The pre-requirements. Before I could register as a flight student in the USA, I had to submit all the required documentation, get an FAA Medical Certificate, purchase a ‘non-owned aircraft insurance’ policy, buy a Cessna Training kit (for academic ground course), a headset, an iPad and a kneeboard. (You don’t necessarily have to buy those right away, but at some point you will want to have your own equipment.) As an international student in New York, I also had to get TSA approval. Before a foreign student can train in a U.S. Aircraft or Simulator, he/she must go through the FAA fingerprinting process in the U.S. This procedure is mandated by the government through the Department of Homeland Security and TSA, via the Alien Flight School Program (AFSP). The process was pretty easy and fast, and once I had all the required documentation and approvals, I could sign the student agreement and get started.
