Getting behind the wheel of an aircraft is not difficult - features of training at a flight school

Every boy in his childhood dreamed of becoming an airplane pilot. Literally, a few out of many thousands made their fantasies come true, the rest have forgotten about the sky or look at it with longing.


It seems that planes are not available, and you can become a pilot only in the army or in civil aviation. But there you need health like that of an astronaut, plus you had to study in your youth.

Who can become a small aircraft pilot

In fact, everything is much simpler - there is such a thing as small aircraft. It is now more accessible to take to the skies than before, although even in the Soviet years there were no obstacles for an enthusiastic person. True, I had to do everything on my own or together with a group of comrades.


If you set a goal, it turns out that anyone who is recognized as fit to drive a car is capable of flying a private jet.

To do this:

✅ Be of legal age
✅ Have a professional secondary or higher education
✅ Pass a special medical examination

As you can see from the list, only the second item differs from what is required when passing the medical driver's commission. As for the examination, it’s not to say that the doctors were very picky - this is small aviation. Compared to the driver's commission, there are also different requirements for amateurs and professionals.

Sometimes people who dream of becoming pilots and have begun training, in practice, face a serious problem, in their opinion. This is an air sickness and it is expressed in dizziness, nausea, weakness.

Do not be upset if the symptoms are seen in a person who dreams of becoming a pilot. As with seasickness, this is temporary and goes away after a few hours of practice.


Not only men, but also women can become pilots. It was earlier in the USSR that girls were not taken into training, but now everything has changed. The fact that they make good pilots has been known since the Great Patriotic War.

Features of the passage of training

Before you start classes, you need to understand what you have to go through. Pilot training is a multi-stage curriculum.

Pilot training stages:

✅ Theoretical lessons
✅ Practice on special computer simulators
✅ Flights
✅ Exam at the Federal Air Transport Agency

There is no need to think that the program is similar to what is studied in ordinary educational institutions. How the cadet acquires knowledge depends on his future life and safety. If some disciplines are learned poorly, this will interfere with understanding the following. After completing the training, the cadet must be ready for an emergency situation in the air.


Until the student has passed all the exams in theoretical subjects, he will not be allowed to practice. It's just dangerous and criminal.

Flight simulators are an important stage in the training of a future pilot. With their help, the cadet will receive the basics of aircraft control and consolidate them at the level of automatism. Modern programs and equipment allow you to simulate any situation, weather conditions and engine malfunctions. The pilot will be able to learn to make instant and correct decisions. In a real situation, this will help save the life of both him and the passengers.

Some are sure that with the help of flight simulators you can get the necessary skills. In fact, without practice it is impossible to become a pilot. Even having received the coveted "flight crusts", you need to periodically train in the sky.


The last stage before the exam at the Federal Air Transport Agency is practice. Each cadet needs to fly 40 hours, make 167 landings and 212 approaches to it. Toward the end of the practical training, you need to fly off 5 hours on your own without an instructor and 3 hours in conditions of limited visibility.


Then you need to successfully pass the exam and the cherished “crusts” of the pilot on hand. It remains to figure out how to apply the knowledge gained. To do this, you can buy your own plane, sign up for a suitable flying club or rent an aircraft.

What is it for

It happens that a person striving for a dream does not think about the stages of its implementation. So he wanted to become a pilot, and he did it - he unlearned, spent a lot of energy and finances. And then what?

As a rule, most future pilots already have an idea of ​​what kind of aircraft they want or have staked out places in flying clubs. But what to do with the new winged vehicle? Do not fly it to work every day. And you can’t park a plane near the entrance.

As a rule, a pilot, if he plans to fly periodically, must have a job that allows such an expensive hobby. Plus, the plane needs to be stored in the hangar.


Of course, you can sign up for a flying club and go there at least once a month, but entertaining flights over short distances quickly get boring. And you are unlikely to be allowed to go far on someone else's equipment.


By the way, small aviation, once developed in the USSR and almost lost in the 90s, is being actively revived. It is possible to work out long-distance routes by calculating places for refueling, stops and rest.

Now pilots of small aircraft are dreaming about the development of companies providing airsharing services. So far, Russia is far from this industry in the US and EU countries, and the main problem is the need to adjust the legislation relating to small aircraft.

Features of choosing an aircraft

If the pilot is not experiencing financial problems, you can consider buying your own aircraft. A budget option would be to choose a light-engine aircraft, and it is easier and safer to travel on it.


The most popular aircraft of this class are Cessna from the USA. This company has been on the light aviation market since 1920, so their models are verified and tested in the most difficult conditions.

You can search for aircraft from other manufacturers:

✅ Cirrus
✅ Tecnam
✅ Dassault
✅ Piper
✅ Beechcraft
✅ Zodiac

There are light-engine aircraft and Russian-made ones, and Soviet training models are often found on the used market. When buying, you need to understand that all small aircraft, despite seemingly being a single class, behave differently in flight. Compact models tend to have better handling.


High-wings have better stability than low-wings. But the latter are more maneuverable. For novice pilots, single-engine aircraft are recommended - they are easier to fly.

By the way, you should not be afraid of engine failure in light aviation. These planes will not immediately fall down, but will glide, so you can safely choose a place to land and make it. The main thing is not to panic, because this is the main quality of the pilot - stress resistance.

Man has dreamed of flying since the Stone Age. For thousands of years, individual dreamers have tried to soar into the sky. Only after the invention of the first aircraft, the dream of mankind came true. Now you don’t need to invent anything - just get a pilot’s license to go up to the clouds.