Private Pilot Requirements

Eligibility Requirements

  • Student Pilot Certificate and 3rd class medical
    • Needed to complete solo flight training.
    • Must be 16 years of age.
    • Must be able to read, speak, and understand the English language.

  • Private Pilot Certificate
    • Must be at least 17 years of age.
    • Must be able to read, speak, and understand the English language.
    • Must hold at least a third class medical certificate.

General Requirements

  • Student Pilot Certificate and 3rd Class Medical – You need to acquire a Student Pilot Certificate and Medical anytime prior to your first solo flight, and your instructor will assist you in getting one. The Medical and Student Pilot Certificate are both obtained after getting an exam by an Aviation Medical Examiner.

  • Solo Flight - After you have advanced to the point in your training where you get to fly your first solo, the instructor will give you an endorsement allowing you to solo within a 25 nautical mile radius of the airport.

  • Written Exam - The FAA written test is taken at a testing center after completion of ground school instruction. When you pass, you will be issued a certificate that is good for 24 calendar months.

  • Practical Exam – When you have completed all of your training, you will take a ground and flight test with an examiner.

Flight Requirements

  • Complete flight requirements of 40 hours:
    • 20 hours of dual instruction which includes:
      • 3 hours of cross-country flight.
      • 3 hours of night flight, including:
        • 100 nautical mile cross-country flight.
        • 10 takeoffs and landings
      • 3 hours of flight in actual or simulated instrument meteorlogical conditions.
      • 3 hours of preparatory instruction prior to the practical exam.
    • 10 hours of solo flight which includes:
      • 5 hours post solo and general practice.
      • 5 hours of cross-country flight, including:
        • 1 cross-country flight at least 150 nautical miles in total distance with at least one 50 nautical mile leg.
        • 3 takeoffs and landings at an airport with a control tower.

Once all the requirements are completed, an independent examiner will conduct a flight check with you. The test covers everything you have been taught, and after the successful completion of the test you will have your Private Pilot Certificate!