FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will it take to get my certificate?
Learning to fly is not difficult, but it does requires good study habits and practice, since it is a skill. The national average for obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate is around 70-75 hours. Since we generally have better weather in San Diego and can fly more often, the average drops to an average of 55-65 hours.
How long it will take you depends on how often you fly. If you do anything every day, you’ll learn it quicker than doing it once or twice a week because you won’t have to “relearn” what you “forgot” between lessons. If you fly every day, you could possibly earn your certificate in 50-60 hours flown in a month or so. If you can only fly part time, it may take you a year or more, and more than 80 hours to earn your certificate.
How long is a lesson?
Most flight training lessons will take around 2- hours from start to finish. Most lessons are based on an approximate 1-hour flight and 1-hour of pre-flight and post-flight discussions or ground training. The pre and post-flight discussions are where you and your certificated flight instructor talk about what you’re going to do, how you did, what you did well, what needs work, and what you’ll do on your next lesson.
Will I get airsick?
Maybe. If you do, it will most likely come early in training, when you’re getting used to the new sensations of flying. The important thing is to not worry about it. In most cases, if you are affected, it will quickly pass as you get comfortable. Let your instructor know how you feel, look out the window, and open an air vent. If the feeling persists, discuss the use of anti-motion sickness drugs with an aviation medical examiner. They can help you over the rough spots, but you should only take them when flying with your instructor.
How safe is it?
General aviation is as safe as any other mode of travel, if not safer. You don’t need a parachute because airplanes (and helicopters) do not fall out of the sky, even if the engine stops. An aircraft without an engine, even if it’s supposed to have one, is a glider. If an engine quits, for example, the most common cause is because the pilot ran out of gas. In other words, flying is as safe as you make it. How to fly safely, and to deal with the rare emergencies that are beyond the pilot’s influence, will be covered in your training.
Can I carry passengers?
Student pilots cannot carry passengers when flying solo. Friends or family may ride along on dual lessons (when your instructor is in the plane) however, and it’s a good idea to discuss this with your CFI in advance. Recreational pilots may only carry one passenger at a time; private pilots may carry as many passengers as the airplane will legally hold. While recreational and private pilots may share the expenses of a flight, they may not charge people for flying them someplace. Pilots must have a commercial certificate and fly for an air taxi operation to get paid for transporting people.
What’s ground school?
Flight training is divided into two parts, ground school and flight training. Ground school teaches you the principles, procedures, and regulations you will put into practice in an airplane — how a wing generates lift, how to navigate from one airport to another, and in kind of weather you can fly. Before you can earn a pilot certificate, you must pass a computerized FAA knowledge test (with a score of at least 70 percent) on this information. You have several ground school options. You can attend a scheduled classroom course that may be held at a flight school, independent ground school, high school, or community college. There are also intense, weekend-long ground schools. Or you can take a home-study course, which is composed of videotapes and may include computerized test preparation software. Regardless of the option you chose, you’ll need an instructor’s endorsement to take the knowledge test.
When will I actually begin flying?
You’ll be flying on your first lesson, with your CFI’s help, of course. With each lesson, your CFI will be helping less, until you won’t need any help at all. When you reach this point, you will make your first solo flight, an important milestone in every pilot’s training. After you solo, you and your CFI will work on such things as flying cross-country. And when you’re ready, you’ll make several solo cross-country flights. When you have demonstrated your ability to consistently demonstrate all of the FAA-required skills, your instructor will recommend you for the FAA checkride.