Need some advice on my plan for modular training
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Need some advice on my plan for modular training
Hi guys,
I had completed my PPL a year and a half ago and recently returned to University to get a degree.
I am in no way well off and I am currently studying full time and working 30 hours a week in order to save up for all the training (hour building, ATPL, ME/IR, etc).
I will graduate next year and I estimate that I will have enough money and time to cover the rest of the training in approximately 2-3 years.
Would it be worth spending time and money on flying an hour or two every few months with an instructor? This would of course count towards my hour building but of course none of the hours would be counted as PIC (as well as knowledge being lost due to lack of frequent flying). Would I be wasting my money doing this? Should I just save the money until I have enough to buy hour packs and do it all in one go for my hour building?
Thanks for your time.
I had completed my PPL a year and a half ago and recently returned to University to get a degree.
I am in no way well off and I am currently studying full time and working 30 hours a week in order to save up for all the training (hour building, ATPL, ME/IR, etc).
I will graduate next year and I estimate that I will have enough money and time to cover the rest of the training in approximately 2-3 years.
Would it be worth spending time and money on flying an hour or two every few months with an instructor? This would of course count towards my hour building but of course none of the hours would be counted as PIC (as well as knowledge being lost due to lack of frequent flying). Would I be wasting my money doing this? Should I just save the money until I have enough to buy hour packs and do it all in one go for my hour building?
Thanks for your time.
Last edited by Jaair; 14th Feb 2017 at 09:31.
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when you have enough money to go out and do it you will probably be looking at couple of hours of refresher training anyway + you will probably let your SEP rating expire, so you will have to get back to exam standard to get it back.. really difficult to say whats best for you, but I couldn't go without flying for too long.. maybe consider gliding?
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@Martin_123
Thanks for the reply.
I will most likely have to do the refresher training anyway as the minimum requirement of 12 hours every 2 years to keep my rating current would definitely not be enough. Considering this, I feel like I would just be wasting money now if I fly every few months and would be better off holding it until I can start training seriously.
Of course there's also the need to fly, which is one of the reasons I've been flying every few months over the past year!
Thanks for the reply.
I will most likely have to do the refresher training anyway as the minimum requirement of 12 hours every 2 years to keep my rating current would definitely not be enough. Considering this, I feel like I would just be wasting money now if I fly every few months and would be better off holding it until I can start training seriously.
Of course there's also the need to fly, which is one of the reasons I've been flying every few months over the past year!
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I flew gliders fot the last two years of university as I could not afford my PPL yet but that was only during the season, April-August, and still, there were months were I could not fly at all. Managed to rack around 50 hours of which 35 solo.
One thing you might be able to do that I could not have done at the time is tow gliders. In fact the pilots are usually club members. That could be one way of maintaining your handling skills for free.
One thing you might be able to do that I could not have done at the time is tow gliders. In fact the pilots are usually club members. That could be one way of maintaining your handling skills for free.
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I have looked into flying skydivers but the hour requirements are too high. I imagine it is the same for gliders?
One thing that worries about leaving it until I begin training is that potential employers may look down upon a gap in my logbook (say 2 years) where I did no flying.
One thing that worries about leaving it until I begin training is that potential employers may look down upon a gap in my logbook (say 2 years) where I did no flying.
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In France I think the requirements for glider towing were 150 TT , glider + piston, and at least 50PIC on each, but then again if you're a member they will probaly work something out. One guy at my club had just gotten his glider license and was nowhere close to 150TT and still flew us.
Maybe worth looking into, especially if you'd go two years without flying.
Regardless, I would recommend gliders to any pilot, lots to be learnt, and a great way of networking, lots of former and current airline pilots.
Maybe worth looking into, especially if you'd go two years without flying.
Regardless, I would recommend gliders to any pilot, lots to be learnt, and a great way of networking, lots of former and current airline pilots.
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If I was in your place I would train for interesting things up to 85 hours of dual (tops!!).
Aerobatics, night flight, tailwheel, variable pitch, mountain flight.
All things that you can learn with your PPL and that will be very interesting to do.
Aerobatics, night flight, tailwheel, variable pitch, mountain flight.
All things that you can learn with your PPL and that will be very interesting to do.
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@KayPam really interesting suggestion. I've always been interested in aerobatics and tailwheel and considering I have to get my night rating anyway I might just do it too.
The problem is that since my license was issued I've done 2-3 hours of flying, and that was summer 2015. So my SEP rating would be expiring this summer. This was due to moving country and studying/working all the time. If I didn't have the flying bug I don't think I'd have the energy/motivation for studying full time as well as nearly full time work!
Considering this, would you say that it is worth getting back to exam standard now again or just save my money until I can give my 100% to flying full time (in a few years)?
The problem is that since my license was issued I've done 2-3 hours of flying, and that was summer 2015. So my SEP rating would be expiring this summer. This was due to moving country and studying/working all the time. If I didn't have the flying bug I don't think I'd have the energy/motivation for studying full time as well as nearly full time work!
Considering this, would you say that it is worth getting back to exam standard now again or just save my money until I can give my 100% to flying full time (in a few years)?
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@KayPam really interesting suggestion. I've always been interested in aerobatics and tailwheel and considering I have to get my night rating anyway I might just do it too.
The problem is that since my license was issued I've done 2-3 hours of flying, and that was summer 2015. So my SEP rating would be expiring this summer. This was due to moving country and studying/working all the time. If I didn't have the flying bug I don't think I'd have the energy/motivation for studying full time as well as nearly full time work!
Considering this, would you say that it is worth getting back to exam standard now again or just save my money until I can give my 100% to flying full time (in a few years)?
The problem is that since my license was issued I've done 2-3 hours of flying, and that was summer 2015. So my SEP rating would be expiring this summer. This was due to moving country and studying/working all the time. If I didn't have the flying bug I don't think I'd have the energy/motivation for studying full time as well as nearly full time work!
Considering this, would you say that it is worth getting back to exam standard now again or just save my money until I can give my 100% to flying full time (in a few years)?
After two years without flying you should still be able to fly without any major problem.
Maybe you won't be able to get your night rating in the minimum 5 hours, but so what ?
You will train for maybe 7-8 hours instead of 5.
It just depends on your total time, how many hours of dual and pic do you have, as of right now ? If you have 90 hours of dual, then know any hour done after 100 hours of dual is "lost" (or at least spoilt) and you should follow hobbit's advice.
If you have 50 hours dual and 10 pic, then by all means you can do 20-30 hours of dual to learn what you like.
If you don't have a burning desire to get airbone (as hobbit said), yes you could do it all in one go.
But if that was the case, then maybe you should consider other carreer options as well... Becoming a pilot will require many sacrifices (the most obvious being the financial one, you could buy half or even en entire apartment with the price of a pilot training), if you think you could be happy by just being a private pilot then maybe evaluate your appetence for and competence in other fields before making an educated (mature) decision between that career (say, finance or whatever degree you're currently in) and a pilot career.
(All that under the big "IF" stated just hereabove)
I understand you are very busy with both work and study right now. You could plan one night vfr flight per week, and a large part of these flights (say half) will get canceled due to weather, there is very little theoretical knowledge to be learnt, and you could see these 2 monthly flight hours as an useful leisure.
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KayPam, thanks for the reply.
I was just referring to being able to re-pass a flight skills test.
My TT is very low, approximately 50 hours due to having to move abroad shortly after passing my PPL.
My desire to fly has always been there, because of that I have always tried to get one hour of flight every few months with an instructor just to feed the desire and remind me why I'm doing all this. Everything I'm doing right now is motivated by my idea of finally being able to fly for a living one day. A few years ago I even left University for a year just to work and get my PPL. That was probably one of the best years of my life!
I am currently studying Computer Science and want to take advantage of the amount of opportunity in this field in order to save up whatever is remaining for the training.
But I really like your idea of getting my night rating in parallel with work and study. It is definitely do-able, I will just require some extra hours to get up to speed. However, if necessary, I am also able to just hold off flying until I am able to do it all at once.
Thanks
I was just referring to being able to re-pass a flight skills test.
My TT is very low, approximately 50 hours due to having to move abroad shortly after passing my PPL.
My desire to fly has always been there, because of that I have always tried to get one hour of flight every few months with an instructor just to feed the desire and remind me why I'm doing all this. Everything I'm doing right now is motivated by my idea of finally being able to fly for a living one day. A few years ago I even left University for a year just to work and get my PPL. That was probably one of the best years of my life!
I am currently studying Computer Science and want to take advantage of the amount of opportunity in this field in order to save up whatever is remaining for the training.
But I really like your idea of getting my night rating in parallel with work and study. It is definitely do-able, I will just require some extra hours to get up to speed. However, if necessary, I am also able to just hold off flying until I am able to do it all at once.
Thanks
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You could also think of it like this :
When you'll do it all at once, 150 hours of time building will cost anything between 13-22k (€ or £ ...)
If you have less time building left, you'll be up for a smaller loan.
Computer science sounds like a good idea for studies.
Wanting to save up before paying for training is good. However, you should consider the possibility that once you'll graduate, you might be looking at this differently.
I experienced the same thing, during my studies I thought i would be saving up before paying for my training.
One year after the end of my studies i'm pretty sure i won't be saving up, i'll get a loan or ask mommy/daddy.
Ask the opinion of your FI. They will tell you how much hours they estimate you need before getting your night rating. Flying at least once a month seems like a minimum in your situation (to keep motivation, to slowly build time towards CPL)
When you'll do it all at once, 150 hours of time building will cost anything between 13-22k (€ or £ ...)
If you have less time building left, you'll be up for a smaller loan.
Computer science sounds like a good idea for studies.
Wanting to save up before paying for training is good. However, you should consider the possibility that once you'll graduate, you might be looking at this differently.
I experienced the same thing, during my studies I thought i would be saving up before paying for my training.
One year after the end of my studies i'm pretty sure i won't be saving up, i'll get a loan or ask mommy/daddy.
Ask the opinion of your FI. They will tell you how much hours they estimate you need before getting your night rating. Flying at least once a month seems like a minimum in your situation (to keep motivation, to slowly build time towards CPL)
