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✦ Independent · Student Pilot Resource · Free

Your flight training guide — from first lesson to checkride

Real cost data, honest guides, calculators, and curated tools for every stage of becoming a pilot. We don't represent any flight school. Just straight information to help you make smart decisions.

Start Here: How to Become a Pilot → Estimate Your Costs

$14k⁺

median PPL cost

6mo

avg training time

40+

scholarships tracked

certificate levels

Scroll

No flight school affiliation

No paid rankings or reviews

Based on FAA data & verified sources

Updated regularly

Free forever

Everything you need

Six guides, zero fluff

Whether you're dreaming about your first flight lesson or studying for your ATP checkride, there's a resource built for exactly where you are.

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Roadmap

Certificates & Ratings

PPL → Instrument → Commercial → CFI → ATP. FAA requirements, real-world hour expectations, and what each rating actually means for your career.

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Costs

Real Cost Breakdowns

Actual costs by region, aircraft type, and school structure. Part 61 vs 141 compared. No school's marketing — just data from real student pilots.

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Schools

How to Choose a School

What to look for, what red flags to watch for, and the exact questions to ask before handing over a deposit. Independent. Honest.

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Funding

Scholarships & Funding

40+ aviation scholarships with deadlines, eligibility, and application tips. AOPA, EAA, WAI, regional clubs, and more — all in one place.

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Medical

FAA Medical Guide

Class 1, 2, 3, and BasicMed explained in plain English. Common disqualifiers, how to find an AME, and what to do if you have a medical concern.

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Gear

Student Pilot Gear Guide

Best headsets by budget, EFB app comparisons, recommended ground schools, and what you actually need before your first lesson.

Find your airport

Over 5,000 general aviation airports across the US

Browse flight schools →

14 free tools · No signup required

Every tool a student pilot needs

Built for student pilots, not flight schools. Every tool is free, requires no account, and shows its work so you learn as you calculate.

Planning & costs

Cost Calculator

Training Cost Estimator

Enter your location, aircraft type, and schedule. Get a realistic cost range based on real pilot data — not FAA minimums.

Try the estimator

Flight Planning

Flight Time & Fuel Planner

Distance, speed, winds aloft, and fuel burn → flight time, trip fuel, legal reserves, and a go/no-go fuel status. Math shown step by step.

Plan your flight

Cost Comparison

Flying Club vs. Flight School

Enter dues, hourly rates, and annual hours. See your break-even point, 5-year savings, and effective hourly rate for each option.

Compare costs

Scholarship Finder

Scholarship Database

42+ aviation scholarships filterable by certificate level, state, and eligibility. Never miss a deadline again.

Find scholarships

Weather & performance

Weather

METAR Plain-English Decoder

Paste any raw METAR → flight category, token-by-token explanation, and student go/no-go guidance. Includes three one-click examples.

Decode a METAR

Performance

Density Altitude Calculator

Elevation + altimeter + temperature → density altitude with plain-English warnings. "Your C172 needs 40% more runway at this DA."

Calculate DA

Performance

Takeoff & Landing Distance

DA + weight + wind → ground roll and 50 ft obstacle distance for C172 and PA-28. Sensitivity table shows how each variable moves the numbers.

Estimate distances

Regulations

VFR Weather Minimums

Select your airspace class and day/night — get the exact visibility and cloud clearance requirements with the FAR 91.155 citation instantly.

Check minimums

Aircraft & navigation

Pre-flight

Weight & Balance Calculator

C172 and PA-28 pre-loaded. Enter passengers, fuel, and baggage — get CG plotted on a live visual envelope that turns red if you're out of limits.

Calculate W&B

Navigation

Crosswind Calculator

Wind direction + speed + runway heading → crosswind and headwind components with a live compass diagram. Limit bar turns red at C172 demo limit.

Calculate crosswind

Community

GA Airport Intel

Pilot-submitted tips for general aviation airports — fuel prices, noise abatement, FBO quirks, pattern procedures. Share what you know.

Explore airports

Training & currency

Currency

Pilot Currency Checker

Am I legal to fly? Enter your recent flights and see VFR passenger, night, and IFR currency — with days remaining and FAR 61.57 references.

Check my currency

Test Prep

Written Test Score Predictor

20 real FAA question bank questions, timed at 30 minutes. Get your readiness score and a breakdown of which ACS areas need work.

Take the practice test

Checkride Prep

Checkride Prep Checklist

Everything to bring, study, and expect on checkride day. Organized by certificate level (PPL, IR, CPL). Saves progress in your browser.

View checklist

Find an Instructor

CFI Finder

Search our directory of Certified Flight Instructors. Filter by state, rating, and specialty. Featured profiles include bios, student reviews, and contact info.

Find a CFI

View all tools →

Real numbers

What does flight training actually cost?

The honest answer: it depends. But we've pulled together median costs from thousands of student pilots so you can plan realistically — not around a school's marketing page.

See the full cost breakdown →

PPL

$10–18k

Median ~$14,000 · ~50–70 hrs

Instrument

$10–15k

Median ~$12,750 · ~50 hrs

Commercial

$20–35k

Median ~$28,000 · 250 hrs total

CFI

$4–8k