FAQs
Got questions? Listed below you'll find the most frequently asked question, along with step-by-step instructions and support.
How do I become a pilot? Airline pilot training, getting paid to fly or hobby pilot.
These are questions you might be asking about how to learn to fly, if you want to become an airline pilot, what are different options for your training, and questions during your training like instructors and pilot examiner questions.
Check out How to Become an RCFO Student!
If you’d like to see the airport first hand before jumping into the world of aviation, come by the hangar and talk to any of our friendly flight instructors or service professionals and get introduced.
We’re located at 149 Yeager Rd in Mooresville, NC 28117.
Race City Flight Operations is in a blue hangar, which is the furthest hangar on the left as you drive through the gate.
Most of the equipment you will need is provided in our ground schools, but beyond ground school you will need a logbook, and an up to date aeronautical map (we call it a sectional).
There are many optional things you can end up picking up, such as extra learning aids, headsets or flight bags.
We charge a $5 per flight charge for headset rental, but this lets you try out various headsets before picking the right model for you. Flight bags really depend on your mission and what you will plan on doing later. Kneeboards are also a good addition for any prudent pilot.
Most of this equipment is available for sale at the flight school, or if you want opinions on iPad models or apps to be used, we can help with any of those big decisions!
The Private Pilots Certificate is like a driver’s license. It allows you to fly anywhere in the United States. You can carry any number of passengers. Once you earn your license, you are free to wander around in the skies to your heart’s content. You might take the family on a trip to see relatives in a distant state or use an airplane to shorten the time it takes to make business trips to another city.
If you want to be an airline pilot, a mechanic or an air traffic controller, a pilots license is a great way to get started in aviation. A great person once told me
“If you don’t know what you want to be in life, become a pilot!”
This saying really stuck with me, because it really makes sense. By learning to fly, you will get exposed to so many aspects of life that may spark an interest and thus a lifetime career that you will enjoy! During pilot training, you will learn about maintenance, regulations, meteorology, physics, math, map reading and so much more. Maybe you decide that meteorology is the topic you’re truly passionate about, and becoming a pilot showed you that amazing topic-it can happen here!
The FAA Require 40 hours of flight to receive a Private Pilots Certificate. This is a minimum, our average students become licensed pilots between 50 and 65 hours. These hours are broken up between flying with an instructor and by yourself (“solo”). Some students earn their Private Pilots Certificate in as little as a month. This all depends on their schedule and commitment to focusing on becoming a pilot. Race City Flight Operations has instructors who can accommodate any schedule and any timeline to get you to your goal!
(Depends on the airplane availability, weather conditions, and customer’s availability.)
-You must be at least 17 years old.
-You are able to read, speak and understand English.
-You hold at least a current third-class Medical certificate.
The training to get to this point is where you’ll go through a ground school in preparation for the written test, and the flying portion of your adventure. This won’t come easy or fast, but like anything in life that is worthy of dreams, the reward once you’re finished is unimaginable.
To fly by yourself, “solo”, the student must be at least 16 years old, but does not require to have a drivers license. YES-You can fly an airplane by yourself BEFORE you can drive a car by yourself!
If you started your flight training adventure decades ago and received 35 hours of documented training, we can get you right back into the flight training groove and finish up the training. The FAA minimum is 40 hours, that doesn’t mean you have to fly with Race City Flight Operations for 40 hours, but instead the requirements means you need a logbook that has 40 hours of flight recorded! If you can’t find your logbook that shows the previous training, we will make every attempt to help you but our instructors can only go by what is properly documented and signed off by other instructors.
Race City Flight Operations is a small, student and safety focused flight school that is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Part 61 of the Federal Regulations, using the ASA Syllabus as a flight plan for your training adventure. Under Part 61, Race City instructors will instruct you based on your schedule, the weather and the circumstances of each and every flight we take. To become a pilot, the student must master maneuvers, flight planning, weight and balance calculations and performance characteristics for the airplane. As an example, if you have a flight scheduled with your instructor on a rainy day, other flight schools might cancel your flight or go flying even though the weather won’t be conducive to your training.
At Race City Flight Operations, we have the flexibility and training centered focus to keep you training and moving forward, so we may change the flight from a maneuvers flight to instead review the weather, meteorology and other flight planning factors that may affect a similar flight in the future once you become a pilot.
We’re often asked about flight training, how long does it take, why does it take so long, and wondering what the path is to becoming a pilot. Below is a picture with the 3 main sections of flight training. The pre-solo section is the bulk of the training you will spend your time in. Remember: by the time you fly by yourself for the first time, you will basically have become a pilot-your flight instructor must ensure you are safe and can keep yourself safe given any number of scenarios that may happen during your flight.
This is a great question. It depends on your learning style and time availability. If you are all in for learning how to fly, and want to get your license quickly, we recommend flying and taking ground school at the same time. The ground school classes are the classroom side of learning-math calculations for weight and balance, cross country flight planning, weather theory etc. The flight training is the hands on part of learning to fly. Here we will demonstrate climbing and descending, maneuvers and of course learning how to land.
Race City Flight Operations requires all solo students and renters to purchase renters insurance. Renters insurance is great to have in case something happens and most likely, you will not have to use it. The flight school insurance covers the airplane but has certain limits if you as a student were to be named in a lawsuit for negligent damage. We recommend, at the very least, Single Limit Bodily Injury and Property Damage for Non-Owned Aircraft amount be $250,000 and Liability for Non-Owned Aircraft
Physical Damage amount be no less than $5,000,
which is only around $170-190 a year. Our insurance broker would be happy to answer any questions you may have, if you want her name and number just give us a call. To sign up for renters insurance, click the link below and get started!
This is primarily based on schedule. If the student is prepared and is ready, the instructor or instructors will reach out to the area examiners and find their upcoming schedule for checkrides. Schedules are always changing, and weather can delay or cancel the checkride, so we are always balancing the needs of the student and the examiner with airplane availability and weather. Just like the rest of flight training, there are a lot of variables that can affect when a flight happens. But don’t forget, there are two parts to a check ride: the oral portion, where the examiner will sit and ask you questions and talk out flight plans and problems; and then the flight portion, where you are in the airplane and the examiner specifies a maneuver that must be demonstrated and then you must perform to the FAA specific minimum standard.
Are you trying to figure out what the difference is between part 141 and part 61 private pilot training? Here is what you’re looking at. Most of these numbers are measured in Hours, some are Nautical Miles.
| Part 61 | Part 141 | |||
| Ground (Hours) | 0 | 35 | ||
| Flight (Hours) | 40 | 35 | ||
| Dual (Hours) | 20 | 20 | ||
| XC (Hours) | 3 | 3 | ||
| Night (Hours) | 3 | 3 | ||
| Night XC (100nm, 10 full stop landings) | YES | YES | ||
| Instrument (Simulated or Actual) (Hours) | 3 | 3 | ||
| Checkride Prep (Hours) | 3 | 3 | ||
| Solo (Hours) | 10 | 5 | ||
| XC (Hours) | 5 | 3 | ||
| XC NM Req, 3 landings (NM) | 150 | 100 | ||
| Control Tower landings | 3 | 3 | ||
| Simulator Allowed (Hours) | 2.5 | 15% (5.25) | ||
Are you trying to figure out what the difference is between part 141 and part 61 instrument rating training? Here is what you’re looking at. Most of these numbers are measured in Hours, some are Nautical Miles.
| Part 61 | Part 141 | ||||
| Instrument | Ground (Hours) | 0 | 30 | ||
| Flight (Hours) | 40 | 35 | |||
| Dual (Hours) | 15 | 35 | |||
| XC (250nm, 3 IAP) | YES | YES (100NM leg) | |||
| Checkride Prep (Hours) | 3 | 3 | |||
| Total | XC PIC (Hours) | 50 | 0 | ||
| Instrument (Hours) | 40 | 0 | |||
| Simulator Allowed | BATD (Hours) | <10 | 25% (8.75) | ||
| AATD (Hours) | <20 | 40% (14) | |||
Are you trying to figure out what the difference is between part 141 and part 61 commercial pilot training? Here is what you’re looking at. Most of these numbers are measured in Hours, some are Nautical Miles.
| Part 61 | Part 141 | ||||
| Commercial | Ground (Hours) | 0 | 35 | ||
| Flight (Hours) | 0 | 120 | |||
| Dual (Hours) | 20 | 55 | |||
| Day XC (Hours) | 2 | 2 | |||
| Day XC (NM) | 100 | 100 | |||
| Night XC (Hours) | 2 | 2 | |||
| Night XC (NM) | 100 | 100 | |||
| TAA/Complex (Hours) | 10 | 10 | |||
| Instrument (Hours) | 10 | 10 | |||
| Checkride Prep (Hours) | 3 | 3 | |||
| Solo (Hours) | 10 | 10 | |||
| XC (Hours) | 5 | 3 | |||
| XC NM Req, 3 landings | 300 Total (250NM leg) | 250 Total | |||
| Night (and 10 TOL @ CT) (Hours) | 5 | 5 | |||
| Total | (Hours) | 250 | 190 | ||
| Simulator Allowed | BATD (Hours) | 0 | 0 | ||
| AATD (Hours) | <50 | 20% | |||
How do I pay for training?
What Form Of Payment Do You Accept?
We take it all! We accept cash, checks, and credit cards. We try to make everything as easy as we can.
Also, we offer a deposit program with a bonus towards your flight training, for a minimum deposit of $10,000. For example, if you deposit a $10,000 check in your account, Race City Flight Operations will offer a bonus 5% credit, or $500, as another service to our students. In this example, most students end up spending between $10,000 and $14,000 for their private pilot license, if you take advantage of our deposit program, you get a 5% discount on your training-something you may not find at your other “big” area flight schools. If you decide to stop flight training without using your entire deposit, a pro-rated refund will be issued within 30 days minus any bonus or credits.
We have also partnered with Meritize and Stratus Financial to offer financing for students training! Check our financing page.
For questions about how to pay for all of this flight training, Race City Flight Operations is proud to be partnering with Stratus Financial and Meritize to fund your flight training. Check out our financing page to find out how to start today!
Usually our students will spend between $12,000 and $15,000 for their private pilot license. The instrument rating may cost between $5,000 and $9,000, and the commercial license may be another $5,000 or $9,000. There are requirements between each license that may take more time or money.
For questions about how to pay for all of this flight training, Race City Flight Operations is proud to be partnering with Stratus Financial to fund your flight training. Check out our financing page to find out how to start today!
I’m not a US Citizen. How do I learn to fly?
What Form Of Payment Do You Accept?
We take it all! We accept cash, checks, and credit cards. We try to make everything as easy as we can.
Also, we offer a deposit program with a bonus towards your flight training, for a minimum deposit of $10,000. For example, if you deposit a $10,000 check in your account, Race City Flight Operations will offer a bonus 5% credit, or $500, as another service to our students. In this example, most students end up spending between $10,000 and $14,000 for their private pilot license, if you take advantage of our deposit program, you get a 5% discount on your training-something you may not find at your other “big” area flight schools. If you decide to stop flight training without using your entire deposit, a pro-rated refund will be issued within 30 days minus any bonus or credits.
We have also partnered with Meritize and Stratus Financial to offer financing for students training! Check our financing page.
YES! Race City Flight Operations is a flight school, offering flight instruction in a fleet of Cessna 172 S and R models and Cessna 152s. If you have similarly equipped models and want to lease your aircraft back to us, please give us a call!
Not all simulators are created equal. The first step is to find out what class of flight simulator you are using.
Here at Race City Flight Operations, we have an Advanced Aviation Training Device (RedBird LD) and a Basic Aviation Training Device (RedBird TD2) that are approved by the FAA.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classifies simulators under three categories:
Full Flight Simulators (FFS) — Levels A through D
Flight Training Device (FTD) — Levels 1 through 7
Aviation Training Device (ATD) — Advanced and Basic
Unless you are going for a type rating in an Airbus, it is very unlikely to see a Full Flight Simulator at a flight school. These are multi-million dollar devices that give the illusion that you are actually flying somewhere—They are truly incredible. The most common of these simulators are Level D.
Flight Training Devices can be found at larger schools, like universities. Usually, FTDs are specific to one aircraft and will behave very closely to that aircraft’s handling capabilities.
Finally, we have the most commonly found simulators, AATD and BATDs. A professional flight school will most likely have one of these. The benefits are truly there as they allow students a chance to realistically put their knowledge to the test.
Basic Aviation Training Device (Letter of Authorization)
Under part 61 you can log the following hours of training:
§ 61.109(k)(1) — Private Pilot Certificate; up to 2.5 hours
§ 61.65(i) — Instrument Rating; not more than 10 hours
Under Part § 141.41(b) you can log the following hours of training:
Appendix B — Up to 15% towards the total Private Pilot training time requirements;
Appendix C — Up to 25% towards the total Instrument training time requirements;
Advanced Aviation Training Device (Letter of Authorization)
Under part 61 you can log the following hours of training:
§ 61.109(k)(1) — Private Pilot Certificate; up to 2.5 hours
§ 61.65(i) — Instrument Rating; up to 20 hours
§ 61.129(i)(l)(i) — Commercial Pilot Certificate; up to 50 hours
Under Part § 141.41(b) you can log the following hours of training:
Appendix B — Up to 15% towards the total Private Pilot training time requirements;
Appendix C — Up to 40% towards the total Instrument training time requirements;
Appendix D — Up to 20% towards the total Commercial Pilot training time requirements;
In order to find what we can legally log, we must look at FAR §61.51. Under this regulation time on an AATD must include the following:
Date
Lesson Time (Dual Received)
Type and Identification (ex. Type — AATD Identification – Redbird LD)
Simulated Instrument (only the time in instrument meteorological conditions or IMC)
Location and Type of Approaches (if required for §61.57)
Flight Instructor Endorsement
Remarks (Syllabus lesson or training performed)
Here is what a logbook entry would look like.
Yes, you can purchase gift certificates at the front desk of the FBO, or online store. You can purchase gift certificates for discovery flights or towards flight training. For example, if you purchase a $500 gift certificate, we can apply that towards the students flight training bill. Once the gift certificate is purchased, just let us know which lucky student will get your help and we’ll add it to their account.
You must arrive well-prepared for each lesson. This means that you will arrive with all reading assignments complete, all videos watched, and home study work complete.
Race City Flight Operations will impose a fee for tardiness, lack of preparation, and cancellations within 24 hours. Per the Renters Agreement, section 6)
RENTER AGREES TO CANCEL A RESERVATION WITH NO LESS THAN 12 HOURS’ NOTICE. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN A SERVICE CHARGE, UP TO AND INCLUDING THE FULL RESERVATION CHARGE. LAST MINUTE CANCELLATIONS SUCH AS WEATHER, BEREAVEMENT OR SICKNESS WILL BE FORGIVEN, UNLESS CANCELLATIONS BECOME A COMMON OCCURRENCE. FOR FLIGHT SCHOOL STUDENTS, NO CALL-NO SHOW STUDENTS WILL BE CHARGED UP TO AND INCLUDING THE FULL RESERVATION CHARGE, PER THE BELOW SCHEDULE. ALL CANCELATION NOTICES MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS THE DAY PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. IF THE STUDENT CANCELS BETWEEN CLOSE OF BUSINESS THE DAY PRIOR AND 2 HOURS PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED FLIGHT, THE STUDENTS PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYMENT WILL BE ASSESSED A ONE (1) HOUR INSTRUCTIONAL FEE; BETWEEN 2 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED FLIGHT, THE STUDENT WILL BE ASSESSED 50% OF THE COMPLETE SCHEDULED SERVICE. FOR CANCELATIONS AND NO-SHOW STUDENTS WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF SCHEDULED LESSON, 100% OF THE SCHEDULED SERVICE WILL BE ASSESSED. FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE DELAYED DURING A SCHEDULED LESSON, THE STUDENT WILL BE CHARGED FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TIME BASED ON THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULED START TIME.
If you are scheduled for a simulator lesson or flight training event, and weather or maintenance become a factor, you are still expected to arrive on-time for training. Your instructor will decide the appropriate course of action which may include substituting the planned lesson with another suitable to the conditions.
Race City Flight Operations understands that extenuating circumstances do occur, and will allow exceptions to this policy at its sole discretion. Any time your account incurs a cancellation fee, payment must be received before any further training will be scheduled.
I was previously in the military, but I’d like to continue civilian flight training
I Was In The Military And Have My Faa Commercial Helicopter License, Can Race City Flight Operations Help Me Get My Commercial Fixed Wing License?
YES! You will need:
-50 hrs PIC
-required XCs by 61.129 in a single engine airplane to include up to 10hrs PIC XC airplane.
-10 hrs complex or TAA in airplanes.
-5 hrs instrument training in airplanes.
-3 hrs check ride prep within 60 days.
-No knowledge test is needed per 61.63 (b) (4).
Required endorsements:
A.1, A.35, and A.74.
Checkride required testing items listed in page A-12 is just a basis for DPE oral questions. Pilot Examiners can ask more, since you are already commercial rated you should already know these types of questions (flight planning, commercial ops, etc).
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Hundreds and Hundreds of pilots have learned at Race City since 2014.
