Private Pilot Flight Requirements
FAR 61.109
A person who applies for a private pilot certificate with a single-engine airplane must log at least 40 hours of flight time that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training. The training must include at least:
3 hours of cross-country flight training.
3 hours of night flight training that includes:
• One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance.
• 10 takeoffs and landings to a full stop.
3 hours of flight training in on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight.
10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, with at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time.
One solo cross country flight of 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations.
Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern at an airport with an operating control tower.
3 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test, which must have been performed within the preceding 2 calendar months from the month of the test.
