It used to be, if you wanted to fly an airplane you had to obtain a Private Pilots Certificate. At least 40 hours of flight training time adding up to thousands of dollars given to one of the local flight schools.

Today there’s another option for those who just want to fly locally for the pure enjoyment of flying. It’s called a Sport Pilot Certificate.

Is a Sport Pilot Certificate the best option for you? For a lot of new pilots this is becoming the case. These people are putting in 20 to 25 hours of training rather than the 40+ required to get your Private Pilots License. The difference is saving them over $2500 in training costs. The end result for many, is the same as if they had pursued the Private Pilots Certificate.

Here’s the best part about the Sport Pilot License. You can always put in the additional hours later to bump up to a Private Pilot Certificate. This means, you can start flying for the pure enjoyment of it a lot sooner.

Another item that attracts people to the Sport Pilot License is the medical certificate. You don’t need one to fly as a Sport Pilot. If you have a valid drivers license, you have everything you need. But, here’s the catch, if you try to get your Private Pilot medical and fail, you won’t be able to get a Sport Pilot Certificate. So, check the medical requirements for a Private Pilot BEFORE you get your exam. Failing it can close a lot of doors… permanently!

After you’ve spent a year or two with the Sport Pilot Certificate, you just head back to the flight school and put in the additional hours and you’ll have your PPSEL (Private Pilot Single Engine Land). Most Designated Examiners (the people who give you your “checkride” or flying test) will tell you, the Private Pilot students who already been flying as a Sport Pilot are a LOT more capable pilot. The experience adds up.

What are the limitations on a Sport Pilot License?

No night flying. Do you plan on flying at night? If you don’t, you may want to consider the Sport Pilot license. If you’re color blind, you may already have a restriction on your medical that says No Night Flying.

No more than one passenger. If you plan on taking a family trip to granma’s house, you’ll probably want to go with the Private Pilots Certificate. If you and your spouse or a friend want to take a fun fishing trip to a local hot spot, this will work.

No higher than 10,000 feet. Truth is, any plane you’re going to be flying isn’t going to be equiped for flight much higher than that anyway. I don’t know where you’d want to fly that you’d need to go higher. Even a trip across the Cascade Mountains doesn’t require 10,000′.

No flying in A, B, C, or D airspace. If the airspace requires radio communications, you probably can’t fly there. But wait! You can get an endorsement in your logbook that will make you exempt from this rule. That should only take a couple of hours of flight time.

Most people who get their Sport Pilot Certificate will eventually go on to get their Private. That’s the beauty of it. Once you’ve done your 20 or so hours, you can enjoy a lot of flying. Then when you’re ready you can move up. You’ll already have a lot of air time under belt.

Finding a flight school. This is the hardest part. Because this is a relatively new program, their aren’t very many flight schools who will accommodate this training.

This is a good place to start. The Experimental Aircraft Association has a search function to find a Sport Pilot Instructor near you.

If you want more general information about getting your Sport Pilot Certificate, check out this page.

Reminder: If this page helped you in anyway, please consider donating to the Patch Flying Fund. Just $2.25 will buy one minute of flight time for me. $4.50 will buy two minutes and $22.50 will buy ten. Thanks so much!

 

Should I train in a modern airplane with the Garmin G1000 glass panel display? Some flight schools are converting to 100% glass panel.

This is a question a lot of new students will be asking themselves. The answer if fairly simple. If you can afford the additional cost of the G1000, go for it.

Typically the cost difference between flying a plane equipped with the G1000 versus one with the round steam gauges is about $50 an hour. If the typical student pilot requires approximately 55 hours (this is my estimate, not official) before getting their Private Pilots Certificate, that adds up to $2750 in additional cost. Can you afford that?From a selfish point of view, I would love to see people demanding the G1000. When people do that, flight schools and FBO’s tend to keep more of them on hand. That means, when I want to rent one, it’s probably going to be there. I like that.To be completely honest, it’s foolish to train in the G1000. Get your private pilots certificate with the old fashioned steam gauges like the rest of us did. Then, once you’ve passed your checkride, invest about 2 hours getting checked out in the G1000. That will cost you an additional $100. Saving you over $2500. That kind of money will buy you a lot of fun trips with your family.Don’t spent a ton of money on the latest equipment when you’re getting your initial certificate. What you’re learning isn’t dependent on high tech gadgets. At this stage in the game, it’s about the fundamentals of flight. It’s about keeping your eyes outside of the cockpit not staring at some shiny new gauges. A 152 (if you’ll fit with your instructor) with the basics will do just fine.

Some people will get there PPSEL with the steam gauges and then switch to glass panel when they start to work on their Instrument Rating. That makes sense, since you’re more likely to use all that the G1000 has to offer.

The only other reason you might want to start with the G1000 (and even then it’s still questionable) is if you’re planning on becoming a commercial pilot and head to the airlines. But, I would still hold off on it until you get to the Instrument Rating.