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Training

North Coast Flight School provides flight training for a large selection of aspiring & current pilots.

We provide training for a multitude of certificate levels, endorsements, flight reviews & aircraft certificate add-ons. No minimum days per week are required unless enrolled in a training course with one of our training partners.

Private Pilot

Private Pilot is the first and most basic certificate students must earn whether learning to fly for fun or for a career in flying. This certificate introduces students to the world of flying airplanes including what they must know to fly safely & efficiently. Students will learn the fundamentals of FAA regulations, basic weather theory, airspace, communication, use of automation, navigation in both day & night time, as well as how to prepare for emergencies in the air. Earning your Private Pilot Certificate allows you to pursue more advanced certificates such as Instrument, Commerical and Certified Flight Instructor and is an essential building block for career pilots.

Requirements:

Be 16 years of age to solo, 17 to earn Private Certificate

Minimum 40 hours total flight time (35 hours if training part 141) including;

  • Minimum 20 hours of flight training in the air with flight instructor

    • 3 hours of night time flight with an instructor including;​

      • 10 total takeoffs & landings at night to a full stop​

      • One cross country flight at night (50 miles or more to anther airport)

  • 10 hours of solo flight time

    • 5 of these hours flying cross-country (50 miles or more to anther airport)

    • One solo cross-country flight with a minimum of 150 nautical miles total with one leg greater than 50 nautical miles between airports

    • One solo flight with 3 takeoffs and landings at an airport with an operating control tower

  • Complete a ground school course on required topics including weather, aircraft systems, emergency preparedness, etc.

  • Pass FAA Written (knowledge) & Practical (oral/flight) exams

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Typical completion timeline: 55 flight hours & 6 months

Cost: $15,000-18,000 (flying 2 days/week)

Instrument Pilot

Instrument pilot is typically the next step in a pilot's progression & increases pilot capability as well as safety. Instrument pilots gain experience in flying in clouds and learn how to fly instrument departure, enroute, arrival & approach procedures, as well as how to communicate while flying in Instrument Meterological Conditions (IMC). Students will also learn how to perform emergency procedures while flying "in the system" and gain proficiency using GPS & traditional navigation formats.

Requirements:

Be at least 18 years of age (141 training)

Hold at least a Private Pilot Certificate

  • Minimum 15 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor

  • Obtain 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command (PIC), with at least 10 hours in airplanes

  • Minimum 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time

  • Cross-Country

    • One dual cross-country flight of at least 250 NM along airways or ATC-directed routing, with different instrument approaches at each airport

  • Pass FAA Instrument knowledge & practical exams

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Typical completion timeline: 50 flight hours, 4-6 months

Cost: $15,000-18,000 (flying 2 days/week)

Commercial Pilot

Commercial pilot is often the next step for pilots who want to progress beyond instrument & allows pilots to be compensated for their flying skills as pilots. During Commercial training, pilots will learn more advanced maneuvers that improve their controllability and skill with flying airplanes and complete longer duration flights to master their navigation skills. Commercial students will also learn to fly more advanced complex aircraft & systems such as our own airplane N2911P. Duration for training is variable due to how many hours a pilot has when they begin their Commercial Certificate training.

Requirements:

Be at least 18 years of age

Hold at least a Private Pilot Certificate (additional IFR certificate highly recommended)

  • Minimum 250 hours of total flight time

  • 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time including the following;

    • 50 hours of flight time in airplanes​

    • 50 hours of cross-country flight time (10 hours minimum in airplanes) 

  • 20 hours of training in the following;

    • ​10 hours instrument training using a view-limiting device including (5 hours of instrument training in a single engine airplane)

      • Attitude instrument flying

      • Partial panel skills

      • Recovery from unusual flight attitudes

      • Intercepting and tracking navigational systems.

    • ​10 hours of training in a complex airplane (N2911P), a turbine-powered airplane, or a technically advanced airplane (TAA)

    • Two separate cross-country flights with straight-line distance greater than 100 nautical miles from departure airport

      • One daytime​

      • One nighttime

  • Ten hours of solo flight time in a single engine airplane or 10 hours of flight time performing the duties of pilot in command in a single engine airplane with an authorized instructor on board including;

    • One 300 nautical mile cross country flight to three points with one leg a minimum 250 nautical miles straight line distance

    • 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

  • Pass FAA Instrument knowledge & practical exams

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Typical completion timeline: Variable, high hour students can complete in as little as 2-3 months

Cost: Highly variable based on starting flight hours

Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) & Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFI-I)

Certified Flight Instructors are the lifeblood of general aviation and serve as the primary teachers of new skills for pilots. This certificate carries an immense responsibility for the safety of flight and for the students that will learn under you and has the most difficult to set of exams required to pass as a result. This certificate is popular for those looking to advance their aviation careers after earning their Commercial Certificate. During training an experienced CFI will guide you through topics such as the fundamentals of instruction, how to build lessons & curriculums for pilots and transform the student learner into a competent instructor both on the ground and in the air. At North Coast Flight School we typically begin the flight portion of CFI with private maneuvers and progress to commercial maneuvers before finishing with IFR work. We will also teach you how to succeed in the business side of instruction including how to obtain & keep students satisfied throughout training so you are prepared to enter the workforce.


Requirements:

Be at least 18 years of age

Hold at least a Commercial and Instrument Certificate (IFR required if going for CFI-I)

  • Minimum 15 hours as pilot in command in the category and class of aircraft that is appropriate to the flight instructor rating sought

  • Pass the following written exams;

    • Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)

    • Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)

    • Flight Instructor Instrument (FII - if going for CFI-I)

  • Receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor indicating that the applicant is competent and possesses instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures

  • Demonstrate instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures

  • Pass FAA Instrument knowledge & practical exams (typically CFI & CFI-I exams are taken separate)

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Typical completion timeline: 1-3 months (3-4 days/week)

Cost: $5,000-$10,000 based on instructor development

Additional Training

Complex Airplane
Adding a complex endorsement is easy at North Coast flight School! You'll learn about complex airplane systems & operating procedures in our Piper Arrow, N2911P. While this is not an hour-based endorsement, it is proficiency based - meaning we will help you develop your complex airplane flying skills and when we are confident in your abilities one of our flight instructors will give you a logbook endorsement that is good for life in Complex airplanes!
Flight Reviews & Instrument Proficiency Checks
Our flight instructors can help you stay in the air with flight reviews & instrument proficiency checks. We have completed flight reviews with people who are both experienced airline pilots and those who haven't flown in years.
Aircraft Transitions
Pilot of a different aircraft type like rotorcraft but want to learn how to fly airplanes? No problem! We can train you to fly airplanes in no time and have years of experience training pilots in aircraft and category add-ons.
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