In this document, I provide a brief explanation of small aircraft training, FAA regulations and tips on how to get started. I also provide an intro video to the FAA regs and a quick reference guide for those who want more information.
The video clearly sets out the difference between a CFI and an IA, so that even if you are new to flying you will be able to understand what’s going on. It is a bit long, but it leaves no doubt about why you need a flight instructor.
The document covers many of the issues you might face when starting up your own endeavor, including what kind of aircraft to buy, how much money you can expect to make in the first few months and how to go about getting your license from the FAA.
The document is also useful as a quick reference guide as long as you are just starting out by yourself.
If you want to fly small planes, there are lots of things you need to know. You need to know how to get your license, and where to take the training. You’ll also have to learn the rules. There are a lot of regulations, and they change all the time. And the FAA has lots of different ways of saying the same thing.
It’s a good idea to learn some basic facts beforehand: what parts you can fly, what’s a gusty area, what kinds of emergencies you face in an airplane, how much time you have to land if your engine quits. Then read up on some of the more obscure aspects: do I need an ERP or EGP? What about VFR or IFR? What about over-the-top flight? Do I need an ATC clearance? Do I have to file a plan? Are there any restrictions on flying at night?
There are plenty more questions than answers here, but this guide should get you started in the right direction.
Pilot training is expensive, dangerous, and time consuming. Some people decide to skip the training and just fly their planes. But maybe it is not so easy to get started. Maybe there are lots of rules, even though the FAA seems to be working on reducing them. Maybe you need some kind of license or certification. Maybe you need to spend a lot of time learning how to fly before you can learn how to land safely.
Flying large aircraft is similar, but with more people working on it. The FAA tries hard to make it safe; they have a lot of rules too, and they are constantly changing them. And when you get into a small airplane, you need all the skills that go with flying a large one: navigation, meteorology (what weather means), and so on.
The FAA has regulations for every aspect of commercial flight, from pilot licensing to aircraft maintenance. Part of the reason is safety. If a pilot’s license isn’t kept current and he doesn’t heed the rules, there is a chance he will crash his plane.
But the regulations are also there to protect the rest of us. After all, planes are expensive machines with lots of moving parts, and even small mistakes can be disastrous.
The beauty of small planes is that you can get around many of the rules that apply to multi-engine airplanes; for example, you don’t have to fly your plane within 30 minutes of an airport unless it’s outside VFR or IFR airspace.
About the Problem:
While there are no shortages of places to learn how to fly, many people find themselves in a position where they want to learn how to fly but can’t get access to a flight school. The limited FAA-approved training programs are expensive and inconvenient. They don’t meet the needs of some people who want to learn how to fly without having to spend several thousand dollars on an airplane or pay for expensive long-distance lessons (and as with any such expensive endeavor, the more money you spend, the harder it is to justify what you’ve done).
“The trouble has been, lately, that everybody’s been trying to fly an airplane. And it’s not easy to do. You’ve got to know how to fly the airplane, but you’ve got to know how to land it, too. So if a pilot is going to be a good pilot and not just a passenger-carrying pilot, he or she has got to learn both of them.”
That is from a book on flying small aircraft by Randy L. Sowers, an FAA-licensed flight instructor who also knows what he is talking about.
I have had the privilege of landing in many fields, some of them with thousands of feet of elevation change. But I can say that most pilots don’t have the experience that Randy does with landing at high altitude in very short fields and short runways.
If you are thinking about learning how to fly an airplane and you want help picking the right plane for you, this is your book.
The FAA requires that any pilot who wants to fly an airplane in the U.S. must hold an FAA-issued certificate. This document allows you to take up to six passengers on a one-way flight and to carry a maximum of two passengers (one pilot and one passenger) on a single-pilot flight. To get such a certificate, you must pass written and oral tests, submit your logbook for inspection, and pay for the first year of training if this is your first time flying. You can apply for the initial certificate or an upgrade only at a Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) office in your area.
While there are several ways to become a certified pilot, most pilots go through the Basic Pilot Training Program. This is a unique program that forces students to learn as much as they can while they are sitting at the controls of actual airplanes. Once they have completed this four-week course and passed all required tests, they are awarded an Airman’s Certificate . The Airman’s Certificate allows them to participate in solo flights (except for cross-country flights), purchase an airplane, and sell it without having gone through an ownership or maintenance test.
The ratings (or “classes”) that pilots may be granted vary with the type of aircraft