Step
1 will help you gain a general understanding about the basics
of flight training.
• Defining
your flying goals
• Age
limits
• Types
of Pilot Certificates & Ratings
• Medical
Certificates
• Training
Aircrafts
• Books
& Supplies
• Federal
Aviation Regulations (FARs)
• Frequently
Asked Questions
• Pilot
Positions
• Pilot
Jobs
Determine your flying goals
Before you start any research, you must determine your flying
goals. To help you identify your goals, you should ask yourself
the following questions:
•
Do I want to fly for pleasure, business, or as a career?
• Where do I want to train?
• What type of flight school do I plan to attend?
• Will I train as a full- or part-time student?
• How do I plan to pay for my flight training expenses?
• Will I need financial aid?*
*Note:
Don’t base your choice(s) on the cost, since some
flight schools offer financial aid (i.e. loans, scholarships,
etc.) to eligible students.
After
you have answered these questions and others you have thought
about, you should identify and select several characteristics
of a flight school (from the list below) that are important
to you.
Flight
school characteristics:
• Quality of Training
• Professionalism
• School Accreditation
• Safety Record
• Type of School (i.e. Public or Private School, college,
university, etc.)
• School Certification: Part 61 or 141
• College Credit/Degree Available
• Financial Aid Available
• Housing & Transportation
• Professional Pilot Program
• Career Assistance Available
• Pilot Certificates and Rating Offered & Costs
• Aircraft in Service
• Facilities (i.e. computer labs, libraries, etc.)
• Internship Programs
• Regional Airline Partnerships
• Affiliation with a Nearby Institution
• Other
Age Limits
You can start taking flight lessons at any age. However,
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) states that you
must be at least 16 years old to solo an airplane and you
must be 17 years old to earn a Recreational or Private Pilot
Certificate. Glider and balloon pilots can fly solo at the
age of 14 and earn a pilot certificate at 16 years of age.
There
is no “maximum” age limit. If you plan to fly
for pleasure (neither commercial or military), you can fly
as long as you have a current medical certificate (pilot
certificates don’t expire). However, the FAA requires
airline pilots to retire at the age of 60.
Written
by: Sedgwick Hines Copyright 2004 AvScholars Publishing, LLC.
All Rights Reserved. |
