Obtaining a License

It's really a pilot certificate, not a license, but....

It depends on the person's goals, to a great extent. If the goal is not a flying career but just enjoyment of flight, start with Recreational Pilot. Sport Pilot is too restrictive, in my opinion, and properly certificated instructors are hard to find. Any flight instructor CAN train a pilot for the recreational ticket, but most will do it only after kicking and screaming. The great majority of flight instructors are hard-wired to prepare folks for the private ticket and will talk an applicant out of trying for the recreational ticket.

Sport Pilot is not a stepping stone to higher classes of certificate. A person going for the recreational or private certificates is no better off holding an SP than Joe Blow who just walked in the door of the school.

If the person is career-oriented, go for broke and train for the private certificate. Fewer knowledge exams, fewer checkrides, and it's a straight shot to the commercial and instrument.

I recommend a thorough look at the applicable sections of FAR Part 61.

Bob Gardner
THE COMPLETE PRIVATE PILOT (published by ASA)

 

I would hope that folks cease trying to short-circuit the system and thereby shortchange themselves. I cannot recommend more strongly going for the entire Private Pilot certificate and be able to excercise the full privleges of what a pilot's certificate provides. By doing so you are insuring that you have received the full curriculum of training, including systems, airspace, weather, rules and regulations, as well as learning how to operate the aircraft. Note that operation of the aircraft was decidedly placed last and for good reason.

Anyone can learn to operate the airplane, but it takes everything else to be a pilot.

Please do yourself or your friend a favor and encourage him not to take the easy or cheap way out. If he is serious then commit to the entire curriculum. He owes it not only to himself, but to any passengers he carries, to the people on the ground he flies over and to the other pilots with which he will be sharing the sky.

Planeflyr

 

I have resisted the urge to contribute to this thread because the concept of a recreational and sport pilot are totally foreign to me, and I didn't want to comment on something I know absolutely nothing about.

I see the logic behind the comments, however, in that if you are truly interested in progressing beyond being a "Recreational" or "Sport" pilot, then it makes sense to go straight to the Private Pilot level, and progress from there.

Thanks for the insight.