Is the recreational pilot certificate for you

The recreational pilot certificate may be right for you if you plan to fly for fun in your local area. It generally takes less time to earn than the private pilot certificate, and can serve stepping stone should you decide to move on to the private pilot certificate later

The recreational pilot certificate requires fewer training hours than the private certificate and can be earned in as few as 30 hours as compared to the 40 hours needed for the private. The reasoning behind this is that as a recreational pilot you receive fewer hours of cross-country navigation training because you must remain within 50 nautical miles of your home base unless you have additional endorsements. You also won't have to learn to fly in airspace requiring communications with air traffic control. And night operations and flight by reference to instruments, which are part of the private pilot training, are eliminated from the recreational pilot's curriculum

Because of the reduced training requirements, recreational certificate holders are subject to certain limitations and restrictions. As a recreational pilot, you can carry only one passenger in single-engine aircraft of 180 horsepower or less with up to four seats. It won't be a problem finding aircraft that meet the aircraft type requirements. Most general aviation aircraft that are inexpensive to rent or purchase fall into the above-mentioned categories

As a recreational pilot, your flying must be during daylight hours in good weather. Is there anyone who doesn't like blue sky and sun? You can fly no higher than 10,000 feet unless you happen to be flying over terrain, such as a mountain, that is higher than 10,000 feet