Where should a beginner start???

S

Speedster

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Nov 14, 2024
Messages
19
Location
MN
Display Name
Display name:
Johnny
Hello everyone!!! My name is John, I am 16 years old. I will be 17 in April. I live in MN. Forgive me if I am putting this in the wrong forum. I have always wanted to be a private pilot and have a small plane, but never thought of it as more than a dream. I recently realized I could actually do that!!!
So I have started looking into what it would take. All the info out there is extremely confusing and I'm kinda lost. So I was wondering, where should I begin???
I think I should probably start by reading books on the basics and terminology and what-not, to get ahead. Does anyone have recommendations for books like that? I am a good reader so it's fine if they're long or in-depth.
What should I be looking at for the official courses and all that that I would need for a license? We homeschool, so Idk if schools would offer courses but if they do I couldn't take them.
Do you have any general tips or advice?
Any help is SOOOOO greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
-John
 
John, you might want to contact a local flight training facility and ask for an introductory flight. They will advise you on the necessary steps after that. If you want to read first, you should probably start with the FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook, which can be found on their website free, or purchased for about $25.00.
 
You should be able to find free electronic versions, or inexpensive used versions of:
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
FAA Airplane Flying Handbook
FAR/AIM

Those are the three that are often referred to during training. People will also recommend Stick & Rudder, which though old, is still one of the best explainers of the physics of flying.
 
Welcome!

For reading material, the FAA provides a lot of what you’d need on their website. The Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge would probably be good places to start.
Regulations are also something you need to know, but they’re a little more difficult to read, and some guidance helps.

You didn’t say where in Minnesota you are, but quite a few airports have flight schools, and talking to an instructor would be a good thing to do early on. There’s a written test to take, a medical certificate to get, and you can actually solo at age 16, so there’s no real need to wait. Just be sure there’s nothing in your medical background that would be disqualifying before you go for your medical certificate. An ADHD diagnosis is a common one that disqualifies young people these days, and while there are options like Sport Pilot that don’t require a medical, if you fail a medical you’ll be disqualified from Sport Pilot.

Good luck, and feel free to ask questions!
 
Thank you so much everyone! I'll check those out. I really appreciate it!
 
MauleSkinner said:
You didn’t say where in Minnesota you are, but quite a few airports have flight schools, and talking to an instructor would be a good thing to do early on.
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I'm in Willow River, which is in Northeast Minnesota. We have a little airport (The Carlton County Airport) right by us so if I eventually ended up with an airplane it would be very convenient.
 
Speedster said:
My name is John, I am 16 years old. I will be 17 in April. I live in MN. Forgive me if I am putting this in the wrong forum. I have always wanted to be a private pilot and have a small plane, but never thought of it as more than a dream. I recently realized I could actually do that!!!
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Paging @SkyChaser . An aspiring pilot in MN could use some advice from someone who has been there and done that. Like you. ;)
 
MauleSkinner said:
Just be sure there’s nothing in your medical background that would be disqualifying before you go for your medical certificate. An ADHD diagnosis is a common one that disqualifies young people these days, and while there are options like Sport Pilot that don’t require a medical, if you fail a medical you’ll be disqualified from Sport Pilot.
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:yeahthat:
Welcome to PoA!
 
Welcome!!
Besides finding a flight school and asking for a discovery flight, you can always reach out to your local EAA (Experimental Aviation Association) chapter. You can find one close to you using this search form:
They do free Young Eagles flights for children your age, and you get a free 6-month EAA membership, a logbook and free ground school. Good deal.

Whatever you decide to do, never pay the flight school in full at the start of your training. Plenty of them have gone out of business, leaving students without a certificate and their money.
Also, I wouldn't recommend taking out loans for flight training.

Try to meet local pilots, through PoA or the EAA chapter. Chances are a lot of them would be willing to take you flying with them. Also, they will share their flight training experiences with you, easier and cheaper to learn from their mistakes. Same here, online. Ask questions. We've all had our fair share of training struggles, we can help you if you get stuck.

As others said, make sure you have no medical issues that would disqualify you. I doubt you have alcohol-related offenses, but there are a lot of ADHD diagnostics in your age group (real or imaginary) with medications that will disqualify you (or, at best, create some significant hurdles). Suicidal statements (real or not) also are a serious problem.
Here's an example of the medical certificate application form with the questions you will be asked. Anything that's a yes can be a problem.

 
Welcome to POA, Johnny! I don't know where you are located, but I used to live in south-central MN just south of Mankato. I ended up training in Estherville, Iowa, about an hour and half south through an independent CFI and renting a plane through the FBO there. It worked really well for me and I would highly recommend it. I don't have a lot of experience with area flight schools, though I heard good things about a school in Owatonna and fair things about the school in Mankato.

As far as simply learning and starting out, I had great success with reading the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook, both available for free through the FAA. I probably read them through two or three times before I understood most of it, but by the third time, everything was starting to click. I also watched this youtube playlist many times (from FlyMA):
. It was awesome for seeing some of the concepts from the PHAK and AFH in real time before I could take lessons, and I enjoyed his videos both for educational and recreational uses. It helped me familiarize myself with what to expect from flying and flight lessons, and I think I picked up a lot just by watching him flying. I was able to score a 95% on the written test (I took mine very early on in my training, but you just have to complete it before your checkride) without any additional ground instruction from my CFI after that study program.

I had to save up for flight school before I went, so I spent the first year after taking a discovery flight just studying and saving. After that, I was able to start the actual lessons. If you don't need to save up for lessons, you can just call up a flight school or an airport and ask about discovery flights. After that, you can just ask about being put on the schedule. It is way simpler than it can seem to be!
 
Check out some flight school in your area,get some recommendations of study material also check with FAA web site.
 
Also consider what kind of flying interests you. There are many different facets to private flying... you can use a plane to go places, you might be interested in bush planes to land in the backcountry, you might want to get into aerobatics, or glider flying, or ultralight flying, homebuilding, or the antique airplane scene. Lots of options, with considerable overlap. What direction you want to go can affect what is the best school for learning to fly, assuming you have options there.
 
MauleSkinner said:
I think I’d be offended if I was John. :rofl:
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Nah it's alright. At least he gave me a very useful piece of info in the same sentence he said that, so, I guess it evens out!
MauleSkinner said:
@Speedster , I assume you’ll be able to integrate learning to fly into your homeschool curriculum?
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I believe and hope so. I don't know how much I'll be able to do online, but as much as I can I will do. Usually I'm self taught in my pursuits so I think I'd pretty much be finding this out and setting up lessons and whatnot myself.
Dana said:
Also consider what kind of flying interests you. There are many different facets to private flying... you can use a plane to go places, you might be interested in bush planes to land in the backcountry, you might want to get into aerobatics, or glider flying, or ultralight flying, homebuilding, or the antique airplane scene. Lots of options, with considerable overlap. What direction you want to go can affect what is the best school for learning to fly, assuming you have options there.
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Mainly... using a plane to go places and pleasure flying. Also very interested in aerobatics and bush planes. And I love antique things so probably eventually antique planes as well. And... I love building stuff so homebuilding as well. And also glider flying because I've always been interested in that. Oops that's a long list I'll sum it up; "ALL OF IT!!!"
Half Fast said:
Are your parents on board? Do they support you learning to fly?
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I'm not quite sure, I think at worst they'd be indifferent. I think mom's fine, I'll find out for sure. Worst comes to worst they don't want me to and I'll just study and read as much as I can and when I turn 18 proceed in whatever direction.
SkyChaser said:
had to save up for flight school before I went, so I spent the first year after taking a discovery flight just studying and saving.
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That's probably what I'll be doing. Do you have a ballpark on how much it would cost, to go from beginner to licensed? (Counting lessons, plane rentals, etc.)
 
AV8R_87 said:
Besides finding a flight school and asking for a discovery flight, you can always reach out to your local EAA (Experimental Aviation Association) chapter. You can find one close to you using this search form:
Find an EAA Chapter | EAA They do free Young Eagles flights for children your age, and you get a free 6-month EAA membership, a logbook and free ground school. Good deal.
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Oooohhh I just looked and there's a couple close to me!
 
So I've always wondered if I have ADHD so I got worried after reading some of your posts and took some online tests. I know they're not final, but they all said I have a low likelihood. I suppose I just have the fidgets lol!
 
Speedster said:
I'm not quite sure, I think at worst they'd be indifferent. I think mom's fine, I'll find out for sure. Worst comes to worst they don't want me to and I'll just study and read as much as I can and when I turn 18 proceed in whatever direction.
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Parents may be concerned about the risk involved, and it’s a valid worry. If they are, you might explain that, roughly speaking, general aviation flying is approximately as safe as motorcycling.


Speedster said:
Do you have a ballpark on how much it would cost, to go from beginner to licensed? (Counting lessons, plane rentals, etc.)
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Like many things, “it depends.” To get you a ballpark idea, though, you should be thinking of about $10k-$12k to get that first private pilot certificate. From there you can move on to an instrument rating, a commercial certificate, etc., at additional cost.
 
Speedster said:
So I've always wondered if I have ADHD so I got worried after reading some of your posts and took some online tests. I know they're not final, but they all said I have a low likelihood. I suppose I just have the fidgets lol!
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As long as you haven’t been diagnosed, you’re fine.
 
Welcome. There is a lot to learn, but it’s all both useful and necessary. The instructor at Angle of Attack has a free online ground school for student pilots. https://www.angleofattack.com/student-pilot-course/ 12 Sections – 44 Video Lessons – 2 hrs 38 mins.

He also has a series of videos taking one of his students, Sienna who is about your age, through her flight training. She soloed a few videos ago and is doing cross country training now. Angle of Attack on You Tube. I think besides the book knowledge, and there is no way to get around that, a bit of video inspiration and explanation is helpful for motivation. I like his training style.

Before you get too deep into this, go ahead and get the 3rd class physical out of the way. It’s always painful to read about people spending a lot of time and money on education and training only to leave the physical to the very last and then be disappointed.

A selling point for the parents, is that even though you may or may not go on to make a career out of flying, the education and skills are life-long benefits of the training: applied physics, meteorology, radio theory, navigation and chart reading, mechanical and machine maintenance, math, complex thinking, and developing sound judgment.

We couldn’t afford to continue flying during our child raising years, so we gravitated into sailing instead. Everything happens slower on a sailboat, but all my flying skills & education transferred over. Good luck.
 
Half Fast said:
If they are, you might explain that, roughly speaking, general aviation flying is approximately as safe as motorcycling.
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Are there any more reassuring statistics? They don't really want me driving a motorcycle lol. And I'm just curious, lets say you're flying over woods in the average small plane and the engine dies. What happens? Are you pretty much a goner? Is there a way to take it down safely on the trees?
 
Speedster said:
Are there any more reassuring statistics? They don't really want me driving a motorcycle lol. And I'm just curious, lets say you're flying over woods in the average small plane and the engine dies. What happens? Are you pretty much a goner? Is there a way to take it down safely on the trees?
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Well, reality isn't always reassuring. Sorry! :)

Landing gently in treetops has worked for some. Usually you can find a little clear land somewhere. The higher you fly, the more options you have. Crashes do happen, and you shouldn't go into this without understanding the risks, but the vast majority of crashes are survivable.

(Many of us here also ride motorcycles, so when we hear that flying has a similar risk, we're sorta inclined to say "Sounds good! Wheels up!")

Life entails risk, and nobody makes it out alive anyway. It's been said that the safest place for a ship is in the harbor, but that's not why ships exist. For me, things like flying and motorcycles and racecars and scuba diving are the difference between living and merely existing.

But you have to find what's right for you.
 
Speedster said:
Are there any more reassuring statistics? They don't really want me driving a motorcycle lol.
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While statistically they may be similar, a pilot has a lot more control over the level of safety than a motorcyclist. A large percentage of motorcycle accidents are due to other drivers, but very few aircraft accidents. I’ve known quite a few pilots who have had long, successful careers in higher-risk areas of aviation (ag flying, for example) with no accidents.
 
FlightInsight videos on youtube are an incredible wealth of free knowledge.
You are lucky to live in these times.
 
Speedster said:
That's probably what I'll be doing. Do you have a ballpark on how much it would cost, to go from beginner to licensed? (Counting lessons, plane rentals, etc.)
Click to expand...

I don't have the spreadsheet in front of me right now, but I saved up about $6k before starting (plus an extra $600 for the checkride that I set aside separately), and added about $200-$300/month or so to it while I was flight training (I was working fulltime while training and that was the money left over). However, I trained in 2020 and early 2021 when avgas was still relatively cheap (between $3.80 and $4.88 per gallon), the plane rental was only $65/hr dry, and my instructor only charged me $35/hr for CFI time because I was her first student. That and I think she felt sorry for me. lol Those numbers are ludicrously low or average depending on where you're training.

Anyway, your calculus will depend on those factors and also how long it takes for you to take your checkride. I probably spent about $1500 flying around between when I was ready to take my checkride and when the scheduling worked out, but I could have flown less in those months if I had wanted to save (or didn't have) those funds.
 
www.rwsa.org

Flight Training

Whether you are new to flight or a many-thousand-hour power pilot, RWSA can provide the flight training to get your hands on the controls of a sailplane. We have five FAA Certified Flight Instructors...
www.rwsa.org

Most likely your parents will be worried if there is engine failure in a plane you are flying. I would recommend getting your Private Pilot Gliders license to help mitigate those worries. The place above is 80 miles away from where you are located.
 
Speedster said:
Are there any more reassuring statistics? They don't really want me driving a motorcycle lol. And I'm just curious, lets say you're flying over woods in the average small plane and the engine dies. What happens? Are you pretty much a goner? Is there a way to take it down safely on the trees?
Click to expand...
If the engine quits in a small plane it just becomes a glider, albeit not as good as a purpose built sailplane. If you're flying at, say, 5000' high and the plane has a typical 8:1 glide ratio you can glide almost 8 miles to a safe landing spot. Even if you have to go down someplace rough, small planes can be flown slowly enough that if you keep it under control you're probably going to walk away from it. Most fatalities are when the pilot fails to keep it under control.

For a dated but still very valuable book on basic flying technique, read Wolfgang Langeweische's "Stick and Rudder". For inspiration, read Richard Bach's "A Gift of Wings".
 
At 16, I would point you to check out Civil Air Patrol. You are a little late into the program, but maybe still can get involved and qualify for some free flight training.

Even without getting into that, you at least get some flight time with Cadet Orientation Flights.
 
Half Fast said:
Well, reality isn't always reassuring. Sorry! :)

Landing gently in treetops has worked for some. Usually you can find a little clear land somewhere. The higher you fly, the more options you have. Crashes do happen, and you shouldn't go into this without understanding the risks, but the vast majority of crashes are survivable.

(Many of us here also ride motorcycles, so when we hear that flying has a similar risk, we're sorta inclined to say "Sounds good! Wheels up!")

Life entails risk, and nobody makes it out alive anyway. It's been said that the safest place for a ship is in the harbor, but that's not why ships exist. For me, things like flying and motorcycles and racecars and scuba diving are the difference between living and merely existing.

But you have to find what's right for you.
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For my part the risk is no deterrent at all. If it was up to me I'd already have a motorcycle lol. I think what you said is very well put;
Half Fast said:
things like flying and motorcycles and racecars and scuba diving are the difference between living and merely existing.
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My parents are just sometimes worried about my safety. (Understandably.) I think they'll be fine with me flying, especially when they understand that you don't fall from the sky as soon as your engine dies.
 
Speedster said:
Are there any more reassuring statistics? They don't really want me driving a motorcycle lol. And I'm just curious, lets say you're flying over woods in the average small plane and the engine dies. What happens? Are you pretty much a goner? Is there a way to take it down safely on the trees?
Click to expand...
Not sure if it is valid especially after hanging out with some of the motorcycle groups.

But the perception is Motorcycle Accidents tend to be caused by other drivers. Most Aircraft Accidents tend to be caused by pilots. So as the pilot, becoming a good pilot that doesn't take risks and it is pretty easily put this into the about the same risk as driving a car. Mostly don't fly low (below 1000 feet) and don't fly in bad weather. I actually think becoming a defensive motorcyclist that doesn't take risks probably has a similar effect.

My experience has been...
I have been flying for 36 years and about ~9000hrs my worst aviation injury is a scar between my eyes where the safety glasses cut me when I walked into the tail of my sailplane.
On the other hand my wife rode motorcycles for about 10 years (since we been married (32 years)) and a few year before. She was T-boned by another driver and ended up having her left leg amputated. She still rides 3 wheelers occasionally but mostly has transitioned to UTV's where she can take her dog (and now grandkids) with her.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
Speedster said:
My parents are just sometimes worried about my safety. (Understandably.)
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Well, I'm sure they went to a lot of trouble to create and raise you, and they probably don't want to go through it all over again.


Speedster said:
I think they'll be fine with me flying, especially when they understand that you don't fall from the sky as soon as your engine dies.
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Right. If your engine dies at 5000' and you begin to descend at 500 ft/min, your fall from the sky will take 10 minutes. Hopefully that gives you enough time to find a spot to put the plane down safely and walk away. That's usually feasible if you don't panic.


brcase said:
But the perception is Motorcycle Accidents tend to be caused by other drivers. Most Aircraft Accidents tend to be caused by pilots.
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This is true, but it's also true that the decision matrix for flying is considerably more complicated. Pilots have many more opportunities to make a mistake, and none of us are perfect.


brcase said:
So as the pilot, becoming a good pilot that doesn't take risks and it is pretty easily put this into the about the same risk as driving a car.
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That's terrifying; ever drive on I-4 in Central Florida? ;)

I get what you're saying, but the truth is that pilots, even VERY good ones, get into trouble sometimes, and sometimes it's fatal. They don't come much better, or more safety focused, than Richard McSpadden, yet we lost him a little over a year ago. Former USAF Thunderbirds commander, senior VP of the Air Safety Institute, etc., etc., yet he lost his life due to an engine failure in a Cessna 177.

The risks are real and deserve sober consideration.
 
Welcome aboard!

Three suggestions (already covered above, but I'll pile on):

1) Go ahead and get the Class 3 Medical Certificate out of the way. If there are any issues, you want to know about them immediately, as it can take a lot of time and effort to work around them. If you have concerns, schedule a consultation with an aviation doc (AME) before pulling the trigget on teh "official" exam. Reasons for this are covered in several threads in the medical section of this site.

2) The books listed above (AFH, PHAK) are requisite reading for the initial licensing process. I would also suggest starting to work your way through an online ground school program. King's, Gold Seal, Pilot Institute, etc. are all good in their own ways.

3) Find a local school and take a "discovery flight". At the end of the flight, spend some time with the instructor to explain your goals. They'll be glad to help you understand the process and options for getting through a program.

Good luck!
 
StraightnLevel said:
Welcome aboard!

Three suggestions (already covered above, but I'll pile on):

1) Go ahead and get the Class 3 Medical Certificate out of the way. If there are any issues, you want to know about them immediately, as it can take a lot of time and effort to work around them. If you have concerns, schedule a consultation with an aviation doc (AME) before pulling the trigget on teh "official" exam. Reasons for this are covered in several threads in the medical section of this site.

2) The books listed above (AFH, PHAK) are requisite reading for the initial licensing process. I would also suggest starting to work your way through an online ground school program. King's, Gold Seal, Pilot Institute, etc. are all good in their own ways.

3) Find a local school and take a "discovery flight". At the end of the flight, spend some time with the instructor to explain your goals. They'll be glad to help you understand the process and options for getting through a program.

Good luck!
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Thanks!
 
Today I ordered all the books everyone recommended!!! As was mentioned, some are available online but I don't like reading on the computer. I was able to shop around on eBay, and for all of them it came out to just under $80, which I thought was really good considering what I'm getting. The list is
Stick and Rudder
A Gift of Wings
Airplane flying handbook
Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (I got the 2024 one.)
& Week-End Pilot.
The only one I didn't get was FAR/AIM as it's a little more than I wanted to spend and I figured since it has regulations I maybe should purchase it closer to when I'll be actually be flying.
I also started the Angle of Attack course, it absolutely great so far, I can't believe it's free!
Thank you all for all your help so far, it means a lot. I'd be completely lost without it. I can't wait until the books start getting in!!!
 
Also I did more reading into statistics, and overall I'd say they're more reassuring than anything. I was surprised, in 2011 42% of individuals tested after crashes tested positive for medications or drugs. In 2018, just 18.4% of crashes in the personal flying category were fatal. I thought it would have been like 80%.
 
Speedster said:
The only one I didn't get was FAR/AIM as it's a little more than I wanted to spend and I figured since it has regulations I maybe should purchase it closer to when I'll be actually be flying.
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Both are downloadable for free from the FAA website.
 
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