Question 1

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

The easiest first step is a discovery flight — a full hour at the controls with an instructor beside you, no experience needed. If you love it (most people do), we'll map out a training plan that fits your schedule from there.

Question 2

Am I eligible to take flying lessons?

Accepted Answer

If you're at least 16 and can read, speak, and understand English, you can start training right away. You'll need to be 17 to earn your private pilot certificate, and there's no upper age limit to learning to fly.

Question 3

How long will it take to earn my private pilot certificate?

Accepted Answer

It depends mostly on how often you fly. The FAA requires a minimum of 40 flight hours, and many students average somewhere around 45, though the real number varies quite a bit from person to person. You'll also pass a written knowledge test and a final checkride (an oral exam plus a flight test) with an FAA examiner. The biggest factor is consistency.

Question 4

How much will it cost?

Accepted Answer

Honestly, this varies more than almost anything else, so please treat estimates as a rough example, not a quote. Your real total depends on how often you fly and how quickly things click. Both your total cost and how long it takes vary quite a bit from student to student, and flying consistently usually means fewer hours overall. You'll find our hourly rates on the Pricing page.

Aircraft time — about 45 hours
Flight instruction — about 45 hours
Ground instruction — about 20 hours
Solo Flight — about 10 hours
Online ground school & test prep
Books, charts, and supplies
A headset (you can borrow one to start)
Your FAA medical exam
The FAA knowledge (written) test
The FAA checkride (examiner's fee)

Question 5

What medical exam do I need?

Accepted Answer

To fly solo and earn your certificate you'll need an FAA medical, which you get from an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). You don't need it to start lessons, but you'll need it before your first solo — so it's smart to get it early, and if anything in your history might affect eligibility, far better to find out now than after you've invested in training. There are four options, depending on your goals:
Third-Class — what most of our students need. It covers private, recreational, and student pilot flying (flying for fun, not for pay). It's valid for 5 years if you're under 40 when examined, or 2 years if you're 40 or older.
Second-Class — required to fly commercially (for compensation or hire). You'd step up to this when you pursue your commercial certificate.
First-Class — required for airline (ATP) flying. If the airlines are your long-term goal, it's worth getting a first-class up front to confirm you qualify before investing in training.
BasicMed — not a class, but an alternative to the third-class medical. Once you've held an FAA medical at least once (any time after July 2006), BasicMed lets you keep flying typical personal aircraft without renewing a traditional medical — after a physical with any state-licensed doctor and a short online course — as long as you stay within its limits (aircraft up to 12,500 lbs, up to 6 passengers, below 18,000 feet and 250 knots, and not for hire). New students can't begin on BasicMed, since it requires having held a medical before. To get started, you'll fill out an application through the FAA's MedXPress system, then visit a local AME for the exam. We're glad to point you to an AME near Rantoul.

Question 6

Can I fly if I wear glasses or contacts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Lots of pilots wear glasses or contacts — you just need vision that's correctable to the FAA standard, which your aviation medical examiner will check. Bring your glasses or contacts to your medical exam.

Question 7

Where does the training take place?

Accepted Answer

We're based at Rantoul National Aviation Center (Frank Elliott Field, KTIP) in Rantoul, Illinois. Most lessons stay within about 20 miles of the airport, and the longer cross-country flights required for your certificate range out to roughly 100–150 miles.

Question 8

What happens if the weather is bad?

Accepted Answer

Flying lessons depend on the weather, so a lesson may occasionally be rescheduled if conditions aren't safe or right for what you're working on. We'll always keep you posted — and a weathered-out day is a perfect time for ground instruction instead.

Question 9

Do you offer training beyond the private pilot certificate?

Accepted Answer

Yes — we can take you all the way. Beyond your private pilot certificate, we offer instrument and commercial training, plus flight reviews to keep current pilots sharp. One local school, from your very first flight to a commercial certificate.

Question 10

Do I need to own an airplane?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. You'll train in our aircraft and rent them by the hour — most of your training happens in our Cessna 150L. You can see our airplanes on the Aircraft page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions