How you become a private pilot

Every private pilot in the U.S. follows the same basic path, set by 14 CFR Part 61. Schools and instructors do it in different orders and at different speeds, but the milestones are the same. Knowing the map from day one makes the whole thing feel a lot less overwhelming.

The milestones

1. Discovery flight and first lessons. You fly with a certificated flight instructor (CFI) from the very first lesson. Everything you fly goes in your logbook.
2. Student pilot certificate and medical. You need a student pilot certificate and a medical certificate before you fly solo (Lesson 2 covers both).
3. Pre-solo training. Takeoffs, landings, stalls, emergencies and the traffic pattern, until your CFI trusts you alone.
4. First solo. Your CFI endorses your logbook and you fly the airplane by yourself, usually a few laps in the pattern.
5. Cross-country and night training. Navigation to other airports, night flying, and flying by reference to instruments.
6. Solo cross-countries. You plan and fly trips to other airports alone.
7. Knowledge test ("the written"). A computer-based multiple-choice exam taken at a testing center.
8. Checkride (the practical test). An oral exam and a flight with an FAA examiner, graded against the Airman Certification Standards (ACS).

Who can get a private pilot certificate

The eligibility rules are in 14 CFR 61.103. For an airplane, you must:

• Be at least 17 years old (you can solo at 16 and start training at any age).
• Be able to read, speak, write and understand English.
• Get a logbook endorsement from an instructor saying you're ready for the knowledge test, and pass it.
• Meet the aeronautical experience (flight time) requirements of 61.109 (Lesson 4).
• Get an endorsement for the practical test, and pass it.

The two tests

The knowledge test checks what you know: regulations, weather, navigation, aerodynamics and more. It's 60 questions and you need 70% to pass. The practical test checks what you can do: an examiner (usually a Designated Pilot Examiner, or DPE) asks you questions on the ground, then watches you fly the maneuvers in the ACS. The ACS is public, so you know exactly what you'll be tested on.