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3 Answers

Flight training in highschool

Asked by: 2304 views FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, Instrument Rating, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

I will be turning 16 in a couple months from now and I am serious about becoming a pilot in the future. I am planning on starting my Private Pilot's License once I am 16. My question is, would it be possible for me to work on my PPL and my instrument rating while I am 16 and receive both when I turn 17? Or do I need to earn my PPL before starting my instrument rating?

Thanks

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3 Answers



  1. KDS on Nov 29, 2017

    You can do the training at any point. The limiting factor for the great majority of people is the money.

    Without knowing the details of your particular situation, I’ll toss out a couple things for you to consider.

    A person and solo and receive a private pilot certificate in a glider at a younger age than they could in an airplane. You’ll learn a lot by flying a glider. You can find most glider sites by going to the Soaring Society of America’s web page at http://www.ssa.org.

    Put yourself in a position where you would be competitive for a slot in a military flight school. That runs the gamut from staying out of trouble, to getting good grades, being part of extracurricular activities, and looking into ROTC and service academy openings. Along that line, think about the Coast Guard Academy as well.

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  2. Steven Porter on Dec 01, 2017

    It is possible to take a combined Private Pilot and Instrument Rating checkride. I do not know anyone who has done it and would have to check with a DPE to be sure on the details.

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  3. Kris Kortokrax on Dec 01, 2017

    It is possible to combine the Private and Instrument, but it is a bad idea. According to 61.65(g), you may credit up to 45 hours of the 50 X-C PIC by doing the X-C while performing the duties of a PIC with an instructor on board.

    However, when it comes time to do the Commercial, you still need 50 hours of X-C PIC. As you cannot credit the time spent with an instructor during Private/Instrument training toward this requirement, you will need to go do 50 hours of X-C PIC all over again. It’s a bad deal. Whoever thought this up, did not have his thinking cap screwed on tight.

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