The Private Pilot Certificate is still the most popular certificate earned by those new to flying.  With this license you can fly into over 5,000 public-use landing facilities.  You can tour your own backyard from the air or take the family on a one-of-a-kind camping trip.  As a Private Pilot you can carry passengers in visual conditions (not in the clouds, which requires an Instrument certification)but not for compensation or hire. 

Private Pilot Training has three basic phases:

Stage I: Presolo

In this phase you learn the basics -climbs, turns, descents, straight and level flying.  You also learn to control the aircraft in various configurations including cruise and slow flight.  You learn about airports and the air traffic system, emergency procedures, and how to fly the traffic pattern.  Perhaps most thrilling --you learn how to land! This stage culminates in your first solo flight.  This is the first time you fly the plane by yourself, normally making several take-offs and landings while your instructor wathces (and paces!)

Stage II: Navigation /  Performance

During this phase you continue to build on your Phase I skills by learning short and  soft-field operations designed to show you how to get the most performance out of your plane.  You will begin taking trips, first with your instructor and then (when you're ready) by yourself.  These cross country flights are only 50 miles long, but they mark an important part of your training where you begin to experience the practical benefits of flying (just how long would that have taken by minivan anyway?)  You will study weather,  performance, navigation, systems, and night flying.  

Stage III: Practical Test Preparation

By the beginning of Phase III, you will be thinking of your Practical Test (your "Final Exam") where an FAA Examiner gives you an oral exam and flight test (this whole process is often referred to as the "Checkride") so that you may be certified as a pilot.  You and your instructor will practice everything you have learned in Phases I and II and insure you training has been thorough and that you are ready not only for your Test, but for operating safely and proficiently as a Private Pilot.  Once you pass your checkride you will be a Private Pilot and the learning will begin in earnest! 

Contact Me to find out more >>>