For a private pilot licence, a degree in aviation isn’t required. If you ever want to fly for an airline outside of Australia (for example the United States) you should consider getting a university degree (which doesn’t need to be aviation related). [2] X Research source
Talk to as many flying instructors and students as you can to find out information about each particular flight organisation. Picking the right flight organisation depends on what your goal is. If you just want to fly for pleasure, then choose a school that is concentrated on recreational or private licencing. However if your aim is to have a career as a pilot, find a school that provides non-recreational commercial pilot training. You can always transfer schools at any stage if your goals change.
The exact amount of time that you will spend training depends on many factors including how regularly you are flying, aircraft availability, your financial situation, and the weather. Your financial situation affects the length of time that your training can take because if you can afford to train full time, it will go much faster than if you have casual lessons.
CASA is a governmental organisation who process and regulate all aspects of aviation in Australia. An ARN is free to get and will take up to 1 week to process. You don’t need an ARN when you are flying with an instructor, however you will need one before you fly solo.
The CASA class 1 medical certificate is valid for 1 year, and is required for commercial pilots and multi-crew licence pilots. The CASA class 2 medical certificate is valid for up to 4 years if you are aged under 40, and 2 years if you are older than 40. This is minimum requirement for private pilots, and is given by a Designated Aviation Medical Examiner (DAME). Use a search engine to find a DAME in your area. Getting a class 2 and 1 medical certificate includes a full medical history, an audiogram, and vision tests. A RAMPC can be used to fly solo in certain aircraft in certain conditions (more restrictive than a class 2) but has a much lower medical standard and is much cheaper to obtain. Keep in mind the RAMPC is only for pilots wishing to fly under the privileges of a recreational pilot licence (which is below a private pilot licence).
Before your first solo flight, you will need to have completed a dual flight in the same aircraft type within the last 30 days.
Some flight schools are approved to deliver integrated training, which means you can skip the recreational pilot licence and private pilot licence and go straight to the commercial pilot licence. [8] X Research source
Talk to your flight school about the best way to integrate your theory and practical work together in preparation for getting your private or commercial pilot licence.
For an integrated course commercial pilot licence, you will need a minimum training of 140 hours of flight time as the pilot, 70 hours of pilot in command flight time, and 20 hours of pilot in command cross-country flight time. [11] X Research source For a non-integrated course the minimum training goes up to 200 hours flight time as pilot and 100 hours pilot in command flight time required.
For the private pilot licence theory exam, the pass score for the exam is a minimum of 70%. The exam is 3. 5 hours long, and all of the questions are either multi-choice or numerical value answers. [13] X Research source For the commercial pilot licence theory exam, you will be tested on 7 subjects, and you will need to get a minimum grade of 70% in each subject to pass, aside from the Flight Rules and Air Laws subject which requires 80%. You will need to sit all of the subject exams within a time period of 2 years, and each exam takes between 1. 25-2. 5 hours to sit. [14] X Research source
For both of the private and commercial pilot licence tests, these include numerous different aspects including take-off, descent, arrival, and post-flight.
All flight reviews make sure that you meet the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
