The Average to Private Pilot Certification

It strikes us that people have gradually normalized that it is acceptable to spend 65+ hours in flight training before meeting the standards to become a Private Pilot.

But what’s truly disturbing is seeing students spend close to 80 hours to meet these standards. That’s almost twice the time, money, and energy it would take if flight training were approached efficiently. While you can argue that weather, maintenance, airspace, and personal situations lengthen timeframes, you can’t ignore the fact that most trainees are leaving low standards of training unchecked. Is a 50%–100% deviation from the ideal timeframe normal? No, but it has been normalized. In aviation, where costs are high, this normalization is unacceptable. The concept of normalization of deviance was introduced to me in Flight Test in terms of flight safety culture, but we can see this affecting flight training culture as well. Normalization of deviance occurs when people within a group gradually accept increasingly lower standards of performance as the norm. This is happening in flight training because deviations from ideal expectations, goals, and training objectives go unchecked, with little immediate negative consequences. For instance, you may feel it’s human to accept a lesson that was not-quite or not-at-all what you expected. This acceptance is insidious because the negative consequences will become apparent down the road. Another example is how many instructors hold students back from making their solo flights, leading students to accept the not-yet response. While you may try to rationalize the reason for it, not-yet can easily double your flight time for certification. At best, this normalization of deviance demoralizes students. At worst, it leaves them in financial distress without achieving their goal.

Audit Enjoy your flight time

The purpose of a logbook in flight training should be to quantify progress against targets and flag areas that need attention. If your training is effective and your instructor is accountable, you should be hitting your targets within the promised timeframe. If your training is inefficient and your instructor is not leading your progress, you will reach your targets within unreasonable timeframes and spending—if you reach them at all.

Recorded progress defines success

“What gets measured gets improved." – Peter Drucker Flying is expensive, but what we learn is even more valuable. Do not waste any of it. Keep a record of the lessons you learned and what you achieved each flight. Here’s how to do it: After any training flight, whether solo or with an instructor, take the time to reflect. Write down what you did well and what needs improvement. Memory fades—we can’t rely on it. If you don’t remember what you did, how do you know what to do next? If you didn’t log what you learned, are you really improving? When an idea strikes, that’s the moment to write it down. Want to improve faster? Take your notes and read them, especially before your next flight. The quality of your notes should allow you to understand what to do in your next flight—to avoid repeating the same mistakes or to work on what needs improvement. If you do this, you will see how quickly you improve. Yes, you may still repeat mistakes, but the goal is to achieve most of your goals. Repeat, repeat, repeat. After each flight, pause to reflect on your flight achievements—what you did well and what needs work. Then, synthesize the key lessons in an action-oriented way, and most importantly, read them—reviewing your entries will prepare you to make the most of each flight. Plus, it has been a blast reading about all the flights through the Fly ORKA community. We bet you’ll be inspired by them someday. In fact, in a survey of 1,000 people, 92% said they’d be more motivated to reach their goals if their peers could see their progress. In the Fly ORKA community, there’s no judgment—only learning. And it’s always exciting when peers contribute to your flights. You deserve productive time in the air. It’s a habit your wallet, time, and personal satisfaction will appreciate. So write down your flight takeaways, and keep track of your growth, skill-building, and accomplishments. Your future pilot self will be proud of you.

Aviation Stories for Firepit Night

If numbers are what count, why overthink what you want to do with your time? Looking back at the origins of aviation, we see men and women coming together to enjoy flying, push themselves forward, and have a blast. Having a blast, feeling accomplished, and deciding what to make of your life were all values embodied by our bold grassroots aviators and aviatrixes. Logging flight hours alone won’t make you feel challenged, inspired, or supported—at least not if you’re the unstoppable, non-conformist type. What are you going to do with your time? If you follow these seven rules, we bet you’ll spark your aviation life and enjoy yourself:

A Culture That Persists Despite Unhappy Pilots in Training

The question isn’t who is going to let you; it’s who is going to stop you.

If you’re interested in learning to fly or advancing your skills, you might assume that flight schools will deliver what you want—supporting you in pushing yourself, engaging with aviation as you envision, having fun, improving every day, and becoming the pilot you aspire to be. While these should be the measures that matter, most flight schools, being in the business of selling flight training, operate within a culture where the clock prioritizes hours logged and paid. This culture is reinforced by the infamous “time builders,” who benefit from accumulating flight hours at the expense of students.