Expert: Jeff Davis - 9/29/2009

Question
QUESTION: how long does it take to become a pilot? how much does it all cost?

ANSWER: With some exceptions, the general rule to get a Private license is 40 hours of flight time, of which 10 must be solo.  Realistically, it usually takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 to 70 hours to achieve the proficiency needed to pass the flight test.  The amount of time involved depends on how much time the individual can devote to it.  Full-time students can meet the requirements in a month or two, while people with jobs and families usually need six months to a year to work in the required training.  In addition to the flight experience, the candidate must pass a written test, and the final test involves an oral examination and flight test with a designated pilot examiner.  Cost depends on where you are and what kind of airplane you're flying; typical trainers rent for about $100 per hour, and figure an extra $20 to $25 for the instructor.  Do the math and it's not cheap, and then advanced ratings come at a steeper price.  It's still worthwhile if flying is something you really want to do, but it isn't something to be entered into casually.  Please feel free to ask follow-up questions if you want more details or additional information, and good luck with your training if you choose to do it.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for being so prompt. How long will it take to become commercial pilot? and the cost? What is the process? I live in california. Suburb of los angeles.

Answer
The commercial certificate requires 250 hours, of which you'll already have the first 60 or so when you get your private license.  Most of that flight time can be without an instructor, and if you can scrounge up willing passengers, you can even get them to chip in with expenses (but no more, you can't charge any kind of fee for pilot services if you don't have a commercial license).  Again, the time involved depends on whether you can devote full time to it or have to squeeze flying time in around other activities.  Most of the flight time can be in the cheapest airplane you can get your hands on, so even though it is costly, there are ways to minimize the expense.  I would suggest you look at Part 61 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (available at your local airport or on the Internet).  It has sections for the knowledge and experience requirements for each rating or license, and it's fairly straightforward as government regulations go.  In addition to the hours I've told you about, it gives a breakdown of what you need in terms of night flight, cross country trips, instrument flight, etc.  One more thing - if your next question is going to be "What do I need to be an airline pilot?" I'm not really qualified to answer that one.  I would suggest for that, you read the profiles on AllExperts and pick someone who is more knowledgeable in that area, or ask a flight instructor who is up to date on those requirements.  As for picking an instructor or an airport, my main piece of advice is to go outside the Class B airspace if that is practicable for you.  Class B is the designation of the most busy chunks of airspace; in your case, it's basically a 30 nautical mile radius of LAX.  If you're outside of that airspace, you'll spend more of your valuable flight time learning to fly and less time negotiating the traffic and air traffic controllers.  Feel free to follow up some more, I'm here for you.