Welcome to the L2F (“Learn to Fly”) Newsletter. We’re here to help you in your journey of becoming a pilot!

Last week we outlined the Private Pilot License, and pointed out that if you want to be a pro pilot someday the Private Pilot is the place to start, but what comes next? This week we’ll get into that!

You’ve heard of sanity checks, but have you heard of dummy checks? We explain more in our second article….

This week we’re opening up the feedback loop, and inviting your questions about all things flying and comments, please send it our way via: [email protected].

Let’s dive in!

You Will Be Pro!

Are you excited to take flying from a hobby to a career? Two certificates exist as requirements to monetize your flying abilities:

• Commercial Pilot License

• Airline Transport Pilot License

Flying for any airline requires a commercial license, allowing the transport of passengers in smaller aircraft and monetizing all kinds of aviation services, such as aerial surveying or cargo transport.

However, these privileges aren’t without cost. The requirements for a commercial license are demanding:

• Must be at least 18 years old

• Must log at least 250 hours of flight time

• Complete at least 10 hours in a complex aircraft and 10 hours of instrument training

• Must log at least 50 hours of cross-country and 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time

While obtaining the Commercial license is your first step, gaining certification to carry cabins full of passengers across the world is no small feat, and that’s where the airline transport license comes in.

The ATPL allows pilots to fly with major airlines without any limit on the number of passengers or size of aircraft and involves extensive training:

• Must complete the FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program

• Must have an instrument rating on the commercial license

• Must have 1500 total hours of flight time logged

• Must have 500 hours of cross-country and 100 hours of nighttime flying time logged

Various options are available when choosing a pilot training course and which type of license to aim for. Remember, keep your goals in mind! Is flying something you want to do as a hobby, for personal transportation, or as a career? Consider your options, and best of luck to you!

Sanity Checks and Dummy Checks?

I’m a big fan of sanity checks and dummy checks in aviation (and in daily life, if we’re honest). I know myself, and I know that I’m a little absent minded sometimes- particularly before coffee and after a long day. I try to give myself as many tools to counter my nature as I can, and sanity checks and dummy checks are a couple of important ones.

So what are we talking about, you might ask? A sanity check is when you ask yourself, “does this answer make sense?” Let’s say I’m about to fly a Cessna 150 solo from Sandpoint, ID (KSZT) to Lewiston, ID (KLWS). Straight line, it’s a 117 nautical mile flight. I’m going to properly plan this flight with the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) and my flight computer (a mechanical E6B because I like them), make no mistake. But before I do that, I’m going to take a guess using some handy estimations that I’ve worked out for the plane. Let’s assume that my little Commuter flies about 90 knots and burns 6 gallons per hour in cruise.

Is that proper flight planning data? Of course not, but it gives me a starting point. 120 nm and 90 knots I can do in my head: I would expect it to take about 1:20 to do that flight. And at 6 gph, it should take about 8 gallons of fuel along the way. If I look at my actual performance data and come up with a three hour flight or a two gallon fuel burn, it’ll seem a little crazy. It won’t pass the sanity check, and I’ll have a very good reason to double check my math.

A dummy check is a quick extra check you do while flying to prevent mistakes that make you feel like a dummy. Let me confess something right here: I’ve gotten lax about this at various times in my flying career. I once fueled my plane after a flight and noticed that I’d forgotten to move the step stool before I started up. I had to shut down and move it before I could taxi. Since then, I’ve started doing a walkaround before I move the airplane, regardless of whether I’m going to fly it. 

I had a flight with a student this year where the oil cap loosened up in the pattern and made a little mess inside the cowling. We definitely put the cap back on the filler neck after checking the oil, but it probably didn’t get tightened all the way into the detent. We didn’t lose that much oil, thankfully, but since then I’ve started giving the oil cap an extra little twist whenever I look at it, because it’s easy. 

Sanity checks and dummy checks are how we can prevent silly mistakes from turning into serious problems. They’re part of good aeronautical decision-making (ADM). Most importantly, they’re free and take almost no extra time. Do that last walkaround. Ballpark your fuel burn before you plan for real. You might thank yourself later. Fly safe out there.

The L2F Newsletter is crafted by seasoned pilots and experienced instructors, all with one common goal: to empower your dream of soaring high.

We're not just sharing information; we're sharing wisdom, insights, and the kind of guidance you can only get from those who are already living the dream you aspire to.

Buckle up, because with L2F, you're never alone on your flight training adventure!