Expert: Malcolm Dickinson - 6/13/2005

Question
About the fastest thing I've ever driven is my Ford sedan, but I've always been interested in learning how to fly a plane, more a hobby.  I'm not interested in becoming a professional pilot, but I do want to know the steps one takes in order to be qualified to fly something like a Cessna, for purely recreational purposes.  I had read the story about the infamous Charles J. Bishop and found he had acquired his flight credentials before he even reached the age he'd be qualified to drive a car.  His story is a tragedy, but it did inspire me to think about my flight dreams agains.  Unlike Bishop, I am going into my 30's and I feel I've gotten enough life experience to take on the hobby much more responsibly.  I do understand that the process takes time, money and talent.  What steps should I take in order to pursue this goal?  I thank you for your help.

Answer
Training for the Private Pilot Certificate will involve about 60-70 hours of flight time, most of it with an instructor. Costs are typically $5000 - $8000 altogether and include rental of the airplane (by the hour), paying the instructor (by the hour), a few books, an aviation headset, and the cost of the computer knowledge test and the final practical test.

All the information that most people want to know before beginning flight training has been collected at www.beapilot.com - by going to that site, you can even print out a coupon which will provide a discount on your first flight.

Any time anyone asks me about learning to flym, I tell them that if they have the interest, the money, and the time to devote to the training, that it is a fascinating and very rewarding process!  The way to get started is to find out the name of your local flight schools (use the phone book or the www.beapilot.com web site) and call them to schedule a "discovery flight" or first flight lesson. The flight instructor will take you up and show you the area from the air; will let you fly the plane a little bit to get a feel for it; and will give you an idea about the process.

I also suggest to people that they should not begin their training until they have the entire amount of funds ready and available to them.  Too often we see someone start training, continue for several months, then "run out of money" and stop. They always say "I'll resume lessons in a few months as soon as I have some money together" but it is a shame because when/if they do return, they have forgotten what they knew and they have to start over again from the beginning.

good luck! email me at malcolm@malcolm.cc if I can answer any further questions.