LearnToFlyInfo

Do You have "The Right Stuff" to be a pilot? It's not what you think and not the same thing that makes astronauts! Some people begin flight instruction but never finish and the most likely reasons would seem to be lack of money or difficulty with the training but unfortunately the chief reason is lack of TIME. You must be able to devote at least 2 - 2 hour sessions per week for lessons plus an hour or so most every day
for home study/ lesson prep and you must have a strong commitment and interest in flying to make this one, wonderful thing happen in your life! Naturally you also must have the financial means to do this without causing other problems in your life or delays in completion of your training. We want your business but most important, we want you to FINISH the training too so if you can answer "yes" to the above, let's go fly!

You are required to log 40 hours of training for the private pilot license, 20 hours with your instructor and 20 hours solo flight. Within this time there are certain requirements for cross country flight, night flight, test prep etc. Everyone learns at a different pace for each required skill so your instructor will be carefully evaluating your progress and making the necessary plans. To fly solo, you must also pass a basic medical exam and be issued a 3rd class medical certificate. For more information, see the section on Medical Certification. Your instructor will be your best resource for other rules on training and general flying.

Your first ten hours or so will be spent with your instructor just learning to fly the airplane. You'll learn to takeoff, climb, descend, turn, fly level, airspeed control, emergency procedures, your basic private pilot maneuvers and of course landing! When your instructor feels that the time is right, he'll give you an informal test on some basic knowledge and regulations and then send you off into the sky alone for your first solo! Your next few flights will be solo in the general vicinity of the airport just building confidence in yourself, practicing your maneuvers and just generally honing your skills and knowledge of the airplane and airport procedures. Then comes the cross country phase beginning with several short and long trips to faraway airports with your instructor with at least one at night. You'll carefully plan your route of flight from air maps and learn to navigate by recognition of ground features. You'll also learn about flight information sources, headwinds/tailwinds, time-distance calculations, fuel requirements, talking to air traffic controllers, filing flight plans, airport specifications, aircraft loading and of course weather. After that, you'll make at least several cross country trips by yourself to places of your choice. And finally it's time to start getting ready for your flight test! You and your instructor will practice over and over the maneuvers required to be demonstrated on the test. There are set "standards" and tolerances for these maneuvers so you will have little doubt when you are ready! Right before the test you'll also spend time with your instructor going over the knowledge required for the oral portion of the test. After he/she is satisfied that you are ready for that and can fly the maneuvers it's time to go see the examiner!

Contrary to popular belief among non-pilots, flying is proven to be no more dangerous than other methods of transportation BUT in aviation you must get it right the first time! All through your training you will be taught to make the decision that guarantees a safe outcome of your flight which sometimes means staying on the ground. We want you to leave our facility with confidence, well-polished skills and well-educated to make sound flight-planning or in-flight decisions.

First you'll need a source of basic pilot information such as the Jeppesen private pilot manual and also a book or software with the FAA written test questions. Hardware-wise, you'll need a good aviation headset plus several devices that will help you make in-flight and flight planning calculations. If you like gadgets or are the high-tech type, there are plenty of those items available too but we recommend you stick to the basics to start with. All of these items are available at Victoria Flyers at reasonable prices. See the section on "costs" for prices.