Award-winning business executive Fuad El-Hibri is the founder and Executive Chairman of Emergent Biosolutions, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Fuad El-Hibri enjoys flying in his spare time, and boasts a private pilot certificate.
If you want to learn how to fly an aircraft, begin with your local airport to inquire about flying instructions. You will need to obtain a student pilot certificate in order to begin flight lessons with your qualified instructor. After this, you will need to decide what kind of certificate to work toward.
The requirements for a private pilot certificate are the most rigorous, often taking six months and 60+ hours of flight time to earn. A sport pilot certificate can be earned in as little as 20 hours of flight time, is valid for life, and in contrast to the recreational certificate, the distance a sport pilot can fly is unrestricted, thus allowing for flight over the entire continental United States and the Bahamas. Those who earn a sport certificate can work toward a private certificate as well. Ask your flight school instructor for advice on which certificate is right for you.
In general, the steps to receiving a certificate are as follows:
1. Complete aeronautical knowledge and FAA knowledge tests (scoring 70% or more to pass)
2. Complete pre-solo training in airplane
3. Solo training (flying alone)
4. Cross-country training (flying from one airport to another)
5. Solo cross-country training
6. Complete practical test (flying with an examiner to prove your skills and knowledge as an aviator)
If you want to learn how to fly an aircraft, begin with your local airport to inquire about flying instructions. You will need to obtain a student pilot certificate in order to begin flight lessons with your qualified instructor. After this, you will need to decide what kind of certificate to work toward.
The requirements for a private pilot certificate are the most rigorous, often taking six months and 60+ hours of flight time to earn. A sport pilot certificate can be earned in as little as 20 hours of flight time, is valid for life, and in contrast to the recreational certificate, the distance a sport pilot can fly is unrestricted, thus allowing for flight over the entire continental United States and the Bahamas. Those who earn a sport certificate can work toward a private certificate as well. Ask your flight school instructor for advice on which certificate is right for you.
In general, the steps to receiving a certificate are as follows:
1. Complete aeronautical knowledge and FAA knowledge tests (scoring 70% or more to pass)
2. Complete pre-solo training in airplane
3. Solo training (flying alone)
4. Cross-country training (flying from one airport to another)
5. Solo cross-country training
6. Complete practical test (flying with an examiner to prove your skills and knowledge as an aviator)
