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Allen Mounts, CFI
Pilot! Who has not dreamed to achieve that sometime in their life? No matter if you will eventually become an airline pilot or just fly for pleasure, it all starts with the training for the Private Pilot License. Whether you have a career goal in mind, or the fulfillment of a childhood dream, we can help you with your training.

The training consist of two parts, first, preparation for the written test that you will have to pass with a score of at least 70%, followed by the practical training that will lead to your practical exam - “the checkride”.
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The “written exam “ is actually a computer based test of 60 questions about various topics. The questions are picked at random out of a database that holds 750 questions. All questions and answers are published and can be studied beforehand with a “Written exam study guide” available through “Gleim”, “ASA” or “Jeppesen”. The CBI kit is obviously also an excellent guide.

With a bit of enthusiastic self study the theoretical part of the training can be completed before you come to Naples. Once here you can take a practice test on one of our computers followed by the real one next door at the PilotShop.

That will leave you a lot of extra time for your practical training!

Because the written test is a computer test CD-ROMs like TestPrep Software are available to practice as much as you can bear. With JeppPrep you can do the whole thing over the internet, about as easy as it gets!

Should you run into any problem areas with the CBI-kit, you can skip the sections and proceed with the others. Once in Naples everything can be discussed and resolved with your Flight Instructor.
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Student & CFI having Fun!
What does the practical training consist of?

First you will be introduced to the basics: airplane control, straight & level flight and climbing/descending turns. This will be followed by take-off and landing practice. After this we introduce a couple of more advanced exercises like stalls and steep-turns. After that you will practice emergency procedures such as loss of one of the flight-controls, simulated engine failures, loss of communication or navigation equipment.

You practise landings over and over and over... All to prepare you for the big moment!
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That will be the first time the instructor will leave the airplane and let you fly a couple of traffic patterns around the airport all on your own.

After countless of take-offs and landings, stalls, steep-turns, and emergency procedures all of a sudden the instructor will have you stop the airplane, steps out and says: "Have fun!" Now it counts, you will fly the airplane for the first time all by yourself!

After you have landed, your instructor will cut your shirttail off- a time honored tradition! Adding some remarks, a nice drawing and some signatures the “shirt tail” will be put in the Flight School until the day of your private pilot checkride.

Now you're almost a "real" pilot!
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Now you can demonstrate your proficiency in veverything you have learned in the previous lessons. You will have plenty of opportunity to practice on your own as 5 hours of solo landing practice is required for your PPL .
After your first solo the training shifts to cross country flying. It is now time for flight plans, navigation logs and weather briefings. Weight and balance calculations and performance calculations will have to be made. When everything is done it’s time for your first dual cross country flight to another airport which has to be more than 50miles away.

A combination of different navigation methods will be used; Pilotage (with the help of a chart and ground features), Dead-reckoning (calculation of groundspeed and wind drift) and radio navigation with the use of navigation beacons on the ground like VOR’s.

After this flight at least one more dual flight will be made to two different airports.
Practising Instrument Flying
If everything has worked out correctly it is now time for your first SOLO cross country flight.
Now it’s all about finding your way to the destination airport and returning to the “nest”. It is also an exciting time for your Flight Instructor. It’s always a relief to hear your student on the radio again calling Naples Tower that they are 10 miles out and inbound for landing!

One of the more exciting experiences in your training is night flying. This includes a cross country as well as the required 10 night landings.

The major goal with the 3 hours of required instrument flight is to prepare the student for an unexpected entry into clouds and the ability to safely return to clearer skies.
All the training requirements can be found in the Private Pilot Practical Test Standard. This is the guide to be used by your examiner during the final Checkride, you can be asked to perform any maneuver in this book.
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Now your time has come to demonstrate your mastery of all the required skills to an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.

In the oral part of the exam you will be quizzed on the Private Pilot Privileges, Airspaces, Restrictions, Systems, Aviation Weather, Cloud Clearances etc.

Now that the oral is out of the way it is time for the “Flight Test”. After a thorough preflight inspection, you will demonstrate maneuvers like Stalls, Steep Turns, Short Field and Soft Field Take offs and Landings, as well as procedures such as flight by reference to instruments and engine-failures.
Steve Kingston, Pilot Examiner
If everything goes as planned….YOU ARE A PILOT!

After the Checkride the examiner will hand you your “Temporary Airman Certificate” with all the rights and responsibilities of the actual License.
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