Which flight course is right for you?

Whether you’re new to flying or you simply want to brush up your skills at CTI Professional Flight Training, it’s important to choose a flight course that’s right for you.  So to help, we’ve summarized our most popular courses below!

The Private Pilot’s License

If you’ve never flown before, this flight course is your starting point!  It’ll teach you everything you need to know about the basic rules of flight and qualify you to charter your own plane.  You’ll even be able to take your friends and family for a ride if you want!

Think of the Private Pilot’s License as the equivalent to a driver’s license, but for aircraft.  You have to be 16 years old to fly solo but will need to wait until you are 17 to be awarded your license.  You may find our Part 141 Private Pilot course (requiring at least 35 hours of flight) is all you need to suit your aims as a pilot.  However, it doesn’t qualify you to fly in certain weather conditions or accept payment to fly.

Instrument Rating Course

Once you’ve got your Private Pilot’s License, you can learn how to fly and navigate under instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions.  This is what our Instrument Rating Course teaches you to do!  Ultimately, you’ll learn to fly using the information from the instruments in the cockpit, even if you can’t see outside the window.

Once complete, you’ll have learned more advanced flight maneuvers and know how to fly in inclement weather.  Like the Private Pilot course, the FAA Part 141 Instrument Rating course requires you to clock at least 35 hours of flight time.  It will also teach you about flight planning and different approach procedures.  We recommend the Instrument Rating Course to all our students; it makes you a safer, more confident pilot.

Commercial Pilot’s License

If you want to get paid to fly, you’ll need a Commercial Pilot’s License.  There are two available – the Commercial ASEL (Airplane Single Engine Land) and the Commercial AMEL (Airplane Multi-Engine Land).  At CTI Professional Flight Training, we usually teach these together, as it broadens our students’ abilities and prospects.

The Commercial Pilot’s License will introduce you to complex aircraft, i.e. those with retractable landing gear, moveable flaps, and a controllable-pitch propeller.  At the end of your training, you’ll be able to work for US airlines, or could continue to build your hours to comply with other international requirements.

Multi-Engine Add-On Program

The Multi-Engine Add-On Program is for anyone who wants to fly multi-engine aircraft, and you can take it once you’ve completed your private or commercial single-engine course.  Compared to the other courses, this program is relatively short – it normally takes one week under FAA Part 61.  It also opens more doors for you as it qualifies you to fly a greater range of aircraft.

Certified Flight Instructor Course

If you want to share your love of flying with others, take a Certified Flight Instructor Course!  It’ll teach you how to teach others and confirm your existing aviation knowledge.  In particular, you’ll learn how to carry out flight maneuvers from the co-pilot seat and boost your teaching skills.

As you can see, there’s a flight course for everyone at CTI Professional Flight Training.  So whether you want to make a career of it or just fly for fun, get in touch today to get started!