- Am I too old to fly?
- How much does it cost?
- How about health questions?
- Can I rent a plane and how much?
- How much do both new and used airplanes
cost?
- Where can I fly?
Q. Am I too
old to fly?
A. No! There is a minimum age of 17 for FAA licenses
but no upper limit. Many persons
now in retirement have the time and resources to earn a pilot’s
license.
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Q.
How much does it cost?
A. The cost of training compares favorably with
other kinds of training or education for
recreation, careers or hobbies. Traditionally, a private pilot’s
license costs from
$6000-$7000. A Sport Pilot license is about half of that amount.
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Q.
How about health questions?
A. For Sport Pilot certificate, a valid driver’s
license is evidence of fitness for flight. For
all other certificates, a regular physical exam performed by an FAA
designed doctor
is required. Basically, the Class III medical requirements are absence
of an existing
condition which requires medication and corrected eyesight of 20/30
or better.
But, a particular medical condition may not be disqualifying and each
case is
evaluated by the FAA on an individual basis.
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Q.
Can I rent a plane and how much?
A. Planes available in the flight school may be
rented on an hourly basis which includes
fuel. However a flight check-out in the airplane by an instructor is
required before
an aircraft is rented. A typical cost is $90-$140 per hour.
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Q.
How much do both new and used airplanes cost?
A. New aircraft run anywhere from $170,000 - $225,000
for a 4-place one and up.
new Light Sport Airplanes (LSA’s) are about half of that. Serviceable
used airplanes
start about $15,000-$20,000 for a 2 place and $30,000 and up for a 4
place aircraft.
$40,000 to $80,000 has a lot of purchasing power in the used, entry
level, single engine
marketplace. Finance rates and periods are similar to that for boats.
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Q.
Where can I fly?
A. Although there are areas restricted by military
operations, no-fly zones for national
security reasons, altitude levels off-limits for certain aircraft and
mandated
training requirements, most of the airspace in the United States is
still available
for general aviation flight. A Sport Pilot certificate basically allows
daylight-only
flying in nice weather but there is no distance limit and the country
is dotted with
community airports as destinations for fun excursions to both local
and distant
places. Training for private pilot and additional ratings prepare the
pilot to fly just
about anywhere, having learned the rules for specific airspaces, airports
and weather
requirements and by complying with them.
Flying is still one of the greatest freedoms we
can enjoy!
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