Unit 1 review: Getting Started

A mixed check of all 5 lessons in this unit. Mixing topics is harder than one lesson at a time, and that's the point: it's how the written test and the oral exam ask.

The unit in one minute

How you become a private pilotYou need a student pilot certificate and a medical before you solo.
Student pilot certificate and medicalStudent pilot certificate: apply in IACRA, age 16+ for airplanes, no expiration.
Part 61 vs Part 141, and choosing your instructorPart 61 minimum is 40 hours, Part 141 is 35, same certificate either way.
The flight time you need (14 CFR 61.109)40 hours total: at least 20 dual and 10 solo.
How flight lessons work (and how to study)Every lesson is brief, fly, debrief.

Mixed check

12 questions pulled from across the unit. Wrong answers explain why and point you back to the lesson.

Check: Which document lists exactly what the examiner will test you on during the checkride?Answer: The Airman Certification Standards (ACS). The ACS lists every task, the knowledge, risk management and skill standards the examiner grades.

Check: Who usually conducts the private pilot practical test?Answer: A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) or FAA inspector. Practical tests are given by DPEs (or FAA inspectors), not your own instructor.

Check: Which factor usually has the biggest effect on how many hours your training takes?Answer: How often you fly. Frequent, consistent lessons mean less relearning and fewer total hours.

Check: What is 'chair flying'?Answer: Mentally rehearsing a flight at home with your checklist. Chair flying is mental rehearsal of the flight, controls, callouts and checklists.

Check: How many night full-stop takeoffs and landings are required in private pilot training?Answer: 10. 61.109(a)(2)(ii) requires 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop at night.

Check: Why can't most new student pilots use BasicMed?Answer: It requires having held a medical certificate after July 14, 2006. BasicMed requires a prior FAA medical certificate held at some point after July 14, 2006.

Check: What happens in the debrief?Answer: Reviewing what went well and what to improve, and logging the lesson. The debrief reviews the flight and is when the instructor logs the lesson.

Check: As a student pilot flying solo during the day, what is the minimum flight or surface visibility?Answer: 3 statute miles. 61.89 requires at least 3 SM during the day and 5 SM at night for student pilots.

Explain it to your CFI

Say each one out loud in your own words, in under a minute. If you stall, reread that lesson. This is exactly what an examiner looks for.

How you become a private pilot. Describe the steps from first lesson to checkride
Student pilot certificate and medical. Explain how to apply for a student pilot certificate
Part 61 vs Part 141, and choosing your instructor. Compare Part 61 and Part 141 training
The flight time you need (14 CFR 61.109). List the Part 61 aeronautical experience requirements
How flight lessons work (and how to study). Describe the brief, fly, debrief cycle

What the examiner may ask

Walk me through how you met the private pilot aeronautical experience requirements.

Be ready to show each 61.109(a) item in your logbook: 40 total, 20 dual (3 XC, 3 night with an XC of over 100 NM total and 10 full-stop landings, 3 instrument, 3 test prep), 10 solo (5 XC, the 150 NM long XC, 3 towered full-stop landings).

Review: The flight time you need (14 CFR 61.109) →

Who decides when you're ready for the checkride?

Your instructor, who signs the endorsement based on your performance meeting the ACS standards, not the hour count.

Review: Part 61 vs Part 141, and choosing your instructor →

What's the difference between the knowledge test and the practical test?

The knowledge test is a 60-question computer exam on what you know. The practical test (checkride) is an oral exam plus a flight with an examiner, graded against the ACS.

Review: How you become a private pilot →

Can a student pilot carry a passenger?

No. 61.89 prohibits a student pilot from acting as PIC of an aircraft carrying a passenger.

Review: Student pilot certificate and medical →