Preface

Learning to fly is a complex process which can be daunting for the novice. This article about how to become a pilot explains authoritatively how to obtain your first pilot’s license, the Private Pilot Certificate, efficiently. How to become a professional pilot afterwards is covered in a separate article.

In this performance- and efficiency-oriented article about learning to fly we cover study and preparation methods which you as the student pilot should implement yourself, preferably even before you start taking flying lessons at a flight school. This is an important step in order for you to excel in your flight training and save training costs. This article is not about the administrative steps to get a pilot certificate (like applying for a student pilot certificate); your local flight school can help you with that. The philosophy of this article is for you to self-study beforehand as much as possible with publicly available FAA materials for free, and to consult a flight instructor only when needed (after most of your self-prep).

Of course, in the end, the input of a qualified flight instructor in an actual aircraft is needed. And let us remind you very seriously that you are never to try anything in a real aircraft without having received prior instruction from an authorized flight instructor proficient in the maneuver. Learning to fly in an aircraft needs professional supervision by an experienced, qualified individual. Flying has inherent serious dangers with possibly fatal outcomes, and not everything you need to know about flying an aircraft is in the books.

What you will read in this article will differ to some extent from what your local flight school will tell you. There is a reason for that: business interest and practicality. It is bad business practice to point a new prospective client to a whole bunch of free online materials, ask them to study them intently, and to come back after a couple of months, once they have studied them all. Most clients would not come back, for a variety of reasons: some will get lost or run out of study time, others may find the material too difficult to understand on their own, and some may simply not believe the flight school and choose a different one, where they are put into an airplane right away. None of these outcomes are good – not for the flight school and especially not for the client.

On the other hand, if you as the client were to tell the flight school on your own initiative that this is the study method you want to implement, or even better, are able to tell the flight school that you have already studied all of these materials as described in this learn-to-fly article, before walking through their door in the first place, the flight school will be very excited. Really, really exited. Everyone likes a good student who will make decent progress. (If they are not excited by your self-preparation, then perhaps this would be the moment to choose a different flight school.) The key difference in the above two view points is responsibility. If you take responsibility for your training, you can go much further than if the flight school needs to tell you what to do and has to hope that you will do at least half of it. And in order for you to be able to take responsibility for your training, you must understand what efficient flight training is about. This is what this article is trying to convey.

One of the goals of the study method presented here is to obtain your private pilot certificate in the legal minimum number of (35-)40 flight hours. Another goal is to use the flight instructor’s time efficiently: if you know already most of the things written in the flight training textbooks, then the instructor has more time available to impart their experience on you, which is not written in the books. Put in other words, this article is the ultimate guide how to come superbly prepared for all your flying lessons, resulting in a correspondingly impressive outcome, which on top of everything is kind to your wallet.

The method outlined here is one of the most efficient and best, both in terms of flight time and financially. It also happens to be quite a demanding method, which requires a lot of self-motivation, willingness to self-study, and relies on a certain level of independent ability. So it might not be for everyone. But you will find that this approach to initial flight training has many benefits for you as a student pilot.

As a side effect, if you realize during your self-studies that obtaining a private pilot certificate is too much of an effort or time expense for you, which nationwide happens to roughly 3/4 of all student pilots (who then quit), you will not have spent any money on the pursuit, rather than being several thousand dollars in the hole for introductory flying lessons at your local flight school.

As a final note in this preface, if you have any concerns about your medical fitness, we recommend you get an FAA Medical Certificate first (which you will need in order to become an airplane or helicopter pilot – not necessary for gliders). The class of this medical certificate should be commensurate to your final pilot goals. For instance, if your goal is to become an airline pilot, get a 1st Class Medical Certificate, before you even start flight training. That way, you will not spend tens of thousands of dollars on your professional pilot training, only to realize in the end that you are unable to pass the medical exam for the career path of your choice. How to obtain a medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) is beyond the scope of this article; please contact us, if you are interested in more information. We can also refer you to a good AME, where you can obtain a 1st Class medical relatively inexpensively.

Introduction

The key to efficient flight training is to fly only when you absolutely have to. Most of flight training happens on the ground. You can learn aerodynamics and physics of flight, rules and regulations, checklists, cockpit layout, procedures, navigation, aeronautical decision making, etc. all on the ground first theoretically. Then you go practice these concepts and maneuvers with your flight simulator software on your home computer (with a setup that should cost less than $100).

Only when all is understood, all procedures are rehearsed to oblivion and (as necessary) memorized, then you go and seek out a flight instructor for an actual flight in an airplane. And before you do each training flight with your flight instructor, you pre-fly each training sortie multiple times with your flight simulator at home, until it becomes second nature to you. Then you simply reel off the same practiced flight in the real airplane with the flight instructor on board, whose primary function is too keep you safe, while your brain is still learning, practicing, and making mistakes, and who can assess and critique your performance and give you valuable advice on how to refine your techniques.

When you learn to fly, the only things you should be learning in a real airplane are muscle memory (i.e. how much force and movement you need to apply to the stick/yoke and rudder pedals), hand-eye coordination (e.g. during landing), and 3D spatial and situational awareness (esp. during maneuvers like aerobatics, but also regarding terrain and traffic avoidance in a real environment). Pretty much everything else should be learned beforehand on the ground; and much of this you can learn on your own by yourself (with some minor guidance).

Reading Order

The references at the end of this learn-to-fly article list all the literature you must read (in more or less detail, as appropriate) in order to become a private pilot. References are referred to in the text by numbers in square brackets; links to these references are available at the bottom of the article (many of them are freely available on the FAA website).

FAA Textbooks

Learn to fly by starting to read carefully the following two FAA Handbooks in this order:

1. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) [1], Chapters 4–6. These chapters cover the physics and aerodynamics of flight. Read these very diligently, as they lay the foundation of your understanding of flight and how to control an airplane. This topic is crucially important, because the flight controls only create moments and forces and do not control the desired output variables (flight path and speed) directly; there is no unambiguous flight control for “up” or “curve flight path to the left”. (This is so important that you may later wish to read far more advanced materials on this subject than just the FAA handbooks.)
2. Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH) [2], Chapters 2–11 and Chapter 18. The AFH will explain to you how to fly the maneuvers, from takeoff, to stalls and steep turns, to landings. Note that these chapters crucially assume as a prerequisite that you have read and understood PHAK [1] Chapters 4–6 beforehand, because otherwise you will not understand the reasons behind the control inputs and pilot reasoning described. Using a flight simulator on your computer to reinforce the concepts is helpful at this point (though keep in mind that not everything you read about is apparent in your simulator).
   You can skip AFH [2] Chapters 12-17 entirely, because they do not apply to your PPL (unless you do your training in a special aircraft like tailwheel, multiengine, etc., which most people do not).
3. PHAK [1], Chapters 7–17, Chapters 2 and 3. These chapters cover everything else needed for flight: airplane systems, navigation, airspaces, communication, weather, aeronautical decision making, pilot physiology/human factors, etc. You can read all of these chapters before, concurrently, or after reading the AFH [2] chapters above, depending on your mood and focus. If you have read about so many maneuvers in the AFH consecutively, that the individual descriptions are starting to blur, it may be a good time to pick up the PHAK again and read a chapter or two to get your brain occupied with an entirely different topic for a while.

FAA Reference Books

While the chapters in the learn-to-fly textbooks PHAK [1] and AFH [2] are meant to be read from beginning to end, the following FAA publications are more intended to be used as references, where you read only selected passages and subsections. This is because these references are far to thick to be read cover-to-cover and because large parts in them do not apply to you and to your situation, or treat matters in detail which you can learn later. Consider these references the original source material, which the PHAK [1] and AFH [2] above to some extent regurgitate for training purposes.

Regulations

• 14 CFR Part 61 [3] deals with airmen and their certification, currency requirements, privileges and limitations. You should read the subparts applicable to you, i.e. Subpart C (Student Pilots) and Subpart E (Private Pilots), as well as selected regulations from Subparts A and B as needed. Skip all other subparts.
• 14 CFR Part 91 [4] deals with general operating and flight rules. Read most of Subparts A, B (except instrument flight rules), C, D, and E. Skip all other subparts.
• 49 CFR Part 830 [5] deals with when and how to report aircraft accidents and incidents. Read the entire part, as it is very brief.

Recommended Procedures

• The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) [6] contains additional information and common recommended procedures, which are not regulatory in nature. Very useful read, but way too much to be read cover to cover. You can try to look things up here, if you have questions about a topic in the PHAK and AFH or wish to go deeper on a subject of particular relevance for the environment you are flying in. Perhaps you would like to know more about airport markings, the working of navigational aids, or what air traffic control might tell you and what phraseology they’ll use. For the latter, the pilot controller glossary at the end of the AIM is very useful, which defines common terms used. Your flight instructor can guide you further and put emphasis on particular sections during your initial flight training.

Examination Preparation

While learning to fly, you will have to pass two main examinations. The first is the FAA Knowledge Test (often informally referred to as the “written test”), which is computer-based, consisting of ca. 60 multiple-choice questions drawn from the FAA question bank. The second test is the FAA Practical Test (often informally referred to as the “checkride”), which is administered by an examiner and consists of an oral examination lasting several hours, followed by a flight. The questions during the oral examination are often scenario-based and posed very differently than the multiple choice questions on the FAA Knowledge Test.

For preparation for the FAA Knowledge Test and Practical Test, use respectively:

• Sporty’s Study Buddy [7] or some other form of up-to-date question bank to memorize the answers to the exam questions, which can appear on the FAA Knowledge Test. We encourage memorization (and understanding only where needed) for this test for efficiency reasons, because understanding, application, and correlation can (and must!) be practiced avidly later for the oral part of the FAA Practical Test. How to practice with this question bank efficiently for the FAA Knowledge Test is beyond the scope of this article. You are encouraged to contact us, if you would like to receive guidance.
• The Airman Certification Standards (ACS): Private Pilot – Airplane [8] list all the tasks and maneuvers the examiner can ask you to perform on the FAA Practical Test. Very importantly, the ACS also specifies the tolerances (e.g. in altitude, airspeed, heading, etc.) to which these maneuvers have to be flown, so you are advised to read this document well ahead of time, even as you start to practice flying. How to fly the maneuvers is explained in detail in the AFH [2].
• The ACS [8] does not offer any study assistance for the oral part of the FAA Practical Test. For this you may choose to purchase an oral exam guide, such as the one by ASA [9], and practice for the test with your instructor, who will give you scenario-based questions arising from hypothetical situations you may encounter as a pilot in real life.

Flight Simulator

We have already mentioned that flight simulator software on your home computer and a simple joystick are indispensable tools to illustrate and reinforce the concepts and procedures of flight, as you are studying the above literature. This flight simulator is primarily just a procedural trainer. Do not expect a realistic feel for the flight controls (e.g. stick forces, etc.). You will not get any of such feeling even in a $100,000 advanced aviation training device (AATD) sitting at your flight school. So do not spend any money on this. The best bang for the buck is just the simulator software and a joystick with a twist function of the handle to couple to the rudder (instead of buying rudder pedals). If you wish, you can supplement this basic setup with iPad/iPhone apps which add touchscreen capability for instrument panel and avionics (these apps cost around $15 each, and you won’t need more than two at most).

• Checklist and Airplane Flight Manual (AFM)/Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). You will need to download a checklist and the AFM/POH for the airplane represented by your flight simulator, in order to practice procedures properly, from engine start to taxiing to the runway, to performing the takeoff, maneuvers, landing, and airplane shutdown. In the case of X-Plane 12, the simulated aircraft is the Cessna 172S/172SP. A checklist can be found freely in various places online, if you search in your browser for “Cessna 172SP checklist” of “Cessna 172SP POH”, either as a stand-alone document or as part of the AFM/POH. If eventually you will fly a different aircraft make and model in the real world, make sure you download and familiarize yourself with that particular checklist and the AFM/POH well ahead of time before your first flying lesson.

Appendix for Student Glider Pilots

If you are interested in learning to fly gliders (sailplanes) instead of powered fixed-wing aircraft, the same statements made above apply, but with the following modifications:

• Replace the AFH [2] with the Glider Flying Handbook (GFH) [13], and read all chapters of the GFH.
• Instead of X-Plane [10], use Condor [14] as the flight simulator on your home computer for glider flying/soaring practice. It is a very powerful soaring simulator used often by competition pilots to practice cross-country soaring skills, and you will likely continue to use it frequently even after getting your pilot certificate. The simulator can be connected to the internet in multiplayer mode to participate in online soaring competitions against other glider pilots around the world: https://www.condorsoaring.com/serverlist/?wdt_search=cndr2.
• You will have to take the FAA Knowledge Test for glider instead of airplane (unless you already possess a pilot certificate with an airplane rating and are just adding on the glider rating, in which case you are exempt from taking the glider Knowledge Test). The content of the two tests is quite similar; the glider test has a few more questions relevant for soaring meteorology, while the airplane test has more questions about aircraft systems (such as the power plant).

Summary

Let us summarize how to learn to fly. First, read the PHAK [1] and AFH [2] (most chapters, as indicated above – and replace the AFH with the GFH [13], if interested in gliders instead of airplanes). Use an up-to-date question bank such as [7] to study for the FAA Knowledge Test and get the test out of the way early during your training, preferably even before your first flight. Familiarize yourself with the airplane AFM/POH and checklist. Practice the concepts, procedures, and maneuvers from the AFH and PHAK in the flight simulator on your home computer, until everything is second nature to you. Aim for the standards and tolerances specified in the ACS [8]. Read appropriate sections in 14 CFR 61 [3], 91 [4] and 49 CFR 830 [5] as well as the AIM [6] to deepen your knowledge and understanding.

As you can see, you have your work cut out for you in order to learn to fly. Likely you will be busy studying these materials and practicing with your flight simulator for the next couple of months on your own, without needing a flight instructor or flight school yet. Once you have become quite knowledgeable and practiced, use this knowledge to pick a good flight school and flight instructor and start your initial flight instruction in an actual airplane. Prepare well for each lesson and pre-fly each training sortie several times in your flight simulator, before going for your flying lesson with your flight instructor.

Note: You may get in touch with a flight instructor sooner during the learning to fly process than suggested in the above timeline to ask questions, clarify concepts, and to minimize practicing the wrong things or the right things in a wrong way (which may become wrong habits that would later need to be unlearned). You will also need a flight instructor endorsement to take the FAA Knowledge Test. Our weekly online Private Pilot Ground School is an excellent venue to provide you with support of this kind; please feel free to stop by anytime.

Unlearning wrong habits is typically not very difficult in this context though, since the overall sensations of the actual flight environment are quite different from the flight simulator. The main thing we want to caution you here is that simulators often tend to be flown mostly by looking at the flight instruments, whereas we want you to develop a habit to look outside 90% of the time and spend only 10% of your time inside, checking the instruments. In particular, when you learn to fly, develop a habit to set airspeed and aircraft attitude by the angle the nose subtends with the horizon, looking out the windshield, rather than staring at the airspeed indicator and other flight instruments (ideally, the instruments are only used to confirm and fine-tune the setting). This is a bit less natural in the simulator than in a real airplane, so actively make yourself develop that habit.

References

1. Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK), FAA-H-8083-25B, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, Washington, D.C., 2016.
   Available on the FAA website at: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak
2. Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH), FAA-H-8083-3C, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, Washington, D.C., 2021.
   Available on the FAA website at: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook
3. 14 CFR Part 61 (Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors), retrieved from https://www.faraim.org/faa/far/cfr/title-14/part-61/index.html
4. 14 CFR Part 91 (General Operating and Flight Rules), retrieved from https://www.faraim.org/faa/far/cfr/title-14/part-91/index.html
5. 49 CFR Part 830 (Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accident and Incidents…), retrieved from https://www.faraim.org/faa/far/cfr/title-49/part-830/index.html
6. Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) – Official Guide to Basic Flight Information and ATC Procedures, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 2022.
   Available on the FAA website in an online format at URL https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/ or as a PDF at https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/, with the latest PDF version at the time of writing being available at URL https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/aim_bsc_w_chg_1_2_and_3_dtd_11-03-22.pdf
7. Sporty’s Study Buddy (Private Pilot), retrieved from https://courses.sportys.com/training/portal/course/PRIVATE/testprep
8. Airman Certification Standards (ACS): Private Pilot – Airplane, FAA-S-ACS-6B (with Change 1), Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, Washington, D.C., June 2018.
   Available on the FAA website at https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs/media/private_airplane_acs_change_1.pdf
9. Michael D. Hayes, Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide, 12th Edition, Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA), Newcastle, WA, 2020. Purchasable on the ASA website at https://asa2fly.com/private-pilot-oral-exam-guide/
10. Laminar Research, X-Plane 12 (flight simulator software), https://www.x-plane.com
11. Logitech 3D Extreme Pro (joystick), purchasable online e.g. at https://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-extreme-3d-pro-gaming-joystick-silver-black/5796515.p?skuId=5796515
12. Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) / Pilot’s Operating Handbook and checklist. Published by aircraft manufacturer and depends on make and model of aircraft you use. One official copy is always in the aircraft for actual in-flight use. As a reference for home study, you can download a free PDF version for many aircraft makes and models from the internet from various sources.
13. Glider Flying Handbook (GFH), FAA-H-8083-13A, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service, Washington, D.C., 2013.
    Available on the FAA website at: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/glider_handbook
14. Condor, The Complete Soaring Simulator (glider simulator software), https://www.condorsoaring.com