Becoming a Pilot...

Whether you want to be an airline pilot, or just fly around the sky for fun, FLY8MA offers you the online education you need to get started.  No matter what your end goal, everyone starts in the same place, earning your PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE.

What you do with your PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE

The PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE is often also called a "private pilot license" or "pilot license."  All three mean the same thing and are the same plastic card like your driver's license, it's just that this card allows you to fly airplanes.  Here's what you can do once you earn your Private Pilot Certificate:

• Fly small aircraft within the United States and various other countries.
• Fly with passengers (but not as a job, just if you're flying your family or friends around and not charging them for it).
• Fly at night, with no distance limitations (except for the limit on how much fuel the airplane will hold!)
• Fly the typical "small" airplanes, Cessna, Piper, Beech, etc.

Maintaining Your Certificate (license)

What do you have to do to maintain your certificate or "keep your certificate current?"

• Do three takeoffs and landings every 90 days if you're flying with passengers.
• Fly with an instructor at least once every two years for one hour of flight instruction and one hour of ground instruction (talking on the ground).

What happens if you aren't able to do one or both of those things above after you spent a lot of time and money earning your Private Pilot Certificate?  It's not a big deal, you simply do 3 takeoffs and landings without passengers in the plane, then you can go fly with passengers that same day.  If you go years without flying, say 12 years without flying, no problem either.  Your certificate is yours forever, it never expires, you simply find an instructor and complete the minimum 1 hour of flying and 1 hour of ground training with that instructor (it may take 4-5 hours instead of the minimum if you haven't flown in many years).

This "renewal" process to keep your certificate current every two years is called a Flight Review.  It typically costs around $200-$500