How do private planes work at airports?

With a private charter you are buying time on an aircraft, vs buying a seat on a commercially-scheduled airline flight. Aircraft are usually chartered by the hour for which you have use of the entire plane. You pay the same price for the plane, be it for 1 passenger, or filled to capacity.

Do pilots have to pay to land at an airport?

Some airports, especially general aviation airports, do not charge landing fees. Some airports may charge a fee for specific types of operators, such as Part 135 or 121. Some airports (like Santa Monica (KSMO)) charge landing fees to dissuade General Aviation pilots from landing at the airport.

How much does it cost to land a plane at a private airport?

Landing fees vary by airport and usually depend on the size and weight of the aircraft. Expect fees to be in the $100 to $500 range. Sometimes these fees are waived if your aircraft is refueling at the airport. The fees are used to maintain runways and airport buildings.

Do pilots get a weather briefing before a flight?

Recent statistics indicate that more than half of the pilots involved in mishaps did not file a flight plan before the accident flight. I wonder if they are the same pilots who don’t bother to get a weather briefing of any kind before they fly. There is a lot of paperwork associated with modern flying.

How do you prepare for a long-haul flight?

Obtained a good weather briefing on your point of departure, route of flight, destination, and alternate airports in case things don’t go as planned. Planned the details of your flight — route, speed, times, fuel consumption, fuel reserves, contingencies, etc. — based on the actual and currently forecast weather.

Do I need to file a flight plan for every flight?

Your flight school, through its aircraft rental agreement or other published policies, may require that you file a flight plan for every cross-country flight.

How do flight schools keep track of pilots?

Some flight schools have their own kinds of local flight plans, dispatch logs, or other mechanisms for keeping track of their people and airplanes. Most important is that flight plans serve as a trigger for concern in the event an aircraft is overdue.