Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Pivate Pilot training in a complex a/c

Asked by: 4998 views Flight Instructor, Student Pilot

I am a CFI & I own my own complex airplane (Mooney 201).  Is there anything that preculudes me from giving my wife her Private Pilot training in this a/c and her using it for her final checkride?  I have found nothing in the FARs other than her needing a complex a/c endorsement to be legal to fly a "complex airplane" under 61.31.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Wes Beard on Sep 11, 2012

    Yes it is legal though not advisable to train your wife in a complex aircraft for the private piulot license. She will have to have a complex endorsement before she solos as well as the other required student pilot endorsements.

    Learning to fly is complicated enough in a simple trainer like a PA28 or C172. Throw in some complex aircraft systems and it may be overwhelming to her. On the other hand, there is something to be said about training in the airplane you are going to fly after your private pilot certificate, if you and her understand that training will be more complex and she is willing to pursue it in the airplane… I say go for it.

    +5 Votes Thumb up 5 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Curtis Ide on Sep 12, 2012

    I agree with Wes but to add a little input you may want to consider the following pros/cons:

    Cons:

    Cost of your aircraft per hour vs renting a 172 etc.
    Cost of insurance change to perform training in the aircraft.
    I would estimate that your wife will take about 25% more total time in training. ie. instead of the average 60-70 hours it will take closer to 100 hours. Solo will take an estimated 40 hours or more as you will likely go through most of the private pilot training before feeling comfortable allowing her to solo and possibly before insurance will depending on your policy.
    The oral portion of the practical test will be harder which is a little more stress to an already stressful situation.
    Training wear and tear on the airplane : Might need new brakes, tires, and lights quicker than normal.

    Pros:
    She will have experience in the aircraft she will fly after being certificated which will be safer and allow her to fly the aircraft by herself on the insurance policy (more than likely)
    You use your own aircraft to do the training instead of paying someone else and can do some of the training on normal trips.

    Recommendations:
    Fly up to solo in a rental aircraft and then switch to your aircraft after she has learned landings.
    Call the insurance company to see the difference in the cost to allow training in the aircraft.

    Good luck

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.