Hi Wbryce,
The way I will be doing it this year goes along the lines of what Flyin'Dutch' and Tacpot suggest. I have been offered a Halifax One Visa card and its 0% for 9 months on both balance tranfers AND purchases.
I know from my own circumstances that I can afford 4 lessons per month out of my wages after all bills are paid and a few nights out, etc. I thought about taking out a loan but if I can borrow for 9 months at no charge then why take out a loan with a fixed APR and term? What I will do is have as many lessons as I can but I will still pay out of my own pocket for the 4 lessons every month putting any extra on my card. By the time the 9 months are up, in theory, I should have taken 36 hours worth of instruction. But, the weather may not allow this.
I need another 35 hours to meet the 45 hour minimum and realistically, I may need a few more before I can pass my skills test. Assuming that I am able to take the required hours within the nine months, as long as I pay for my 4 hours per month, by the time I start paying interest on my card I shouldn't owe that much. If at that point I do have a balance outstanding, I'll probably transfer it to another one offering 0% on balance transfers. Assuming I am allowed to of course.
I don't know what your circumstances are so what I have suggested may not suit you, but if you can get a credit card with 0% APR on purchases for however many months, but still making sure that you pay for any lessons that you would have had anyway, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Again, if you do have a balance outstanding at the end of the introductory period, get another card. Other than that, should you choose to take out a loan, the cost of a loan may very well have gone down by then.
There is also another benefit of doing it my way, if I don't get to fly often enough due to the weather, the chances are that I won't owe anything on my card when the charges are due to start and as such I may not have actually borrowed anything and should the worst happen, ie I lose my job, I won't need to worry about making x payment for the next y months. Having said that, I have taken out payment protection in case I do owe anything if that happens.
I hope you find an ideal solution to suit your circumstances and good luck with your PPL, however long it takes.
SuperOwl