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Pick where you are in flying. We'll only show you what's useful at your stage.
Most people start with the Private Pilot certificate. This is the whole journey.
Before you spend a dollar, see an Aviation Medical Examiner for a third-class medical. Sort this out first so you never train, fall in love with it, then find out you're ineligible. Lighter paths exist too: Sport Pilot (driver's license) and BasicMed.
A short intro flight with an instructor, usually $100–$200. You'll actually fly the plane. The cheapest way to know if you love it.
Train under Part 61 (flexible) or Part 141 (structured, FAA-approved). Browse schools →
File through IACRA. Your instructor helps. This is what lets you fly solo.
Dual lessons plus ground study, building toward solo, cross-countries, and night flying.
A computer-based written test (60 questions for Private, 70% to pass).
Minimum 40 hrs (Part 61) or 35 (Part 141); most people need 60–75.
Your instructor endorses you and helps finish your IACRA 8710.
An oral plus a flight test with a Designated Pilot Examiner. Find a DPE near you →
Pick a school near you and book one. It's the cheapest way to know.
The paperwork and prep that trips people up, so nothing surprises you on test day.
The recurring numbers every pilot has to track.
Find a Designated Pilot Examiner near you, with reviews from pilots who tested before you.
General reference for pilots, not official FAA guidance and not flight instruction. Confirm specifics with a CFI, the FARs, and the FAA.
Ask anything: checkride prep, examiners, schools, ratings, careers. Pilots answer pilots.
Search active FAA examiners near you, filtered by the exact checkride you need, so you book the right one the first time.
Find a plane free when you are. Pick the days you want to fly.
Verified US flight schools in all 50 states. Compare programs and fleet, read pilot reviews, and check each school's Google reviews.
Not every flight school is listed yet. Recommend one and we'll verify it on its own website and add it.
Real openings verified on each employer's own site, from first CFI job to corporate cockpit. Apply directly with the employer.
Not paid work: these public-benefit organizations welcome private pilots, and the missions log real PIC cross-country time. Requirements vary, so check each org.
Start lessons at any age. You must be 16 to fly solo and 17 to earn the Private Pilot certificate. No upper age limit.
No. A degree isn't required to become a pilot, including for most airline jobs today.
Yes. Corrected vision is fine for the vast majority of pilots.
A Private certificate typically runs $15,000–$20,000, but varies with aircraft and instructor rates and how often you fly.
Full-time, a few months. Once or twice a week, often 6–12 months. Minimum 40 flight hours; most need 60–75.
Part 61 is flexible and self-paced; Part 141 is a structured FAA-approved syllabus with a slightly lower hour minimum. Same certificate.
At least a third-class medical from an AME, before your first solo. Talk to an AME first if you have a specific condition.
The checkride is your final practical test (oral + flight), given by a Designated Pilot Examiner.
You retrain the specific areas and retake only those. Common and not the end.
Yes. Add an Instrument Rating and Commercial, then often instruct as a CFI to build hours toward the airlines.
My Flight Buddy is an independent resource that brings the pieces of learning to fly into one place: a plain-English guide, a searchable examiner directory, plane sharing for time building, a flight-school directory with reviews, and aviation jobs. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the FAA.
Corrections, questions, or listing requests: send us a note here and we'll get back to you.
Listings are drawn from the FAA Designee Management System (Designee Locator), a public government record, last pulled July 3, 2026. The FAA locator is always the authoritative source. Examiners can request corrections or claim their profile via the report/claim link on any listing.
Reviews, plane listings, school entries, job posts, and messages are submitted by users. They are opinions or offers from those users, not statements by this site. Content is moderated and manually reviewed before publication; we remove anything abusive, fraudulent, or that reveals private information.
This site only helps people find and contact each other. It is not a party to any rental, lease, or cost-sharing arrangement, does not verify aircraft, pilots, insurance, or airworthiness, and does not broker flights or take part in flight revenue. You are responsible for confirming the other party's certificates, medical, currency, and insurance, and for ensuring any arrangement complies with FAA regulations. Fly at your own risk.
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Provided "as is" for general information. Nothing here is official FAA guidance or legal, medical, or financial advice. Independent resource, not affiliated with the FAA or U.S. DOT.