Any applicant for a recreational pilot license must be at least 17 years old and be able to read, speak and write English. The prospective pilot must log at least 30 hours of training, of which 15 must be with a flight instructor. The student must also have at least three hours of solo flying and must meet other requirements. The prospective pilot must pass a medical examination. Upon completion of training, the applicant must take a written test, an oral examination and a practical flying test. Successful completion of these exams will result in issuance of a recreational pilot license.
Finding an instructor who trains only recreational pilots is next to impossible because of the very low popularity of the recreational license compared to the private pilot license. However, any certified flight instructor who can teach the private course is also qualified to teach recreational pilot students. To find a flight instructor, visit your local airport or use an online database tool such as that provided by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Finding an instructor who is knowledgeable about recreational flying is important.
Recreational flying lessons are very similar to typical private pilot license flying lessons. Recreational pilots fly small aircraft (usually a two- or four-seat trainer with less than 180 hp) from smaller, uncontrolled airports with no air traffic controller. Recreational pilots learn how to do takeoffs and landings, performance maneuvers, basic navigation and emergency operations. Recreational pilot lessons also include a significant amount of ground training and study, consisting of areas such as aeronautical charts, weather, aircraft systems and operation, weight and balance and decision-making.
While a recreational pilot certificate is easier to get, and can be obtained in fewer training hours, it does come with some restrictions that a normal private pilot would not have. For example, recreational pilots cannot fly more than 50 nautical miles from their home airport. Recreational pilots may not fly at night, for hire or through airspace where talking to air traffic control is required. There are also restrictions on what kind of airplane a recreational pilot can fly. The recreational flying license is only good for pilots who want to fly only locally for fun. As the requirements are similar, many pilots begin training for a recreational license but eventually get a private pilot license instead.
