Dreaming of defying gravity? We get it! But before you can slide into that left-hand seat of an airplane, you need to gain some knowledge, build some skills and get some certifications.

American Winds is your wingman on this! As one of the best flight schools in Ohio and a fully accredited College of Aeronautics, we’re your trusted resource for American pilot requirements.

Read on for answers to your questions, including:

• What’s the difference between flight school and ground school?
• What are the requirements to start flight school?
• How do you get a student pilot certificate?
• What are the requirements to become a pilot in general?
• How do you become an airline pilot?

Flight School Requirements

It’s so exciting that you want to explore how to be a pilot! Flight school is where you’ll take off, and there are two types of training you’ll get there:

• Ground Training – In a classroom setting or online classes, you’ll gain foundational knowledge, like the physics beyond flight, how to analyze weather hazards, airport rules and more.
• Flight Lessons – Under the supervision of an experienced Certified Flight Instructor, you’ll get hands-on experience with operating a plane, including taking off and landing, communicating with air traffic controllers, recovering from stalls and more.

American Winds makes sure you have lots of support and resources along the way to becoming a private and/or commercial pilot.

Here are the basic requirements for starting flight school:

High School Diploma

A high school diploma or GED is required to enroll in flight school. You also must be at least 16 years old to begin officially training to become a pilot – but you can start flying lessons before that.

Student Pilot Certificate

American Winds will help you apply to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for your Student Pilot Certificate once you’ve enrolled in our flight school. This official document confirms that you qualify to undertake flight training. Think of it as the temporary permit you carry while practicing to take the exam for a driver’s license.

Qualifications for a Student Pilot Certificate include:

• The ability to speak, read and understand the English language because FAA communications in the U.S. are always conducted in English.
• Proof of your identity because the FAA adheres to regulations form the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) for preventing security risks.

Medical Clearance

You’ll need at least a Third-Class Airman Medical Certificate from the FAA to become a pilot. This step involves filling out some paperwork and undergoing a physical examination from an Approved Medical Examiner. During the exam, a physician will make sure you meet minimum requirements for:

• Vision – 20/20 with or without corrective lenses
• Hearing – Ability to hear and understand conversations from 6 feet away
• Neurological Health – No history of epilepsy or other seizure disorders
• Cardiovascular health – No history of heart disease or cardiac surgeries
• Mental Health – No history of psychosis, substance abuse or mental disorders

Types of Pilot Licenses and Other Certifications

Wondering how to become a commercial pilot? Got your sights set on flying for the major airlines? Or are you only interested in flying privately for pure exhilaration?

You can do all of that at American Winds!

Much like a temporary driver’s license typically leads to a fully authorized driver’s license – and then possibly to a commercial driver’s license and other credentialing – your Student Pilot Certificate is just the beginning of your flight trajectory.

Here are the main options for taking flight for fun or income:

Private Pilot License (PPL)

Discover the freedom of flying solo in as little as 3 months! To trade up from your Student Pilot License to this certification, you must:

• Be at least 17 years old
• Prove U.S. citizenship or TSA approval for training in the U.S.
• Maintain a Third-Class Airman Medical Certificate
• Pass a computerized knowledge exam
• Pass an oral test and a check ride
• Log 40 hours of flight time (including solo, night, cross-country, and more)

With your Private Pilot License, you can:

• Fly any plane in the category you’re rated for (single engine or multi-engine)
• Fly in good weather during the day or at night
• Fly solo or with passengers

Certified Private Pilots CANNOT:

• Get paid to fly solo, with passengers or with freight
• Fly in inclement weather – unless/until an Instrument Rating is obtained – see more on that below

Instrument Ratings & Instructor Certifications

Before progressing to a Commercial Pilot License, most students work toward an Instrument Rating. This FAA-issued endorsement means that you’ve been trained to operate an aircraft without visual cues in inclement weather, relying only on the instruments in your craft. It’s not technically required to qualify for a Commercial Pilot License – but most companies don’t want to hire a pilot who’s limited to only flying in perfectly clear weather.

You’ll also choose whether to pursue ratings for single-engine planes or multi-engine planes. Each has its own requirements.

Along the way, you’ll pick up Type Ratings, which designate the model and type of aircraft you’re trained to operate. There’s a type rating for everything from the Cessna fixed-wing single-engine craft in our fleet all the way up to the big planes, like Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s.

Instructor Certifications allow you to teach others how to be a pilot. You must first achieve a Commercial Pilot License – which allows you to fly for pay – then you can become certified to teach in any of three ways:

• Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
• Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII)
• Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI) – requires completion of Multi-Engine Rating

Commercial Pilot License (CPL)

Getting paid to fly is a goal for many ambitious pilots. You can become a commercial pilot in as little as one year with the American Winds Fast-Track Commercial Pilot License program! To achieve this goal, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Hold a PPL
• Pass the FAA Knowledge Exam
• Pass an oral test and check ride
• Log additional 250 hours of flight time (including PIC, nighttime cross-country, minimum takeoffs/landings at towered airports, and more)

Once you’ve received your Commercial Pilot License from the FAA, you can:

• Get paid to fly for private or corporate charters, delivery and freight companies, flight schools and more
• Continue expanding your skill set with more FAA ratings and certifications
• Pursue the requirements to fly for a major airline

Airline Transport Pilot Certification (ATP)

If how to become an airline pilot is on your radar, you’ll need an Airline Transport Pilot certification, aka the ATP. It’s the credential that the FAA requires to fly as a captain for the commercial airlines – and it’s the highest level of FAA certification.

One of the requirements for an ATP certification is to gain 1,500 hours of flight time – which can be expensive and time-consuming. But it is possible to bring that daunting number a little lower!

Becoming a pilot through the American Winds College of Aeronautics program can qualify you for a Restricted ATP (R-ATP) certification that requires less total flight time. Here’s how:

The FAA has granted authority to certain colleges and universities with approved aviation degree programs to issue a diploma called the Restricted ATP upon completion of an associate or bachelor’s degree in aviation. This second diploma with the FAA logo will allow college or university graduates to be hired by the airlines with less flight time.

As a fully accredited College of Aeronautics with FAA authorization to certify graduates for R-ATP eligibility, American Winds can help you become an airline pilot faster than ever!

• Our Associate Degree Program can be fast-tracked for completion in just one year. By completing an Associate Degree in Applied Science, Aviation, you’ll also receive an R-ATP Diploma that allows you to hire into the major airlines with only 1,250 flight hours.
• Our Bachelor Degree Program in partnership with Liberty University lets you do academic coursework online while completing ground school and flight training in person at the American Winds campus. You’ll finish with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation and an R-ATP Diploma that qualifies you for the airlines with only 1,000 flight hours.

Earn Your Pilot License with American Winds

Ready to set a course for how to be a pilot? American Winds College of Aeronautics is one of very few flight schools in Ohio that can get you behind the stick faster! Get started today – and feel your future take flight!