Student wanting to become a PILOT first steps?

Question

I am 15 (16 in September) and am wanting to become a pilot or eventually just get my Pilot's Liscense. I wanted to know how, where, and the different ways I can get started now. Can anyone help me? What is the first step in training for a career in flight? Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

The poster "XP Pilot" gave you great advice; I can only add a few things.

First things first...focus on what you can do in the coming year. Plan for an ATP certificate, but focus on FLYING first, and that's getting your Private Pilot certificate. Learn everything you can. Do you need to start lessons RIGHT NOW? Well, not necessarily; there's a LOT you can do right now for about a $150-200 investment and you'll really grow from it.

1) Go take that "discovery flight". The instructor that gives it to you will let you take the controls and show you how to maneuver the aircraft once you're airborne. Should be around $60-$100...it will pay to look around. Don't just go to the places with brand-new, smell-like-leather planes. The rental prices will kill you.

2) Pick up a good ground school text (or DVD) and get serious about learning it. Ask other pilots for help on things you don't understand (go to aviation forums online for help if you need to.) Everything the FAA expects you to know for HEAD knowledge will be in those books. Books like Rod Machado's "Private Pilot Handbook" or Jeppeson's book by the same name, are around $70 or so new, but try Ebay for used. Those are self-study ground-schools, perfectly acceptabled to the FAA (it's known as a Part 61, or self-study course, to prepare you for the exams.)

3) Find out what type of aircraft you local school(s) are using (Cessna 152, 172 and Piper Cherokee's are the "affordable" standards). Go to a pilot shop and ask for a "Pilot Operating Handbook", or POH, for that make/model. Learn that puppy, it's the owner's manual for that airplane.  Probably $25.

4) Go to www.liveatc.net and starting listening to traffic controllers and pilots talking. You need to know the lingo, but mostly WHY they're saying certain things. Best would be, get a hand-held transceiver for aviation and go to your local airport. You can find out the tower and ground frequencies for your local airport by asking the local flight school or by looking it up on www.airnav.com. The lesson here is to learn what it all means (not that hard; most of it is very standardized.)

BTW....as far as passing or not passing the medical. Unless you've got heart problems, bad eyesight even with glasses, seizures or a drug problem, etc., I wouldn't worry about it, not at your age. If you want to be sure, go get a checkup from an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME); they tend to be regular doctors, too. They can give you a checkup and tell you if there's anything that would disqualify you medically from flying, without actually failing you (FYI: Tell them it's a checkup, not an actual med cert you're getting. If you fail a med cert, you're history, so be clear about it.) Honestly, I wouldn't worry.

So why would you do all this before even taking lessons? Am I whacked? Let me ask you....how many of your friends know the difference between Class A, B, C, D, E and G airspace? How many "Day 1" student pilots know how to calculate the weight and balance of a plane. See what I'm getting at? The more you know ahead of time, the faster your training goes and faster means cheaper (planes rent by the hour!) You'll also blow the socks off your instructor.

Focus on learning to fly first, then on getting to the left seat of a 737 later.

Best of luck! You can do it!

Answer 2

go to aviation school

Answer 3

Visit the local airports.  Speak with instructors.  Buy the sectional chart for your area.  Get a list of aeromedical examiners;get a physical exam and medical certificate.  Get the FAA books for studying.  Begin taking lessons.  Pass the written exam.

Answer 4

Lots of money and book time before you can even take the controls in your hand.  Check out any community colleges or any small airports.  Have you checked the phone book?

Answer 5

First, look at all the hundreds of answers given on all the other times this question is asked, about ten times a day or so.  Then, go to aviation websites for more detail, and take a discovery flight.  And, don't worry about people who tell you it's not a license.  It actually is, but it says certificate on the card.  Good luck.

Answer 6

http://www.beapilot.com

Visit your local flight school

talk to your parents

get off this computer

and put your plan into action

Answer 7

16 is a great age to start flying lessons. That is the minimuim age to solo (fly by yourself under your instructor's supervision). You may then obtain your private certificate when 17.

Some basic information: It takes a minimum of 40 hours training with an instructor and solo time to qualify. Most people take a little longer. You must also complete a ground school course that will teach you things about weather, airspace, rules/regulations, aerodynamics, etc. That may be completed by ordering DVD's from schools like Kings or Sportys or taking a class in person. You will need to have a flight physical from a designated medical examiner before you solo at least. Some take that before they start so they know they don't have any physical problems that will prevent them from becoming a pilot. You then after your training will go and take your check ride from a check pilot.

Its not cheap. Be prepared. It costs about $7-9000 or so to get your certificate these days and it keeps going up because of the price of avgas. Should you decide to make it a career, you will then secure student loans to pay for your training as the advanced ratings are quite expensive.

Go to www.aopa.org/learntofly/. Check out their mentor program. They will hook you up with an experienced pilot in your area that can help you through the process should you decide to do it and your monetary conditions will allow.

Answer 8

first step is to get a second class student medical certificate from an aviation medical examiner.. cuz if you cant get that.. then theres no sense in pursuing a career as a pilot..