Flight simulators are used extensively for pilot training, especially for complex and very expensive aircraft.   While obviously they cannot substitute for real flying time, they do provide excellent learning opportunities for a very low cost and total safety.

Today’s common, inexpensive simulator programs are far and away better than even professional, FAA approved simulators of only a dozen years ago.  You can get sophisticated control mechanisms like yokes and pedals, throttle quadrants, dual screens, and so on.

Plus, you can do a host of other things ….  to learn more, see this section   http://www.livingpictures.org/flightsimulator.htm

The license is issued by the governing aviation authorities once the pilot has completed his training with a qualified instructor and has the necessary experience and knowledge. Most pilots get their basic training from private flying institutes; those who have started out with the armed forces get all the training and experience from there.

Certification comes in five categories. Pilot certificates include a student certificate that is issued by the aviation medical examiner. It is not mandatory to have any knowledge or experience; you must only meet the medical requirements. Then there is a sport certificate, where the applicant must have a minimum of five hours of solo flying. This is followed by a private pilot certificate, where the pilot must have thirty-five hours of flying, which includes twenty hours with an instructor and five of solo flying, some night flying, and cross-country flying; it also requires the pilot to clear an oral exam.

Commercial pilots must hold a valid private pilot license. A minimum of 120 hours of training time is essential, and this must include fifty-five hours with an instructor, ten hours of solo flight, and adequate night and cross-country flying. If flying for compensation, a medical certificate is required and needs to be updated every year. An instrument rating is an added qualification that most pilots must have. This is essential for flying in bad weather conditions. At the end of the training, the pilot has to undergo an oral, written, and practical exam, which then clears him for the license.

Among commercial pilots, being an airline transport pilot is one of the best options available. Some of the requirements include 1,500 hours of flying, an minimum age of twenty-three, and a more-than-average proficiency of the English language. All licensed pilots have to undergo medical tests under an Aviation Medical Examiner and must maintain their health records.

Pilot Training provides detailed information on Pilot Training, Helicopter Pilot Training, Airline Pilot Training, Commercial Pilot Training and more. Pilot Training is affiliated with Military Planes.

With the advent of flying, there arose various related aspects, and pilot training is one very important factor.

The word “aviator” is most likely derived from the Latin word Aviatrix, also used to denote lady pilots. An aviator can be described as someone who flies an airplane either professionally or for pleasure.

A pilot has to learn the various elements that aid him taking an aircraft up and in bringing it down again safely with no harm to man—this process of learning is known as flight training. A pilot has to undergo rigorous study and has to complete all levels of training before he is certified to fly. Some important topics of study would be the principles of flight, navigation, rules and regulations governing flying, meteorology, etc.

Aviators can be categorized as civilian pilots and military pilots. Civilian pilots also include airline pilots. Entry to this field has certain minimum criteria vis-à-vis physical health and a certain level of education, including includes English, math, and science. One has to be eighteen years of age to commence training and should be twenty-one years of age and should have completed 1,500 hours of actual flying at the time of he or she obtains a license.

But apart from all the technical aspects of flying, there are some other things that go a long way in making a good pilot. A calm demeanor in the wake of a crisis, an ability to keep panic at bay when in an emergency, a clear and thorough knowledge of the aircraft’s instruments, an ability to instill confidence in his crew and passengers, an ability to give clear, precise instructions, and, last but not least, excellent communication skills.

These days flight simulators are used extensively.    See our section of flight simulators.   www.livingpictures.org/flightsimulator.htm

Pilot Training provides detailed information on Pilot Training, Helicopter Pilot Training, Airline Pilot Training, Commercial Pilot Training and more. Pilot Training is affiliated with Military Planes.

The AH-1Z Cobra is an attack helicopter whose lineage can be traced back to Vietnam. The Cobra can carry an assortment of ammunition including but not limited to machine guns, cannons, rockets, air to ground missiles and air to air missiles. The cobra carries out a number of different functions. It supports marines on the ground. It attacks enemy armor, troops, and fortified positions. It also escorts other helicopters into landing zones where hostile fire is expected. Because of its thin profile the cobra can be very difficult to target by gunners on the ground. The Cobra has a crew of two pilots.

The UH-1 Huey is another helicopter that can not only trace is lineage back to Vietnam but was made famous by Vietnam. The Huey is used for utility missions. That’s everything from ferrying troops and cargo to transporting VIPs. The Huey has a crew of three, two pilots and a crew chief.

Next is the CH-46 Sea Knight. The Sea Knight is a medium lift, tandem rotor (one rotor behind the other) helicopter. The Sea Knight is primarily an assault helicopter. It can operate in day or night under all weather conditions. The Sea Knight also has a secondary cargo carrying capacity. The Sea Knight’s crew consists of two pilots, a crew chief and an aerial observer/gunner. The maximum speed of the Sea Knight is 165 mph and it has a combat radius of 184mi.

The CH-53E is next and it’s the largest helicopter in the US inventory. The CH-53E is nicknamed the Super Sea Stallion. The CH-53 is used primarily for heavy lift. It’s able to lift the LAV 25 Light Armored Fighting Vehicle, the M198 155mm Howitzer and it is able to recover every aircraft in the Marine inventory with the exception of the KC-130. Even though it’s primary job is heavy lift the CH-53 is also used for assault missions. The CH-53 crew consists of two pilots, a crew chief/right gunner, a left gunner, and a tail gunner. It’s able to carry a maximum of 55 troops. Its maximum speed is 180 mph and its range is 610 nm.

The last helicopter in the Marine inventory isn’t really a helicopter at all. Technically it’s called a tilt-rotor. It’s the MV-22 Osprey. It’s officially known as a powered lift vehicle, which means it can take off, and land vertically but behaves differently from a helicopter in horizontal flight. It combines the vertical landing capabilities of a helicopter with the speed of a fixed wing turboprop airplane. This aircraft will revolutnize marine amphibious operations by giving the marines a platform that can take off from a ship like a helicopter, dash to its target at over 300 mph and once there land vertically. The crew consists of two pilots, and a crew chief. The Osprey can carry a maximum of 32 troops or 10,000 pounds of cargo. The MV-22 has a maximum speed of 320 mph and a combat radius of almost 400 miles.

The Marine Corps motto is semper fidelis which means always faithful. The Corps and its pilots have faithfully and honorably served this nation.

If you want adventure, excitement and challenge become a Marine helicopter pilot.

Visit Helicopter Pilot Careers to learn more about careers flying helicopters.

40 Hours Total

20 Hours Dual Instruction

10 Hours Solo

Now in other places you may see some added information

3 Hours Instrument

3 Hours Night

5 Hours Solo Cross Country

Now this is correct and the FAA regulations for the private pilot license do state this. The things that are missed are all of the areas of operation within these requirements. Many times the student doesn’t realize what is exactly required, this can add up to more flights if something is missed by the flight instructor. The worst case scenario is this is picked up by the pilot examiner on flight test day.

If you have read over my Private Pilot License Cost section you can see that I break the cost down the same way. This is because you have to realize that there is a lot of subject areas that need to be DOCUMENTED. If they are not documented in your logbook you are not qualified for your flight test.

I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard from examiner friends of mine about this. It happens all the time on flight test day. In many cases the flight instructor is nowhere to be found and the student has to reschedule the flight test. This happens so often that I made some special sections in my book called ( Keeping Your Instructor In Check )

So I will point them out to you so you can double check your instructor. Once in a while a student of mine will remind me of something, even after 20 years of doing this. Better a week before the flight test than on you Private Pilot Flight Test Day.

The above requirements for the Private Pilot License are the Minimum Requirements. Within these requirements are a lot of subject areas.

In addition to the Aeronautical Experience Requirements ( Flight Time) There are Aeronautical Knowledge Requirements. Most people just look at this is the FAA written Test. You have to realize that once again your instructor has to DOCUMENT each of the subject areas. The FAA is starting to get very tough on this. If these subject areas are not documented on flight test day, the examiner walks out. Hopefully your instructor is somewhere to be found but if he/ she isn’t, then you will have to reschedule your flight test.

I will outline all of these Private Pilot License Requirements for you and try to make it as simple as possible. So like my cost estimates I will break everything down into:

Private Pilot License, Pre-Solo Training Requirements

Private Pilot License, Post-Solo Training Requirements

Private Pilot License Flight Test Requirements

Private Pilot Requirements

The reason I do this is so you can get an idea of what you are required to do at each stage of your training and then what is required for you to take your flight test. There are a lot of things to learn so my advice is to plan this process out before you spend a dime flying.

Hope to See You In The Sky

Airfreddy

About the Author: Frederick Longe has been flying since 1985. He has owned many airplanes and owned a flight school in Mesa, Arizona . He has logged over 9,000 Hours of flight instruction alone. In 1998 Longe was awarded one of the first Master CFI Designations in the country by the National Association Of Flight Instructors. Frederick Longe also has Two Degrees in Professional Aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

You can find his book Airfreddy’s Guide on Learning to Fly at the link below:

Airfreddy’s Learn To Fly Book

Openings In The Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army And Coast Guard

The openings for a career as a fighter pilot exist only in the Air Force and the Marine Corps. The Coast Guard or the Army does not have fighter pilots. In any case, you cannot directly become a pilot, let alone a fighter pilot. You must first become an officer and then, just before being commissioned, put in a request to become a pilot. If you are selected, you will have to undergo further training known as UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training).

Even after you are in pilot training, you will not know whether you will be a fighter pilot or will be flying helicopters or heavies. In the Air Force, you will find this out only after four to five months of training. The class will then be split up into different groups. Each group will be trained in flying different categories of aircraft. In the Marine Corps, it will take longer for this split meant for specialized training. Being a full-fledged fighter pilot in the Air Force takes around two years of training as a pilot.

Different Streams Through Which One Can Become A Fighter Pilot

Air Force/ Navy Academies – If you are passionate about being a fighter pilot, you have to start preparing for it right from school. You have to become an officer first, for which you need to apply to a service academy while in high school. A high school GPA of 3.8 is a minimum requirement. For math and verbal the minimum is 1050 and the SAT score should be 1300. You must also have a strong extracurricular activities record. This will make you eligible to compete in the entrance to one of the academies to become an officer. You would need to apply to either to the Air Force Academy (Colo.) or Naval Academy, Annapolis (Navy and Marines). If selected, you would go through extensive and rigorous military training. On completion of the course you will also be awarded with a Bachelor’s degree in science.
Other ways would be through the OCS (Officer Candidate School) or the ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps).

ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) – In the ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) you will go through your college/university education in the normal way but along with additional training fit to prepare you as an officer. This additional training will be through attending military training courses, weekly meetings. You will be required to spend at least one summer at a military training camp. Uniform requirements are only for attending military classes. Once you become an officer, you can then apply for being trained as a pilot. The medical and academic requirements are of high standards and the competition is very tough.

OCS (Officer Candidate School) – The OCS also known as the Officer’s training school is the shortest way to becoming a fighter pilot. A college graduate with absolutely no military background can become an officer within four months. He also would be required to apply for pilot’s training after becoming an officer similar to others. Since you are required to begin your pilot’s training before the age of twenty-seven, this gives you limited time to become a fighter pilot.

A career as a fighter pilot offers adventure, prestige and a high standing in society along with excellent monetary compensation. But it is not easy to become a fighter pilot. You have to face tough competition and undergo rigorous training to succeed.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.