Welcome to my Web Page on Learning to Fly!

The questions asked most commonly by  prospective students are, "What does it take to get a private pilot's license?" and "How can I choose a good  flight school and the right instructor?"       Below are some facts and advice to help you  choose both the flight training environment and the      instructor who will be best for you.     For information on requirements to obtain a private  pilot's license or advanced rating, click on the falcon.

All flight training facilities fall into one of two basic categories. In one category are the formal flight training schools, which are certified by the FAA under Part (chapter) 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR's).  In the other category are all other facilities, such as flying clubs and fixed-base operators (FBO's).  Flying clubs and FBO's are not certified under the FAR's per se, but their instructors are certified, by default, under  Part (chapter) 61 of the FAR's.

So, what is the difference between a Part 141 flying school and  any other facility?   Being a Part 141 facility means that the school has been inspected and approved by the FAA, and must operate in accordance with certain Federal guidelines.  For example, the school must provide clean and adequate indoor classroom facilities for students taking ground lessons, and must provide periodic refresher training and validation for its flight instructors.  Some of these rules (such as having indoor classrooms) are unique to Part 141 flight schools, and some (such as the instructor refreshers and validation) are extensions of other rules that all individuals or organizations that offer flight training must obey.      A Part 141 flying school may also have examining authority for one or more types of pilot certification.  That is, a Part 141 school may be authorized by the FAA to use its own personnel (usually its Chief Pilot or Assistant Chief Pilot)  to conduct the final oral and flight tests required for obtaining a private pilot license or advanced rating.  This is in contrast to all Part 61 programs, in which the flight instructor is not considered qualified to offer final exams, and must send the student out to take them with an FAA-approved Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE).     Organizations and individual instructors who operate under Part 61 of the FAR's are not required to offer the same physical facilities as are the Part 141 flight schools, and will never have examining authority.  In addition, they are not required to use curricula which have been approved by the FAA. (All Part 141 flight schools are required to use only FAA-approved curricula.)  However, is this all bad?  Actually, its not, and choosing a Part 61 program of flight instruction can offer various advantages over a Part 141 school, as the following table will help to show.

Part 141 Flying School                                              Part 61 Training Program                     Usually more expensive than Part 61 programs               Usually less expensive than Part 141 schools           Usually possess examining authority                              Never have examining authority - students                                                                                            must take final exams with FAA-approved                                                                                            Designated pilot Examiner (DPE)            Are less common, and tend to be concentrated               Can be found at almost every public-use            near big cities or areas with heavy pilot training               airport, and even some private air strips            activity (ex - Chicago, Southern Arizona or Florida)            Curriculum is usually followed pretty                            Curriculum can usually be more flexible.             rigidly; little room for change if it is                              A poor instructor may be unable or unwilling            not working for you                                                   to try new methods, but a good instructor                                                                                            will accomodate your learning style and needs             Each facility usually offers training in only a                   May have few or many aircraft to choose             very limited variety of standard aircraft (ex.-                  from, but often have better variety of types             Cessna 172's or Piper Archers or Warriors)                   (ex.- may have both Cessna 152's and 172's,                                                                                              or several types of Pipers,or aerobatic                                                                                                       aircraft, tailwheel aircraft, vintage or high-                                                                                              performance aircraft, or others)             Larger schools usually have a "no waiting"                      You must usually coordinate your schedule             lesson scheduling policy - an instructor and                     personally with the instructor, and work             airplane willl be made available when                               around the availability of desired aircraft             you are             Larger schools usually require that you be                      You will generally stick with one instructor,             willing to work with a variety of instructors                    unless that person leaves or you decide that             (i.e. whomever is on schedule and available                     the relationship is not working out              when you make your appointment) If you would like to go back to the home page, click here

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