The general aviation industry is defined as aviation that is not connected to any commercial or military affiliation. This simply means aircraft and aviation practices that are done privately, i.e. one is flying as his own pilot instead of flying for someone else or for a commercial airline. It caters mostly to people that want to pursue flying as simply a hobby and a passion instead of a career.
People in the general aviation industry are called private pilots due to the nature of their operation. A license of this sort is the most basic, and commercial airlines even require their flyers to have this license and some years of experience in order to qualify with them. In other words, everyone starts at this point in their lives as aviators. You, too, can become one of them.
Choose a School
First and foremost, you have to have a school in mind. In the United States, learning to fly can be done two ways: home-schooling or through flight college. The FAA calls them Part 61 and Part 141, respectively. In Part 61, you learn to fly with the help of a certified flight instructor but you have to do study by yourself for the theoretical portion of your training. Under Part 141, you learn through a collegiate setting and fly lessons based on scenarios. You may also have access to a school-sponsored flight simulator as well.
Get a Medical
A medical certificate is needed before you can begin flight lessons, regardless of whether you are taking lessons under Part 61 and Part 141. This serves as a student pilot certificate, and can only be procured from an aviation medical examiner or a physician duly accredited by the FAA.
Start Flying!
This is the part where you can begin the journey to becoming a private pilot. Under Part 61, you would have to log in at least 40 hours of lessons with your certified flight instructor who then would endorse you for the private pilot checkride. Under Part 141, you have to finish the course just like you would at any school. When you’ve completed all requirements for both, you’d then be eligible to issued your license to operate as a private pilot.
