Posted: 3/7/2008 5:08:38 PM EDT
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Hey guys, I'm 30 right now. I've been interested in getting my private pilots license since the age of like 16 or so. I'm really having serious thoughts about doing it. Can anyone give me a rundown of how much it costs on average and what's involved? Oh and also, I'm in Sarasota FL. Do any ARFcommer's have experience with the local flying schools around here? Do they normally offer a test ride kind of thing. I've been up in airliners and such but never been up in a Cessna type of smaller plane. |
Contact a local flight school, go to a small local airport and ask the operator if they offer instruction. They will have good answers for you though, but shop around and look at all the schools in your area. Standard answer for cost is between 5 and 10K. |
In a nut shell... As stated call around. Most places offer intro flights. When you call let them know you are serious about getting your private and that you would like to be able to discuss what they have to offer. Bring up the concerns you just posted, and ask to schedule enough time to do this. Last I heard, intro flights, a national program, were going for $59. It is a half hour lesson, just to wet your whistle. Costs vary depending on equipment used, course or syllabus, and the biggest factor, how much time and effort you put into it. There is a lot that can be covered on the 'rundown', but a good instructor should go over this with you during your intro appointment. If you have other questions ask or feel free to IM me. |
| Thanks for the advice and sorry for the late reply. I do plan on contacting several flight schools this coming week. In scouring the internet I've seen people mention that some schools are FAA approved while others are not. Should I rule out non FAA approved schools? If I remember correctly one link states non FAA approved schools can be better because they give the school more leeway in the curriculum. |
Some flight schools operate under FAR Part 141 rules. All that means is that the training is conducted under an FAA approved syllabus with added record keeping required. Most, if not all, of those same schools also train under Part 61 rules, too. Don't worry about that, everyone there is a certified flight instructor. Certified Flight Instructor. There's the important part. My recommendation is that you find an older flight instructor in the region that been doing it for several years, and instructs because he wants to teach flying. A young flight instructor that meets the requirements for the ticket, but is building time so he can move onto a "real" flying job is a bad bet usually; they are low on experience for starters, and they have a tendency to leave students part way through training so the student has to re-boot with a new instructor. (Re-boot does not mean start from scratch, but any new instructor has to fly with you to figure out where you really stand in your training, so there is a delay and added expense.) Any flight school worth its salt will sell you an "introductory" flight. If you're a student candidate, they should put you in the left seat and conduct the flight as if it is your first lesson, which it is. If the CFI does anything else or tries to impress you with spins or a stall sequence, go to a different school. All it takes is desire, time, and money. With enough desire, the cost in time and money is nearly irrelevent. |
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If you really "NO SHIT" want to do it you need to do 2 things. Go buy the Gleim for the PVT written. Memorize it and take the test..get it out of the way before your first lesson While you are there buy a PVT PTS (Practical Test Standards) Learn it Love it Live it. Then go take flying lessons If you try to learn to fly while your learning to fly you will piss away alot more money. Flying is the easy part..learning HOW to fly is the hard part Just my .02 CFI ATP B737 LRJET HS_125 |
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Before you do anything, schedule a physical with an Aviation Medical Examiner and make sure you are FAA fit to begin training. You can find out who the exminers in your area are by asking at a flight school ot researching the FAA's website. After you pass the THIRD CLASS physical, then attack flight training with a vengeance. You can also check with your local junior college (if appropriate) and see if they offer an FAA Private Pilot "ground school". Barring that, you can buy a ground school course from Sporty's Pilot Shop (www.sportys.com/pilotshop/), a MUCH better course than Gliem OR King Schools. |
I agree. It cost me about 6 more months and a thousand more because I would not go ahead and get the written out of the way. I did a whole lot of touch and goes killing time at that point. I also like the Gleim stuff. Once you pass your written, it will be good for 2 years. That should be plenty of time to get to the FAA practical/oral but keep that in mind. I also suggest you get the instructer to tell you what you will do on the next lesson each time so you can be prepared. Flying around at over $100/hour is not the time to be having him explain something you should have understood before you got in the plane. Once you get into the training and are sure you intend to finish, check into your local Civil Air Patrol squadron. Lots of pilots for encouragement and knowledge. Once you have your ticket, they are a great way to use your new skills. |
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I'm currently doing self-prep with the King Schools Private Pilot DVDs. I'm about halfway through the lessons, taking notes along the way. It's pretty good. Others, such as Sporty's and Gleim (noted above) have PPL prep programs. Since all I've had contact with is King Schools, I can't offer an opinion on which is "better." I figure they all have to teach the same material, since they are prepping for the same test. |
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Just amplifying and consolidating some of the previous poster's comments: 1. Get the medical out of the way. If you are healthy, $100 and a couple of hours later you are good to go. 2. Get the written out of the way. This will help you immeasurably in the air. First it will save a lot of time before, during and after each instructional flight because you won't have to have a lot of stuff explained to you then. Second it allows you to totally concentrate on the flying part (see below). To get the written out of the way you can do self-study (requiring less money but more discipline) or the ground school route (more money, less discipline). Choose based on your money/discipline resources  3. If you have no navigation or communications experience I highly recommend you organize a special block of ground instruction in this area, especially if you went the self-study route. Most people find these areas to be the most difficult part of flying. Mechanically controlling the vehicle rapidly becomes relatively easy. As in item 2 above, don't let these areas hamper your flight time if possible. 4. Now get in the air! Organize your finances and time so that you can fly at least twice a week, preferably three times a week. The skill erosion that occurs from flying once a week or more sporadically will hold you back and make the entire process take longer and cost more. There are 3 basic approaches to this phase of flight training in order of how much money you want to spend. a) Go to the super-high-end school. They have spotless, modern, well equipped planes, beautiful facilities, great coffee, etc. None of this is necessary during primary flight training. But many people vastly prefer it and those who are learning to fly later in life can often afford such luxuries. The professional atmosphere can also rub off on those who are lacking in self discipline and the (usually) strict syllabus also helps. b) Go to the more "average" school. The planes aren't quite as nice, the coffee not quite as good and maybe there are no jets parked outside. Instruction may not be quite as strictly organized, which might be an advantage as the instructors can deviate from the syllabus to more closely cater to your personal needs. c) Buy an airplane and get an independent instructor. This is not as crazy as it sounds (hell, it's what I essentially did  ). If you can swing the capital investment (and you don't need anything fancy, just airworthy) you can get your ticket, sell the plane and maybe even come out ahead on the deal less instructor fees. However all the stuff that the school takes care of you need to do yourself: organize tie-down, insurance, registration, maintenance, etc. This is not for everybody but it bears mentioning.5. Get the right instructor. Regardless of whether the instructor is stepping out of that shiny Part 141 school office with a tie on or driving up in his beat up Subaru wearing some old clothes to meet you at the airplane you need to be able to learn from this person. Flight training is one-on-one and you will be spending a lot of time in very close proximity to your instructor, often under stressful learning conditions. You will know if things are not working out. There is no shame in diplomatically suggesting that you might want to try to fly with someone else. Some people click. Some people are oil & water. Don't fight it, you'll just hold yourself back. Don't talk about instructors with instructors. That will bite you. Just move on quietly if necessary to someone that is more up your alley. 6. Be prepared. If you know you are going to work on stalls, study up on stalls before you get to the airport. Again, it makes for most efficient use of your hard earned cash and just makes good sense from a learning perspective. 7. Seek out challenging conditions. Some instructors avoid them or do the minimum or just work with what they've got at your scheduled time. Seek them out instead! Howling crosswind today? Call your school! This is a good opportunity to have an excuse to fly with a different instructor, too. You might like them better! Sorry for the long post but all this is very fresh in my mind as I prepare to get back into the air myself after a long layoff. Good luck and have fun!  aa |
This is great information. Thank you very much! |
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I'm going to call up some flight schools to inquire about their program. I've taken note of all the flight schools within about 20 minutes of me. I want to make sure and ask each one the right questions. I've written up an informal excel spreadsheet to organize all my questions. Check out the spreadsheet (in html format) at the link below. I'm sure I'm missing some good questions to ask. Please let me know what I've left out! Flight Schools Spreadsheet |
Hang out at FBOs, ask around. They will mostly be older, more experienced guys. |