Private Pilot
Sport Pilot
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot
Certified Flight and Ground Instructor
LEARN TO FLY
Thinking about learning to fly?
Are you ready to expand your horizons and pursue your dreams of flying? Join thousands of others who have discovered freedom. The freedom to go wherever you want, when you want, without the stress and frustrations of airline travel.
Let the Nebraska Flight Center introduce you to the exciting world of general aviation and flight. Our friendly and professional instructors guide you through your introduction to flying. Our goal is to make you feel comfortable as you become a safe, confident, and competent pilot.
Ready to start?
Your first step is to take and introductory flight! You will experience a relaxing flight with one of our knowledgeable instructors who will demonstrate a typical flight lesson. This lesson counts towards your pilot license. When you land, your perspective will change… you will always be looking up!
Scheduling a demonstration flight is easy… either call us or email us to ask for a time that is convenient for you.
If you know someone who is dreaming about taking flight lessons, you can make their dream a reality: Buy a Nebraska Flight Center Gift Certificate for an introductory lesson of one hour on airplane (Cessna or Piper) for $280 dollars.
We can take payment over the phone and we’ll mail a beautifully printed Gift Certificate to be redeemed at the recipient’s convenience. Call (402) 305-4994.
Answers About Learning to Fly…
The Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for creating the requirements to become a pilot in the United States. Currently the requirements are:
- Age. You can start training to become a pilot before 16 years old, but a student cannot fly solo before reaching 16 years of age, and must be 17 years or older to take the private pilot practical test, also known as the checkride.
- Be able to read, write, and speak English.
- Pass a knowledge exam. You must earn a minimum of 70% (we expect much better from our students) on a multiple choice, computer based exam covering a broad range of subjects including aerodynamics, avionics, navigation, and more. There are many products on the market to help with home study. We have our own FAA Testing Center.
- Log at least 40 hours of flight time. The time must include:
- 3 hours of cross-country flight training. A cross country flight is defined as a flight to an airport 50 nautical miles in a straight line from the departure airport. We commonly use flights to Sioux City, IA or Columbus, NE for our cross country flights.
- 3 hours of night flight training. These flights must include a 100 nautical mile cross country flight and at least 10 take off and landings to a full stop( each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.
- 3 hours of instrument flight. As a student pilot you will learn to fly visually (looking out the window). But there are times when you will have to fly and navigate by instruments only, like flying in a cloud. You are required to receive 3 hours of training so that you can handle emergencies only. It is not intended to give you the ability to purposely fly into a cloud. That requires an instrument rating.
- 10 hours of solo flight time. Solo flight is when you fly without an instructor. You must complete the following tasks over several flights:
- 5 hours of cross country time. A cross country flight is defined as a flight to an airport 50 nautical miles in a straight line from the departure airport. We commonly use flights to Sioux City, IA or Columbus, NE for our cross country flights.
- 1 cross country of at least 150 nautical miles. Our students usually fly from Omaha to Grand Island, NE, then to Norfolk, NE, then back to Omaha to complete this requirement.
- Successfully pass an oral exam. You will be given an oral exam by a designated FAA examiner. This will cover the same topics as the knowledge exam, but will require more practical application. Once you pass your knowledge exam your instructor will work with you to prepare for the oral exam.
- Successfully pass a practical exam. This tests your ability to fly an airplane within the FAA standards. You will be required to fly a set of maneuvers including landing, emergency procedures, slow flight and more. Each will have a minimum requirement to be considered proficient at the maneuver. You will receive plenty of practice with all of the maneuvers before your practical exam.
That depends on how often you fly, the weather, and your learning and study skills. We encourage students to have a lesson twice a week at a minimum. This reduces the overall cost of training and keeps students from losing interest and forgetting what they learned.
If you fly less than this it will take you longer not only in overall time, but also in flight hours, to become a pilot. If you fly more often you will become a pilot sooner. In order to be offered the special introductory price you must have a minimum of two lessons per week, some of them in the sim, and a minimum of one flight per week.
The lifestyle of a pilot is unlike anything you have experienced before. You will be able to:
- Fly almost anywhere in the United States. No security lines, no schedules to keep. Just freedom!
- Attend fly-ins. There are a number of fly-ins that occur around the country every weekend. The tradition is to have pancake breakfast. These are great family activities and an excuse to meet and visit with other pilots around the country. Check out what is going on the next weekend using Social Flight
- Go eat a meal. There are many airports that have a restaurant on the field or are near a restaurant.
- Attend some of the largest airshows in the world! Living in Omaha we are within reasonable flying distance from EAA’s AirVenture, the world’s largest airshow and convention, held each year at the end of July in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. There are many other airshows you can fly to around the country.
- Make new friends! You will be amazed at how open and friendly the aviation community is. You will find yourself making new friends and contacts, and talking about flying for hours. All it takes is an interest in aviation!
- And so much more! To find out more about the lifestyle of a pilot contact us and schedule an introductory flight today!
As a private pilot you will be able to fly anywhere in the United States in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). This means that as long as the weather is good throughout your flight, you can fly! It is easier to list the things you cannot do rather than the things you can do:
- No flying in low visibility or in the clouds. To fly in less than perfect weather you must have an instrument rating, which you can earn with the Nebraska Flight Center.
- By training with the Nebraska Flight Center, you will be confident in any airport environment, from the sleepy airfield in the middle of nowhere to any of the busiest public airports in the country.
- The restriction to fly in some class “B” airspace is only for student pilots. For a pilot holding a Private Pilot Certificate it’s perfectly legal to fly to any civil airport in the US. This doesn’t mean they should, and in some places there are stiff landing fees.
- No flying for money. You cannot be compensated for flying someone. This requires a Commercial Certificate, which you will be able to get with the Nebraska Flight Center.
- No flying above 18,000 feet. You must have an instrument rating for this. You also need either supplemental oxygen, or a pressurized aircraft, and additional training to fly this high, anyway.
A minimum of $15,000
This is what we are charging as a special introductory price to qualified students. This includes 45 hours of airplane use, unlimited simulator, and instructor as needed. Student must be highly motivated, properly prepared at lesson time, and have several lessons per week.
If you do not qualify for the special pricing, the hourly cost for airplane is $180/hour, Instructor is $80/hour. We are currently not accepting students who pay by the hour. The minimum flight time required by the FAA is 40 hours, but in a traditional flight training program, the national average is 70 hours of flight time, and 50 hours or more of instructor time.
FLY BY INSTRUMENTS
An Instrument Rating is Challenging and Fulfilling
After earning a Private Pilot Certificate, the next step is an Instrument Rating.
Let the Nebraska Flight Center continue introducing you to new and exciting flight experiences. Our friendly and professional instructors will keep guiding you through your aviation adventure. Our goal is to make you feel comfortable as you become a safer, more confident, and more competent pilot, capable to fly an airplane through Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) and effortlessly navigate any complex airspace under the guidance of Air Traffic Controllers (ATC).
Either call us or email us for an appointment in a time that is convenient for you.
Instrument Rating
The quick answer: You’ll be a better pilot.
The biggest benefit is the improvement in flying skills. You will notice that your flying becomes more precise and smooth.
Gone will be the days when you are stuck on the ground because of bad weather conditions.
With an instrument rating you will be able to depart, fly to, and land, at airports with the appropriate instrument departure and approach procedures. You will learn more about the national airspace system, and gain better control over your aircraft as you lean and practice the skills of flying by sole reference to instruments while being in contact with air traffic controllers.
As was the case with your primary training… It’s variable.
It depends on how often you fly, how much time you have to study, and your study and learning skills.
The Nebraska Flight Center has all the tools you need to earn the rating. All you need to do is fly!
How easy is that?
To earn an instrument rating, you are required to:
1- Have a Private Pilot’s Certificate
2- Be able to read, write and speak English
3- Have at least a Class III Medical Certificate
4- Pass a knowledge exam. You can take the exam at the Nebraska Flight Center
5- Have the appropriate flight experience:
-50 hours of cross country PIC flight time
-40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, including:
-15 hours of flight instruction in actual of simulated instrument conditions
-At least 3 hours of instruction during the 60 days prior to the practical exam
-A 250 NM dual cross country flight that includes:
-An instrument approach at three airports
-A different type of approach at each airport
-Flight along designated airways or ATC-directed routing
A minimum of $15,000, but it will depend on your level of knowledge and skills.
Instrument training is where the Nebraska Flight Center shines. With the Redbird FMX full motion simulator we are able to accomplish most of the instrument training on the ground where the cost is almost half of that of renting an aircraft. The FAA now recognizes 20 hours in our Redbird FMX as part of the 40 hours minimum flight training required for the FAA practical test.
The Redbird FMX also allows our students to experience emergency situations and procedures all the way to completion in the safety of a simulator. You will become a safer pilot, in a shorter amount of time, with less cost.
As a private pilot, you are familiar with the costs of training and how the final cost depends on the amount of flying required and the weather. On average a student is ready for the practical exam with about 50 hours of instrument training. Based on your experience earning your private pilot certificate, you should be able to estimate the cost of instrument training.
For commited and properly motivated pilots, we offer a packaged program for $15,000.00 where we guarantee 25 hours of airplane dual instrument instruction, 25 hours of Redbird FMX with a CFII and unlimited use of the Redbird FMX when practicing solo. Please call or text for more information, or to enroll. To qualify for this package, a pilot must have a Private Pilot Certificate, a valid Third Class Medical (minimum), a current checkout on our Piper Cherokee PA-28, and the approval of our Chief Flight Instructor after an oral and practical evaluation.
FLY AND GET PAID
Become a Professional Pilot
We can complete your aviation education by providing you with the skills and knowledge necessary to earn your Commercial Pilot Certificate, and your Certified Flight Instructor Certificate.
As soon as you become a Commercial Pilot, you can start adding hours to your logbook and getting paid in the process.
Either call us or email us for an appointment in a time that is convenient for you.