How long does it take to get your license?

For getting your private license there are two factors to consider; legal hour, and “proficient hours”. The FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours to obtain your private license, but this account for personal proficiency. In order to get your license, you must pass a checkride conducted by an FAA designated examiner, and they will assess your flight, knowledge, and decision making skills. How well you master these skills is dependent on how much you are willing to commit to the program, and how good of a learner you are. I would safely expect at least 60 hours for your license on average.

What is ground-school and do I have to do it?

In order to get your Private Pilot Certificate, you will need to finish an FAA approved ground school course. Fortunately for you, this does not require you attend a scheduled, in person class on a regular basis like traditional schooling. Instead, upon establishing a curriculum and start date, I will walk you through the required online ground school course you will do, as well as the associated expenses, materials, and timeline. The program is video and quiz based, and requires that you study on your own free time. Maintaining a consistent study routine at home is just as important as making it to your daily flights, since all of your flight lessons will be building upon what you learn from ground school, so don’t expect to be able to neglect this!

What is an endorsement vs a certificate?

If you want to become a pilot, you will be wanting to get a “Private Pilot Certfificate” A certificate requires a checkride with an examiner, has a list of required knowledge areas in the FAR/AIM, and almost always requires a written test as well. An endorsement typically requires a small amount (~2 hours) of ground and flight time, and then when the student is deemed ready, the instructor signs the endorsement in their logbook. No checkride, solo requirement, or test. These endorsements typically issued include tailwheel, complex, high-performance, and high altitude.

Will you do initial private training in a tailwheel?

I will not provide initial instruction out of a tandem tailwheel where the student has no flight experience. If the student is willing to learn some basics in a nosewheel or comes with prior experience, then individual assessments will be made. This is due to the inherent risk, but also difficulty of assessing a new pilot under lower visibility from the backseat.