Becoming A Pilot: What Every New Pilot Needs To Know To Save Time And Money In Flight School

Becoming A Pilot is an incredibly informative and comprehensive guide for anyone considering flight school. James Kofford, with his extensive background in aviation, presents the material in a logical and unbiased manner, providing a clear overview of the entire flight training process. He covers everything from what to look for in a flight school to how to approach studying and what to expect during the training process.One of the most valuable aspects of this book is that it empowers the reader to take control of their education by providing the knowledge and tools to guide themselves through the process. It's like having a personal mentor, as Kofford writes the book as though you are sitting across the table from him and he is sharing his insights and guidance.I highly recommend Becoming A Pilot for anyone considering flight school or for student pilots in the early stages of their training. The book is primarily tailored for those completing their training under the FAA, but it still provides valuable information for those training under other aviation regulatory agencies. If you are training under an agency other than the FAA, the author does recommend doing individual due diligence for specific differences.Overall, Becoming A Pilot is a must-read for anyone looking to become a pilot. It will save you time and money and increase your chances of success. James Kofford truly has your best interest at heart and wants to help you learn how to help yourself. Five stars!

I am not even finished half way and already am insanely impressed with this book. It is so fun to read, it doesn't even feel like reading a book. Feels a lot like James talking to you in a normal conversation and letting you know all the things you need to know to become a pilot. Even a few good life lessons in there. I am very excited to finish this book and start my path as time efficient and cost efficient as possible. 5/5.

Overall very good book it gives an introduction to each topic but also states for more detail information you’ll need to do more research. Which you highly recommend and not to just use your book for everything. You list out where to find the additional information and even give recommendations to certain companies that give the additional information. You break down the steps of each license nicely, also you give a nice overview what to expect with each license and next level. Some of it I had to reread a little to help understand what the point you were trying to get across but I believe I understand each point of each chapter. You present the book as if everyone is planning to become a CFI afterwards but do mention there are other jobs which I wish you could’ve dived into more information on but this book was intended as an introduction to aviation so makes sense you would give more information on a goal that is normally 2-3 years down the road.

Worth the price and relatively quick read, just to set an aspiring pilot straight on the process of attaining their pilot’s license.Most of the info is common sense if you’ve been around for any amount of time and pursued other forms of significant licensure and have good communication skills while asking existing pilots, and especially CFI’s, the right questions, but it’s certainly nice to see it affirmed in one volume, black on white.The gist here is as follows; Part 61 tends to be more efficient than 141 but can have drawbacks especially if you are a military pilot or went to college for an aviation related degree. Make sure you interview your flight instructor well and learn to tell them what you want/need to learn rather than wait on them to tell you, unless they’re very low drag and goal oriented on your behalf. Use your time (flights) wisely. Get paid to fly ASAP rather than pay to fly.The reason I drop it on star is because it’s one of the worst quality bindings I’ve ever seen in a book. If this book binding were a wing spar, nobody would survive flying. Multiple pages have fallen out on me with one ginger read through, and I’ve yet to reference it over my flying progression. It’ll be a heap of pages by the time I do. A little laughable, sadly.

I really loved this book!! This book also helped me figure out what there is to know about starting aviation it made everything way more clear and also it helped me to not commit some errors about my decision for the right flight school. It's hard to know what questions to ask and what to look for when searching for aviation schools/programs. This book really gave the down and dirty on the different avenues a person can take. You can tell the author knows what he is talking about and has a deep passion for helping future pilots. The author breaks down EVERYTHING – types of certificates, financial considerations to get training, pros, cons, etc. in this handy guide that walks you through everything you need to do to get your career kick-started. Would highly recommend this book to anyone starting aviation or thinking about going into aviation.

This book is absolutely the best at providing the information needed to get your private pilot certificate. The paths are explained in detail and gives you the pros and cons of each. Getting your certificate is an expensive and time consuming task but the way James lays everything out, explaining the steps, and the ways you can save time and money are exactly the way I would do them if I had to do it again. Even after getting your private certificate, the steps to get your instrument, commercial, and your CFI/II are about as perfect as can be! As a commercial pilot about to take my CFI check ride, there were a couple of things I found useful to include in my studying prior to my check ride! I will definitely be recommending this book to all future pilots and even those that are working to further their aviation career!