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Instruction (Getting Your Certification) Basic Dual Instruction On average, you'll spend the first 20-30 hours of flying time with your Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).  The ideal is to fly twice a week for an hour or two per lesson; at this rate, you have a fairly good chance of getting your certificate in about 6 months. Flying once a week (or even once every two weeks) can work out, too, if work schedule or finances don't permit more frequent lessons. (Just remember in scheduling your flight lessons that there's a lot of progression from one skill to the next; the further apart you space your training, the more time you'll spend playing catch-up.) In addition to actual flight time, you can also expect your CFI to spend some degree of "ground" time with you as part of your basic dual instruction. When actual lessons are involved (as opposed to routine pre-flight prep and post-flight debriefing), this time will be logged separate from the air time you acquire. You'll be flying "left seat" but your instructor will be the pilot in command...the person who has the final say in the operation of the aircraft. Both of you will be wearing voice-activated, microphone-equipped headsets so communication with your CFI is going to be easy. And what are you going to talk about and do up there at 2500 feet? Here are some of the skills you can expect to master in this initial phase of flight training. And remember, a competent, experienced Phoenix Aviation flight instructor will be there to explain the details, answer your questions, guide you through the maneuvers, provide feedback, and take the controls when you need assistance: Basic flight maneuvers (straight and level flight, turns, climbs, descents) Steep turns; slow flight Stalls (power-on, power-off, spin awareness) Ground reference maneuvers (rectangular courses, turns about a point, S-turns across a road) Emergency procedures (descents, approach and landing, systems and equipment malfunctions) Takeoffs and landings (normal, crosswind, short field, soft field, forward slips, go-arounds)   Copyright © Phoenix Aviation Incorporated 2003. All Rights Reserved.