Earning your Private Pilot license is the beginning of your aviation journey. Whether your goal is to be able to fly you and your family and friends, or end up flying for the major airlines, it all starts with your Private Pilot license. Here are a few things that a you can do when you become a Private Pilot.

• You can fly throughout the U.S. (and internationally) with no one but yourself at the controls

• You can fly yourself and your passengers with no one but yourself at the controls.

• You can split the cost of the flights between you and your passengers.

• You can not be paid for your flying skills. (Until you get a Commercial Pilot License)

• You can not fly inside clouds until you get your Instrument Rating.

As you can see, there are some great freedoms with just a Private Pilot license. It also has some restrictions on it, but depending on what your goal is, the restrictions listed above may not be of any impact to you. There are more details about a Private Pilot license on the Private Pilot FAQ's page.

These are some example flights our graduates have done with just a Private Pilot license:

• Flown their friends over downtown Portland, Oregon at night.

• Flown to the Oregon Coast for breakfast.

• Flown to Reno, Nevada to watch the Reno Air Races.

• Flown through the Columbia River Gorge with a stop in Hood River, Oregon for lunch.

• Flown along the coastline of Puerto Rico.

• Flown around Seattle, Washington at night with a stop in Bremerton for dinner.

• Flown to Manzanita, Oregon to camp at the coast with friends.

• Flown to the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound.

These are just some examples of what you can do with your Private Pilot license! The sights and locations are unforgettable, but the feeling of flying yourself to these places is the real fun!