Flight Training

Marine City Aviation offers instructor led flight training for private pilots. Many people express interest in learning to fly but are not sure were to start. Here is a general step by step process to obtaining your freedom to fly. Some of these may occur in a different sequence, however eligibility is the most important requirement todo first.

Make sure your eligible
Find an instructor.
Obtain third-class aviation medical exam & student pilot permit.
Fly with an instructor & follow flight training curriculum.
Take written exam.
Take check ride with FAA examiner.
Get you license

Make sure your eligible

Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements set forth in the regulations. See FAR 61.103 for more information. Basically, a private pilot applicant needs to be at least 17 years old, able to read, speak and understand English, successfully complete the flight training requirements and the knowledge exam.

Common Aviation Terms

Third Class medical
Necessary to exercise the privileges of a Private pilot license or certificate, or any lower pilot certification level except for the FAA's Sport pilot certificate(which only requires the same medical clearance required to drive a car, as evidenced by a valid driver license). In the United States, a third-class medical expires after 60 calendar months for someone under the age of forty years (as of the date of examination), or 24 calendar months for someone over forty.

Flight Instructor
Flight instructors use ground-school classes both to teach students the basics of flying an aircraft and to help them prepare for the written test they can expect to face when applying for their pilot's license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

FARs - Federal Aviation Regulations handbook.
Contains important rule & regulations regarding aviation and certification requirements.Click here to view the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 61, Certification of Pilots.

AIM - Aeronautical Information Manual.
Is the FAAs official guide to Basic Flight Information and ATC (air traffic control) Procedures. Click here to view the AIM on the offical FAA website.

FAA Examiner
In the United States, a FAA Pilot Examiner is a senior pilot designated by the FAA to conduct oral examinations and inflight or flight simulator checkrides (collectively called "practical tests") with pilot applicants to determine their suitability to be issued a Pilot Certificate

Airspace
Below is a depiction of the various types of airspace.

Class A: All Airspace above 18,000 ft. Anybody flying here must receive a clearance from, be talking to, and be controlled by ATC.
Class B: Airspace within approximately 30 miles and 10,000 feet of the ground around the busiest airports in the US. Again, anybody flying here must receive a clearance from, be taking to, and be controlled by ATC.
Class C: Airspace within approximately 10 miles and 4,000 feet of airports that are less busy than Class B airports. The equipment requirements are less restrictive to fly in this airspace and pilots must be talking to ATC.
Class D: The airspace around the least busy airports that still require an ATC control tower. It is approximately 4 miles and 2,500 feet of airspace and they usually don't have radar so just coordinate with airplanes over the radio and by sighting them visually. Pilots must also talk to ATC before entering their airspace.
Class E: Airspace that does not require aircraft to talk to or be under the control of ATC unless the weather is worse than certain specified criteria. Aircraft avoid each other by looking out the window, and while this is true in the other airspace above, it is particularly important here (and in Class G) since many aircraft don't talk to ATC. There is an exception for airports in Class E that have a control tower; pilots landing at these airports must contact the tower before entering the airport's airspace.
Class G: Uncontrolled airspace that aircraft do not have to talk to ATC at all, except that are some airports in Class G that have a control tower; pilots landing at these airports must contact the tower before entering their airspace.