Flight training

Flight training is the process of learning to operate an aircraft. Its main goal at the beginner and intermediate levels is to build and refine basic airmanship skills. This training can follow a structured, accredited program at a flight school with an instructor, or it can be taken as private lessons without a set syllabus, as long as the student meets all the experience requirements for the desired pilot certificate or license. Training typically combines two elements: flight lessons in an aircraft or a certified flight training device, and ground school, where an instructor teaches aeronautical theory in a classroom setting to prepare for written, oral, and flight exams.

Although many aircraft types exist, the basic principles of flying them—especially heavier-than-air aircraft—share common techniques. Flight schools often rent aircraft to students and licensed pilots by the hour, usually based on the Hobbs meter or tachometer, so the pilot pays only while the engine is running. Instructors can be booked with or without an aircraft for proficiency or recurrent training.

The oldest flight training school still operating is the Royal Air Force's Central Flying School, founded in May 1912 at Upavon, UK. The oldest active civil flight school is at the Wasserkuppe in Germany, originally called "Mertens Fliegerschule" and now known as "Fliegerschule Wasserkuppe." The International Civil Aviation Organization sets global standards for pilot licensing, which each country's civil aviation authority enforces. Aspiring pilots must first meet their country's requirements for a student pilot certificate, needed for training toward a private pilot licence (PPL).

They can then advance to a commercial pilot licence (CPL) and finally an airline transport pilot licence (ATPL). Some countries offer a light aircraft pilot licence (LAPL), but it is not valid internationally. Separate licences are required for different aircraft categories, such as helicopters and aeroplanes. In the United States, for example, a pilot adding a rotorcraft category helicopter rating to an existing certificate must complete flight training in specific areas, including hovering maneuvers and autorotation, as prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration.