‘Aviation Start’ Episode 2 Details How to Earn a Pilot Certificate for Free

The second episode of Aviation Start, FLYING’s new career-focused video podcast hosted by Jamail Larkins, takes on the biggest barrier between most aspiring aviators and the cockpit—the cost of flight training.

“You can go from zero flight time to actually getting your private pilot’s license if you do it right, completely free,” Larkins said in the episode.

His guest is David Leiting, Eagles program manager for the Experimental Aircraft Association. Leiting lays out the path step by step, starting with EAA’s youth-oriented effort. Founded in 1992 with the goal of flying 1 million young people by the centennial of flight, the program offers free introductory flights to youth ages 8 through 17 at roughly 650 airports around the U.S. through EAA’s chapter network.

“If you’ve got an airport within 30 miles of your house, there’s probably a Young Eagles program within 30 minutes of your house,” Leiting said.

That free flight is the first step in what EAA calls the Young Eagles Flight Plan. From there, students can enroll in a free EAA student membership, good until age 19, and gain access to EAA AeroEducate along with Sporty’s Learn To Fly Course at no cost. The course is a complete ground school that prepares students for the FAA knowledge exam, and EAA reimburses the exam fee for students who pass after completing it.

Students also earn a voucher toward their first flight lesson, and those who stay engaged with their local chapter may qualify for a week at EAA’s Air Academy summer camp in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

After completing those stops, at the top of that funnel sits roughly $2.5 million in flight training scholarships that EAA awards every year, including $2.2 million administered at the chapter level through the Ray Aviation Scholarship Fund. Ray scholars who complete their first solo also receive a Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset thanks to Lightspeed Aviation’s support of the program.

The results stand out. The commonly cited dropout rate in flight training is around 80 percent, meaning eight out of 10 student pilots quit before earning a private pilot certificate. According to Leiting, EAA scholars invert that number, with more than 80 percent completing their certificate, and he credits the mentorship and accountability of the local chapter network.

Options After High School

The episode also covers paths for adults, including EAA’s Eagle Flights introductory program for those 18 and older, scholarships for older students, and flying clubs that can bring the hourly cost of flying down dramatically. Leiting and Larkins also discussed how internships can turn into full-time aviation careers, drawing on Leiting’s own path from EAA intern to staff member.

Episode 2 of AviationStart is available now on FLYING’s YouTube channel and all major podcast platforms. Aspiring aviation professionals can also get matched with eligible scholarships from a database of more than $20 million at aviationstart.org.