New Student Starter Guide

🛫 New Student Starter Guide

How to Get Ready for Flight Training at Aces High Aviation

Before you jump into lessons, here are a few key steps to help you start off strong and make the most of your training.

1. 🗓️ Schedule a Free Intro Meeting with Sam

Before you begin flight training, we invite you to schedule a completely free 30–60 minute meeting with Sam, the owner of Aces High Aviation.

This is your chance to sit down one-on-one, get familiar with how we operate, and have all your questions answered — no pressure, no rush.

What we’ll cover in the meeting:

• How Aces High operates and what makes us different and the genuinely reviewed highest rated school in Long Beach / local area.
• What a typical lesson looks like from start to finish
• Setting realistic expectations around cost, timeframes, and progress
• What to expect as you move through each stage of training
• What’s required from you to be successful
• Info on written exams, FAA medicals, insurance, and more
• A complete tour of the aircraft and training facility
• Time to ask any and all questions — we’ll make sure you feel fully informed

Most students choose to do this meeting before booking a demo flight, but it’s not required.

Our goal is simple: to help you feel confident, comfortable, and excited about your training path — and to build a flight plan that works for you.

Schedule your meeting here → Click to Schedule → Select “Schedule a meeting” on the contact form

2. 📋 Join the Waitlist

(Please check for current wait times if any)

If you haven’t already, make sure you’ve added yourself to our waitlist:
👉 Join the Waitlist

• No deposit required
• No contracts or obligations
• You can still call us anytime to schedule an orientation, which is required before beginning flight lessons

3. 👨‍⚕️ Get Your FAA Medical Certificate

To fly solo, you’ll need an FAA medical exam.

• For most students, a Third Class Medical is all that’s required
• If you plan to fly commercially in the future, we recommend getting a First Class Medical
• Fill out the questionnaire carefully at https://medxpress.faa.gov/medxpress/
• We recommend Dr. Hertzog: 2925 Palo Verde Ave, Long Beach, CA 90815 (562) 799-2020
• Alternatively you can find a certified AME near you:
  🔗 flightphysical.com/search

✔️ Try to get this done early in your training — ideally before you’re too many lessons in.

4. 📚 Start Your Ground School Course

You don’t need to finish ground school before flying — but starting it early helps a ton.

We recommend:
King Schools Private Pilot Online Ground School & Test Prep
They provide us a wonderful discount: instead of $299 it’s $229 — call (858) 576-6239 and mention Aces High Aviation.

👉 King Schools Ground School

Other solid options:

• Sporty’s Ground School
• Pilot Institute
• Gleim Aviation

✏️ You should be consistently scoring 85–90% on practice tests before taking the real FAA written exam.

Practice exams available here:
👉 Free FAA Written Practice

Separate from the written test you can find other materials below that are designed to smooth out the sharp learning curve at the start of the training, having the chapters and information covered below reviewed and learned several times over before starting flight training is hugely beneficial to the student.

Download the Airplane Flying Handbook here

Download the Pilots handbook of aeronautical knowledge here

Using the Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot’s handbook of aeronautical knowledge, study in detail all of these subjects several times over, if you can come in with this knowledge or at least a good portion of it, it will lessen the learning curve and give you a greater chance at progressing quicker through the material and lessons.

AFH = Airplane flying handbook / PHAK = Pilot’s handbook of aeronautical knowledge

1. Introduction to Flight Training – AFH Chapter 1 Introduction to Flight Training (p. 1-5)

2. Safety Briefing – AFH Page (p. 2-1 to 2-2) PHAK Chapter 2 Page (p. 2-13)

3. Cockpit Layout & Flight Instruments – AFH Chapter 3: Basic Flight Maneuvers (p. 3-5) –
PHAK Chapter 8: Flight Instruments (pp. 8-3 to 8-9)

4. Flight Controls and Axes – AFH Chapter 3: Effect and Use of Flight Controls (pp. 3-1 to 3-3)
– PHAK Chapter 6: Flight Controls (pp. 6-2 to 6-8)

5. Preflight Inspection & Ground Checks – AFH Chapter 2: Ground Operations (pp. 2-1 to
2-5) – PHAK Chapter 2: ADM & PAVE Checklist

6. Taxi Procedures – AFH Chapter 2: Taxiing (p. 2-6 and onward) – PHAK Chapter 14: Airport Operations

7. Straight-and-Level Flight – AFH Chapter 3: Straight-and-Level (pp. 3-10 to 3-13) – PHAK Chapter 4: Principles of Flight (Level Flight)

8. Climbs, Descents, and Turns – AFH Chapter 3: Climbs, Descents, and Turns – PHAK
Chapter 5: Aerodynamics of Flight

9. Checklists and Flows – AFH Chapter 2: Use of Checklists (throughout) – PHAK Chapter 9:Flight Manuals and POH

10. Airspeed and Engine Monitoring – AFH Chapter 6: Before Takeoff Checks – PHAK
Chapters 7 & 8: Aircraft Systems & Flight Instruments

11. Trim and Control Coordination – AFH Chapter 3: Trim Control – PHAK Chapter 6: Trim Systems

Other resources include :
Study Resource Recommendations – Sporty’s Study Buddy (App/Web) – YouTube: CFI Cindy,
MzeroA, Pilot Institute – Flashcards: Quizlet / ASA Pre-Solo Pilot Study Guide FAA Handbook

References – FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement

5. 📝 Schedule Your FAA Written Exam

Once you’re ready:

• Take the FAA Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) Written Exam – ~$175
• You’ll need to create an account and have your FTN (FAA Tracking Number) ready
• Find a test center here:
  👉 faa.psiexams.com

6. 🧰 Get Your Materials

We carry everything you’ll need in our in-house pilot shop.

Start by picking up two essential books from us:

• Airplane Flying Handbook
• Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

Read both cover to cover. These aren’t just reference books — they lay the foundation for everything you’ll be learning in the air and on the ground.

7. 📖 Read the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH)

Start getting familiar with the aircraft you’ll be flying:

• Cessna 152 II
• Cessna 172 NAV II
• Cessna 172 G1000

You can find the correct POH under our resources page:
👉 aceshighaviation.com/resources

It’s wordy — but 100% worth reading!

8. 📡 Start Listening to Live Air Traffic Control

Learning the radios early makes everything easier.

• Tune in to KLGB Tower at liveatc.net
• You’ll start getting used to the phrasing and flow of real communications
• Don’t understand a word? Google it!