as many people as humanly possible to
Path to
Pilot Guide
By Rich Rafferty
AviatorAccelerator
Who Am I?
My name is Richard Rafferty. I am an FAA
Certified Flight Instructor and I am the
owner of Aviator Accelerator.
I created this company to mentor pilots
through the stressful flight training process.
The photo above is from my first ever solo
flight. It was a day and a feeling I will never
forget. I made this guide so that I could help
experience that amazing feeling.
Why Become a Pilot?
Flying is one of the greatest
accomplishments of the human race. It is
truly an incredible feeling to be in control of
a machine that can take off into the sky.
Not only that, but as a Private Pilot you will
be able to bring friends and family along to
experience this thrill with you!
How to Get Started
No matter what your future aviation goals
are, the starting point is the same.
All Pilots start with a Discovery Flight.
This is a flight designed to help you
“discover” the joys of flying an aircraft. It will
help you decide if flying is something you
truly want to pursue.
Booking a discovery flight is as easy as
googling Discovery flight in {insert local
area}. Call and schedule!
If you live in western Pennsylvania,
schedule a flight with me at HighFlight
Academy just north of Pittsburgh.
The First Goal
Once you decide that, without a doubt, you
want to become a pilot, the first step is to
get your Private Pilot Certificate.
The Private Pilot certificate is your ticket to
legally fly an airplane by yourself and take
passengers along!
Once you have this card in your pocket, you
can legally rent or buy an airplane and fly it
just about anywhere.
.
Where to Spread Your Wings
Start at your local flight school!
It does not matter how far you plan to go in
your training. Whether you want to be an
airline captain or a general aviation
hobbyist, the first step is your Private Pilot
Training.
You can do that at your local flight school.
Once you become a Private Pilot you can
ALWAYS transfer that license into wherever
you decide to train next (if you do).
Convenience makes a big difference in
training, having somewhere near home will
make it much easier to get through your
training efficiently.
If you decide that you do not like your local
flight school (based on what I have to say
below) consider attending an accelerated
program for a few months in a different
state.
What Makes a Good Flight
School?
The two main things I tell people to look for
are a large fleet (lots of airplanes) and open
scheduling.
Aircraft go down for maintenance pretty
consistently. If there are only a couple
airplanes, when they go into the shop for
maintenance, that means you are not flying.
You want to be able to train at your ideal
pace to continue moving toward your goal of
becoming a certified pilot!
Open scheduling is important because
many schools are very booked up and will
take you on as a student despite not having
enough instructors to fly with you at the
pace you would like to fly.
Therefore, it is important to get confirmation
from a potential school that they have
enough availability for you to be able to fly
consistently at your pace, before you sign
up!
Time and Money
Expect getting your private pilot certificate to
cost between $12K-$15K.
This will include the training, study
materials, equipment, testing, and ground
school.
Many people use university flight schools for
training if they cannot afford to pay out of
pocket. This allows them to cover the cost
of training with private or government
student loans.
The training timeline is different for every
student. However, the average time to get a
Private Pilot Certificate is 6-12 months (2
months at accelerated schools).
Training timeline will vary drastically based
on how often you are flying.
That is why the school you pick can be very
important.

Types of Training
(Part 141 vs Part 61)
This terminology simply refers to the
different regulations under which the flight
schools are certified.
Part 141 schools have higher training
standards and aircraft standards than part
61 schools. This is due to 141 schools being
associated with universities.
141 schools are evaluated by the FAA.
Once deemed worthy of the Part 141
accreditation, they are able to complete
your training in less required hours than
Part 61 schools.
No matter how you complete the training,
the result will be the same. You will become
a Private Pilot!
My Suggested School Choice
The best school for you is the one that will
best help you toward your goal.
If you need to become a pilot in two months,
then an accelerated school is for you.
If you just want to learn to fly after you get
off work a few times a week, go to your local
flight school.
If you need government assistance to pay
for training, go to a university.
Are You Fit to Fly?
Every pilot must receive a Medical
Certificate from an aviation medical
examiner (AME), before they are able to fly
solo.
Local AMEs can be found using this link
FAA-Designee Management System
The medical examination is very simple and
is similar to a general physical exam.
The main difference is that for an aviation
medical examination, they will do a color
blind test.
You do NOT need perfect eyesight! You are
permitted to wear glasses or contacts when
you fly.
Pro Tip: Fill out their questionnaire
honestly, but be careful of exactly what you
are admitting to.
For example, they will ask you “have you
had headaches in the past?”
I would answer no to this question.
Of course I have had a headache before.
However, I have never had chronic
headaches or had a problem with
headaches.

Just be aware that everything you write on

the medical forms will be evaluated with a
fine tooth comb.

About Aviator Accelerator

I started this company so that I could assist
pilots in their flight training journey. My
mission is to improve pilots inside and
outside the cockpit.

My goal is to make your next flight your best

flight, everytime!

When you start your flight training, consider

joining our flight training mastermind.

Our Mastermind is full of pilots from around

the country who are going through flight
training. We meet twice a month (online)
Click This To Get Started!
and communicate daily to discuss ways to
Link To Flight Training Mastermind
improve in flight training.

We also offer one-on-one instructor to

student coaching.

This is where you can meet with me and

pick my brain about anything you are
struggling with in training or in life.

We also offer other flight training guides

that will help you through your different
stages of flight training as you progress.

These resources have helped hundreds of

other pilots to get through training in the
most efficient way possible.
If any of that interests you, the link below
will bring you to the Aviator Accelerator
home page.

stan.store/AviatorAccelerator

Enjoy the Process!

At this point, you should have everything
you need to get you started.

My final piece of advice is to remember to

have fun! Flight training can get stressful.
Remember that we are learning how to fly,
we should be having a great time!

I truly made this guide because I wish I

would have had something like this when I
first became interested in learning to fly.

If you have any questions about this guide,

need any help once you start training, or if
you just want to send me photos from your
first solo, shoot me an email. I would love to
hear from you!