Get a private pilot licence (US, airplane)

1Take a discovery flight and get the medical first

• Book a discovery flight (about an hour, $150–$300) at a local school to confirm you actually like it.
• Find an Aviation Medical Examiner and get a third-class medical, or confirm BasicMed eligibility. Do this before spending on lessons.
• Create your FAA IACRA account and get a student pilot certificate through your instructor.

2Choose a school and an instructor

• Visit two or three schools: aircraft condition, scheduling availability, instructor turnover, and the all-in hourly rate (aircraft wet + instructor).
• Pick an instructor you can fly with two or three times a week; consistency is the single biggest cost lever.
• Agree a written training plan with milestones (solo, cross-country, checkride prep).

3Ground school and the knowledge test

• Do ground school online or in class in parallel with early flying: aerodynamics, regulations, weather, navigation, airspace.
• Get your instructor's endorsement and book the Private Pilot Airplane knowledge test at a PSI centre: 60 questions, 2.5 hours, 70% to pass, valid 24 months.
• Aim to pass it before your first solo cross-country.

4Fly the required hours

Part 61 requires at least 40 hours including 20 with an instructor and 10 solo, with specific cross-country, night and instrument-reference time.

• Solo (typically 15–25 hours in): pattern work and the confidence that follows.
• Cross-country flights: the solo 150-nautical-mile trip with three full-stop landings is the milestone most people remember.
• Night flying (3 hours with 10 landings) and 3 hours of simulated instrument time.
• Expect 60–70 hours in total; treat 40 as the floor.

5Checkride preparation

• Fly the Airman Certification Standards manoeuvres to tolerance repeatedly with your instructor.
• Prepare a full cross-country plan for the examiner's assigned route, including weather, weight and balance, and performance.
• Get the checkride endorsement; book a Designated Pilot Examiner (weeks ahead in busy areas).

6The oral exam and checkride

• Oral: 1.5–2 hours on your planning, regulations, systems and decision-making.
• Flight: 1–1.5 hours demonstrating take-offs, landings, manoeuvres, emergencies and navigation.
• Pass, and you leave with a temporary certificate; the plastic follows by mail.

7Stay current

• A flight review with an instructor every 24 calendar months keeps the certificate usable.
• To carry passengers, three take-offs and landings in the previous 90 days (at night, for night passengers).