The Private Pilot Certificate is the starting point for most aviators. As a private pilot, you'll be able to fly yourself and friends/family for fun. You can start flying at all age, but you must be at least 17 years of age to become a private pilot.
The FAA requires a minimum of 40 flight hours before a student can take the practical exam (a check ride) with a FAA Inspector or FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). To build up to this 40 hours, the student will establish a relationship with the flight instructor by going over basic information on the ground such as learning traffic pattern, checking weather, filing flight plans, weight and balance, etc. The student will be incorporating flight time along with some of the information being discussed on the ground. Usually within 10-15 hours of flight time, the student is ready to solo [fly the airplane without the instructor]. This time can vary based on the student's comfort level. The student and instructor will know when it's time.
Other things required in the training program are 3 hours of night flying, 3 hours of cross-country and 3 hours of simulated Instrument Flight Rules (IFR - looking at the instruments in the cockpit and navigating from these instruments); all are done with the instructor. Instructor and student flight time together must be a minimum of 20 hours.
There is a written exam as well as a practical exam that students must pass in order to acquire a private pilot's certificate. The written exam consists of 60 questions which are pulled from a test bank of about 800 questions. The test bank is available to the student prior to the exam for study purposes. The student must pass the written test before taking the practical exam.
