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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know that I can learn to fly?
Somewhere there is someone just like you who recently became a pilot.  Although the average student pilot is 32 years old, anyone can learn to fly an airplane.  People from every occupation and every geographic location in the nation are pilots.

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What are the requirements?
There are two basic requirements for learning to fly powered airplanes in the United States. First, you have to be in good health.  And second, you have to be able to read, speak, and understand English.

Training can begin at any age.  You can apply for a student pilot certificate if you are at least 16 years old.  This allows solo training flights.  When you're 17, you can apply for a private pilot certificate.  There is no maximum age limit because it's health and not age that determines a person's ability to fly well.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires everyone who wants to become a pilot or continue to be a pilot to pass a routine medical exam every two years.  This requirement ensures that pilots do not have medical problems that could interfere with their ability to fly safely.  Allowances are made for many physical limitations.  For example, glasses and contact lenses are perfectly acceptable.  The physical exam can be obtained anytime from one of many FAA-designated physicians.  If you're planning to learn to fly, it's advisable to complete the physical exam early in your flight training to assure that you qualify.

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How difficult is it?
As with any other skill you master, flying is learned step by step by step.  It's a fascinating experience.  But it's not particularly difficult.  It can be learned by practically anyone who is willing to invest some time and effort.

Pilot training has two aspects: ground training and flight training.  Ground training takes place on the ground.  It covers flight rules and regulations, flight planning, navigation, radio procedures, and weather.  In the next phase, flight training, you learn to fly by actually controlling the airplane yourself.  Under the supervision of a certificated flight instructor, you learn how to take off, land, and fly cross-country (from your home airport to another airport and then back again).

Millions of people have learned to fly.  By the time you're ready for your private pilot certificate, you'll be secure in the knowledge that you're a safe and competent pilot.

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Do I need special skills to fly?
No. Perhaps the most important element in successfully learning to fly is desire.  Once you're ready to invest your time and effort in learning to fly, then it's time to take the first steps.

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What is the first step?
Deciding to learn to fly is obviously the first step and often the most difficult one.  Before you make the big decision to take flying lessons, you may want to experience flying in a small plane.  Once you've experienced the sensation of flight, you'll know whether piloting is for you.

Call us to arrange an introductory flight for only $35.  Get behind the controls and feel what it is like to fly.

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What will my first flight be like?

After this preflight briefing, the two of you will take off.  When aloft, and under the close supervision of your professional flight instructor, you'll take control of the airplane.  It will be unlike anything you've experienced before.  Soon you'll feel the exhilaration.  You'll be impatient for the next flight.

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How long will it take?
Most people receive their private pilot certificate after about 55 hours of flight time, including time spent with an instructor aboard (dual time) and time spent flying alone (solo time).  Training will include some night flying, some instrument flying (flying solely by reference to the airplane's instruments), and some cross-country flying.  The minimum time required by federal regulation is 35 or 40 hours of flight time, depending on the type of school you attend.

You can fly in the early morning, during the day, or on weekends.  Scheduling your flying is up to you and your instructor.

How long it takes to accumulate flight time is largely up to you and your instructor.  Usually two to three hours flying time per week is a good learning rate, with more hours during weeks when cross-country flights are made.  Statistics indicate that the average student pilot completes the requirements for a private pilot certificate in four to six months.  Depending on the schedule and number of hours spent flying, some people will complete it sooner and others will take longer.

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What kind of tests will I take?
No test is required for a student pilot certificate.  But before a private license is issued, you must pass two tests.  The first test is a written FAA examination on flying rules and regulations. The second test and final is a practical examination of your flying ability.  Here you take a designated FAA examiner for a checkride to demonstrate your ability to maneuver the airplane safely and confidently.  You'll have practiced the maneuvers many times before, and your flight instructor will have prepared you thoroughly.

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How much does it cost?
Flight training costs vary from student to student.  The average total cost to obtain your private pilot's license is around $4,000.

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Is flying safe?
At Amity Flight School, we take pride in the condition of our airplanes.  We want you to feel comfortable knowing you are in the safest airplanes in the area.  We perform routine inspections weekly.    In addition, we keep our airplanes clean.  We invite you to see our planes for yourself.

Your flight instructor will emphasize safety throughout your training.  People who fly are safety conscious. Safety is the most important word in the aviation vocabulary.  As the pilot-in-command of an airplane, you are in command of most variables that affect your safety.  A well-built, well-maintained airplane in the hands of a competent, prudent, and well-trained pilot is safer than most other forms of transportation. 

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What happens if the engine quits?
An aircraft engine is a piece of finely built machinery that is designed to keep running.  If the improbable should happen, however, you won't fall out of the sky.  Your airplane descends slowly in a glide.  You'll simply do what your instructor had you practice during your lessons, select the nearest safe landing site and land there without power.

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Do I have to own an airplane?
Not at all!  We have a fleet of rental airplanes available.  Rental fees are normally based on an hourly rate for actual flying time.

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What happens after I get my pilot's license?
You'll never be quite the same person you were before.  You'll have access to a whole new world of personal freedom.  You'll think of travel in terms of hours, not miles.  You'll know what it means to make your own schedules, go your own way … far above the crowds, the congestion, the hassle, and the annoyances of ordinary transportation.

You'll find a new sense of personal fulfillment in your ever-growing flying skills.  You'll push the old boundaries of your life forward and you'll have the opportunity to plan, seek, and find new experiences that will enrich your life in countless ways.  You'll gain greater self-reliance and confidence.

Through your own initiative and effort, you'll become a master of a distinctive and rewarding art – flying.

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