FLIGHT TRAINING
AND CAREERS
Intro Flights
So you’ve caught the bug! We all start somewhere in our journey of flight, and for most people, that somewhere is an intro flight. This usually can be taken at any public airport, and is a short (30-45 minute) flight in which you will go up with an instructor, and fly around to see how you like it. Usually, they will let you take the controls, and you’ll do some basic turns, climbs, and descents.
We recommend that you take this flight before committing in any way financially, as some people experience air sickness in small planes, even if you’ve never had an issue in larger ones.
You’ll also get a chance to ask the instructor any questions about their school, learn about their syllabus and timeline (if they don’t have one, find somewhere else), talk finances, learn about their planes, etc.
Starting Lessons
While you can continue on to your license at the airport where you take your intro flight, it is a good idea to ask around and get information about various nearby instructors. There are many good ways to take flying lessons, whether it be through a school, university program, independent instructor, or flying club.
In Maine, for example, we have various flying clubs and instructors at almost every public airport, and flight schools in Sanford, Augusta, Brunswick, Auburn/Lewiston, Rockland, and even more, plus a university program with the University of Maine at Augusta. Wherever you land, make sure you find an instructor you learn well with, as that will help you greatly when working through a rating.
Medical Qualifications
Before you spend lots of money flying, you should also make sure you can get a medical certificate from an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).
Unfortunately, there are a number of disqualifying and complicating conditions. It is better to find out that you may not be able to get this sooner rather than later. Without a medical certificate, you won’t be able to solo or get any flight ratings. Policies can vary over time, but typically, some major disqualifying conditions are ADHD (along with the medication), dyslexia, epilepsy, substance abuse, and heart conditions. For some diseases, you will need to get a special issuance, which can take a long time and cost a lot of money.
If you are unsure if you will pass the exam, schedule a consultation with your AME beforehand, as it is easier to get a special issuance if you go in with all of the necessary paperwork.
Getting Your License
Passed your medical exam? Great! All you need to do is get the requirements and training to pass your private pilot checkride (final test). The minimum requirement is 40 flight hours, but most people take around 60-70 hours to finish unless you have prior experience. You will also have to pass a written test, which you can take at any time, but most people find it easiest to take around the middle of training. After you pass your checkride, then you’ll be a private pilot, able to take yourself and passengers up into the sky!
Some helpful resources while you’re working on your license:
Skyvector has free charts and flight planning resources.
The FAA has free handbooks and manuals.
FarAim.org houses both the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States, and the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), the FAA's official guide to basic flight information and air traffic control procedures.
The Ninety-Nines has helpful webinars run by experienced and professional women pilots.
What’s Next?
Some people choose to just get their private license, and have fun flying as a hobby.
That’s completely okay, but the big restriction with this is that you can’t get paid to fly (and flying is just a little bit expensive). To get paid, you’ll need to get your commercial certificate. Since this requires 250 hours of total flight time, most people get their instrument rating after their private, which allows them to fly in clouds. If you have a commercial rating with no instrument rating, you’ll only be able to fly for hire in the daytime within 50 nautical miles of the airport.
Once you finish your commercial, this is where the path branches out. The most common choice is to get your flight instructor rating, to teach other people to fly.
Everything in aviation is based on how many flight hours you have. There are low-flight-time jobs like banner towing, survey, and skydive pilots for people who don’t want to instruct, but those jobs can be harder to find.
Unfortunately, in the US, we have something called the 1500 rule, where you need to have 1500 flight hours in order to fly for an airline. The gap between the hours you need for a commercial certificate and the hours you need for the airlines forces most people to become instructors to get the flight time, even if they don’t want to. There are some companies that will hire pilots between 500 and 750 hours, but that changes as hiring shifts up and down.
There are many other opportunities besides the airlines, but those jobs are usually found through word of mouth and your surrounding community. That’s why it is so important to meet new people and connect. That is why we exist, to provide mentorship and financial support throughout this long process. We also recommend perusing the Ninety-Nines Pilot Careers Resource Center. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to reach out to us or the Ninety-Nines for guidance!