How to Become a Pilot
Have you dreamed of soaring through the skies with your friends? Have you imagined flying your family to vacation destinations? It can happen and it's probably easier than you think! Anyone with the desire can do it.
Becoming a pilot is a wonderful achievement and Gold Seal is here to help you make it happen. Our goal is to make aviation learning accessible, affordable, and fun! Watch our short video as it provides the road map that leads to your Private Pilot Certificate. See how easy it is to become a pilot!
Where Do I Start?
Take a look at the steps below to begin your pilot journey with Gold Seal! Do you have any questions? Check out ourFAQsection below, orcontact usvia phone or email. Our flight instructors will be happy to clear you for takeoff.
Become a Pilot in 6 Easy Steps
Becoming a pilot can seem like a lot at first, but we've separated out the 6 steps you need to become a Private Pilot!
The first certificate any pilot should start with is a medical certificate. This certificate proves that you are fit to be behind the controls of an airplane. To get started, find an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) by using theFAA's AME Locator. Once you locate an AME, contact their office to setup an appointment. Before your visit, fill out a medical application on theFAA MedXPress Website. More information about medical certificates can be found on theFAA's Medical Certification Page.
If you have any unusual medical conditions or take certain medications, discuss this with your flight instructor before you schedule your medical examination.
After your medical certificate is in your hand, next step is the Student Pilot Certificate. Head over to theFAA Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) Websiteand create an applicant account. This is where all your certifications and ratings will be processed. You will receive your FAA Tracking Number (FTN) here as well. You'll need this when taking exams.
At this point in your pilot journey, you will need a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) to sign off on your application for a Student Pilot Certificate. Call around local airports or search online to see if any CFIs or Flight Schools are in the area.
Over 200,000 students have trained with Gold Seal. They chose it because, for over 15 years, Gold Seal has been the most effective and engaging course available. Gold Seal lessons are unlike anything you have ever seen. You don't just watch a string of videos. The lessons draw you in with state-of-the-art 3D, in-flight video, interactivity, and gamification. You become an active part of the program. This is KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER, and it is only available at Gold Seal.
Gold Seal has the strongest guarantee in the industry. We guarantee that you'll pass your written test on your first try and have a lot of fun doing it. Your total satisfaction is our promise. You pass or we pay! Our course begins atforwith a renewal price ofeach additional year orfor life.
After completion of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Knowledge Test Endorsement. You will need these to take both your Knowledge Test and your Practical Test.
Once you have your Knowledge Test Endorsement, its time to schedule your Knowledge Test/Written Exam. Head over toPSI Examsto schedule your exam. This is an in-person/proctored exam with 60 questions and is multiple choice. This exam costs $175. The passing score is a 70%, but we guarantee you will make a better score than that when you study with our Ground School!
When you show up for your exam, make sure you have your FAA Tracking Number (FTN) from IACRA and your Knowledge Test Endorsement! You will not be able to take your exam without them.
Now begins the fun part. You will be flying from the “pilot seat” on the left with the instruments in front of you. Your CFI (Certificated Flight Instructor) will sit on the right and will guide you through all of your training. Takeoffs and landings are obvious parts of the curriculum, but it will also include climbs, descents, turns, and a variety of other maneuvers. You will also learn how to navigate to other airports and talk to ATC (Air Traffic Control) on the radio.
Once you master those skills, it's time for your first Solo flight. You take the airplane and fly on your own! This will be your first experience into flying as a Private Pilot. In total, you will have spent around 65 hours before you take your final test.
The final step in becoming a Private Pilot is the Practical Test. It's frequently called the “Checkride”. This is a combination oral exam and flight exam conducted with an FAA DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner). The oral exam usually lasts about an hour and a half. It is a discussion that covers a hypothetical flight plan that you have prepared in advance. It's not a high stress event. It's just two pilots talking about a flight scenario to confirm your piloting knowledge.
After the oral exam, you and the DPE will board the airplane and depart for the flight exam. This is where you demonstrate the various Private Pilot skills and maneuvers. There will be no surprises. You will know, in advance, exactly what you will be tested on and your instructor (your CFI) will have trained you for it.
After successfully completing your Practical Test, the examiner will give you a temporary Private Pilot Certificate. This paper identifies you as a fully certificated Private Pilot! You will receive your permanent plastic certificate in the mail a few weeks later, but you don't have to wait for that. Your temporary certificate opens up the sky. It's your key to fly as a Private Pilot.
Download our FREE Learn to Fly Guidebook
For a deep dive into Private Pilot training, download our freeLearn to Flyebook. This 70-page PDF covers all the details. In addition to explaining the training process, it includes important sections on airports, airspaces, aerodynamics, flight maneuvers, weather, and solo flight. This guidebook is the perfect overview of everything that a Private Pilot should know.
This is an instant download. Just click it and it's yours. No sign-up required.
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Have a Question? Find an Answer!
To become a private pilot, you engage in a training program with either an independent flight instructor, or a flight school. Your training will include ground study to learn the conceptual topics including navigation, aviation weather, aeronautical charts, and regulations. The flight portion of your training occurs, as you might expect, in the air, flying an airplane with your instructor. Once you have learned to fly the airplane by yourself (solo), part of your remaining time will be flying alone, practicing your maneuvers and making flights to other airports. The whole program is a lot of fun, but does require diligent study and work.
To become a Private Pilot, you must pass two tests. The first is the FAA Knowledge Test. Most people just call it the written exam. It contains 60 multiple-choice questions and you must score at least 70% to pass. The second test is your Practical Test. This is usually referred to as the checkride. You take this test with a Pilot Examiner. Once you have successfully completed this, you are awarded a temporary airman certificate. This identifies you as a fully-certificated Private Pilot. You will receive your permanent pilot certificate in the mail several weeks later.
The skies are open to you as a private pilot. You may fly your family to vacation destinations, or take friends on sight-seeing flights. Traveling 200 miles to a business meeting goes a lot faster when you're in an airplane. You may purchase your own airplane or rent one from a local flight school or club. Private pilots have freedoms to travel that non-pilots could not even imagine.
Ground School is the portion of your pilot training that is conducted (surprise!) on the ground. It could be just you and the books, but there are other options. Some people take formal classroom sessions at a local flight school or community college. The most popular form of ground school involves computer-based learning, most often with an internet-based program such as Gold Seal. The purpose of any ground school isn't just to prepare you for the FAA written test. A comprehensive ground school should be your constant mentor, assisting you with ALL of your training and taking you all the way to the final checkride. Anything else will leave holes in your training.
The Gold Seal Private Pilot Ground School is your complete resource. It covers everything you need throughout your entire training program. It covers all of your tests and includes everything you need to know. The cost isforof online training and mentorship. When your initial year is up, you may renew your membership with a deep discount. Additional annual enrollments are just. A lifetime enrollment is.
FAA Medical exams range from $70 to $200 based on the medical class, location, and doctor. If you need a special issuance exam, those could cost more. Some offices do take insurance so be sure to check with the AME to see if they accept your insurance provider.
Yes, and our guarantee is the strongest one you will find. Our goal is for two things to happen: (1) you are successful, and (2) you enjoy the learning process. If you complete the Gold Seal program without passing the FAA written test on your first try, we will reimburse you for the cost of the exam, up to $175. You pass, or we pay! This is a wonderful insurance policy for you.
If you don't enjoy the program, no problem. You have up to 90 days in which you can get a full refund for ANY reason. As long as you haven't completed the course, or downloaded your Endorsement or Completion Certificate, we will issue you a 100% refund of your full purchase price.
Yes. Create a free account, and you receive instant access to an extensive test drive. No charge and no expiration. See exactly how it works and learn something in the process. It's fun!
Unless you have a learning disability, you AREN'T a poor test taker. You just haven't found the right training program. Learning aviation fundamentals doesn't have to be difficult or boring. Gold Seal's Knowledge Transfer System guarantees that you learn quickly and easily. Aviation is big topic. But you will find that you are absolutely capable of learning the material and making a great score. This is our specialty! If we don't meet your expectations, we'll give you your money back. Courteously, with no questions asked.
Gold Seal's team of experienced instructors are always ready to give you a hand. We're available by phone or email and enjoy having the opportunity to personally assist you. Our goal is for you to be successful. One way we do that is to provide swift and complete answers to any of your questions.
Yes. When you complete the course and pass the Gold Seal final exam, you will instantly be issued an Endorsement. It is a downloadable PDF, signed and dated by an FAA flight instructor. This is all you need to take the FAA Knowledge Test (the “written exam”).
Yes, and it is discussed in the third lesson in Section 1.Click here to download the syllabus as a PDF. The syllabus is an ideal tool that keeps your flight training on task. It also ties directly to the ground school lessons. This integrates your ground and flight training. Your instructor may already use a syllabus and that is fine, but ask him/her to at least look over the Gold Seal syllabus. If you are not yet in the flight portion of your training, it isn't necessary to follow the syllabus. The ground school lessons are already presented in a logical order.