Getting your student pilot certificate is the first major thing you need to do to develop your aviation career. You don’t need a student pilot certificate to take flying lessons, but for flying alone you do. To be able to obtain the student pilot certificate, you must be at least 16 years of age to fly an airplane and 14 years of age to fly gliders or balloons. To be eligible for the license, you also have to be able to read, write, speak, and understand English at a high level.
“Well, if I am already eligible for the certificate, how do I register?”. You could apply for the student pilot certificate by the paper by filling in the application form through the integrated airman certification and rating application (IACRA) website. You will then find an FAA Designated Pilot examiner, an Airman certification representative associated with a Part 141 flight school, or a certificated flight instructor to verify and submit your application. Regardless of how you apply, the Airmen Certification Branch will review the documents and the application you have given. In around 3 weeks, you should get your pilot certificate by mail.
Once you have become a student pilot and started your flight school, here are some materials you need the most.
First, a logbook is important to monitor your progress as a student in your flight school. A pilot logbook is a book that contains a pilot’s flying hours. The book has information on every flight that the pilot has done, the flight time, and the number of landings.
A kneeboard is a small clipboard with a pen or pencil holder that is strapped to the pilot’s leg. A kneeboard is usually used to note down ATIS information, weather information, and the codes that the ATC gives to the pilots.
The next items you would need are foggles or a view-limiting device. During your private pilot flight training, foggles are used to limit the student’s field of vision to make the pilot rely on the flight instruments to fly.
A headset is used to block your hearing during private pilot flight training for good reasons. The sound of the engines inside of a plane can be heard quite loudly from the cockpit. With the loud engines at the speed that you are going, it might be difficult to communicate with people. The headsets are needed to communicate with the ATC and with your instructor during your flight lessons as a student pilot.
Before actually taking flight lessons, you would also need to join and participate in ground training. In flight school, there is ground training and flight training. Before going into training to fly the plane, student pilots would need to be assessed first for their aviation knowledge. That is what the ground training is for. The pilot ground school would give you knowledge about flight lesson systems such as weather patterns, aerodynamics, navigation, and aviation regulation. Before taking your private pilot flight training, it is best to first pass the ground school tests. These ground training could nowadays either be done online or onsite. Once you are done and have passed the test, you will start the fun part of your aviation journey, learning how to fly.
During your flight lessons as a student pilot, knowing everything about the plane’s machine and system won’t be easy. That’s when the POH comes in handy for student pilots. The POH contains appropriate checklists for operation, systems, performance, weight, and many more for the pilots to acknowledge to be able to run a smooth flight.
In flight school, learning the area chart or the maps is very important. Learning the different symbols on the map really could enhance your knowledge of how to control your plane.
Another topic during private pilot flight training is airport operation. The Airport Facility Directory gives information on the airports you would do your flight training in. It would contain information on the fuel, the distance of the runways, and other crucial information needed before landing at an airport during your flight lessons.
TSA clearance is needed by non-US citizens who want to go to a flight school. To be able to join a flight school, a student pilot must pass a TSA background check first.
Finally, to be able to manage your things properly during flight school, a flight bag is definitely the right item to use. Flight bags are designed in a way where everything is organized and easy to find. Especially during flight school, there could be emergencies where you need to find a certain item to secure your safety, these flight bags are the best choice for that.
Getting your student pilot certificate is the first major thing you need to do to develop your aviation career. You don’t need a student pilot certificate to take flying lessons, but for flying alone you do. To be able to obtain the student pilot certificate, you must be at least 16 years of age to fly an airplane and 14 years of age to fly gliders or balloons. To be eligible for the license, you also have to be able to read, write, speak, and understand English at a high level.
“Well, if I am already eligible for the certificate, how do I register?”. You could apply for the student pilot certificate by the paper by filling in the application form through the integrated airman certification and rating application (IACRA) website. You will then find an FAA Designated Pilot examiner, an Airman certification representative associated with a Part 141 flight school, or a certificated flight instructor to verify and submit your application. Regardless of how you apply, the Airmen Certification Branch will review the documents and the application you have given. In around 3 weeks, you should get your pilot certificate by mail.
Once you have become a student pilot and started your flight school, here are some materials you need the most.
First, a logbook is important to monitor your progress as a student in your flight school. A pilot logbook is a book that contains a pilot’s flying hours. The book has information on every flight that the pilot has done, the flight time, and the number of landings.
A kneeboard is a small clipboard with a pen or pencil holder that is strapped to the pilot’s leg. A kneeboard is usually used to note down ATIS information, weather information, and the codes that the ATC gives to the pilots.
The next items you would need are foggles or a view-limiting device. During your private pilot flight training, foggles are used to limit the student’s field of vision to make the pilot rely on the flight instruments to fly.
A headset is used to block your hearing during private pilot flight training for good reasons. The sound of the engines inside of a plane can be heard quite loudly from the cockpit. With the loud engines at the speed that you are going, it might be difficult to communicate with people. The headsets are needed to communicate with the ATC and with your instructor during your flight lessons as a student pilot.
Before actually taking flight lessons, you would also need to join and participate in ground training. In flight school, there is ground training and flight training. Before going into training to fly the plane, student pilots would need to be assessed first for their aviation knowledge. That is what the ground training is for. The pilot ground school would give you knowledge about flight lesson systems such as weather patterns, aerodynamics, navigation, and aviation regulation. Before taking your private pilot flight training, it is best to first pass the ground school tests. These ground training could nowadays either be done online or onsite. Once you are done and have passed the test, you will start the fun part of your aviation journey, learning how to fly.
During your flight lessons as a student pilot, knowing everything about the plane’s machine and system won’t be easy. That’s when the POH comes in handy for student pilots. The POH contains appropriate checklists for operation, systems, performance, weight, and many more for the pilots to acknowledge to be able to run a smooth flight.
In flight school, learning the area chart or the maps is very important. Learning the different symbols on the map really could enhance your knowledge of how to control your plane.
Another topic during private pilot flight training is airport operation. The Airport Facility Directory gives information on the airports you would do your flight training in. It would contain information on the fuel, the distance of the runways, and other crucial information needed before landing at an airport during your flight lessons.
TSA clearance is needed by non-US citizens who want to go to a flight school. To be able to join a flight school, a student pilot must pass a TSA background check first.
Finally, to be able to manage your things properly during flight school, a flight bag is definitely the right item to use. Flight bags are designed in a way where everything is organized and easy to find. Especially during flight school, there could be emergencies where you need to find a certain item to secure your safety, these flight bags are the best choice for that.
Hawra Tustari is an active aviation blogger who has high interest and expectations for the aviation industry. She is also an FAA Private Pilot who currently on a training to upgrade her licenses. Always up to date with the latest aviation news, Hawra aims to provide the best content on our website to help all pilots alike. We aim to provide flight training guidance and with information related to flying school materials and tips involved how to pass the check ride for all students.
Hawra Tustari is an active aviation blogger who has high interest and expectations for the aviation industry. She is also an FAA Private Pilot who currently on a training to upgrade her licenses. Always up to date with the latest aviation news, Hawra aims to provide the best content on our website to help all pilots alike. We aim to provide flight training guidance and with information related to flying school materials and tips involved how to pass the check ride for all students.
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Hawra Tustari is an active aviation blogger who has high interest and expectations for the aviation industry. She is also an FAA Private Pilot who currently on a training to upgrade her licenses. Always up to date with the latest aviation news, Hawra aims to provide the best content on our website to help all pilots alike. We aim to provide flight training guidance and with information related to flying school materials and tips involved how to pass the check ride for all students.
