Time Scale

The FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours of actual flight training to earn a private pilot certificate of which 20 hours must be accomplished with an instructor on board. Currently, the national average is 60-80 hours. How long it will take you in "real time" depends on how often you fly. Obviously, a student who flies three times per week will earn a ticket quicker than someone flying only once or twice a month.

We recommend that new student pilots complete their initial private license training over a full 12 month period. This enables them to experience the yearly weather cycle in Ohio. Students have the opportunity to learn the techniques of taking off and landing in winter, sometimes on snow covered runways, and experience the effect on aircraft take off performance during the hot humid days of summer.