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Ways to get your pilot's license 
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  • Flight schools (part 141or part 61)
  • ​Flight clubs (Rent an airplane from the club and hire an independent instructor)
  • Have your own airplane and hire independent instructors
  
What is the difference between parts 141 and 61? 
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Part 61
  • Flexible schedule
  • Customized training program
  • Minimum of 40 hours to PPL
  • Minimum of 250 hours to commercial license 
  • Often more expensive
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Part 141
  • Rigid timetable
  • Structured training curriculum
  • Minimum of 35 hours to PPL
  • Minimum of 190 hours to commercial license
  • Cost-effective for full-time students

Why would I want to learn with an Independent Instructor? 
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Independent Instructors charge less than flight schools and provide flight training with flight club aircraft, which costs much less than flight school aircraft. Independent Flight Instructors also offer more flexible schedules and guided home study programs for students who are working or going to school. Both flight schools and independent flight instructors teach students on a one-on-one basis, so no advantage is gained by using a school.
 
Will I receive the same quality of instruction as I would through a flight school? 
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Flight instructors who teach independently have received the same training and must meet the same qualifications as those who teach through a school. In fact, often school instructors teach students on the side.  Most school instructors are paid poorly and only teach in schools in order to build the flight time required by the airlines.  Once they have that time, they no longer teach. Therefore, independent flight instructors are often more experienced.  
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Besides lower rates and more experience, independent flight instructors give the student better quality of training than flight school instructors because their focus is on teaching the student most efficiently/effectively, while flight school instructors are more focused on building their own flight time. This means they often do not take the time to teach the student the principles on the ground and instead make them try to "figure it out" as they are flying the airplane.  Common sense says it is better to "learn" it on the ground and "practice" it in the air, but that doesn't happen when the flight instructor's focus is on their own benefit instead of the flight school student's.
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What are the minimum flight time and training for PPL? 
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The minimum hour requirements are 40 hours if receiving independent instruction. The reality, however, is that the average student needs much more training to achieve the necessary competency level. The national average according to an article in a 2012 FAA Safety Brief newsletter is 75 hours, especially in busy airports and airspaces.
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Dual: 20 hours minimum of flight training with an instructor on the Private Pilot areas of operation including:
  1. 3 hours of cross country flight training in a single-engine airplane;
  2. 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane, that includes at least:
    a) 1 cross country flight of over 100 nm total distance; and
    b) 10 T/O’s and 10 landings to a full stop with each involving a flight in the traffic pattern at an airport.
  3. 3 hours of flight training by reference to instruments in a single-engine airplane; and
  4. 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane within the 60 days prior to the practical test.
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Solo: 10 hours minimum of solo flying in a single-engine airplane on the Private Pilot areas of operation including:
  1. 5 hours of solo cross country flying;
  2. 1 solo cross country flight of at least 150nm total distance with full-stop landings at 3 points and one segment of at least 50nm between T/O and landings; and
  3. 3 T/O’s and landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower.
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What maneuvers and flight skills I will learn and the examiner would ask me to do it on my check-ride event for a private pilot certificate? 
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  1. PRE-FLIGHT ASSESSMENT
  2. FLIGHT DECK / COCKPIT MANAGEMENT
  3. TAXIING
  4. AIRPORT OPERATIONS
  5. PILOTAGE & DEAD RECKONING
  6. DIVERSION
  7. RADIO NAVIGATION
  8. SOFT-FIELD TAKEOFF & CLIMB
  9. SOFT-FIELD APPROACH & LANDING
  10. SHORT-FIELD TAKEOFF & MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE CLIMB
  11. SHORT-FIELD APPROACH & LANDING
  12. CROSSWIND TAKEOFFS & LANDINGS
  13. FORWARD SLIP TO A LANDING
  14. GO-AROUND / REJECTED LANDING
  15. STEEP TURNS
  16. SLOW FLIGHT
  17. POWER-OFF STALLS
  18. POWER-ON STALLS & SPIN AWARENESS
  19. TURNS AROUND A POINT
  20. S-TURNS
  21. RECTANGULAR COURSE
  22. BASIC INSTRUMENT MANEUVERS & RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
  23. RECOVERY FROM UNUSUAL ATTITUDES
  24. EMERGENCY APPROACH & LANDING
  25. EMERGENCY DESCENT
  26. AFTER LANDING, PARKING & SECURING
  27. POST-FLIGHT PROCEDURES
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