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The information provided here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. If you're interested in personalized flight instruction you should contact a Certified Flight Instructor. The information provided below is for informational purposes only based on averages and is NOT an offer or solicitation for flight training at that price point. If you're reading this, you or someone you know is wanting to become a Pilot. I happen to be one, and you'll find out more about me below.I wasn't always a pilot and it was a curvy and uphill road that I'd like to to shortcut your journey to become one.Becoming a Private Pilot is ONE of the first steps to starting an exciting career as an Airline Pilot OR Hobbyist.A Private Pilot Certificate/License is one of my proudest personal achievements and THIS could be in your grasp as well!Keep on reading to learn more! Who Am I? I'm Roger Le, I reside in Dallas, Texas and officially became a Private Pilot on December 18th, 2020. So I know a thing or two about obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate/License in the United States (PPC/PPL) I'm telling you how you can possibly obtain your license in reverse order!!! The Checkride - The Final Step Wait a minute, why are you telling me in reverse order?!?! To tell you the full story, sometimes you gotta work backwards, otherwise we'll we could spend all day talking about flying. Pilots love to talk a lot about stuff most people can't do, such as flying ... I could go on.Anyways, the checkride is the last step of the process. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ABBREVIATED requirements are listed here:To be eligible for a private pilot certificate, a person must: (a) Be at least 17 years of age for a rating in other than a glider or balloon. (b) Be at least 16 years of age for a rating in a glider or balloon. (c) Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. If the applicant is unable to meet one of these requirements due to medical reasons, then the Administrator may place such operating limitations on that applicant's pilot certificate as are necessary for the safe operation of the aircraft. (d) Receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor ... (full legal description link below) Source: (CFR 61.103)Commentary:From this text, I am interpreting that 17 is the youngest you can be and be a licensed pilot, assuming you took a check-ride (and passed ) as early as your 17th birthday. Which means you COULD start training at 16 years of age (or earlier). However, I believe you need to be at least 16 years of age to solo (fly the airplane alone without an instructor)Another note, THERE DOES NOT APPEAR to be an upper age limit at the PRIVATE PILOT level. 65 years of age (as of this writing) is the age limit to work as an Airline Pilot Source: (Part 121 Age Limit) Checking off the Eligibility List I was 34 years old when I took my checkride - CHECK I Read, Speak, Write and Understand the English Language - CHECKReceived an endorsement from an authorized Instructor - CHECK More on the Instructor Endorsement I had enough time/Aeronautical Experience in the airplane with my instructor going over different and specific maneuvers. In addition, I took a 60 question Written Test with a minimum score of 70%, I scored an 83%.The minimum amount of time is 40 hours total, with a minimum of 20 hours with an instructor, I had 120 hours for A LOT of reasons, which I'll go into in another blog post!!! Overview of the Check-ride The check-ride is taken with a Pilot Examiner commonly referred to as a "Designated Pilot Examiner" or DPE for short. They are typically contractors for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and are granted the privilege to accept and reject candidate pilots (based on performance) to become Private Pilots and beyond. To give you the short version, think of them as PhD holders of flying. They examine candidates that want their Bachelors, Masters and PhDs in flying.You could think of the Private Pilot Certificate/License as a Bachelors in Flying. DPES have been Flight Instructors with years of experience and are highly respected in the flying community. Two Part Test Oral - a verbal Examination, where the examiner will evaluate a candidate's knowledge of aviation (for the level) of the certificate they are seeking. From my experience, this was around 2 hours.Practical/Lab - Hopping in the plane and demonstrating to the examiner your skill of controlling the aircraft within tolerance as specified by the Airman Certification Standards (ACS). For my experience, this also was about 2 hours for a total of about 4 hours total test time, not including lunch. Possible Outcomes Completion of the ExamYou Pass - The Desired Result, that you and the DPE both want and Upon successful completion of the check-ride, you will obtain your Temporary Airman Certificate and become the one of newest pilots in the United States!!!The plastic certificate with the Wright Brothers on it will be mailed in a few weeks!!! Congrats!!!Notice of DisapprovalSummary: A candidate DID NOT meet one or more specific requirements to the required standard and have 60 days to retake the exam with just the part they missedThe upside is you only need to test what you didn't do well on (up to 60 days) Opinion: My advice is to keep going and knock out as much as possible to make the retest easierNotice of DiscontinuanceSounds harse especially the "Discontinuance" part.The test was unable to be completed due to illness by the candidate or examiner. The airplane could have maintenance issues, and/or the weather doesn't allow you to continue the test.My ExperienceI was pretty frazzled after 2 hours of mind numbing conversation with the Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) over concepts previously taught in my Ground Course and by my instructor. Fortunately for me, the winds were a bit more gusty than my comfort level and my DPE let me make the call.I decided I wasn't comfortable in continuing the test due to high winds and asked the examiner for a "Notice of Discontinuance".In other words, I had passed my Oral exam, but the flying would have to wait until another time, with hopefully more favorable weather for flying!After getting home, I realized how mentally exhausted I was and glad I got at least a little bit of time to rest before the practical/lab portion of the test! Summary of Part I Without going into all the details, this article gives you a 30,000 foot view of the process.In the next few parts, I'll go over in more detail of the financials, how I selected my flight school, my instructor, and more!As a side note:On average, you can anticipate 4-6 months preparing to obtain a Private Pilot Certificate/License. #ymmvThe National Average for Aeronautical Experience for a Private Pilot license is approximately 70-72 hours. #ymmv Assuming $125/hr for plane rental and $50/hr for instruction. #ymmvAn estimate for the total cost to POSSIBLY obtain a Private Pilot Certificate/License is $10,000 - 15,000 and your mileage may vary, for a variety of factors. #ymmv

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