How to get your pilot's license
Airplanes are really cool and getting a license to fly them is even cooler. If you have ever thought about getting your private pilot's license it is not that difficult to do, but it take a great deal of time and money to accomplish. I have friends that have recently completed getting their private pilot's license, and I have even gone flying with them. If you are interested in
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Instructions
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Go to your local small airport and check to see if they have pilot instructors or a private pilot license course. I went to a few different airports in my local area, and the small ones all have flight instructors and pilot's that will teach you to fly and help you get your license. The best deal I found at one of the airports was a course that included plane rental, an instructor, books, and exams. Look around and you will be surprised what you can find.
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To get a private pilot's license, you are required to do a total of 40 flight hours in a single prop plane and 30 hours of ground training. Now rates per hour will vary so you have to look around, but I have seen them range from $40 an hour to $150 an hour. Of the 40 total flight hours required, 30 of those hours are hours spent flying with a flight instructor, and 10 of those hours are solo flight hours.
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On average, expect to spend about $5,200 or so for the 40 hours of flight instruction and plane rental. On average, the 20 hours of ground training could cost around $1,000 as well.
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So that is what you need to do if you want to get your basic private pilot's license. There are additional licenses that you can also obtain on top of your private license to expand your flight career. These would be an "Instrument License", a "Commercial License", and then a "Multi-Engine License".
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The cost and time required to get an Instrument License is about the same as it is for your private license. Check with your local airport instructors to see if they offer an Instrument License course in addition to your Private Pilot License course.
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The next license to get, if you chose to go this far, and potentially consider making a career out of flying, would be the "Commercial Pilot License". You need to obtain both your private pilots license and your instrument license before you can go on to your commercial license. A commercial license requires 250 hours of flight time and some additional course and exam work. You generally can also work on your multi-engine license at the same time.
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Tips & Warnings
Try to fly at least twice a week to keep on top of what you are learning
Schedule at least 2 hours of flight training in each session
You will need to pay for both the instructors time and the plane rental. When renting a plane, look for "wet" rental as opposed to "dry". Wet rental includes the gas as well as the plane.
Once you get your license, or if you are very serious about getting your license, look on the bulletin boards or in the papers for a flight club in your area. These clubs share a plane and you might be able to use it for practice.
