Private Pilot Ground School - Part 3 - Aircraft Selection, FAA Requirements, and Certification Structure

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

Private Pilot Ground School material for MIT IAP 2019 explains how to recognize and control aircraft attitude, and how training goals progress from pre-flight with an instructor to solo, cross-country, and checkride preparation. It discusses why a trainer airplane must balance stability, weight, speed, power manageability, and stall/spin recovery, and briefly compares options like gliders, club tow economics, and helicopter characteristics. The course also outlines FAA pilot certificate requirements and a practical structure of categories, classes, and FARs shaping eligibility and privileges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Pre-flight training objectives

Choosing a suitable trainer aircraft

Trainer airplane selection criteria

Glider vs. aircraft vs. helicopter overview

Getting an FAA pilot certificate

Certificate types and ratings

Minimum flight time and preparation stages

Regulations structure and FARs references

CFR titles and parts

Fun knowledge: extra FARs

1/30/20 16.687 Private Pilot Ground School Massachusetts Institute of Technology IAP 2019 Learning to Fly Learning to Fly 16.687 1. Pre-flight Aircraft with Instructor 2. Learn to recognize and control aircraft attitude 3. Learn to take off and land Now you know how to fly a working airplane or helicopter. Typically takes 5-10 hours (people used to solo at 4-8 hours!) . Not adequate for an FAA certificate because what if you’re the only pilot on board and the aircraft breaks? Or you get lost? Add another 40 hours. Private Pilot Ground School 2 1/30/20 A good trainer airplane 16.687 • Not too light (unstable) • Not too heavy (inertia necessitates thinking ahead) • Not too fast • Not too much power (transition from 0 to 310 HP can be tough to manage) • Reluctant to spin • Tends to recover from stalls/spins if pilot lets go Ideal examples: Diamond DA-40, Cessna 172, Piper Warrior. O~~kay example: Ci~~rrus SR20 . Marginal operating cost $100-~~150 per ho~~ur. Private Pilot Ground School 3 Glider: a better trainer airplane? 16.687 • Join a club • Pay $50 per tow and $0-50/hour • Stay up all day (ridge lift out West) or for 15 minutes (Sterling, Massachusetts) • Solo at age 14 • Captain Sully-style hero on every landing! 4 Source: public domain 1/30/20 | A good trainer helicopter
16.687
• Not too light (unstable)
• Reasonable rotor inertia for autorotations
• Rugged skids
• Reasonable operating cost
The only practical option: Robinson R-44 .
Marginal operating cost $225-250 per hour. | | --- | | | | Getting an FAA Pilot Certificate
16.687 | | | --- | --- | | • Pre Solo
• Solo
• Cross Country
• Checkride Preparation
• Private Pilot Certificate | | | Minimum 40 hours flight time
Private Pilot Ground School 6 | | 1/30/20 | | Private Pilot Certificate | | --- | --- | | 16.687
• Carry friends, family, and colleagues in USregistered plane to any country on Earth
• Fly in reasonably clear weather
• Fly at night
• Fly to any public-use airport
• Fly for fun (without being paid)
• Fly what you learned in, e.g., a single-engine
propeller-driven airplane, a helicopter, or a hot-air balloon
Private Pilot Ground School 7 | | Congress, the FAA, and the Web 16.687 • Congress passes laws to create and fund the FAA • The FAA creates regulations that determine what is necessary to earn a certificate. Published in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14 (the “FARs”) and then divided into parts (FAR 61 for pilots) . • Someone brags about pilot skills at a party? Look‘em up in the online “airmen registry.” Shows you a picture of the family Gulfstream? Type the tail number into Google! Private Pilot Ground School 8 1/30/20 | | Categories and Classes | | | --- | --- | --- | | 16.687
• With respect to certification of AIRMEN | | | | • Category
• Airplane
• Rotorcraft
• Glider
• Lighter then Air
• Class (of airplane category)
• Single engine land
• Single engine sea
• Multi engine land
• Multi engine sea | | | | Private Pilot Ground School 9 | | | |
Certificate Types Category & Class
16.687

| | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Sea | Private Pilot Ground School 10 | | | 1/30/20 | FAA Pilot and Instructor Certification | | | --- | --- | | Pilot Certificates (in order of increasing privilege)
• Sport Pilot
• Recreational Pilot
• Private Pilot (focus of this course)
• Commercial Pilot
• Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)
To the core certificate are added ratings, e.g.,
• Airplane Single Engine Land (fly a Cessna)
• Airplane Single Engine Sea (fly the Icon A5)
• Rotorcraft-Helicopter
• Glider
• Lighter than air
• Type ratings for heavy or turbojetpowered aircraft | Flight Instructor is a separate certificate with its own ratings:
• Single engine airplane (“CFI”

FAQs

What are the main training objectives before pre-solo and solo?

The material emphasizes recognizing and controlling aircraft attitude, and learning how to take off and land, starting with instructor-guided pre-flight work before moving toward solo progression.

Why is a specific type of trainer aircraft recommended?

A good trainer is not too light or too heavy, avoids excessive speed and power complexity, and should be reluctant to spin while tending to recover from stalls or spins if the pilot lets go.

How do FARs and CFR structure determine FAA certification?

Laws and regulations create the rules for earning certificates. The material notes that the Code of Federal Regulations is organized by titles and parts, such as Title 14 for aeronautics and specific parts for pilot certification requirements.

Sep 25, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia