About Us

You must be at least 16 years old to solo, and 17 years old to get your license. In addtition, you must read, speak, and understand the English language. We happily prepare younger pilots for their solo and/or checkride. And it's never too late to start. Students from 9 to 90 years old have trained at the Austin Academy of Aviation.

In order to be a pilot you will have to undergo a medical examination with an FAA approved physician. Medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, deafness, blindness in one eye, certain cardiac conditions, and even amputations can be granted a waiver by the FAA if they are demonstrated to be under control or are otherwise shown as not to interfere with your ability to operate an aircraft.

The number of flight hours needed to get your license varies from student to student. The FAA requires a minimum of 40 hours (10 solo, 20 dual, 10 additional of either). Most students who fly on a regular basis get their license in about 50 to 60 hours.

The flight training is the most obvious part of learning to fly and is certainly the most exciting. In order to facilitate a timely completion of your rating we recommend flying at least twice a week for two scheduled hours each lesson. This not only minimizes gaps between lessons and consequently lost proficiency, it also helps reduce the delay in training that may occur should bad weather force lessons to be canceled. If ground school is taken concurrently with flight training you should be able to get your license in about six months. AAoA employs full-time and part-time instructors. Day or night, weekday or weekend, what is convenient for you?

Ground training is individualized. The more you study on your own, the less expensive your training will be. If you prefer, our instructors will be happy to teach you everything you need to learn. We encourage you to use the Computer Based Instruction (CBI) kit to minimize the cost and increase the efficiency of your training. 

After completing flight training and ground school, you will have to pass a FAA written exam. After you pass, you will be given an oral exam by an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner. After the oral exam, you'll go up in the air to show the examiner you are competent and safe to fly. After passing the check-ride you will receive your Private Pilot License.

We'll teach you the basics: climbs, descents, turns to headings, take-offs and landings. We'll teach you how to handle emergencies: what to do in the event of an engine failure, what if there is a fire, what if my electronics fail. We'll teach you how to recover from a stall, how to perform a steep turn, who has the right of way. We'll teach you how to navigate using pilotage, dead reckoning, navigation frequencies, and GPS. And much, much more.

There is no easy answer.  Cost of training depends on which plane you fly, how often you fly, what the weather is like (to a limited extent), how hard you study, and how quickly you learn & gain proficiency in the cockpit.