If you are over 17 years of age, you can get yourself a private pilots’ license. This license allows you to fly single engine aircraft for which you are type rated for. It is a license to learn, maintain and improve flight proficiency. A Private Pilot may not be paid to fly an aircraft (to ferry an aircraft from one location to another, for example), nor carry passengers or cargo for hire or compensation.
Your first few flying lessons will help familiarize you with the aircraft you are training in with basic maneuvers under visual flight rules or VFR. VFR encompasses flying by looking outside and using visual cues for aircraft control and navigation. You learn about the airport traffic pattern and radio communications with air traffic control (ATC). Once the instructor is confident that you can handle this independently, you will be prepared for your solo flight. This usually consists of a few take-offs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. After your initial solo you will be let loose to practice aerial maneuvers on your own within close proximity to the airport where you are training. After your first few solo flights, training moves onto cross-country navigation. You learn various elements of flight planning and navigation by reference to checkpoints on the ground. You and your instructor will go on several cross-country flights to help hone these skills. Once you can find your way without assistance from the instructor, you will be certified by the academy for solo cross country flight. You then have a few solo cross-country flights to build time as well as confidence in your abilities. You will also practice your emergency procedures like engine failures, loss of radio communications and inadvertent flight into poor weather or clouds.
If a night flight rating is required by the student, this would involve additional flying hours with some take offs, landings and some cross country flying at dusk and a few hours flying by sole reference to your instruments. In addition to your flight training, you will receive many hours of ground school lectures by the academy to prepare you for the CAASL written exams. Time tables of lectures and flight training will be advised to cadet pilots on a weekly basis. Some topics that will be covered in this course: Here is a brief overview of some of the topics you will need to master in order to earn a private pilot''s license:
Aircraft systems: the basic components of an airplane, engine, flight controls, instruments, and how they operate.
Aerodynamics: basic principles of how an airplane is able to leave the ground, and how to control it once airborne.
Navigation: how to use aviation maps and radio navigation aids to get you and your aircraft to your destination.
Meteorology: basic concepts of weather formation and how to obtain and interpret weather information that may affect your flight.
Radio Telephony: the know-how of communicating with various control centres such as communication towers, radar centres, right from start up through to controlled air space, as well as emergency calls such as PAN calls, MAY-DAY calls and the cancellation of such calls etc. Further, simulation of these procedures is also provided.
Aircraft operations: just as there are rules for operating automobiles on roads and highways, there are rules governing the operation of an aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). This course could be followed either on a full time or part time basis with the academy.
Upon securing your Private Pilots’ license, it can be further upgraded to advanced commercial and professional licenses.
Silver wings:
Our silver wings are awarded to the student pilot upon successful completion of his / her first solo flight for PPL. Top