Cessna online program).
A typical lesson session is from 2 to 3 hours.
How much does private pilot training cost?
If you take weekly lessons and meet lesson objectives and standards consistently the estimated cost of your training will be between $15,000 and $17,000. This cost estimate is base on more-than the minimum flight and instructional hours! For busy adults and high school students a part time, pay-as-you-train, self-paced program works best. An average 2-hour lesson including aircraft and instruction (ground and flight) will cost $270.
Our Rates and Fees:
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- Instructor fee: $65 per hour
- Aircraft rental: C172 (Skyhawk) $140 per hour / C162 (Skycatcher) $124 per hour
- Flight simulator rental: $75 per hour
- Club Dues: $90/mo
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Other Costs:
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- FAA medical +/- $100 (depending on the doctor)
- FAA student pilot certificate application processing fee: $35
- Initial costs for books and pilot training software and consumables
- TakeWING club application and school orientation: $200
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*Cost estimates are based on higher than minimum hour completion times. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Sport Pilot Certificate
Sport pilots fly for recreation, travel, and adventure just like private pilots but are restricted to flying 2-seat Light Sport Aircraft, commonly referred to as just an LSA, during daylight hours in good (Visual Flight Rules) only weather.
Light Sport Aircraft have a maximum of two-seats and can weigh no more than 1320 lbs, therefore they have weight and size restrictions—Not everyone can “fit” into one.
Sport Pilot Flight-Training —Airplane FAQs (Click for Dropdown)
Sport Pilot Flight-Training (Single Engine Land)
The FAA requires all sport pilot applicants to prove that they they can understand and apply aeronautical knowledge, with well developed flying and risk management skills, in order to meet the national sport pilot airman certification standards. This is done through completion of flight training, passing a knowledge test, and passing a check-ride (an an oral and flight exam), also called the practical test.
Flight-Training Requirements (AOPA link) and Privileges
- 20 flight hour minimum for airplanes (40-50 recommended)
- Driver’s License (no FAA Medical)
- Restricted to flying 2-Seat Light Sport Aircraft (weight limited)
- Good weather only (visual flight rules)—No night flying
- Be at least 16 to become a student sport pilot (student pilot certificate)
- Be at least 17 to take the sport pilot airplane check ride
- Be able to read, write, and understand English
- Pass an FAA sport pilot knowledge test
- Pass a the sport pilot check ride with an FAA designated examiner
How long does it take to become a sport pilot?
Flight hours v. calendar days. The FAA requires a minimum 20 flight hours, passing an aeronautical knowledge test, and passing a practical test (oral and flight exam) for a sport pilot certificate. Most working adults require more than the minimum flight hours and training time — normally 40 to 50 flight hours. Completing the training can take as little as 3 or 4 months or as long as one-year— It all depends on how quickly you learn and acquire the necessary aeronautical knowledge and skills.
Our flight-training program combines modern Internet course work with traditional one-to one (student-instructor) lessons. Using the Cessna Online course makes learning easy and has the additional value of allowing you to go back over lectures, videos. and test questions, as often as you like! Plus, the course is never out of date.
How often should I schedule lessons?
For best results plan on a minimum of one or two lessons per week.
TakeWING offers you very flexible lesson-times. You can choose a different day and/or times each week to meet your personal and work-time preferences. You will also need to plan time for home study, to complete assignments and study aeronautical subjects on your own. Much of this is done using the Cessna online ground school course—the most modern training curriculum available today (Click here for a demonstration of the Cessna online program).
Plan on each lessons taking from 2 to 3 hours per session.
How much does sport pilot flight-training cost?
Completing your flight-training for the sport pilot, single engine-land certificate is estimated to cost between $11,000 and $13,000* Note: This cost estimate is base on higher than minimum flight and instructional hours
For busy adults and high school students a part time, pay-as-you-train program works best. It lets you customize your training times around your busy work and school schedules. The average lesson takes from 2 to 3 hours per week. The costs of a 2-hour lesson including aircraft rental and instruction (flight and ground) is $255.
Our Rates and Fees:
- Instructor fee: $65 per hour
- Aircraft rental: C162 (Skycatcher) $124 per hour
- Flight simulator rental: $75 per hour
- Club Dues: $90/mo
Other Costs:
- FAA student pilot certificate application processing fee $35
- Initial costs for books and Cessna course and consumables
- TakeWING club application and school orientation: $200
*Estimates are based on HIGHER than the minimum required hour completion times. Prices are subject to change without notice.
OUR AIRCRAFT and SIMULATOR
Is there insurance coverage when I rent aircraft from TakeWING?
Our aircraft are insured for liability and damage. As long as our pilots follow our rules and the FAA rules, our insurance company covers them (within the limits of our insurance coverage) with the exception of the deductible. It is important to understand that we pay more for a Waiver of Subrogation. A Waiver of Subrogation is an endorsement that prohibits an insurance carrier from recovering the money they paid on a claim from a negligent third party.
Should you wish to have additional coverage (recommended) we suggest Avemco Insurance.
We Promise to Teach You How to Be a Safe Pilot
We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40 — and half the things he knows at 40 hadn’t been discovered when he was 20?“— Arthur C. Clarke
IFR Flight-Training FAQs (Click for Dropdown)
Is an instrument rating necessary?
Obtaining an instrument rating will give you better piloting skills and enhance your ability to fly when VFR is not recommended or allowed. DEMO Cessna’s Instrument Course Here.
After you receive your private pilot certificate you will undoubtedly want to take trips and vacations. This will be a lot of fun and a time saver. Then bad weather sets in, and without an instrument rating you can be grounded for days. This rating states that you are qualified to fly in less than V.F.R (visual flight rule) conditions (basically a license to fly in the clouds, fog, rain, etc. in instrument meteorological conditions (I.M.C). This rating is useful when trying to make long flights of 300–600 nautical miles, which often involve bad weather that require instrument skills.
What Are the Requirements for an Instrument Rating — Airplane?
You must hold at least a private pilot certificate to begin instrument flight training. Our flight instructors are experienced instrument instructor pilots and will work with you to make sure you learn using modern methods and the latest avionics equipment. If you would like to know the exact requirements for the rating, contact us. For the specific FAA regulation on obtaining your instrument rating click here: CFR 61.65
Instrument Rating Airplane Airman Certification Standards
Redbird Full Motion Flight Simulator (FAA Approved AATD) Reduces Training Costs and Enhances Maintaining Pilot Proficiency and Currency)
TakeWING”s Redbird Full Motion Flight Simulator (FMX) serves up a level of realism that has to be experienced. But the bigger advantage for pilots is the Redbird FMX is FAA certified as an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). This certification means that a pilot can log flight time in a Redbird simulator toward new certifications and instrument proficiency.
- Much more affordable than renting real aircraft with similar equipment.
- Can log up to 20 hours toward your instrument rating
- If you’re new to flying, familiarization with flight controls and instruments can be accomplished faster.
- No extra time doing a pre-flight.
- Pause a flight, ask questions, then resume flying or retry things quickly.
- Re-position to a fix, airport or navaid quickly.
- Practice multiple skills in the same flight. For instrument training, you don’t have to wait for bad weather and you won’t be tempted to peak under a hood.
- You don’t lose time flying to a practice area before initiating maneuvers or instrument approaches.
- Practice the unexpected safely, like engine failures on takeoff, unusual attitudes or spin recovery.
- Push the Pause Button! Let’s you and your instructor take a break when you need to discuss what is happening.
How long does it take to earn an instrument rating?
As with all other pilot training, how long you take to get your instrument rating depends on many factors, including how many hours and cross-country flight hours you already have, how many lessons you schedule per week, your study habits, weather conditions, your familiarity with the aircraft’s systems, and the air-traffic control environment. The instrument rating is not an easy pilot rating to acquire but the Cessna Instrument Training Curriculum gives you all the tools to make it faster and easier to understand.
TakeWING also offers accelerated instrument training and IPCs (instrument proficiency checks) for aircraft owners.
When you’re ready to talk with a real person—Call Us! 541-895-5935
TakeWING Aviation Club provides you with aircraft rental and instruction. Each aircraft is meticulously maintained and we expect all of our club members to be good stewards of our resources.
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