Enrollment Process
To begin your pilot training journey at Link Flight School, we have streamlined the enrollment process. Our approach involves utilizing the FAA-approved Sporty’s online program coupled with tailored instruction to assist aspiring pilots in achieving their goals. The process includes:
Meeting with a member from Link Fight School to discuss goals and assign a main instructor.
Set up account with Sporty’s Online ground curriculum at a special discount.
Submit all necessary TSA documents for starting flight training.
Assist with scheduling medical exam, and obtaining renters insurance
Obtain the Link Starter Package which includes flight bag and an assortment of text material as the perfect compliment for the online curriculum.
Discuss initial payment and payment options for full transparency and flexibility.
For answers to more questions visit our FAQ page
I want to be a pilot, but where do I start?
Consider the time and financial commitment.
For most of us, both money and time are limited resources, and you will want to make sure you have enough of both to successfully meet your goals. The FAA currently estimates 75 hours of flight time is the average to earn a Private Pilot Certificate. Given that, you can probably expect to spend somewhere around 95 hours with a flight instructor (including ground school and flight briefing and debriefing).
Depending on the aircraft you choose to use for training and the length of time it takes you to complete your training, you can estimate the cost of getting your Private Pilot Certificate to be around $20,000.00. This is a “total price,” which means it includes plane rental, instructor time, any online courses or ground school classes, supplies, your medical exam, the written test, and practical test fees, etc. We have included everything in this estimate because we don’t want you to be surprised. Other flight schools may quote you a lower price, but that does not include everything we have listed, and they are likely basing their cost on less than 75 hours of flight time. We firmly believe Link Aviation has the best fees around.
In addition to the monetary cost of flying, you need to recognize that you will be a student in flight school. This means you will read, study, do homework and prepare for tests in addition to completing two or 3 flights per week. Make sure you have the time and the dedication to do the academic aspect of the training.
Take a discovery flight!
Make sure flying in a small airplane will be enjoyable before you buy any gear or training supplies. Discovery flights at Link Aviation are $100.
Get a flight physical.
The closest Aviation Medical Examiners (AME) I am aware of are Dr. Michael Smith and Dr. Kevin Helmen. Dr Smith is located at 741 Hamilton Ave. Eau Claire, WI 54701. His office phone number is 715-830-9990. Dr. Helmen is located at 403 Stageline Rd, Hudson, WI 54016. His office phone number is 715-531-6800.
You should get your flight physical as soon as possible so you know you are eligible to get a pilot’s license. You don’t want to spend money on lessons and gear only to find out you have a medically disqualifying condition.
PRIOR to your flight physical, you must create an account on MedXPress. Be sure to take your account information with you to your appointment, so the AME can access your account and complete his/her portion of the MedXPress application. You can access MedXPress at https://medxpress.faa.gov/medxpress/.
If you will only be flying as a hobby, you will need a third-class medical exam; if your goal is to be a private pilot. If you are looking to become a light sport pilot, no medical exam is required. If there is any possibility you might earn a commercial pilot’s license, you should get a second-class exam. If your aspirations are to be an airline pilot, you should get a first-class exam.
Purchase the Sporty’s Private Pilot Test Prep Course. The cost from Sporty’s is $299.99. You will save about $100.00 if you buy the program through Link Aviation. You can contact Brook at brook@linkaviation.com or call 715-384-8908 for more information on purchasing the Sporty’s program.
Consider the preparation (studying) time for the written knowledge test as well as the time you will spend on flying lessons. Time spent preparing and studying will vary for each person, but I suggest planning for 4-5 hours of studying each week as you prepare for the written knowledge test. This is in addition to your flight lessons.
You should plan 2 - 2.5 hours for each flight lesson. This will include 10-20 minutes of reviewing the preparation information for the flight. Next, we will preflight the airplane and then conduct the flight. As you become more familiar with the preflight technique, you will become more efficient at it and spend less time doing it. Normally, the actual flight will be about an hour. Finally, upon returning from the flight, we will debrief the flight and preview our next lesson, which will take 10-20 minutes.
Fill out the FAA Student Pilot Application.
You can follow the directions from the video Jon Kotwicki of Fly8MA uploaded on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2IXnkhBsbQ
Jon Kotwicki publishes free educational videos, so you might want to take a look at what he has to offer. I am not endorsing Jon’s videos, rather I am pointing out the availability of his videos. There are a myriad of online pilot preparation videos and I think most of them have something to offer.
The application is located at https://iacra.faa.gov/IACRA/Default.aspx. PLEASE BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN YOUR FTN after you register!
After you register, you will need to meet with your instructor for them to endorse your application.
Top 11 Ways to Save Money While Flight Training
Before you Start your training
Complete an online ground school before you start flying. Once you complete your online ground school, you can take your written knowledge test. The test is good for 2 years, so you should make sure you will be able to complete your training prior to that.
It’s a good idea to read The Airplane Flying Handbook and the Pilots Aeronautical Handbook of Knowledge (these books are available free on the FAA website – you can do a Google search for them). If you want hard copies of the books, you can buy these books from online retailers or in the Link Aviation pilot shop.
Enroll in Aviation 101 at https://erau.edu/aviation101
This is a free course, and it is excellent! When you get to the web page, scroll down to see the “New User Registration” button. Complete the course at your own pace.
Watch educational flying videos. There are numerous channels out there. Some of the better ones include The Finer Points, Aviation 101 (not the same as the course listed above), Angle of Attack, MZeroA, FlyM8A, and the ground school videos created by Cyndy Hollman. There are tons of others as well. Just make sure the information is from a reputable source because there is a lot of misinformation out there as well.
Get your flight physical. This should probably be the first item listed. You do not want to spend a lot of money and time only to find out that you are not able to fly due to a medical condition. If you get your physical completed, you know you have the green light to move forward.
During your training
Learn the start, run up, and shut down procedures so you can perform them efficiently. When the airplane is not scheduled and is available, sit in the airplane without the engine running and rehearse the procedures.
Fly regularly. In the short term, this is more costly, but in the long term it will save you money.
Schedule your flights in advance. You should establish a set schedule. For example, you might set Mondays and Thursdays from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm aside for flight lessons. Reserve these dates on the Flight Circle schedule, so you ensure aircraft availability. I recommend scheduling 6 - 8 weeks at a time. This also allows your instructor to arrange a substitute instructor well in advance if he or she has a conflict with any of your lessons. Scheduling in advance ensures your flight training remains a priority.
If you have not completed your written test prior to starting your training, have a study plan so that you get your written test done before you start the cross-country stage of your training. Too many pilots finish the flight portion of their training and have not taken the written test. Then they take a month to study for the written test, while their flight skill deteriorates because they are not flying. Then they must do several extra lessons to get back up to speed.
Be prepared for your lessons. Review the information for each lesson so the instructor can touch on a few highlights and answer any specific questions you have versus doing an exhaustive review of the material with you.
Make sure your instructor is meeting your learning needs. Some people like high levels of structure and some people feel constrained by that. If you feel that your instructor does not have enough structure – or too much – let him or her know. If they cannot meet your needs, or you are not comfortable talking to your instructor about this, let Brook, Nick, or Ian know.
Bonus Tip: If you use an iPad with Foreflight or want to purchase King Schools courses, consider joining the National Association of Flight Instructors. Anyone can join NAFI and the association offers some benefits that will more than pay for your membership. For example, you can save 33% on your subscription to Foreflight, 20% on all King School Courses, and you can buy ACS check ride courses for a fraction of their regular cost. There are numerous other benefits NAFI offers, so check it out!
4 Ways to Make The Most Of Your Next Flight Lesson
Learning to fly is not a cheap endeavor, so when it comes to flight lessons, you want to make sure you're maximizing your time and money. Being prepared is the best way to optimize your time, and to make your flight training fun both for you, and your flight instructor.
1) Crunch the numbers
There's no better sentence that a flight instructor can hear from you than, "the plane is dispatched, preflighted, the weather is good, and we meet performance requirements, let's go fly." Of course, your instructor might have some questions to ask, but this minimizes time spent doing repetitive tasks that take up valuable lesson time.
Get a weather briefing, be ready for your pre-flight briefing with your instructor.
2) Do your homework
There are plenty of ways to get ahead of the curve at home, so you can spend less time on the ground and more time up in the air.
Ask your instructor what your next lesson is about, and what you should study. This helps you to get ahead of your curriculum and gives you more time to learn concepts and maneuvers.
If you study and 'chair fly' your flight ahead of time, you'll be more prepared next time you step into the airplane.
3) Treat every flight as if it's a checkride
Whether you're doing air work or reviewing concepts on the ground, it's important to hold yourself to a set of standards. In most cases, the ACS can be a solid resource to adhere to, regardless of the rating you are working on.
Think back to the saying, "you play like you practice". If your normal landings are 400 feet past your touch-down point every time, it's going to be difficult to accurately perform a short field landing when asked to do so. But, if you get to the point where you land on a given point every time, any type of landing becomes easy.
By holding yourself to a higher standard you desensitize yourself to the stress, making checkrides, stage checks and exams seem like routine flights.
4) Write down questions for your CFI
When you're reviewing content at home, questions start to arise. Sometimes they are simple questions that can be answered with a quick text to your instructor, but other times they require a more detailed explanation.
For complex questions, write down the topics and questions you need to review during your next lesson. You'll have a clear set of questions to ask before your lesson, and you can move through them quickly.
Being prepared for your flights doesn't guarantee that you will glide through flight training, but it certainly helps you be the most efficient in terms of your money and time.
How to Find the Right Flight Instructor
The first instructor you work with could feel like the perfect match, but make sure that personality isn’t all that’s driving the relationship. Good instructors will demonstrate their attention to detail through use of a syllabus (or standard course of training), their preflight preparation, and feedback to you during the post-flight briefing. A couple of red flags: If an instructor takes you out to the airplane without any preflight discussion or ends the lesson when the engine stops and rushes on to the next student, you may want to consider looking for a new instructor.
The best instructor does you no good if you cannot arrange time with them that fits your schedule.
Some key things to consider when choosing a flight instructor:
1. Interview several instructors on the ground before you fly. Ask the instructors you interview questions about why they got into flying and why they chose to instruct at this given point in their careers. You could ask what percentage of the students they’ve taught passed on their first check-ride attempt, or how they intend to support a student who hits a plateau or pause in their study.
2. Go beyond personality and check attention to detail: Do they use a syllabus and assign you study material? Are they prepared for every flight? Do they conduct preflight and post-flight briefings? You can ask about the syllabus up front during your interview. If the answer is, “What syllabus?” then you can essentially take your business elsewhere. You should receive a copy of the syllabus from your instructor or have access to the syllabus if it is online. A syllabus is an indication of structure for the training that will serve you well. You should always know what you will be learning in future lessons.
3. Ensure your instructor will stay available to train on your schedule. And if they will miss a lesson, do they but be willing to try someone new who can deliver when you want to fly. If the instructor explained that he or she plans to move on at some point to the airlines or other jet job, ask how that transition will be handled. It’s not as much of a shock or interruption to your training if you both know and plan for the change in advance.
4. Expect to pay for all of the time the instructor spends with you - ground and flight instruction - just like you would any other professional, such as your attorney or doctor. Your time on the ground with the instructor can be of more value than the instruction given in flight -especially if your instructor uses a good debriefing tool to review the flight. There are several flight-tracking and associated programs on the market, so your instructor need not take many notes during the flight but still will be able to review each segment with you. It’s invaluable time spent when done right, and that’s why you should consider mentioning use of similar tools to your CFI if they don’t use them already.
The above is an edited excerpted version of an original article by Julie Boatman written June 14, 2021. The original article appeared in the Learn to Fly Special Issue of Flying Magazine and can be accessed at: https://www.flyingmag.com/finding-the-right-flight-instructor/