Sport & Private Pilot Training
Your Path to
Becoming a Pilot
A clear plan for home study, flight lessons, and guided practice. Build the knowledge and skills to become a safe, capable pilot.
Study a little every day. Fly regularly. Build your skills one step at a time.
Get started
Choose your path. We’ll help with the first steps.
We’ll help you choose Sport or Private Pilot based on the flying you want to do.
- Compare the two certificates and their privileges.
- Meet your instructor and plan a regular lesson schedule.
- Apply for your free FAA student pilot certificate with our help. You need it before flying solo, but you can start lessons while it’s being processed. FAA processing can take a few weeks, so we’ll help you apply early.
- If you’re pursuing Private Pilot, arrange your FAA medical examination early with an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner, or AME. Most first-time Private Pilot students obtain a third-class medical. We’ll help you understand the process before you book.
You don’t need to have everything completed before your first lesson. We’ll guide you through each step.
Compare Sport and Private PilotOnline ground school
Learn from home, at your own pace.
Sporty’s is a self-paced online ground school. There are no in-person classes to attend. You can study from home, on your schedule.
Ground school teaches you about the airplane, weather, navigation, airports, and flying rules. Your flight lessons put that knowledge to work.
We recommend Sporty’s Learn to Fly course, which includes Sport Pilot and Private Pilot learning tracks. Choose the track that matches your training goal.
For Sport Pilot students: Sporty’s labels the purchase page “Private Pilot,” but the same course includes the Sport Pilot track. After purchase, select Sport Pilot when you first open the course. Private Pilot students select Private Pilot.
Our recommended study routine
- Aim for one hour of study every day. A steady daily habit keeps you moving forward and ready for your flight lessons.
- Watch the assigned videos and read the assigned book sections before your flight lesson.
- Keep your study about one or two lessons ahead of your flying.
- Take practice tests and review anything you don’t understand.
- Bring your questions to your instructor.
You can begin flight lessons while you work through ground school.
When you’re ready and have the required test endorsement, schedule your FAA written knowledge exam at an FAA-approved testing center.
Your study materials
Two core books. One clear standard.
These two FAA books are the main study references for the AeroForge syllabus.
Download them free or buy printed copies from Amazon. Choose whichever format makes studying easier for you. Your instructor will assign the sections you need as your training progresses.
Understand the why
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
PHAK, how airplanes work, weather, airports, navigation, and flying rules.
FAA-H-8083-25C
Understand the how
Airplane Flying Handbook
AFH, how to control the airplane, take off, land, and handle emergencies.
FAA-H-8083-3C
Check the edition when buying a printed copy. Your instructor will help you identify any applicable FAA handbook updates.
Know what you’re working toward
The FAA publishes a guide for each certificate’s final practical examination.
Sport Pilot PTS
Practical Test Standards for Sport Pilot students. Use the Sport Pilot Airplane section.
Download Sport Pilot PTSPrivate Pilot ACS
Airman Certification Standards for Private Pilot Airplane students.
Download Private Pilot ACSThese guides explain what the examiner will assess and how well you must perform. They cover knowledge, safe decisions, flying skills, and maneuver tolerances.
You don’t need to understand every page on day one. Your instructor will help you connect each lesson to the required standard.
Optional home practice
Put your home simulator to work (not required).
Have Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane? We can incorporate home practice into your training.
Your instructor can assign exercises that support your current lessons, such as:
- Following checklists and cockpit procedures.
- Controlling speed and altitude.
- Practicing maneuvers such as steep turns and stalls.
- Planning routes and practicing navigation.
- Working through procedures before your next airplane lesson.
Practicing at home can help you become familiar with the steps and make better use of your time in the airplane. We’ll tailor the exercises to your setup and review your progress.
Home simulation supports airplane training. It does not replace it.
Ordinary home practice in Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane does not count toward FAA-required flight or training hours, but it can be a valuable way to strengthen procedures and build familiarity between lessons.
Flight training
Build your skills through three stages.
Each stage builds on the last. You advance when you demonstrate the required skills and safe decisions.
Stage 1, Pre-solo
Learn to fly safely.
You’ll learn to:
- Check the airplane before flying.
- Fly straight, turn, climb, and descend.
- Control your speed and height.
- Recognize unsafe situations and practice what to do.
- Talk on the radio and operate safely around the airport.
- Take off, fly the airport pattern, land, and go around when needed.
Your milestone: You can safely control the airplane, take off, and land without your instructor’s help. After you pass the required tests and meet the eligibility and endorsement requirements, your instructor authorizes your first solo.
Stage 2, Solo
Build confidence.
You’ll learn to:
- Fly the airplane with nobody else aboard.
- Practice takeoffs and landings within your instructor’s approved limits.
- Improve your flying through continued lessons with your instructor.
- Use techniques for short runways and soft surfaces.
- Decide when it’s safe to fly, return, or stop.
Your milestone: You handle approved solo flights safely and consistently, and you’re ready to expand your training beyond the local airport.
Stage 3, Cross-country
Fly to other airports.
“Cross-country” means flying from one place to another. You’ll learn to:
- Plan a trip to another airport.
- Check the weather, route, fuel, and airplane performance.
- Find your way and land somewhere new.
- Change your plan if the weather or conditions change.
- Complete instructor-approved solo trips.
- Build the skills and consistency to meet the standards required for your final practical examination.
Your milestone: You meet your certificate’s training and experience requirements and demonstrate the knowledge, judgment, and flying proficiency needed for your checkride.
Sport and Private students follow the same broad progression. The specific requirements differ, with Private Pilot training also including required night flying and flight by reference to instruments.
Your final examination
Earn your certificate at the checkride.
The checkride is your final practical examination with an FAA-designated pilot examiner, called a DPE.
It has two main parts:
On the ground
Explain your decisions.
Discuss your flight plan, weather, regulations, airplane systems, aerodynamics, and safety decisions.
In the airplane
Demonstrate your skills.
Fly with the examiner and demonstrate the flying skills and procedures you’ve learned.
The examiner assesses you against the FAA standards for your chosen certificate. Plan for several hours for the overall appointment. The exact length varies.
We send you to the checkride knowing you have consistently demonstrated the required knowledge, judgment, and flying skills. Your instructor recommends you only when you meet the requirements and have built the proficiency to meet the final examination standards with confidence. Pass the checkride, and you earn your pilot certificate.
Every lesson builds on what you already know.
You move forward when you’re ready. Let’s take the first step together.