Posted: 1/18/2026 6:39:37 PM EDT
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I am looking into seriously starting training for my PPL. I'm not trying to get to the airlines at 49 years old. At most, I would like to get my PPL and IFR certs, and fly for fun a couple times a month. I have access to a local flying club on the Navy base close by, which offers training at reasonable rates. I have my Class 3 Medical Exam scheduled for tomorrow... after all, why sink time + money into it and then find out that I'm medically disqualified later? I work at a local flight school as an A&P/IA, but my school is Part 141 and very, very expensive. At most, they would give me a 5% discount on training costs. The plus side is that, as I do have my student pilot cert, I can log the ferry flights that I do to go off-site to rescue other aircraft from blown tires, bent pushrods, blown cylinders... that kind of thing. I just have the CFI train me on some aspect of the flight and I fly the aircraft. If I could log maintenance flight time, I would already have 30 hours or so logged. Alas, I only have 5 hours. I also purchased the Flight Insight full ground school package when it was on sale for Black Friday. The school gives me Foreflight for free, so that is one cost that I don't have to shoulder. I already have a headset (also free + $200 to repair) and an iPad from work, but I may invest in an iPad Mini for ease of use in the cockpit + cellular connection for GPS. Now I know why all of the CFIs at my school hate teaching ground... it's so boring! Some of it I already knew from my job throwing wrenches at aircraft, some of it I've picked up from talking to or flying with the CFIs. Every time I boot up the program, my eyes glaze over about 5 minutes into it... yet I persevere. So, the short term plan is to hopefully pass my medical exam on Monday, reach out to the flying club to inquire about membership and training, then start "formal" training. Who knows... maybe they'll give me a discount in exchange for throwing wrenches at their aircraft. |
"You see? It's like I've always said; You can get more with a kind word and a two-by-four than you can with just a kind word." - Marcus Cole
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You are in a sweet spot for saving money. Nothing against the rigor and discipline of a Part 141 school, but it's an expensive way to learn, as you have said. No need to let them soak you for tons of ground, stage checks, etc., etc. As an A&P/IA, you are in a uniquely perfect position to buy a beater C150 (or similar), save a ton on MX, and be absolutely sure it is as airworthy as you want it to be. Fly it for the 40 or 50 hours you need for the cost of fuel, oil, parts and insurance. And you shouldn't need much in the way of parts because you can do your own pre-buy and not get a lemon. If you are willing to risk it, pay only for liability insurance, no hull, or perhaps under-insure the hull. You should be able to finish practically before the next 50 hour oil change, much less the next annual. Then sell it to the next guy (or don't). By all means do your own ground school and get the written out of the way before even stepping foot in an airplane. When you think you are ready for the written, and with your own aircraft at the ready, find an independent instructor to sign you off for the written and then start flight instruction with them. With the written out of the way you can fly 3 or 4 times a week and be ready for the check-ride in just a few months. The only hard part will be studying for the oral exam portion. At any rate, that's what I did, and it worked for me, except I paid for MX as I'm not an A&P. |
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum."
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Take one of the online ground school courses or a home study course (King Schools, Sporty's, Sheppard Air, etc.). After completion, you get a certificate to take the written- no extra CFI involvement. Buy a plane as suggested and get your ratings in it; sell it when you're finished or keep it to build hours. |
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Originally Posted By FB41: Take one of the online ground school courses or a home study course (King Schools, Sporty's, Sheppard Air, etc.). After completion, you get a certificate to take the written- no extra CFI involvement. 
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"Cogito, ergo armatum sum."
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Originally Posted By aa777888-2: Sweet, didn't know you could do that! But I'm a dinosaur I am too, but sometimes I learn from young'ns. I did all my ground schools through correspondence (American Flyers) or online courses (Sheppard Air). The only other ground schooling was coaching sessions prior to the various checkrides. |
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It might be way cheaper for you to buy your own airplane, maintain it yourself, hire an independent instructor, and sell the airplane for about what you paid for it when you are done with your training or are ready to upgrade. Get an IFR certified C172 or Cherokee. |
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Originally Posted By FB41: Take one of the online ground school courses or a home study course (King Schools, Sporty's, Sheppard Air, etc.). After completion, you get a certificate to take the written- no extra CFI involvement. Buy a plane as suggested and get your ratings in it; sell it when you're finished or keep it to build hours. This how I got my Private Pilot, bought an Archer II and sold it for a small profit and moved up to a Lance after about 100 hours in the Archer. The airport I went to had worn out Warriors, lost an engine while training and decided enough. |
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Your plan sounds solid, and it’s an awesome thing to attain. iPad is the way to go. If you are going to connect it to ADSB in you’ll have gps anyway. Might save a few bucks on the cellular, depending on what else you would want it for. |
“ Well, it feels like someone took a rubber band and snapped it right on the edge of your anus.” -JThompson
Non Solis radios sed Iovis fulmina mitto
Non Solis radios sed Iovis fulmina mitto
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Originally Posted By Kitulu: I have access to a local flying club on the Navy base close by, which offers training at reasonable rates. I work at a local flight school as an A&P/IA, Originally Posted By Kitulu: I have access to a local flying club on the Navy base close by, which offers training at reasonable rates. I work at a local flight school as an A&P/IA, Originally Posted By LRShooter: It might be way cheaper for you to buy your own airplane, maintain it yourself, hire an independent instructor, and sell the airplane for about what you paid for it when you are done with your training or are ready to upgrade. Being an A/P and able to use a MWR club are very powerful benefits if you're serious about getting your license. |
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Originally Posted By Morgan321: I got my private license at a MWR club. When I was in graduate school a fellow graduate student bought a plane and leased it to the club. He got to rent it from the club for only the cost of fuel up to some number of hours per month and the club did maintenance at a greatly reduced rate (I recall he said he had to pay around 1/4 of the maintenance cost). Being an A/P and able to use a MWR club are very powerful benefits if you're serious about getting your license. Originally Posted By Morgan321: Originally Posted By Kitulu: I have access to a local flying club on the Navy base close by, which offers training at reasonable rates. I work at a local flight school as an A&P/IA, Originally Posted By LRShooter: It might be way cheaper for you to buy your own airplane, maintain it yourself, hire an independent instructor, and sell the airplane for about what you paid for it when you are done with your training or are ready to upgrade. Being an A/P and able to use a MWR club are very powerful benefits if you're serious about getting your license. Apparently, the local flying club on base got some not-so-great reviews. I am planning on asking a couple of the local DPEs (who are Navy vets) if they know anything about it. I got the Flight Insight online course during their Black Friday sale. Lifetime access to all of their courses for around $400. I also have a copy of my flight school's syllabus, and several of the CFIs have offered to teach me on the side for the low, low cost of I pay for the rental airplane. Unfortunately, I had to back-burner it, as my entire maintenance team quit unexpectedly (through no fault of my own... I happen to be an awesome supervisor, it was tension from higher up than me that caused it) so I had been putting in 10 and 12 hour days, 6 days a week, to keep planes in the air. Now, I have some new guys to take some of the burden, and we aren't working weekends again for awhile. I have the cert from the online course, so now I am using Prepware to study for the written test. Once I pass the written, I plan to look into renting with one of my CFIs for actual flight training and eventual testing. I am also looking into the possibility of plane ownership/partnership. Certificated airplanes are going for anywhere from $30K to over a million, depending on type and capabilities. I was also looking into experimental planes as a long-term option, as I don't plan on trying to grind to the airlines. What kills me is that some of the experimental kits are more expensive than some of the lower-end certificated planes, and I would have to build it. My goal at the moment is to get my Private and Instrument, and fly on the weekends with a few longer trips in the mix. I may try for my Commercial license so that I can do ferry and maintenance flights for my school, but first thing's first. |
"You see? It's like I've always said; You can get more with a kind word and a two-by-four than you can with just a kind word." - Marcus Cole
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Originally Posted By Kitulu: Apparently, the local flying club on base got some not-so-great reviews. I am planning on asking a couple of the local DPEs (who are Navy vets) if they know anything about it. There's not many MWR flying clubs left. Been a long time, but from what I knew of them their quality varied significantly over time based on leadership. 25 years ago when I got my private license the local club (redstone arsenal) was amazing and never had an issue due to plane/instructor availability. Now a friend instructs there on the side but apparently the club is in limbo because they can't keep mechanics (because of all the better paying A&P jobs in the area). Students have given up or moved to other local outfits since they've had no planes available for over 6 months. You could always move here for a guaranteed job and cheap instruction! |
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Originally Posted By Kitulu: I got the Flight Insight online course during their Black Friday sale. Lifetime access to all of their courses for around $400. I also have a copy of my flight school's syllabus, and several of the CFIs have offered to teach me on the side for the low, low cost of I pay for the rental airplane. ... I have the cert from the online course, so now I am using Prepware to study for the written test. Once I pass the written, I plan to look into renting with one of my CFIs for actual flight training and eventual testing. Originally Posted By Kitulu: I got the Flight Insight online course during their Black Friday sale. Lifetime access to all of their courses for around $400. I also have a copy of my flight school's syllabus, and several of the CFIs have offered to teach me on the side for the low, low cost of I pay for the rental airplane. ... I have the cert from the online course, so now I am using Prepware to study for the written test. Once I pass the written, I plan to look into renting with one of my CFIs for actual flight training and eventual testing. I am also looking into the possibility of plane ownership/partnership. Certificated airplanes are going for anywhere from $30K to over a million, depending on type and capabilities. I was also looking into experimental planes as a long-term option, as I don't plan on trying to grind to the airlines. What kills me is that some of the experimental kits are more expensive than some of the lower-end certificated planes, and I would have to build it. If you can live with only two seats, there are a number of aircraft that have spectacular performance at a relatively low price point and, even though they must be registered as experimental in the US, you don't need to build them. For example, the JMB VL3. And, again, since you are an AP/IA, you can maintain it yourself. However, in the short term, I stick by my original suggestion of buying the cheapest Cessna high-wing you can find just to get you through your private, and perhaps your instrument and commercial as well. Then sell it and move up to something more capable. Note that the commercial check-ride is trivial. It's just the private with a few more maneuvers and tighter standards for altitude, airspeed, etc. Once you finish your instrument you will have no problem with the commercial (except for the ass pain of studying and taking the commercial written). |
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum."