How Do I Get Started?

Getting started with flight training has a few steps, but the most important is to take a discovery flight with any flight school you're seriously considering.

1. Take a Discovery Flight

A discovery flight is typically about a one-hour experience where you'll meet with a flight instructor, tour the school, ask questions, and then get into the airplane.

You'll usually spend around 30 minutes in the air and have the opportunity to take the controls and actually fly the airplane yourself. Your discovery flight can also count as your first flight lesson, and the flight time can be logged toward your pilot training.

More importantly, a discovery flight gives you a firsthand look at the school's instructors, aircraft, culture, and overall training experience before making a larger commitment.

2. Tour the Flight School

It's also a good idea to meet with a manager or representative and take a more in-depth tour of the flight school.

Look at the airplanes, classrooms, simulators, and other training resources. Ask detailed questions about the training process, scheduling, costs, and what you should expect as a student. If possible, meet another instructor or even talk with a current student.

A tour can tell you a lot about the culture of a flight school and help you determine whether it's somewhere you can see yourself training.

3. Start the Medical Certificate Process Early

One important thing to know is that you'll need an FAA medical certificate before you can fly an airplane solo and, in most cases, to ultimately earn your pilot certificate.

You can begin taking flight lessons while you're working on your medical certificate, so you don't necessarily need to wait before getting started. However, it's good practice to schedule your medical exam early in your training—and ideally have your medical certificate in hand as soon as possible.

The Simplest Way to Start

If you're considering becoming a pilot, don't feel like you need to figure everything out before taking the first step.

Take a discovery flight. Tour the school. Ask questions. Start your medical process early.

Those three steps will give you a much clearer picture of flight training and help you decide whether a particular flight school is the right fit for you.