Sport Pilot Planes

A tremendous amount of confusion revolves around the different types of ratings available for a student pilot to seek and the time and cost to attain each of them. To further the confusion, many flight school web sites provide unrealistic completion times and costs in an attempt to lure students to their school. CSP believes in being honest and upfront with our customers about time and cost so that our customers can plan accordingly.

Flight Time: There is no set amount of hours one will have when completing a given pilot certificate. While the FAA does set minimum flight time requirements, these numbers are generally well below realistic expectations for a new student to obtain the proficiency level required for that certificate.

Cost: There is no set cost for earning a pilot certificate. Cost varies with the number of flight hours a given student requires to obtain the proficiency level required for that certificate. The best way to minimize the time and hence the cost of training is to fly regularly - at least two to three times per week. This will allow the student to retain proficiency between flights.

It should also be noted that another major factor in controlling time and hence cost is the age of the pilot. For a sport pilot certificate, a student younger than age sixty who is flying two to three times per week will generally complete the course with flight hours within 10 hours of her age. For example a forty year old would complete training with 30 to 50 flight hours. After age sixty, students students vary a lot more in completion time and it is impossible to predict the number of hours they will require.

Ground School: There is no FAA ground school requirement, simply a knowledge level. Most CSP students enjoy home study of our text books although a number of commercial DVD packages are available to supplement these books. Students should plan about three hours of home study for each flight lesson.

Aircraft: Since all of Chesapeake Sport Pilot's airplanes are designated light sport single engine airplanes, we can do any of the rating listed below on any of the planes we offer. You need only select a plane you are comfortable in! Note: We choose to reserve the Searey for advanced training only.

Decision Time? Learning to fly an airplane is learning to fly an airplane. There is no need to decide on which rating you seek until well into your lessons.