PPL Training

Training for the PPL theoretical exam

To abtain a private pilot license, (PPL FAA) you need to pass a theory and a practical exam, which is also divided into an oral exam followed by a flight test.

The ground classes that Azur Sky organize for the FAA written test consist of 5 full days (9am till 6pm).
Held from Monday morning till Friday night, you will be in group of a maximum of 4 people, in order to give you the possibility when you need to interrupt and ask questions without compromising the progression of the lesson.

During the ground class, the whole question bank is reviewed at as low pace in order to allow time for each question to be understood and memorized. This teaching method will make you learn everything you need to succesfully pass the theoretical exam. We do suggest that you spend a week reviewing on your own before attempting the exam.

We currently have a first time pass rate of 100%, with most student obtaining great scores. Obtaining a good score in the theoretical exam is a great strategy, because you will let the examiner know that you already have the required knowledge. The oral portion of the test will be surely harder if you turn up with the minimum score of 70% required to pass the written.

Training for the PPL practical test in Europe

In order to take the practical test, you will need to totalize a minimum of 40 flying hours, including 10 hours solo, (alone in the plane!), 3 hours in the softness and the still air of the night, and finally 3 hours of instrument flying, seeing nothing of what is happening outside the plane, only identifying your position and your attitude with the equipment of the dashboard! This is a minimum and you must keep in mind that your instructor will not present you at the examination unless he is 100% convinced that you are ready to fly on your own with your family and your children. The goal is not to pass the examination, which must be a mere formality, the goal is not to kill yourself after obtaining the license!

The average person takes the test after about 50 hours of flying, some 40 hours and 2 minutes, some more than 90 hours. This is not because they are less skilled than the first, it's just that they needed more time to absorb the great amount of skills you need to master to lay the foundations; their future progression probably being even faster.

In order to understand what you are going to do during the session of the day, each flight is preceded by a briefing, and sometimes you do not fly at all that day because the theoretical explanation lasted too long. You must not approach the learning of flight as wanting to fly as much as you can at all costs, theory at this level of training is at least as much or even more important than the practical part. You need to understand why an aircraft flies, and why it stops flying in some cases never to find yourself in this situation in the air, and if it will happen anyway, how to get out safely!

Training can be accomplished in a relatively short time (between one and one a half month) if the course is intensive, which means one or two sessions per day. The more you space the sessions, the more you extend the total training time. Remember: this does not mean that you must reach saturation point. If this occurs, stop a few days before resuming training. Flying is a pleasure and should remain so! It is very good to start at the same time as someone else and backseat him/her, you learn a lot watching others mistakes. Finally, some people, ourselves included, had a rapid progression through prior usage of flight simulation software on their personal computers, a good way to save on the total price of training!

Azur Sky oranize the training in 3 modules of one week, from Monday morning to Friday night, plus a forth module of 3 days dedicated to the exam. During this period, your instructor will be beside you all the time, from morning to night, everyday, for a full immersion training to make you take full advantage of your course. From theoretical training, pre and post briefing up to the airplane to apply everything you've learned with your professional instructor, to guarantee quality training.
During the course you will perform a minimum of 40 hours of flight, of which 10 hours solo, 3 in instrument conditions, and 3 during the night.
Based on your needs, it may be necessary to fly more to achieve the necessary experience and proficency level to pass the test. The module work on the basis of a set fee, the additional hours will not be charged. You will be able to fly as long as you need at the same price.
You can perform training on the airplane of your choice, assuming it complies with the current legislation. If you don't have an airplane available for the desired training, we can rent one of our own, contact us for more information on this matter.
The exam will take place the second day of the forth and last module.

NB: the PPL license, like the IFR rating and multiengine qualification, requires an authorization from the American TSA BEFORE starting the practtical training. This requires an online application, to select our school as provider, and to go to an authorized collector center to deposit your fingerprint to let the USA immigration check your background. Any flight can be conducted until all the procedure is complete. The full application takes about a month to go through, which should be taken into account to avoid delays at the start of training.