How to Become Qualified to Fly a Plane

Self-Study

Pick up a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator or Laminar Research's X-Plane. It doesn't have to be the latest version if your computer is older. Flight simulators will help you learn about the instruments and systems found in a typical trainer aircraft as well as make you familiar with maneuvers and procedures you will need to master for your private pilot exam. Thus you will need to spend less time and money on actual flight lessons, which are quite expensive. X-Plane's website truthfully says that if a flight simulator can save you an hour with a controller, it will have effectively paid for itself. Remember that while flight simulators are good for procedures training, they won't give you all of the stick-and-rudder skills to fly a real airplane.

Check out weather products such as METARS and TAFs even on days you don't fly. See if conditions match what those products indicate. That way, when you do fly, you'll have a higher confidence in the weather predictions.

Raise the nose of the airplane by pulling the control wheel toward you. This will make the airplane climb or stall if you pull back too far. Pitch changes speed, power changes altitude.

Use the throttle control to help the airplane climb and control your speed.

Push the control wheel away from you and reduce power to descend.

Turn the control wheel left to raise the right wing. This will cause the plane to bank resulting in a left turn. You also need to add left rudder (the left peddle) to keep the plane coordinated. Same thing to turn right but use the right controls

Certification

Your instructor, Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), will probably charge for time on the ground as well as in the air. This is not just a way for the CFI to generate more income. If used wisely, you will become proficient more quickly than by just flying. For example, if you study your intended flight prior to the flight lesson, you will optimize the time you spend with your CFI by having smarter questions and clearly understanding what you are going to do. Additionally, you should receive a thorough post-flight debrief - even if everything went picture perfect. As you progress in your training these pre and post flight debriefs should get shorter.

Get your Class III Medical. It's relatively simple to pass if you're in good health. No use starting sometime if you have a health condition that will preclude you from flying. www.faa.gov has the info to help you determine if you have any health exclusions.