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Should You Buy Your Own Aircraft For Flight Training? 

Here's a rundown of what you should consider before buying an aircraft for flight training.

Learning to fly in your own aircraft comes with a list of added responsibilities, including maintenance and insurance costs. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Aspiring pilots often purchase aircraft without proper due diligence (e.g., pre-buy inspection, suitability assessment) or a full understanding of ongoing ownership costs, leading to potential issues like unsuitable planes or unexpected expenses.
  • Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) can provide instruction in an owner's aircraft, but they will meticulously review logbooks, verify their qualifications, and may require time to familiarize themselves with the specific aircraft's performance and systems.
  • Aircraft ownership comes with significant financial responsibilities beyond purchase (e.g., maintenance, insurance, hangar fees) and does not exempt student pilots from adhering to flight training regulations like solo endorsements and passenger restrictions.
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“If I buy an airplane can you teach me to fly it?”

Every certified flight instructor (CFI) hears this question at least once during their instructional career.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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