It is exciting once you have reached your decision to become a Private Pilot. The money is in place you have arranged for the time it will take now the only thing left to do when learning how to become a commercial pilot is decide where to take your training. The big part of this will be what is available in your area. If you come from a very populated area then chances are you will have a good choice of flight training schools. On the other hand, if you live in a rural area then you may be limited in your choices. One thing for sure is that all accredited schools must follow the rules and regulations of the FAA. This means you must be taught everything they stipulate in order to be able to obtain your Pilot’s license. If you are limited in your choices of school, you may be able to consider a mail order or correspondence course for the academic part of the requirements.
You will also need to determine if you are seeking your pilot’s license because you want it for recreational purposes or because your ultimate goal is to start a career in flying. This alone will dictate what type of training you are going to need. Some excellent flight training schools are capable of training you in the aspects of commercial flying.
No matter what your end goal is, you will need to start with the basics. Most individuals attain their Private Pilot’s license then determine later if they want to go further with their flying abilities. Often they will stop at this level, as it is enough for them.
When you are seeking out the flight training school for you there are several things you are going to want to look for and not just what is the best price. First are the instructors fully qualified and knowledgeable. What is their background and credentials. After all, when it comes to flying you want to learn from the best. Is the school well equipped? In other words, do they have airplanes that are in good shape and being well maintained? Do they have all of the teaching aids they will require? Are they an accredited school and do they have a proven record of accomplishment. In other words, are they well established? Is there enough equipment and instructors per student ratio to adequately meet the needs of the various students? When you are obtaining a quote, the school should have personnel available that is willing and able to answer any of your questions. You want to be sure the quote they give you is accurate and there are not going to be a bunch of hidden costs.
If possible, try to seek out recent graduates of the school you are interested in. Do not just go by the testimonials that are in their marketing materials. See if recent graduates were satisfied with their training and that they were able to get their Private Pilots license reasonably easy with the material they were taught in the program.
