You may have thought about learning to fly airplanes at one point in your life, or you may be thinking about it now. It may seem like something that is too complicated for most people to learn, but is it? Read on to see if this might be something you can do after all!
Is it hard to fly airplanes?
It is not easy to fly an airplane but it is a skill that most people can learn — it’s been said that if you can drive a car with a stick shift, you have enough physical coordination to learn to fly an airplane.
It does take more than mere physical coordination to pilot an airplane through adverse weather, the air traffic control system, Federal Aviation Regulations(FARs), and the nuances of aerodynamics. However, all of these things can be learned by most intelligent folks!
What You Have To Learn To Be A Pilot
You have to learn how the airplane’s controls work so that you can make the airplane do what you want it to. You must also learn how to control the airplane while accounting for the effects of wind and other weather. You will learn how to read weather reports so that you can decide if the conditions are right for you to go flying or if it might be better to stay home. You will learn how airplanes fly by learning about aerodynamics. You’ll practice things like stalls, steep turns, and slow flight to learn how airplanes handle different aerodynamic forces. You’ll learn how to do short and soft-field takeoffs and landings, and how to land an airplane in an emergency. You’ll also learn how to plan a cross country flight, how to talk to air traffic control, and even how to fly an airplane only by looking at your instrument panel. There are many, many other things that you must also learn when becoming a pilot. It would be impossible to learn it all by yourself, so we look to Certified Flight Instructors(CFIs) to walk us through the process.
How Long Does It Take?
If you fly 5 days a week, you can be ready to take your check ride and become a private pilot in as few as two moths. To get a private pilot license, you need to have flown a minimum of 40 hours — about 20 hours solo and 20 with an instructor. Your instructor determines when you’re ready to take your flight test or check ride to get your pilot’s license. Sometimes it takes people much more than 40 hours before they’re ready.
How Much Does It Cost?
It can cost over $10,000 to get a private pilot’s license. It costs upwards of $150 per hour to rent an airplane and at least $40 per hour for an instructor. If you figure 40 hours of flying at $150 per hour that alone is $6,000. And 20 hours in the air with an instructor is another $800, plus at least that much more in ground instruction time. Then there’s the check ride, the cost of ground school, the medical certificate, supplemental insurance, etc. It is not a cheap endeavor, but if you ask most pilots, they’ll tell you it’s worth every penny!
What Kinds Of Pilots Are There?
Private pilots fly for themselves and can take passengers. They can share expenses of the flight with the passengers, but cannot get paid to fly. Commercial pilots can get paid to fly and can get jobs as flight instructors, air ambulance pilots, aerial powerline patrol pilots, crop dusters, charter pilots, corporate pilots, etc. Airline Transport Pilots work for scheduled airlines and fly large airliners with many passengers.
Can You Make A Good Living Flying Airplanes?
Senior airline pilots can make well over $300,000 per year, and some corporate and charter pilots are also highly paid. Experienced Air ambulance pilots, crop dusters, and other specialty pilots can make over $100,000 per year. Flight Instructors who are working full time can earn over $50,000 per year and many are building time to move on to airline or other commercial pilot jobs.