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> A private pilot’s license takes a minimum of 40 hours of flying time Wow, you can get a pilot's license that quick? In Germany you need 30h of driving just t

• lejar 8y ago
  You still need to spend a lot of time in theory, and especially in Germany you need your radio certificates in English and German (which themselves take a long time). After that, you can only fly a very limited subset of aircraft during the day under a certain altitude (and possibly certain weather conditions?). If you want to fly at night you need to get a certification for instrument flying.
  • gbacon 8y ago
    In the U.S., a private pilot may fly at night with no additional training or rating.
• gbacon 8y ago
  Yes, that is the minimum number of required flight hours, but a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) must endorse a student pilot to take the practical test or checkride. A CFI’s certificate renews automatically if 80% of the people (and at least five of them) she endorses over a two-year period pass the checkride on the first attempt. I have heard the U.S. average for number of flight hours logged prior to taking the private checkride is about 70. I know a couple of people who passed the forty hours total time (TT) mark on the flight to go meet the Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) to take the checkride!
• bufferoverflow 8y ago
  That's for a lightweight plane that costs a lot less than your car/truck. Getting to fly a huge Boeing/Airbus takes years.