# Get a private pilot licence (US, airplane) > Medical or BasicMed, 40 flight hours under Part 61 (most people need 60–70), a 60-question knowledge test, then the oral exam and checkride with a designated examiner. - **Section:** Licences & certifications · **Region:** US · **Difficulty:** hard - **Time:** 6–12 months at 2 lessons a week · 60–70 flight hours typical - **Cost:** $12,000–$20,000 all-in in 2026 · checkride examiner $600–$1,200 plus aircraft rental - **You end up with:** An FAA Private Pilot Certificate (airplane single-engine land), no expiry, with a flight review every 24 months - **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-05 · **Canonical:** https://for.do/p/private-pilot-licence-us/ ## Before you start - Age 16 to solo, 17 for the certificate; read, speak and understand English - A third-class FAA medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner, or BasicMed if you hold a US driver's licence and have held an FAA medical at some point after 14 July 2006 A private pilot certificate lets you fly yourself and passengers in a light aircraft, anywhere in the country, for as long as you keep current. It is the most expensive playbook on this site by a wide margin, and almost all of the cost is flight hours — which is why the order of the steps matters more here than anywhere else. ## 1. Take 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. ## 2. Choose 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). ## 3. Ground 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. ## 4. Fly 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. ## 5. Checkride 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). ## 6. The 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. ## 7. Stay 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). ## Where people get this wrong - Budgeting for 40 hours. The regulation minimum is 40 (35 at a Part 141 school); the national average is 60–70. Budget the average, not the minimum. - Flying once a week. Skills decay between lessons and you pay to relearn them; two to three lessons a week finishes faster and cheaper overall. - Leaving the knowledge test late. Its 60 questions cover material you need for the oral exam anyway; pass it early in training so the last months are pure flying. - Delaying the medical. Find out on day one whether you can hold a medical; a deferral discovered at 30 hours is an expensive surprise. ## Questions **Part 61 or Part 141?** Part 141 schools follow an FAA-approved syllabus with a 35-hour minimum and suit full-time students; Part 61 is flexible and suits people training around a job. Most private pilots train under Part 61. **What does the checkride involve?** An oral exam of about 1.5–2 hours on regulations, weather, systems and planning, then a 1–1.5 hour flight demonstrating the manoeuvres in the Airman Certification Standards. **How much does the examiner cost?** Designated Pilot Examiners set their own fees; $600–$1,200 for an initial private checkride is the 2026 range, plus your aircraft rental for the flight. ## Tools used - [FAA IACRA](https://find.do/t/faa-iacra/) (official) — The FAA's airman application system — Part 107 and pilot certificates start here. - [PSI (FAA knowledge tests)](https://find.do/t/psi-faa-testing/) — Books the FAA knowledge tests — Part 107 ($175) and the private pilot written. - [FAA MedXPress](https://find.do/t/faa-medxpress/) (official) — The online form that precedes an FAA medical exam. ## Sources - [eCFR — 14 CFR Part 61 Subpart E, Private Pilots](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-61/subpart-E) - [M2A Aviation Academy — Private pilot cost and requirements 2026](https://m2a.academy/blog/private-pilot-license-cost-and-requirements-2026-guide/) - [Pilot Institute — How much does a checkride cost?](https://pilotinstitute.com/how-much-does-a-checkride-cost/)