If interested, SHS students can get their pilot’s license before they are 18.

Steps to getting a license

There are a few steps to getting your private pilot license 

First, you need to meet eligibility requirements & have a medical certificate.  Then you need to join a flight program or find a private instructor.  To complete your study course or ground schooling, you’ll need to go to a class, and then complete your flying hours.  The last step is the final private pilot written test.

Introduction flight.    At the St.Cloud airport, you can take your first flight and see how you like it.  The flight will be around 1 hour and cost around $160.  To find out more, search St.Cloud aviation in your browser. 

Training

The training isn’t easy; it can take up to 6-12 months to finish.  During training you learn to maneuver a single-engine airplane (Cessna – Skyhawk – Aviat Husky) with and without assistance from an instructor.  

Shortage of pilots

U.S. airlines are facing a severe shortage of commercial pilots. Because of this, some airlines are helping with your training. There is an estimated deficit of 8,000 pilots. 

Programs 

ATP flight school, LIFT academy, Epic flight academy can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000.

Is it dangerous?

Becoming a pilot and flying is definitely not 100% safe.  There are accidents and a large majority are caused from landing and solo flying. This is why finding a good flight program that upkeeps their planes and has good instructors is important. Weather is also something to keep in mind; I would say that you will most likely be just fine if you do everything you learned in training and pick days with good weather to fly.