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Training courses · Part 61 · Denton (KDTO)

Every course we teach, lesson by lesson.

Seven programs from first discovery flight to commercial checkride, each built on the A4-02 Training Course Outline and flown in our own aircraft with A4-approved CFIs. Every syllabus below shows its stages, individual lessons and the regulation it satisfies.

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Course catalogue

Ratings, checkouts and proficiency.

Start with a $165 discovery flight, begin a rating with a $1,000 deposit, then pay per flight — no membership and no monthly dues required.

PPL
14 CFR §61.109
Rev 1.2

Private Pilot Certificate (ASEL)

Cirrus SR20-G2 or Jabiru J170 · 3 stages · 28 lessons

A structured Part 61 course taking a student from no experience to the Private Pilot practical test, organized in three stages — Pre-Solo, Cross-Country and Test Preparation — each ending in a stage check flown with a pilot other than your instructor.

  • 28 sequenced flight lessons with digital worksheets
  • Stage checks with a second CFI before you move on
  • §61.109 aeronautical experience audited against your signed logbook
S1

Pre-Solo

You operate the aircraft in the traffic pattern and the local area, recover from stalls, handle common emergencies, and demonstrate the judgment required for solo flight.

  1. F01 Aircraft Familiarization and Preflight0.5 ground / 1.0 dual
  2. F02 Basic Attitude Flying0.5 ground / 1.0 dual
  3. F03 Slow Flight and Stalls0.7 ground / 1.2 dual
  4. F04 Traffic Pattern and Normal Landings0.5 ground / 1.2 dual
  5. F05 Crosswind Operations and Go-Arounds0.5 ground / 1.0 dual
  6. F06 Ground Reference Maneuvers0.5 ground / 1.0 dual
  7. F07 Emergency Procedures0.7 ground / 1.0 dual
  8. F08 Pre-Solo Review1.0 ground / 1.0 dual
  9. F09 First Solo0.5 dual + 0.5 solo
  10. F10 Solo Pattern Work0.3 ground / 1.0 solo
S2

Cross-Country

You fly solo cross-country, night and simulated instrument flights, and consolidate aircraft handling to Private ACS tolerance.

  1. F11 Soft and Short Field Operations (Dual)0.5 ground / 1.0 dual
  2. F12 Steep Turns and Advanced Slow Flight0.5 ground / 1.2 dual
  3. F13 Instrument Flying I0.5 ground / 1.0 dual
  4. F14 Instrument Flying II0.3 ground / 1.0 dual
  5. F15 Instrument Flying III — Completes 3-Hour Requirement0.3 ground / 1.0 dual
  6. F16 Towered Airport Operations0.5 dual + 0.5 solo
  7. F17 Cross-Country Planning and Dual XC 11.0 ground / 1.5 dual
  8. F18 Dual Cross-Country 2 (Diversion)1.0 ground / 1.5 dual
  9. F19 First Solo Cross-Country0.5 ground / 1.0 solo
  10. F20 Long Solo Cross-Country0.5 ground / 3.0 solo
  11. F21 Additional Solo Cross-Country Time0.3 ground / 1.0–1.5 solo
  12. F22 Night Flight — Pattern Work0.5 ground / 1.5 dual
  13. F23 Night Cross-Country0.5 ground / 1.5 dual
S3

Test Preparation

You demonstrate every Private ACS Task to test tolerance, fly the mock checkride to standard, and receive the §61.39(a)(6)(i) endorsement.

  1. F24 ACS Maneuver Review I0.7 ground / 1.5 dual
  2. F25 ACS Maneuver Review II0.5 ground / 1.5 dual
  3. F26 Mock Checkride
    Stage check
    1.0 ground / 1.5–2.0 dual
  4. F27 Final Cleanup Flight0.3 ground / as-needed dual
  5. F28 Practical TestDPE-conducted
INST
14 CFR §61.65
Rev 1.2

Instrument Rating, Airplane

Cirrus SR20-G2 (Avidyne Entegra, DFC 100 autopilot) · 3 stages · 12 lessons

A Part 61 instrument rating course flown in the SR20, emphasizing single-pilot IFR discipline, avionics management and the judgment to decline or divert.

  • Three stages: attitude instrument flying, procedures, then IFR cross-country
  • Approaches, holds and partial-panel work flown in the club's IFR fleet
  • §61.65 experience tracked toward the practical test
I1

Basic Attitude Instrument Flying

Instrument scan, full and partial panel control, unusual attitude recovery, and precise altitude, heading and airspeed control on the gauges.

  1. I-01 Instrument Scan and Aircraft Control
  2. I-02 Steep Turns, Slow Flight and Stall Recovery on Instruments
  3. I-03 Partial Panel and Unusual Attitudes
  4. I-04 Avionics and Autopilot Management
I2

Procedures

Departure procedures, holding, precision and non-precision approaches, circling and missed approach procedures, plus ATC communication under IFR.

  1. I-05 Holding Patterns and DME Arcs
  2. I-06 ILS and LPV Precision Approaches
  3. I-07 VOR, LOC and RNAV Non-Precision Approaches
  4. I-08 Missed Approach, Circling and Partial-Panel Approaches
I3

IFR Cross-Country and Test Preparation

IFR flight planning, the long instrument cross-country, single-pilot workload management, and the mock instrument checkride.

  1. I-09 IFR Flight Planning and Clearance Handling
  2. I-10 Long IFR Cross-Country (§61.65(d))
  3. I-11 ACS Task Review
  4. I-12 Mock Instrument Checkride
    Stage check
COMM
14 CFR §61.129
Rev 1.0

Commercial Pilot Certificate (ASEL)

Cirrus SR20-G2 (complex/TAA time) and Jabiru J170 (time building) · 3 stages · 18 lessons

A Part 61 commercial course for instrument-rated private pilots, built around the §61.129 aeronautical experience grid — including the required complex or technically advanced airplane time — and finished to Commercial ACS tolerance in the SR20.

  • Three stages: advanced maneuvers, commercial cross-country, and test preparation
  • Complex/TAA time in the SR20 counts toward §61.129 requirements
  • Time-building pairing with the J170 to reach 250 hours efficiently
  • §61.129 experience audited continuously against your portal logbook
C1

Advanced Maneuvers and Aircraft Control

Commercial ACS maneuvers to a higher tolerance — chandelles, lazy eights, eights-on-pylons, steep spirals and power-off accuracy landings — plus complex-airplane systems and procedures in the SR20.

  1. C-01 Commercial Standards, Regulations and Privileges1.0 ground
  2. C-02 Steep Turns and Steep Spirals0.5 ground / 1.2 dual
  3. C-03 Chandelles0.5 ground / 1.2 dual
  4. C-04 Lazy Eights0.5 ground / 1.2 dual
  5. C-05 Eights-on-Pylons0.5 ground / 1.2 dual
  6. C-06 Power-Off 180° Accuracy Landings0.3 ground / 1.2 dual
  7. C-07 Complex / TAA Systems and Procedures (SR20)1.0 ground / 1.5 dual
  8. C-08 Stage Check — Commercial Maneuvers
    Stage check
    0.5 ground / 1.5 dual
C2

Commercial Cross-Country and Experience Building

The §61.129 cross-country requirements — the 300 NM long cross-country, night operations and solo time-building — planned and tracked against your audited experience totals.

  1. C-09 Commercial Cross-Country Planning1.0 ground
  2. C-10 Dual Day Cross-Country (2 hr / 100 NM)2.0+ dual
  3. C-11 Dual Night Cross-Country (2 hr / 100 NM)2.0+ dual
  4. C-12 Long Solo Cross-Country — 300 NM (§61.129)3.5+ solo
  5. C-13 Solo / PIC Time Building Toward 250 Hoursas required
  6. C-14 Stage Check — Cross-Country and Experience Audit
    Stage check
C3

Test Preparation

Every Commercial ACS Task flown to test tolerance, the mock commercial checkride with a second CFI, and the §61.39 endorsement.

  1. C-15 Commercial ACS Maneuver Review I0.7 ground / 1.5 dual
  2. C-16 Commercial ACS Maneuver Review II0.5 ground / 1.5 dual
  3. C-17 Mock Commercial Checkride
    Stage check
    1.0 ground / 1.5–2.0 dual
  4. C-18 Practical TestDPE-conducted
TRAN
Insurance requirement and academy standard
Rev 1.2

Cirrus SR20 Transition and Rental Checkout

Cirrus SR20-G2 · 1 stage · 8 lessons

An eight-lesson transition for pilots new to the SR20, ending in a checkout evaluation that grants club rental privileges.

  • CAPS decision-making drilled on every flight
  • Glass-panel and autopilot workload management
  • Ends in a checkout evaluation, not an open-ended sign-off
T1

Transition and checkout

Systems ground, normal and emergency procedures, CAPS scenarios, pattern and cross-country work, then the checkout evaluation.

  1. T-01 SR20 Systems and Limitations Ground
  2. T-02 Preflight, Starting and Taxi Procedures
  3. T-03 Maneuvers and Stall Series
  4. T-04 Pattern Work and Landing Standardization
  5. T-05 Avionics, Autopilot and Flight Planning
  6. T-06 CAPS Scenarios and Emergency Procedures
  7. T-07 Cross-Country Leg
  8. T-08 Checkout Evaluation
    Stage check
DISC
14 CFR §61.51(h)
Rev 1.2

Discovery Flight

Cirrus SR20-G2 · 1 stage · 1 lesson

A single introductory lesson — $200, left seat, hands on the controls — designed to give an honest, structured experience of flight training and a clear decision about enrolling. It is a real lesson credited toward the Private Pilot course, not a sightseeing ride.

  • 0.8 hours of flight with a CFI, logged as dual
  • Structured brief and debrief, same worksheet as Lesson F01
  • Credited toward your Private Pilot course if you enroll
D

Single lesson

Brief, flight and debrief in one visit.

  1. D-01 Discovery Flight0.5 ground / 0.8–1.0 dual / 0.3 debrief
IPC
14 CFR §61.57(d)
Rev 1.2

Instrument Proficiency Check

Cirrus SR20-G2 · 1 stage · 2 lessons

An instrument proficiency check conducted to the current Instrument ACS for pilots who have fallen outside recency, flown in the club's IFR fleet.

  • Every ACS Task required by §61.57(d) covered and graded
  • Partial panel, holding and non-precision approaches included
  • Endorsement recorded in your portal logbook
P

Proficiency check

Ground review, then the required flight tasks in one or more sessions.

  1. IPC-1 Ground Review and Regulations
  2. IPC-2 Required Flight Tasks
    Stage check
FR
14 CFR §61.56
Rev 1.2

Flight Review

Any club aircraft you are checked out in · 1 stage · 2 lessons

At least one hour of ground and one hour of flight training, tailored to the aircraft you fly and the flying you actually do.

  • General operating and flight rules review on the ground
  • Maneuvers and procedures to the appropriate ACS
  • Logbook endorsement issued and stored in the portal
R

Review

One ground session and one flight, more if you want the practice.

  1. FR-1 Regulations and Scenario Ground
  2. FR-2 Flight Portion1.0+ dual

Not sure where to start

Fly first, decide after.

A discovery flight is the first lesson of the Private course if you continue — and a great hour in the logbook if you don't.

Book a discovery flightBack to training overview
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