Maybe you’re unsure if you can hold a medical or don’t want to make flying a career. The sport pilot license offers an accessible entry into aviation at a lower price point and without requiring a medical.

As with any other type of pilot license, ground school is a great way to prepare for sport pilot flight training, exams, and real-world flying. We’ve rounded up six of the best programs to support your training journey.

Quick Look: 6 Top Sport Pilot Certification Courses

• Sport pilot-specific curriculum: King Schools Sport Pilot Airplane Ground School & Test Prep
• All-in-one bundle: Pilots HQ: Gleim Sport Pilot Online Ground School
• Tech resources: Sporty’s Learn To Fly Course
• Bonus content and resources: Rod Machado’s 40-hour Private Pilot eLearning Ground School
• Free ground school: Fly8MA Basic Private Pilot Ground School
• Live instructor access: Pilot Institute Private Pilot Made Easy

Best Sport Pilot License Ground Schools

The sport pilot license (SPL) is a beginner-level certificate similar to the better-known private pilot license (PPL).

The main differences are that sport pilots have more flying restrictions and must fulfill fewer training requirements. While sport pilots don’t need as many flight hours as a PPL, the written and practical exams are very similar. Because of this, many flight schools don’t offer sport pilot ground school and only offer PPL programs.

Taking a PPL ground program to get a sport pilot license may sound strange, but it’s not a bad idea.

PPL knowledge goes above and beyond the requirements for sport pilots. As a sport pilot going through a PPL course, you’ll learn a little more than is required. But in aviation, no knowledge is wasted. The more aeronautical information you can absorb, the better off you’ll be as a pilot.

King Schools

King Schools is a household name in flight training. It’s also one of the only ground schools to offer a program just for sport pilots. Its ground school and test prep companion apps are convenient for offline study. It also offers unlimited practice tests, lifetime course access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best feature: Sport pilot-specific curriculum

Website: King Schools

Course length: Self-paced modules totaling 7.5 hours of content

Subscription access: Lifetime access and automatic updates

What you’ll learn:

• Airspace
• Weather
• Aircraft performance
• Navigation
• Flying maneuvers
• Check ride and test prep

Price: $299

Gleim Pilots HQ

Pilot’s HQ is an online retailer offering pilot and aircraft supplies, educational resources, apparel, and more. It has a bundle of Gleim products specifically for sport pilots, and it’s an incredible value.

For under $200, the bundle includes online ground school and test prep, a stack of textbooks, and flight planning tools. The Gleim ground school alone is valued at $160 when purchased independently.

This is the only ground school program on this list that includes physical resources. It’s a great buy for anyone on a tight training budget.

Best feature: All-in-one bundle

Website: Pilots HQ

Course length: Average of 35 hours to complete

Subscription access: 12-month access to the program, with extension that can be purchased for 50 percent of the original price if you need more time

What you’ll learn:

• Airports
• Airspace
• Federal aviation regulations
• Aeromedical factors and Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)
• Aviation weather
• Weather services
• Sectional charts and airspace
• Navigation and preflight preparation
• Airplanes and aerodynamics
• Airplane instruments
• Airplane engines and systems
• Airplane performance weight and balance

Price: $199

Sporty’s

The tech-savvy will most enjoy Sporty’s online ground school.

Its 3-D animations, interactive simulation exercises, and 15-plus hours of high-quality video make for a well-rounded ground school experience. Sporty’s has the most diverse compatibility options with learning apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, and Roku. They also have a strong money-back guarantee—pass both your written exam and check ride or receive a full refund.

Although the course is called “Private Pilot Ground School,” it is noted in the  information that sport pilot topics are covered.

Best feature: Tech resources

Website: Sporty’s

Course length: Approximately 23 hours of material

Subscription access: Lifetime access and updates

What you’ll learn:

• Your first few hours
• Practicing landings
• Your first solo
• Dual cross countries
• Private Pilot Test
• Supplemental training (optional)
• Interactive scenarios (optional)

Price: $299

Rod Machado

Rod Machado is known for his entertaining and memorable teaching style.

The module titles listed below give insight into his punny and clever ways of making dense topics easier to understand. This is one of the longer courses on the list with more than 40 hours of video content.

Try the course for free through the demo module linked on the sales page.

Best feature: Bonus content and resources

Website: Rod Machado

Course length: 40 hours of video content

Subscription access: Lifetime access with automatic updates

What you’ll learn:

• Aerodynamics: The Wing Is the Thing
• Engines: Knowledge of Engines Ist Power
• Electrical Systems: Knowing What’s Watt
• Flight Instruments: Clocks, Tops, and Toys
• Federal Aviation Regulations: How FAR Can We Go?
• Airport Operations: No Doctor Needed
• Radio Operations: Aviation Spoken Here
• Airspace: The Wild Blue, Green, and Red Yonder
• Aviation Maps: The Art of the Chart
• Radio Navigation: The Frequency Flyer Program
• Understanding Weather: Looking for Friendly Skies
• Weather Charts and Briefings: PIREPS, Progs, and METARS
• Flight Planning: Getting There From Here
• Airplane Performance Charts: Know Before You Go
• Weight and Balance: Let’s Wait and Balance
• Pilot Potpourri: Neat Aeronautical Information

Price: $279

Fly8MA

While many ground schools offer a demo module or two, hardly any offer an entire program for free.

Fly8MA provides generous access to its basic private pilot ground school. If you’re just beginning to look for a ground school and are overwhelmed by the choices, start here.

This course can supplement training you’re already doing or serve as a solid first step. There’s always the option to upgrade to a more advanced course and get an endorsement to take the written exam when you’re ready.

Best feature: Free ground school

Website: Fly8MA

Course length: 20 modules with 93 topics

Subscription access: Lifetime access to the free course, with monthly subscriptions available to a larger library of training materials

What you’ll learn:

• Your first flight
• Traffic pattern
• Understanding wind and turns
• AOA and stalls
• Maneuvers and landings
• FARs
• Airspace
• Performance calculations
• VFR charts and navigation
• Aeromedical factors
• Flying at night
• Flight planning
• Test prep

Price: Basic Ground School is free with the option to upgrade for $149 to get an endorsement to take the written exam. Monthly subscriptions to a larger library of training materials start at $79 per month.

Pilot Institute

One thing that many online programs neglect is real-life interaction between instructors and students. Pilot Institute bridges the gap between prerecorded and live instruction.

Its students have access to virtual study groups and a community Facebook group. They can also receive instructor support by online chat, phone, or email. Study with classmates and ask questions as they come up instead of slogging through difficult material alone.

Best feature: Live instructor access and community support

Website: Pilot Institute

Course length: 35 hours of video

Subscription access: Lifetime access

What you’ll learn:

• Introduction to flight training
• Aerodynamics
• Performance and limitations
• Regulations
• Aeronautical decision making
• Weather theory
• Airport operations
• Radio communications
• Airspace
• Charts
• Navigation

Price: $225

What Is a Sport Pilot License?

A sport pilot license is an entry-level type of pilot certificate. It is less expensive and has fewer training requirements than a private pilot license. It also has tighter limitations.

A sport pilot can only fly during the daytime and may only carry one passenger. They are also restricted to flying smaller aircraft and must fly below 10,000 feet MSL.

Sport pilots fly light sport aircraft (LSA), which are very small and lightweight. The typical LSA has no more than two seats and a maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds.

Sport pilots may also be endorsed to fly other categories and classes of light aircraft, such as gliders and balloons.

FAA Sport Pilot License Requirements

Training requirements for sport pilots are much lower and more lenient than with other types of pilot licenses. Only 20 total flight hours are required to qualify for a sport pilot certificate.

Fifteen hours must be with a flight instructor, and five must be solo. Sport pilots can also legally fly without a medical certificate as long as they hold a valid U.S. driver’s license.

Get Your Sport Airplane License Training Off the Ground

A sport pilot certificate is an underrated entry point into the exciting world of aviation.

It’s typically much more affordable and accessible than a standard private pilot license. If you’ve ever thought flying was too expensive or otherwise out of reach, a sport pilot certificate may be your solution.

When choosing a ground school program, don’t overthink it. Getting hung up on this decision can hold you back from your ultimate goal—learning how to fly.

There are many incredible programs on the market. The best way forward is to choose one and dedicate time to completing it. Focus, study hard, and be excited to apply that knowledge to your new role as a licensed pilot.

FAQ

How much does a sport pilot license cost?

Light sport aircraft are usually cheaper to rent and more fuel-efficient than other training aircraft, and sport pilots only need to log 20 hours of training. Because of this, the average sport pilot license costs between $4,000-$6,000.

Is a sport pilot license worth it?

A sport pilot license is a great way to start your piloting journey, especially if you can’t qualify for a medical or just want to fly for fun. It’s much more affordable than other types of pilot certificates, and training takes less time to accomplish.

What can I fly with a sport pilot license?

Sport pilots usually train in light sport aircraft but can be endorsed to fly other light aircraft like gliders and balloons.

The post Best Sport Pilot License Ground Schools appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

They will drop out of flight training when they run out of money or when life gets in the way. It can also happen with ground school—they miss a class here or there or don’t have time to study. More often than not, it is more of a slow goodbye when they become overwhelmed. 

It is a learning plateau of sorts, and a good CFI will be watching for this and be ready to reel the learner back in.

Instructor Attitude Sets the Tone

It starts with attitude. If the instructor doesn’t want to be there, neither will the learners.

To the CFIs: Ground school shouldn’t be treated like a chore or a necessary evil. 

To the learners: Yes, it will help you pass the knowledge test, but it is also there to prepare you for your time in the air. Put some effort into it, and with the help of your instructor, do flight lessons that help you better understand the concepts you learn about in class.

To the flight schools: Find a CFI who excels at and enjoys teaching ground school. Nothing turns off a learner quicker than a lazy CFI who reads slides off a screen or passages out of a book and tries to call that teaching. They need to be engaged in the delivery—and that needs to be memorable for learning to take place.

Some flight schools pay their CFIs to create and teach a 10-week course with the caveat that the participants who miss a class can drop in on that particular class in the next 10-week course for free. Give the participants a six-month window to do these makeup classes.

This works best when the ground schools are run several times a year, provided they have enough learners to make it economically feasible for the flight school. I have taught classes with as few as five and as many as 12 learners.

The pace of the class should be to accommodate the slowest learner. It will take the CFI about two weeks to determine who that is.

To the CFI: Be ready to give that person extra assistance (privately) if needed, as there are fewer worse feelings than being left behind academically. Understand that talking is not teaching any more than throwing food at someone is getting them to eat.

Ask questions of the learners to see if the message delivered is the one received. If it isn’t, be ready to rephrase

Train the trainers 

It can be beneficial for CFI candidates to shadow the lead CFI, and open this opportunity to the inexperienced CFIs or even a commercial soon-to-be CFI candidate.

The CFI who is leading the course assigns the student-teacher a topic—for example, weight and balance or hazardous weather. The leading CFI is still in charge and will oversee the lesson to make sure all the elements are addressed, but it is a great opportunity for an up-and-comer to gain teaching experience.

Take the Initiative to Teach Ground

If your flight school does not have an established face-to-face ground school class, perhaps you can take the initiative and create one?

You don’t have to hold a CFI certificate to do this. You can become a ground instructor by passing the advanced ground instructor (AGI) knowledge test.

There is a basic ground instructor certificate, but if you want to pursue Gold Seal certification (the FAA’s way of saying you know your stuff), you will need to have an AGI, so why not get it now? The material on these tests is similar to that required of the private pilot and commercial pilot candidates. Once you pass the AGI exam, you can begin teaching ground school.

This nugget of knowledge comes from Greg Brown’s The Savvy Flight Instructor. Brown was flight instructor of the year in 2000 and inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2021.

Brown became my mentor after I heard him speak at a convention. His book is required reading for all the CFI candidates I work with, because it provides guidance on how to achieve professionalism and to market and prepare yourself to be an aviation educator. If you are on the instructor track, read this book.

Initiative: Master Level

When you don’t have a CFI certificate or experience as a teacher, it can be difficult to find a location that will hire you as a ground instructor. Don’t let that stop you.

Have some business cards made and market yourself as a tutor for those in pursuit of their flight review. The ground portion can often be very daunting if it has been a few years since they were involved in aviation.

This is how I started my instructor career. I began tutoring a friend in a Starbucks on Saturday mornings. I carried a small whiteboard, a sectional, an E6-B, etc. Another customer who recognized the tools of the trade asked if I would tutor him for his flight review.

This continued, and soon I had a small ground school going in the corner on Saturday mornings. I would tip the baristas in advance, and everyone would order coffee for the two hours we were together. It helped pay for my CFI flying lessons and develop my teaching skills.

The post The Art of Ground School appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I ask my private pilot candidates this when the weather is unstable or marginal VFR and falling. If they determine the weather does not support the mission, they need to explain why they came to that decision.

Developing personal minimums and learning to make the go/no-go decision is an essential part of their training. Developing that skill set can be tough to do when you are being pressured by a CFI intent on accumulating hours or a flight school with a policy that seemingly requires flight operations that would be below personal minimums for many pilots.

For example, a recent weather cancellation policy memo from L3Harris Flight Academy, based at Orlando Sanford International Airport (KSFB) in Florida, started burning up the blogosphere, as it dictates that the weather must be below certain criteria before a flight can be canceled or penalties would be levied.

The cross-country flight minimum of visibility of 3 sm and the ceiling of 2,000 feet stated in the memo is generating the most discussion, due in part to the definition of Marginal VFR as ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet and/or visibility 3 to 5 miles inclusive. The minima in the memo puts the aircraft in MVFR and well below the minimum altitude for 91.159 VFR cruising altitudes. The chance of a collision with other aircraft and obstacles down low increases because it puts the cross-country pilot down among those doing maneuvers. 

There are L3Harris minima published for the cancellation of IFR flights as well. If the weather is equal to the lowest approach minimums at KSFB (there are three ILS approaches, so the aircraft can use those minimums that would take the aircraft down to 200 feet above ground) the flight is supposed to take place.

L3Harris is a Part 141 school and a pilot pipeline, ostensibly designed to create airline pilots as quickly and efficiently as possible. If the airplanes are not in the air, they don’t generate revenue, and the learners don’t progress in their training. It is frustrating and wasteful when a client no-shows or cancels at the last minute, but pushing these minima, and having the CFIs push them as company policy may be counterproductive to the creation of safe pilots.

FLYING was provided with a copy of the L3Harris memo from pilots concerned about it “sending the wrong message” and “encouraging scud running,” in addition to creating an atmosphere of extra pressure for both the pilots in training and the instructors.

The June 12 memo said: “To accurately predict equipment availability and efficiency in the schedule, we are adopting a new cancellation policy. If the weather conditions are at or better than the limitations, a cancellation is considered non-excusable.”

According to social media posts from people representing themselves as former or current clients or CFIs at L3Harris, the school allegedly requires the pilots to arrive at school an hour before flight time, and cancellations must be done in person, or the client is charged a $250 no-show fee. 

The memo continues by encouraging the pilots to “be creative in your plan of action,” such as “changing routes to avoid deteriorating weather or thunderstorms. Be sure to use all available weather resources including but not limited to: local news reports, aviationweather.gov, ForeFlight, etc. In the event your flying proficiency does not meet the current weather, please speak with your Training Group Manager concerning a plan of action.

“No flights shall be flown in the area of a convective SIGMET without the approval of the chief flight instructor or their designee. All thunderstorms must be avoided by a margin consistent with safety. All severe thunderstorms should be avoided by at least 20 nm.”

Thunderstorms are often a daily occurrence in the Sunshine State yet “severe thunderstorms” was not defined. Last September in Kentucky we saw the fatal result of a CFI continuing a flight into approaching thunderstorms. Departing an airport in marginal weather limits the pilot’s options should the weather begin or continue to deteriorate.

• READ MORE: NTSB Preliminary Report on Kentucky Fatal Crash Released

The memo has been the topic of discussion at FAA safety meetings. The most common question was, “Is this legal in the eyes of the FAA?” 

FLYING contacted the FAA and the agency replied: “VFR weather minimums are in Parts 91.155 and 91.157. Flight schools operating under Part 61 must comply with these minima. Flight schools operating under Part 141 may have additional minima established by their FAA Flight Standards District Office as part of their training curriculum.”

Legally, the L3Harris memo complies with FAA regulations. Is it an exercise in good judgment and aeronautical decision-making? I don’t believe so, and I am not the only one. 

“Imposing mandatory weather minimums for student flight dispatch—to expedite flight training efficiency and protect profit margins—is both dangerous and counterproductive to building essential weather judgment,” said David St. George, executive director of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators and a DPE. “This industrial flight training methodology, to improve dispatch rates, destroys the central focus of the FAA ACS—personal risk management.”

Added Karen Kalishek, chair of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI): “NAFI has two primary areas of concern regarding L3Harris Flight Academy’s published weather policy regarding non-excusable cancellations: One, There are many instances in which weather quickly deteriorates, and the L3Harris stated weather minima provide little margin for pilots to escape potentially decreasing ceilings and/or visibility, and two, imposed weather minimums are inconsistent with the FAA’s intent that pilots should develop personal minimums that reflect their individual levels of proficiency and experience.

“The policy provides for a pilot to assess their personal proficiency and speak to a manager for an alternative plan of action. However, the ‘non-excusable’ terminology supports application of the default minimums.”

Attempts to find out if L3Harris operates with “additional minima established by their FAA Flight Standards District Office” were not successful, despite sending multiple emails and placing phone calls to the local FSDO and David Krug Jr., who signed the memo as the L3Harris chief flight instructor/head of flight training. 

When FLYING reached Krug, he said he was aware the flight academy weather cancellation memo was a topic of conversation in the pilot blogosphere, adding, “I cannot speak to internal information. I am not going to say anything. We are addressing it internally. I understand the situation.”

There were multiple posts on social media from individuals who contacted the Orlando FSDO to report the perceived safety issues. A few posted the emails they received from the FSDO in reply, stating that their concerns were logged and an investigator had been or would be assigned. A check of the signature on the email corresponds to the Orlando FSDO employee directory.

According to the FAA, the agency does investigate safety concerns but “does not confirm or comment on investigations.”

Risk Part of Flight Training

Flight safety is about managing risk. The FAA’s Risk Management Handbook explores how pilots should evaluate risk, and that includes establishing personal weather minimums.

In Chapter 2, it states, “federal regulations that apply to aviation do not cover every situation nor do they guarantee safety,” noting that “pilots who understand the difference between what is ‘smart’ or ‘safe’ based on pilot experience and proficiency establish personal minimums that are more restrictive than the regulatory requirements.”

Flight instructors are often the gatekeepers of personal minima—done in the form of limitations on a learner’s solo endorsement.

For example, the initial solo endorsement I give lists weather for flight in the pattern as 3 miles visibility and a 3,000 foot ceiling, and for the practice area, 5 miles of visibility. A weather briefing is a requirement as well. Crosswinds are limited to 6 knots, and that limitation is lifted and increased as the learner’s experience grows.

For the initial cross-country flights, visibility increases to 10 miles and the ceiling to 5,000 feet. After I review their flight plan, the trip-specific endorsement includes noting “weather checked as of (insert time).” 

I wouldn’t feel comfortable or responsible sending a learner out solo on a cross-country flight with 3 miles visibility and a 2,000-foot ceiling as noted in the L3Harris minima. 

There Is a Time and a Place

Personal weather minima is a fluid concept. It’s good to go out and stretch those skills from time to time with a CFI onboard. It can be a beneficial learning experience.

Weather minima are often dictated not only by the pilot’s experience but also proficiency and the mission. You probably wouldn’t take your non-flying, airplane-shy significant other up on a day with gusting crosswinds or turbulence.

A CFI (personally or by virtue of company policy) shouldn’t be pressuring the learner into making the flight, but it happens. Especially when the CFI and or company only gets paid when the propeller is turning.

Sometimes, the decision not to fly is the best choice. But it needs to be a choice and not something the client is financially penalized for.

The post Weather Minimums Memo at Florida Flight School Generates Controversy appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The school, located at Page Field Airport (KFMY), is reporting student enrollment is at an all-time high.

According to company president Chris Schoensee, enrollment for the first quarter of 2024 was record setting, creating a backlog of clients who will begin their flight training in September, with other student start dates extended to spring 2025. 

“Clearly, the demand for pursuing a career as a commercial pilot remains exceptionally strong,” Schoensee said. “And it’s not just at Paragon Flight. I’m hearing of positive growth trends in other peer flight academies as well.”

The school predicts it will conduct 40,000 hours of training in 2024, up from 26,000 in 2023.

• READ MORE: Paragon Flight Training Continues to Grow

Paragon now has 50 full-time flight instructors to meet the demand. The school is also increasing its number of maintenance technicians to eight and adding more aircraft to the fleet.

According to school officials, Paragon Flight is on track to add 50 Piper aircraft by the end of 2027. This year, the company is expected to take delivery of nine Piper P100i’s with the first arriving on-site this month. The Piper P100i is the backbone of the Paragon fleet, as the school owns approximately 15 percent of the Piper P100i’s in existence.

• READ MORE: Commercial Airline Flight Schools in Florida

Paragon Flight is also adding to its simulator training offerings, planning to take delivery of two more ALSIM devices and a Redbird Xwind simulator within the next 12 to 15 months.

“Advanced simulator training is an absolute must for leading pilot training programs,” Schoensee said. “The ALSIM simulator matches the cockpit of the Piper P100i button for button, and the Redbird Xwind simulator is essential for maximizing student training in crosswind conditions, which are the most difficult conditions for student pilots to master in the first stages of their pilot training experience.”

The post Paragon Flight Training Reports Record Enrollment appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For some, a good internal compass—not the literal kind but the figurative one—makes it easy for you to identify the moves to make to set you on course. For others, pursuing the dream of learning to fly may feel too abstract to turn into reality.

First off, what does “learn to fly” mean for you? Is it the ability to fly for yourself, with friends and family, for a business, or to own an airplane? Or is it the first stage in an aviation career?

Either way, you start with an initial pilot certification—either a light sport or private pilot certificate—as your first goal. That will give you the ability to fly a light airplane with one engine, about the same size as a car (with wings). And you can generally take a couple of people with you essentially anywhere in the United States—and abroad, in a U.S.-registered airplane.

We’ll talk about how you do that and some other ideas to consider along the way in this special section on learning to fly in this issue. It’s really up to you how far you want to take this dream.

But to kick things off, here are our top 10 key elements to transforming your fantasies of flight into action. It will be your move next.

1. Pick the Right Kind of Influence(r)

That’s a mentor, not a person you follow on Instagram. Yes, we love to follow the latest and greatest exploits of pilots (or those posing as pilots) online, on all the socials from TikTok to YouTube. And there’s some great stuff out there in the metaverse. But there’s also a lot of garbage and a lot of stupid pilot tricks posing as cool flights to try for yourself.

That’s why finding an IRL person to talk with about your pilot journey is so important. Arguably this person should not be your instructor (we’ll get to that in a sec), and often it shouldn’t be a family member. You want someone with experience as the kind of pilot you want to be—and a good sense of who you are so they can help guide you through the rough spots.

They can also help you separate the awesomeness from the “don’t-try-this-at-home” videos out there.

• READ MORE: Sporty’s Launches 2024 Learn to Fly Courses

2. Choose a Good Instruction Program

This can be a flight school, university or college program, military appointment, or local Civil Air Patrol, Commemorative Air Force hangar, or EAA chapter-led course. Think about what appeals to you, as well as what you have access to near your home base.

You may be willing to set aside a couple of years of your life and move to a different part of the country—or world—to go after ratings with a specific college or academy, if you plan to pursue an aviation career. But for most folks, the initial certificate should come close to home. That’s going to (typically) cost less money and time to achieve.

3. Identify How You Learn Best

Everyone has a style in which they absorb—and retain—information best. This will drive what instructor you pick and how you structure your personal approach to training. While you may think, “I love watching videos,” that may not ultimately be the best way for you to learn. Even for visual learners, taking in data passively allows a lot of the critical stuff to skip off the surface after you’ve hit pause.

Most people need to hear, see, and do in order to process—and for actual learning to occur. That’s why good training programs deliver the info in several ways, and then ask you to check your recall with questions or application of the material.

4. Find an Instructor Who Speaks to You

As we established in No. 3, everyone learns differently—and this has a direct bearing on whom you should choose as an instructor. While you may have that initial person chosen for you if you’re in a structured training program, you almost always have some flexibility to change instructors if there are concerns.

Here’s the big one: You need to understand what this person is trying to tell you on the ground before you get into the airplane. If you have trouble understanding them because of a language barrier, take steps to correct that. If you have other reasons that they fail to get critical information to you while flying, that’s just as big of an issue.

Make a change, if you need to. You and your CFI won’t be best friends, necessarily, but you should be able to conduct a pleasant business-style relationship with that kind of positive rapport.

• READ MORE: FLYING Launches Learn to Fly Kit

5. Take the Knowledge Test

In the process of getting your certificate, you’ll take both a knowledge exam (known as the “written,” though it is almost always conducted online) and a practical test or check ride. If you knock out the knowledge test, you assure yourself of two things—first, that you have assimilated a good portion of the information you need to master to understand what’s going on during your flight lessons, and second, you will have conquered any test anxiety that you have in order to achieve a passing score.

You can take the course online to prepare yourself, or you can work within the syllabus of your training program to achieve it. But checking this box early will tell you a lot about how you’ll do for the remainder of your training.

6. Save Up for Solo

Flight training costs money. Whether you are self-funding (read, paying your own way) or securing funds from your parents, a grant or scholarship, or other sources, you’ll need between $10,000 and $18,000 to complete an initial course, depending on where you are in the U.S. and what kind of airplane you fly.

It really hurts your training progress if you have to pause during the course because you’ve run out of money. This is especially true during the phase before your first solo flight—when a lot of concepts come together for you to master. Therefore, you need enough funds to complete about 20 hours of dual flight, so that you don’t have to pause for that reason before you solo and lose ground that will take more time to relearn.

7. Set Aside 10 Hours a Week to Learn, Minimum

Flight training extracts a time penalty as well as a cost—and you will gladly immerse yourself in the magic of flight if you can do it. But if you’re learning to fly while outside of a full-time university, college, or academy program, you will need to be honest about the time you can allocate to ground study and flights.

For most, 10 hours makes for a good minimum weekly investment. If you can’t commit this much time each week, between home study and flight/ground lessons with your instructor, hold off on the commencement of training until you can. You’ll save money and frustration in the long run.

8. Know You’ll Plateau

Everyone who has ever learned to fly has leveled off in their learning. Instructors call this a “plateau”—but it doesn’t have to feel like a brick wall. It may be your life. It may be the weather. It may be landings you just can’t get dialed. But it will happen to you.

If you know this from a logical standpoint—that something is just going to take your brain longer to integrate, for whatever reason—you’re less inclined to feel frustrated or discouraged when it happens. You can address it by taking a weekend off, flying with another instructor, or just going up for fun.

Sure, it will still get you down. But even Bob Hoover had his bad days.

9. Prep for the Check Ride

There are a wide range of practical test preparation guides that will help you understand all you need to know in order to pass the check ride when the time comes. Having command of the material will help you combat any nervousness you feel on the big day.

But what other important elements are there to consider? You need to eat (a light meal) and drink (water is best) and rest well. In the days leading up to the test, you may toss and turn a bit the night before, but that won’t stymie you if you’ve gone into the home stretch with gas in your tank. Also, make sure you take at least one practice exam with another CFI. They will help find any weak spots and give you more confidence that it isn’t just luck propelling you forward.

10. Make Your Next Dream Come True

Once the check ride is over, don’t let your dream end there. Leave yourself one wish unfulfilled, so that you have something to strive for. It may be buying an airplane, working toward taking your family on a vacation flying, or pursuing an instrument rating. We’ll give you all the ideas you need in the pages of FLYING—so keep those issues coming too.

This feature first appeared in the March 2024/Issue 946 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Learn to Fly in ’24: Helping Your Pursuit of the Dream appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Flying is one of those things that so many people want to try—or have questions about. We answer some of those frequently asked here.

Learning to fly and obtaining a pilot certificate is not like learning to drive a forklift. You can’t do it in an afternoon. It usually takes a few months, with flying lessons two or three times a week.

It will be expensive, around $6,000 to $10,000 for a private certificate. You do not have to pay the money up front. Be wary about putting money on account at a flight school unless it has a refund policy and it is in writing.

Get your medical certificate early. If you are pursuing a certificate to fly an airplane, you will need to have it before you are allowed to solo. If deferred, don’t give up. There may be an opportunity for special issuance, or you may seek a pilot certificate that doesn’t require a medical certificate, like flying gliders.

You will need an aviation headset and pilot logbook. Bring both with you to your flight lessons. You will want to get a gear bag to carry these materials along with a notebook for taking notes and writing down information in the cockpit.

You will learn to read an aviation sectional, which is a map used for navigation. You will learn how to use the pilot’s operating handbook (POH) for your aircraft to determine its performance.

Part 61 vs. Part 141

The difference between training under Part 61 and Part 141 is structure. Part 141 is the more restrictive of the two. Under Part 141, the use of a syllabus is required, lessons are done in a specific order, only certain airports are authorized for flights to and from, there is a training course outline (TCO), and stage checks are required to advance in training.

• READ MORE: Pointers for Packing Your First Flight Bag

The material covered under Part 61 and Part 141 is identical, but some funding sources will require the applicant to be training at an accredited 141 program.

The benefit of Part 141 is that, in theory, the structure allows for the applicant to achieve the required experience in as little as 35 hours to be eligible for the check ride. Under Part 61, the minimum is 40 hours.

For best results, use a syllabus to make sure all the material is covered in a logical order. Your instructor should have a copy that they refer to, and you should have a copy of it as well.

Be advised, the national average for experience for applicants taking private pilot check rides is around the 60-hour mark, no matter which part you train under.

The benefit of Part 61 is that if there is a hiccup with the issuance of your medical certificate that delays your first solo, you won’t have to stop training. You can move ahead to other dual lessons (that means flying with an instructor) in the syllabus until your medical challenges are resolved. Also, you have more flexibility when it comes to airports you are allowed to fly to, therefore your experience will be broader than someone trained under Part 141.

Use the FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS), which are the minimum “passable” performance for a pilot, from day one. The ACS provides performance metrics, such as holding altitude within 100 feet and heading within 5 degrees. Remember these are the minimum standards, so strive to do better.

Learn to Use a Mechanical E6-B Flight Computer

Don’t let it intimidate you. The instructions for solving time, speed, and distance problems are printed on the face of the instrument. The backside of the instrument is the wind calculation side, and it can be very useful for visualizing wind correct angles.

For the pilots (often lapsed CFIs) who argue that the cockpits of turboprops and jets have flight management systems and backups on backups for navigation that will tell you wind correction angles, ground speed, time en route, etc., please remember it’s going to be a long time before the private pilots who want to be professional pilots get to that level with those resources.

And not everyone wants to be a professional pilot.

• READ MORE: How To Use a E6B Flight Computer

Learning to use the mechanical E6-B before you go to an electronic version or an app is the aviation version of learning how to do basic math before using a calculator. It gives you an extra tool to use in the cockpit should your electronic device run out of juice, get stolen, or do an uncommanded gravity check with pavement that renders it inoperable.

Structure of Lessons

A traditional flight school is not like attending high school. You won’t be in a classroom or airplane all day. Your ground school can be done face to face and will be a few hours a day, or you can do it online. At the completion of the course you will be endorsed to take a knowledge test (commonly known as the written test, although it is all on computer now) administered by an FAA-approved private contractor.

Most flight lessons are at least an hour long for local flights. For cross-country flights that involve going to an airport at least 50 nm away, you will budget more time.

Your first lesson will likely be heading out to the local practice area (your instructor knows where that is) to learn how to do climbs, turns, and descents. Flying in the practice area is like learning to drive a stick shift in an empty parking lot. You want the room to make mistakes.

Learning to fly in the airport traffic pattern is like learning to drive a stick shift in stop-and-go traffic. It is considerably more stressful and can be counterproductive. Learn basic control before the stakes are higher.

Solo Flight

Your first solo is the halfway point of your private pilot training. There are 15 experience requirements listed in the Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM) rule book under Part 61.87 that are required to be covered before you can be soloed.

Keep in mind that performing the task once doesn’t mean you have learned it or can perform it well, so you will have to practice it a few times before the solo endorsement is given. There also will be an airport-specific knowledge test administered by your instructor before a solo endorsement is given.

Before you launch on your solo cross-country flights, a flight instructor must review your flight plan and provide you with an endorsement, stating they have reviewed your flight plan and you are prepared to make the flight. This endorsement will go into your logbook.

About Your CFI

Your CFI should want to talk before and after each lesson. This is known as the pre-brief (what we are going to do and how we are going to do it) and the post-brief (this is how you did, and what we will do next). This is considered part of your training. Don’t skimp on this.

Understand that most CFIs do the job to build their experience for other jobs, like the airlines. Some of them may be more interested in building their own hours than teaching you to fly, or their teaching style or availability might not work for you. If any of these issues crop up, it’s OK to seek a change of instructor. Conversely, if it’s not working from the CFI’s perspective as they cannot meet your needs, they may suggest a change of instructor.

We can’t control the weather. There may be days the CFI suggests a ground lesson, a lesson in the school flight training device (commonly known as a simulator), or canceling the lesson due to weather that is below VFR weather minimums or beyond your capabilities at the time. This is about you flying, not your CFI showing you what they can do. If you are on your second lesson and the crosswind component or gust factor are beyond the demonstrated component of the aircraft you are flying, it’s likely a better day to stay on the ground.

The post What to Expect When Learning to Fly appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to Tecnam, the company is now on track to begin deliveries to U.S. flight schools.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Tecnam P-Mentor

“The FAA certification of the P-Mentor is another significant milestone for the Tecnam team,” said  Giovanni Pascale Langer, Tecnam managing director. “We look forward to working with all U.S. flight schools to improve the quality of training and help them keep hourly rates low.” 

The performance specs of the Tecnam P-Mentor put its hourly fuel consumption at 3.7 U.S. gallons per hour.

• READ MORE: Tecnam Signs Deals for HCH Aviation Fleet Transition

Deliveries of the aircraft in North America will begin soon, with the first 20 going to HCH Aviation/Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Deliveries will also be made to Kilo Charlie Aviation in New Century, Kansas, and EpicSky Flight Academy in Des Moines, Iowa.

About the P-Mentor

The two-place P-Mentor sports a Rotax 912isC3, with a variable pitch propeller, simulated retractable landing gear, and optional ballistic parachute. The cockpit features a Garmin G3X IFR touchscreen suite compliant with the latest CS-23 EASA and FAA amendments. The aircraft is designed to take a learner from private pilot and instrument training up through commercial certification on a single platform.

According to Capua, Italy-based Tecnam, the P-Mentor is one of the most environmentally efficient designs available, with very low carbon dioxide emissions. 

“Recent study shows that flight schools operating with Tecnam single- and twin-engine fleets can reduce emissions by up to 60 percent: 10 tons of CO2 for each student by the time they receive their commercial pilot license,” the company said in a statement.

The post Tecnam P-Mentor Earns Full Part 23 FAA Certification appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

There was no damage or injuries, except for frayed nerves, but as a precaution the school’s chief mechanic took a look at the Cessna 150. Mostly it was done to show the learner that part of being a pilot was being responsible. If you have an unintentional off-runway experience, you have a mechanic inspect the airplane as a precaution. The CFI didn’t think there was any damage as there hadn’t been a prop strike. The chief mechanic confirmed this.

It became a teaching moment for the rest of us CFIs. One of the instructors insisted that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had to be notified. He then went into a story about “a buddy of his” who had a similar experience and found himself in a great deal of trouble because he didn’t call. There was a group eye roll. Then the Federal Aviation Regulations Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM) was brought out, and the learners instructed to look up Part 830, which provides guidance on when you need to notify the NTSB and, if need be, the FAA.

When to Call the NTSB

Although going off the runway may seem like high drama when it happens to you, it likely falls under the category of an incident, not an accident, per the definition found in Part 830 of the FAR/AIM. 

• READ MORE: Scaring Yourself into Additional Dual Instruction

According to the definition, aircraft accidents are specifically defined as events that involve a fatality, serious injury, or substantial damage to the aircraft and require NTSB notification.

NTSB 830.5 states that notification must happen if there is damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair (including materials and labor) or fair market value in the event of total loss, whichever is less. Ding up the wheel pants on the clapped-out, older-than-you-by-20-years Cessna 172, no notification. If the airplane collides with aircraft on the ramp or totals the Lexus sedan parked on the ramp, a call to the NTSB will be in your future.

With the exception of removing wreckage to rescue people or preserve it from further damage, NTSB 830.10 tells us to preserve the wreckage, stating, “the operator of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident for which notification must be given is responsible for preserving to the extent possible any aircraft wreckage, cargo, and mail aboard the aircraft, and all records, including all recording mediums of flight, maintenance, and voice recorders, pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft and to the airmen until the Board takes custody thereof or a release is granted pursuant to § 831.12(b).”

• READ MORE: Always Look for a Place to Land

Basically, the accident is treated like a crime scene, and evidence should not be disturbed if possible. If not, the original position should be documented. Pictures taken with a smartphone usually suffice.

If the aircraft has sustained substantial damage, and it is obvious it can’t fly, the NTSB asks to be notified. This is when we get into the gray area of “do we need to notify the FAA?” If there are no injuries and only damage to the airplane, probably not.

If you are at a towered airport, the tower operator may notify the FAA, depending on the situation.

The pilot of a freshly restored Stearman learned about this the hard way when he had a wingtip strike during a ground loop. As he taxied his aircraft with a crumpled lower wingtip off the runway, the tower controller asked what happened. The pilot, angry with himself, replied he had his head in anatomically infeasible location. He was understandably upset. It was the Fourth of July, and he had been planning to give rides to people in his plane during a hangar picnic.

• READ MORE: Make Flight Reviews for CFIs Worthwhile

About an half hour later, the airport manager showed up to warn the pilot that the tower operator had notified the FAA, and a sheriff deputy was on his way to take a look at the airplane. None of us had heard of this before. The deputy was not a pilot and told us that he had been called by the FAA. He wasn’t sure why he was there, except that he was asked by the FAA to look at the airplane and talk to the pilot.

The owner of the aircraft, much calmer now, explained he was upset because he had damaged his beautiful airplane, and he regretted being terse with the controller. Fortunately the deputy understood and that was the end of it, with the exception of the aircraft owner ripping off a piece of the torn fabric of the lower wing and giving it to me with the instructions, “Tell your students to pay attention, or bad things can happen!”

I still have that piece of fabric.

The post Knowing When to Call the NTSB appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The partnership expansion announced Thursday will add 50 DA40s and six DA42s to the Republic Airways training program. 

• READ MORE: UNSW School of Aviation Expands Diamond Fleet

According to Diamond Aircraft, the trainers are slated to bolster programs at new LIFT Academy campuses in Galveston, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

“These aircraft are chosen for their advanced technology and fuel efficiency, which not only align with our sustainability efforts but also closely mirror the aircraft our pilots will operate at Republic Airways,” said Ed Bagden, director of flight operations and academic programs at LIFT Academy. “This strategic expansion ensures that LIFT Academy continues to offer industry-leading training, preparing our students with a seamless transition to their careers as airline pilots.”

• READ MORE: Purdue, LIFT Academy Partner to Tackle Commercial Pilot Need

The Diamond DA40 piston single is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360 engine and comes equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics. The aircraft offers a top cruise speed of 152 knots, 934 nm range, and maximum useful load of 900 pounds. The DA42 advanced piston twin is powered by 168 hp Austro Engine AE300 powerplants. It offers a top cruise speed of nearly 200 knots, 1,225 nm range, and maximum useful load of 1,276 pounds.

The post LIFT Academy Makes ‘Significant Fleet Expansion’ with Diamond Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to Tecnam, FlyBy, which already has a fleet of 31 aircraft, has placed an order for an additional 10 Tecnam P2008JCs and two Tecnam P2006T NGs. It is the largest order from the flight school and more orders are scheduled for 2025, the manufacturer said.

• READ MORE: Tecnam Unveils P2006T NG at AERO 2024

Located in Burgos, Spain, FlyBy serves more than 350 students from 108 countries. The 14-month program prepares the learners for careers in aviation in Europe. To accommodate its growing enrollment, FlyBy recently opened a new base in Logrono, Spain, that will take delivery of 16 more Tecnam airplanes this year.

“We have chosen Tecnam for our fleet for its modern design and low operational costs,” said FlyBy CEO Alex Alvarez,. “There is nothing comparable to the P2006T in the market. Its quality, capabilities, and total cost of ownership, acquisition and operational cost, are second to none.”

• READ MORE: We Fly: Tecnam P-Mentor

Said Walter Da Costa, Tecnam chief sales officer:“We are pleased to support the growth of modern flight schools such as FlyBy. Commercial operators urgently need pilots trained on modern aircraft with glass cockpits and the latest instrumental procedures.”

FlyBy’s current fleet includes eight Tecnam P2008JCs, three P2006Ts, three P2002JFs, and two P-Mentors.

In the past 10 years Tecnam has been growing in popularity with flight training operations all over the world. The aircraft are built with carbon fiber and equipped with Rotax engines and glass cockpit technology, resulting in a tough, reliable, fuel-efficient design that can withstand the rigors of the training environment.

The post FlyBy Places Order for 12 Tecnam Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.