Virtually anyone can learn to fly—a lot depends on what kind of flying you want to do. If you keep it simple, and fly a basic airplane for your own enjoyment, as a sport pilot or private pilot, the cost doesn’t have to be that much—and you can pay for the training as you go. 

To learn to fly a light airplane (like a piston single or a light sport airplane) takes a few hours each week for several months. If you commit to more time each week, you’ll learn to fly in less time overall. Learning to fly other kinds of aircraft will take about the same amount of time to get started, but may involve additional levels of training for certification.

If you want to pursue a career, your path will most likely take you to a vocational or college educational program, and you’ll focus on achieving your flying goals for two to four years before you launch as a professional pilot.

You can start to fly here, and now—we can help you get into the air quickly.

With a flight training destination in mind, you can get started. First up: to find a flight school nearest to you—one that offers the best program, whether it’s conducted under normal training regulations (Part 61) or accelerated (Part 141). Also critical: to pick the right flight instructor that meets your needs and understands your goals. That person might work within a flight school, or as an independent consultant.

Yes, it’s going to cost some cash to learn to fly, but you can figure out how much you need, and how to secure the funding to achieve success. You’ll also assess your health and physical capabilities—a wide range of people have the ability to become pilots, but it helps to know what the restrictions are so that you can plan for your future.  

Now that you’ve started flying lessons, you need support to help you achieve your goals. You could search for tools to enhance your flying, and apps for flight planning, watching the weather, and researching destination info. Or you can take a look at the best-in-show equipment that we’ve gathered for you based on Flying’s experience as pilots—and professional aviation gadget testers.

You’ll want to find answers to questions you have—so we have a reference for you on regs to help you pick through the acronyms and jargon. We can introduce you to the best flight forums out there, to help you find a mentor or an expert to assist—or as a way to meet aviation-minded friends. And you want to have some fun along the way? We’ve got that too.

You may know the kind of aircraft you want to fly—and we have the info you need to get started. Or you may want to explore your options. Whether you want to fly a light sport or single-engine airplane, or a helicopter or other rotorcraft, or the big jets, we can help you get started.