Learn to Fly

Roadmap

This is the "trunk" route that most most pilot go through:

Milestone	Hours
Student Pilot License
PPL: Private Pilot License	40 Hours
IR: Instrument Rating	cross-country >= 50 hours
Commercial Pilot Certificate	250 Hours
Multi-engine
CFI	250 hours
CFII
MEI
ATP: Airline Transport Pilot	1,500 Hours
Type Ratings

There are other trainings you can take to make your journey more interesting:

• Seaplane:
  • Airplane Single-Engine Seaplane (ASES)
  • Airplane Multi-Engine Seaplane (AMES)
• Ratings for a ground instructor:
  • Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI)
  • Advanced Ground Instructor (AGI)
• Learn in Alaska
  • Seaplane / back country: https://alaskafloatratings.com/
• Glider
• Tailwheel
• Aerobatic
• If you do not want to get PPL, you can also get a Sport or Recreational pilot license. Check how they are different.

Documents and Books

• Regulation and official guide:
  • FAR: Federal Aviation Regulations. Easy to read online: use eCFR https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14
  • AIM: Aeronautical Information Manual. Basically a textbook with further information to FAR.
• Learn to fly:
  • ACS: Airman Certification Standards (ACS) replaces the Practical Test Standards (PTS) for the Private Pilot Airplane certificate and the Instrument-Airplane rating.
    • Private Pilot ACS
    • Instrument ACS
    • Commercial ACS
    • ATP ACS
  • AFH: Airplane Flying Handbook.
  • PHAK: Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.
  • IFH: Instrument Flying Handbook.
  • IPH: Instrument Procedures Handbook.
  • Weather Handbook
  • Risk Management Handbook
  • Aviation Instructor's Handbook.
  • Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide
  • Chart Supplements
• Per aircraft:
  • POH: Pilot’s Operating Handbook.
  • AFM: Airplane Flight Manual.
• Important ACs:
  • AC 61-142: Sharing Aircraft Operating Expenses
  • AC 90-66C: Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations
  • AC 90-108: Use of Suitable RNAV Systems on Conventional Routes and Procedures
  • AC 61-98D: Guidance for the Flight Review and IPC
  • AC 91-92: Pilot's Guide to a Preflight Briefing
• How to decode METAR/TAF/PIREP

Books

• Stick and rudder

ACS only lists the items for certification; the handbooks are based on ACS to provide more details; then there are many non official test prep books.

ACS (the standard) => PHAK (the handbook) => Test Prep Books

AFH vs PHAK

• PHAK is ‘the big picture’. It’s a broad overview of aviation knowledge that every pilot should know. PHAK is mainly about the theoretical knowledge you need for the knowledge and practical tests.
  • https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak
• “Airplane Flying Handbook” addresses the fundamentals of flying the airplane
  • https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook

Medical

• 3rd class for training, valid for 5 years.
• 2nd class for commercial flights
• 1st class for airlines, valid for half year if over 40

Written Exam

• Books
  • Rod Machados Private Pilot Handbook
  • Private Pilot Test Prep
  • The Student Pilot's Flight Manual
• ASAs Color E6B Flight Computer
• CX-3 Flight Computer

Instrument Rating

• 50 hours of Pilot in Command cross country
• 40 hours of simulated or actual instrument time
• 15 hours of flight instruction towards instrument rating

cross country >= 250nm (e.g. SF to LA ~300nm)

Log time: Safety pilot can log the time.

Private vs Commercial

Private maneuvers:

• Steep Turn
• Slow Flight
• Power-off stall
• Power-on stall

Commercial additional maneuvers:

• Chandelles
• Lazy Eights
• Eights on Pylons
• Steep Spirals

Aerobatics maneuvers

• Barrel or Slow Roll
• Loop or Clover Leaf
• Snap Roll
• Vertical Reverse
• Cuban Eight
• Spins
• Inverted Flight

Online Resources

• http://skyvector.com/

• vfrmap.com

• tfr.faa.gov

• sua.faa.gov

• airnav.com

• see how it flies (book) by john denker

• Pilot Edge to practice radio calls

• Sporty's flight lessons

• UND interactive trainers: https://aero.und.edu/aviation/current-students/trainers.html

Videos:

• Aircraft Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIdXLMVP6VU
• MIT Private Pilot Ground School: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF-k_OIEn_PMQ4bYJGD1Jx1OUAM7zwaEH

Free online ground school: https://www.slingpilotacademy.com/free-online-ground-school/

Training Planes

	Cessna 172	Cessna 152	Citabria
Seats	4	2	2, Tandem
Empty Weight	1,680 lb	1,081 lbs	1,037 lb
Useful Load	878 lb	589 lb	613 lb
MTOW	2,550 lb	1,670 lb	1,650 lb
HP	180 HP	110 HP	115/118 HP
Usable Fuel Volume	53 gal.	25 gal.	35 gal.

C152 vs Citabria

C152 and Citabria: both Lycoming O-235; C152 110hp, new Citabria 7ECA have Lycoming O-235-K2C 118hp. The first O-235 model was certified on 11 February 1942. The O-235 was developed into the lighter-weight Lycoming IO-233 engine for light sport aircraft.

C152 vs C172

152 visibility worse than 172.

152 first flap <85 kt; 172 first flap <110 kt.

Piper P-28

There are a number of reasons why Piper aircraft are not as popular for training.

• Lack of spin certification on many models.
• Less downward visibility.
• More complicated fuel systems (elec pump and left or right only).
• Only one door.
• Low wing, need to climb up and down especially during preflight checks.

C182 and SR-20

One step up from the basic trainers. Cessna 182T is powered by a Lycoming IO-540 engine (230 hp), while Cirrus SR20 is powered by a Continental IO-360 (215 hp). Bigger max payloads (950 lb+), enough to bring 4 grown ups.

New Pilot Checklist

• FTSP if not U.S. citizen (you can add multiple aircraft types in the application)
• Medical exam: 3rd class, before solo
• Ground School: sporty / king schools
• foreflight (incl. logbook)

Getting Started

• For non-citizen: get TSA approval
• apply for your student pilot certificate: make an account on the FAA’s IACRA website (https://iacra.faa.gov/)
  • IACRA: Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application
  • get a FTN (FAA Tracking Number). It will stay with you throughout the course of your aviation career. FTN is required for FAA Airman Knowledge Test (AKT).
  • your FTN is a different number than your certificate number.
  • apply for student pilot certificate, needed for solo.

Glossary

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/pcg_html/glossary.html

Prep for written tests

• For PPL, Sporty's questions are close enough.
• For IR+: sheppardair
• sheppardair does not provide PPL course, "The Private Pilot tests are not undergoing any of the turmoil/chaos that all other FAA pilot testing is experiencing"
• https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/students

Standard Rate Turn

3 degrees per second. 1 min to turn 180°, 2 mins to turn 360°.