A lot of people dream about becoming a pilot, but few actually make it happen. I want to help you become one.
I’ve been a pilot for 19 years and I’ve learned all of these lessons below the hard way. If I was serious about getting my pilot’s license this year, this is the process I’d follow, and the order really matters.
I also cover all of the material in this article in the video below. 👇
The Process
Step 0: Take Ownership
The very first thing you HAVE to understand is that if you want to become a pilot, YOU have to make it happen. No one is going to do this for you.
I think a lot of times we get stuck with the “that would be awesome one day” type goals and we don’t actually accomplish them because we don’t take absolute ownership over it. So, first, take ownership.
Write on a sticky note “Becoming a pilot won’t happen unless I MAKE it happen” and put it on your computer or bathroom mirror.
Understanding the Milestones
Becoming a pilot really comes down to a few key milestones.
You have to take “ground school” to learn the book knowledge and pass a written test, and then you take flying lessons to learn how to fly the airplane, and at the end you take your checkride, which is your very final test consisting of an oral exam and a flight exam.
So between ground school AND flying lessons, there’s a lot to do.
Commit to a Dedicated Sprint
I learned this point the hard way. I quit my commercial license training more than once because I did it here and there and eventually life just got in the way.
But the third time my wife encouraged me to have my life revolve around getting this done. Most nights of the week after the kids went to bed I was studying. Several mornings per week I was at the flight school at sunrise to take an early lesson.
You’ll have much more success if you do a dedicated sprint on this instead of just squeezing it in here and there. I promise.
Start With Your Medical Exam
In the first part of the dedicated sprint, I would start on your medical exam. To be a private pilot you’ll need a third class medical from an AME or aviation medical examiner.
If you’re on any medications or have any medical history you’re even slightly concerned about, ask an AME in your area if they’ll do a consult first.
That way you can show up confident that you can pass the medical exam, or have the right paperwork completed ahead of time so that you don’t experience any unforeseen delays.
You want to get ahead on this.
Set a Start Date (and Add Accountability)
Next, I’d then set a date that you’re going to start ground school and flight school. I recommend making them the same day to keep it simple. Then I would write your friend a check for an uncomfortable amount of money and say if I don’t start by this date you cash the check.
Because there is SO much research you could do on these, it’s easy to get stuck in research mode because it’s comfortable. But you’ve got move from research to action.
Choose Your Ground School and Flight School
With that date set, now it’s time to pick a ground school and a flight school.
For the ground school, at this point most people are taking an online course for this and there are many options.
Set a ONE hour timer for research, then pick one at the end of the hour and buy it. This isn’t permanent.If you don’t like it you can always do a different one later.
Research can easily become procrastination in disguise.
Then for flight school, do the same thing. Do one hour of research on the schools around you, call the ones that look good and understand their availability and pricing and pick the one that you want to go with.
Google what questions to ask flight schools or ask ChatGPT. Keep it simple and timed, because most people overcomplicate this.
This isn’t a permanent decision. If you don’t end up liking the school you can change. You can usually take a “discovery flight” at these schools and see how you like it. Just don’t let that be another form of procrastination.
Momentum is more important than trying to spend dozens of hours of research. In that time frame you probably could have already knocked out ground school and taken your written test.
Schedule Your First Flight Before Starting Ground School
With ground school and flight school both selected, I would get your first lesson at the flight school ON the calendar BEFORE starting ground school.
Watching video courses for ground school feels like progress, so it’s easy to be in this kind of half committed mode, but you don’t actually have any flying scheduled.
I would book the lesson THEN start on your ground school. Some people like to try to do all of the ground school before the first lesson but that’s not necessary or even remotely required.
You’ll need some real-world application to make all of the book knowledge click anyways, so learning it tandem is healthy.
Downloadable Checklist
To make this easier to implement I also have all of the points in this video as a downloadable PDF. You can grab it over at airplaneacademy.com/process or scan the QR code below.
Ground School
Block Time on Your Calendar
When it comes to studying your ground school material, first, block this off on your calendar. I always studied at night, but do what works for you.
Put it on your family calendar so that people know you have plans that night. It’s very important to get it on the calendar.
Take Your Own Notes
You’ll likely be taking ground school online and learning through mostly videos. At first it’s going to feel like “ya, okay I can remember that” but then you’ll quickly realize that the volume of material you’ll need to memorize is really challenging.
There’s just no way you’re going to have it memorized after watching a video once or twice.
So, I cannot emphasize this enough… Take your own notes.
I love using Google Docs and just jotting down the main points as I watch the videos because you will absolutely need something to practice with and you realistically aren’t going to just re-watch videos a million times.
You want to focus on fluency, not just memorization.
If you really want to take this to the next level, organize your notes as questions. For example, if you’re learning Class D airspace, write a question like, “What are Class D VFR weather minimums?”
When you review later, try to answer the question before you look at the answer. That forces active recall, which is one of the most effective ways to actually commit things to memory.
Instead of just rereading notes passively, you’re pulling the information out, polishing it, and pushing it back in. I call that “cleaning the China.” That pull, polish, push method forces active recall.
Use Flashcards Effectively
As long as you actually try to answer the question before flipping the card over, this is why flashcards work so well. Otherwise it’s like passively reading a textbook and you’re no better off.
If you don’t want to make your own flashcards, I recently launched my own study flashcards.
They’re great for studying for your written test, checkride, and the flight reviews you’ll be required to take even after you become a pilot.
They’re reviewed and approved by a panel of flight instructors and have been used by thousands of pilots with hundreds of 5-star reviews.
No pressure to buy them, I just want you to know they exist and hopefully they can help you in your flying journey. You can check them out at airplaneacademy.com/flashcards if you want to learn more.
Practice Tests and Written Exam Strategy
Once you’ve gotten through all of the ground school, you will start taking practice written tests online before the real one.
First, keep track of any questions you’re getting wrong. That will become its own document that you can study and it’s a gold mine because it’s the things you’re getting wrong.
Then I would take your actual written test once you’re consistently scoring 95% or better on the practice tests.
A passing score is 70% but anything you miss on your written test, your examiner HAS to ask you about during the oral portion of your checkride.
Don’t aim to pass… aim to get a 100.
Flight School
Expect Early Overwhelm
Flight training is SO fun because you’re learning how to fly an airplane! But it’s also overwhelming at first because there is a lot happening. This is something you’ll face early on that could make you quit if you’re not expecting it.
But I PROMISE it gets easier.
To get yourself through that early overwhelm, the word “yet” will be your best friend. Any time you tell yourself “I’m not good at ___” make sure to end that sentence with “yet.”
“I’m not good at talking to air traffic control, yet.”
It’s a small thing but will appropriately frame any sort of overwhelm you’re feeling.
Always Schedule the Next Lesson
Then after every lesson, NEVER leave without having the next lesson ON THE CALENDAR.
Again, this isn’t irreversible. Just get something on the calendar to keep it moving. Ideally put more than one date on the calendar if you can or get a recurring day and time if they’ll let you.
Stay Consistent
I would personally aim to fly at least once per week. I know it’s a lot to fit into your schedule if it’s not your full-time thing, but that’s the point of the dedicated sprint.
You don’t have to sprint forever. Just long enough to knock this out.
And block off a few nights per week to study as well. That means that most days of the week you’re doing SOMETHING to work on your pilot’s license and that will keep your momentum alive.
Find an Accountability Partner
Find at least one person at your flight school and ask them if they’d be willing to check in with you once per week to see how things are going. You can tell them what nights you plan on studying and when your next lesson is, and they will call you and ask if you did it.
Ideally this person is an instructor and they can also be checking in with you in case anything is really hanging you up.
Don’t do it alone. Get some accountability. Not enough people do and it can be a gamechanger.
Expect the Two Hard Parts
It’s also really important to just expect two hard parts in particular.
First is when you’re just starting out, it will feel overwhelming. But I PROMISE that feeling subsides if you’ll stick with it.
The second hard part is about halfway through your training when you’ve gotten through ground school and are starting to get tired and realize you have a lot left to work on and memorize and it just feels daunting.
This is the valley of despair.
These are the perfect times for that accountability partner to encourage you through it. And if you expect these two hard parts in the first place, you’ll be ready for them.
Final Encouragement
Remember, millions of people across history have done this, which tells me that you can, too! It doesn’t require superhuman skill or intelligence to do it.
It takes hard work and consistency. And it’s accomplishable.
And no one can make it happen for you except for you.
If you want the PDF checklist of everything we just covered so you can get to implementing it, remember that’s over at airplaneacademy.com/process. If you want the full step-by-step process of exactly how to go get your private pilot’s license this year, I put that together for you in the video below.
