Pilot's Life Blog
The Pilot’s Life blog is here for you to learn what it’s like to go through flight school. There are many reasons for wanting to earn your pilot certificate. Some want to cross it off their bucket list and some want to be commercial airline pilots. Regardless of why you want to fly, there are plenty of things you will need to know to get in the air. And there are plenty of flight school curiosity questions and specific flight training time and finance questions that we want to make easy for you to understand.
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ATP License Requirements: What It Takes to Become an Airline Transport Pilot
Understand ATP certificate requirements, flight experience, training, and testing, plus how earlier pilot certificates and ratings build toward an airline career.
How Long Does an Instrument Rating Take?
See what affects your instrument rating timeline, from training frequency and logged experience to proficiency, scheduling, and checkride preparation.
Instrument Rating Written Test: What to Know Before You Take the Exam
Prepare for the instrument rating written test with a guide to eligibility, study topics, instructor endorsements, scheduling, and next steps.
Instrument Rating Checkride: What Pilots Should Expect
Learn what to expect during an instrument rating checkride, including preparation, required documents, the oral assessment, and the flight portion.
Multi-Engine Instrument Rating: What Career-Focused Pilots Should Know
Understand how multiengine qualifications and instrument privileges fit together, including training considerations for pilots planning a professional career.
Airline Pilot Training Path: How to Build Hours, Ratings, and Experience
Explore the airline pilot training path, from private pilot training through instrument and commercial qualifications, hour building, and ATP preparation.
When Is an Instrument Rating Required?
Learn when an instrument rating is required, how IFR privileges differ from VFR flying, and why currency, proficiency, and aircraft equipment also matter.
How to Get an Instrument Rating After Your Private Pilot License
Earning your Private Pilot Certificate opens the door to a much wider kind of flying, and for many pilots, the next question is how to
Flight Instructor Careers: How CFI Work Fits Into the Pilot Career Path
For many aspiring professional pilots, flight instructor careers become the bridge between earning commercial privileges and building the experience needed for bigger opportunities. Teaching forces
Accelerated Instrument Rating: When Fast-Track IFR Training Makes Sense
Moving quickly through IFR training can be appealing, especially if you already have a solid Private Pilot foundation and can dedicate serious time to flying.
Pilot Career Path: How Student Pilots Move From First Flight to Professional Aviation
Every professional pilot starts with a first flight, but what comes next depends on where you want aviation to take you. The path can include
Flight School Admissions Requirements: What You Need Before Applying
Starting flight training is exciting, but a little preparation before you apply can make the process much smoother. Learning about flight school admissions requirements helps