Insider Tips on Preparing to get Your Pilot’s License

When I was growing up, probably the one piece of “sage advice” I heard from an elder relative was simply, “Always know what you are getting into.” And when it comes to getting your pilot’s license and becoming one of those select few who are allowed to take aircraft off the ground legally, you should be well prepared to get through what is by any estimation a pretty tough training period.

They say that anything worth having is worth waiting for. And getting your pilot’s license is definitely worth going for. So not only should you go into it with a good supply of determination and patience, you should go in dead set on working as hard as you need to. Then not only do you come away with the license, but you also come way fully prepared for anything once you get in the pilot’s seat of an airplane. And some of the things you should be prepared for are…

• Lots of studies.   You will have to know your aircraft inside and out. Don’t settle for anything less.
• Making an investment. Quality flight training is not something you should cut costs on. Be prepared to pay for the best training you can get. It will pay off many times over when you are totally confident in your training.
•  Sticking with it.   It will be up to you to keep scheduling lessons one after the other so you progress through the training until you are ready for that first test flight. Don’t let the grass grow under your feet between classes. Make getting your pilot’s license a high priority in your life and you will get to your goal before you know it.
•  Test flights.  You won’t be flying an aircraft in the first week of class. You are going to have to learn a lot before the instructor lets you have the controls. But be determined to demonstrate your knowledge and airworthiness so when he or she does turn over the craft to you, you are ready for that responsibility.

You are entering an entirely new world and a new skill where you must have a combination of a high level of knowledge and plenty of experience to be able to handle the many situations you will face in the air. The first level of competency is your knowledge of the airplane you are about to fly.

While you are not going to become an airplane mechanic, there should be nothing unfamiliar about your plane. Study the mechanics, the design and the operation of the aircraft until you eat, drink and sleep airplanes. That knowledge will be a lifeline for you once you are the captain of that craft.

Do your homework up front about not only the reputation of the school you choose to teach you to fly an airplane but whether the individual instructors are acceptable. Not only should your teachers be experts in flying, but they should also be outstanding at passing that knowledge along to you. If you are not comfortable with a teacher or you and that teacher just don’t hit it off, make changes early. You will be in the air with that instructor as your training moves along so you want to be sure you are on the same wavelength with him or her.

By making it your ambition and even your mission in life to get the best, the toughest and the most thorough flight training you can get, you are starting off on the right foot toward a great career in the airline industry. Your training should be difficult, uncompromising and if you don’t cut it the first time, they should have no qualms about making you go around for that lesson again.

You will be responsible for the lives of others when you reach your goal of piloting an aircraft. You should accept no shortcuts and insist on nothing but the best so you come out of that training the best of the best as well. You will be glad you had high standards when it comes to the pilots training you get.