Holden Buckner has been a licensed private pilot for eight years now, and along the way he has picked up valuable information he would like to share with others. Holden Buckner has been a member of the Aircraft Owner Pilot Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for eight years as well, and enjoys recreational flying on the weekends. During the week, Holden Buckner is a professional business analyst for a mergers and acquisitions company based out of the United States. Holden Buckner likes encouraging today’s youth to pursue flying as a hobby or career, and as such he is often asked what the process of becoming licensed looks like. What follows is a basic list of the process, according to Holden Buckner. (1) Meet the Requirements. In order to complete the necessary steps to licensure, applicants must meet a set of requirements. -Must be 17 to take test. -Must be able to speak, read, and write English. -Must obtain a Class 3 FAA physical form. -Must enroll in a certified flight school and ground school. (2) Take the Written Test. After being signed off by your school instructors, you must make at least a 70% on the written FAA test. Holden Buckner usually points to 80% as a safe benchmark for proper understanding though. (3) Flight Time. Next you must compile at least 40 hours of flight time, 20 with an instructor. Holden Buckner points out that most people do considerable more than this, but 40 is the minimum. During this time you finally put your book knowledge to practical use. (4) Solo Time. After you sign off on your 40+ hours, it is time for solo flying. This was Holden Buckner’s favorite part of the licensing process. You must complete at least 10 hours of solo flying. (5) Cross Country. Next you must complete a cross country flight of more than 100 miles, with at least one landing in between. (6) Night Flying. The sixth step to getting your private pilot’s license is flying for 5 hours at night. Holden Buckner points out that this can be nerve wracking if never done before. He suggests spending some time flying at night with an instructor first, as flying at night is significantly different than daytime flying. (7) Final Exam Your final exam will be an in-flight check-up. An FAA certified examiner will observe your abilities during an actual flight and quiz you on procedures and rules. Sources: http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Private-Pilot%E2%80%99s-License-%28USA%29 http://flighttraining.aopa.org/learntofly/welcome/
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