Cirrus Private Pilot Course
Seaside Aviation offers training for the Private Pilot Certificate in new Cirrus SR-20 GTS aircraft. Traditionally new students have been taught to fly in Cessna 172’s, 152’s or the Piper PA-28’s. These are all excellent aircraft for flight training, but for those who plan to either buy a Cirrus in the future or simply want to learn in the more sophisticated, better equipped and more capable Cirrus aircraft, starting your training in them is a good choice.
We train our Private Pilots focusing on a scenario-based approach that teaches “real world “ flying techniques, not rote memory maneuvers that are rarely used after the certificate is earned. This approach will better prepare you as a safe, competent pilot as you move forward gaining more experience and possibly future ratings.
The Federal Aviation regulations call for at least 40 hours of flying time to be accumulated before taking the Private Pilot practical test. However this is not a realistic number for most people. The FAA says that the average Private Pilot applicant has 65-75 hours by the time they receive their certificate. Obviously this varies depending on the individual and the time you can devote to flying and studying on your own, but at least it’s a guide. We find that our Cirrus Private students usually are ready in this time frame and take no longer than those that train in our less complex Cessnas. We do find however that new pilots that trained in the Cirrus, not only from our school but others, seem to be a step above other new pilots. We attribute this in some ways to the fact that Cirrus instructors (CSIP’s), as a whole, are far more experienced than the majority of the general CFI population and to the fact that students flying advanced aircraft learn more about aircraft systems and failure modes of those systems.
What is it going to cost?
Well, as we have said, it’s different for each individual, but to give you an idea, here are two scenarios. The first is the absolute minimum requirement and the second is a more realistic breakdown.