Originally Posted by
pominaus
Hi all,
I'm just starting out and completed my TIF this week. If was a lot of fun, and I'm pumped to get started, but really I can't afford it yet. I think it's going to take me about 12-18 months to save up enough to be able to take lessons at a rate of 1-2 hours per week. I've got a starter pack of 3 hours for this school that uses a light sports aircraft, and I've found another school that uses a C172 and will let me get a starter pack there even with a few hours in my log book, so this year I'll probably be flying a total of 7-10 hours and deciding which school to go with.
What I really want to get on is theory. I figure while I'm saving I may as well be studying so I can spend less on ground school and more on flying. I'm just getting a bit confused what books, etc I need. A lot of my searches are being confused by the 2014 changes, and the difference between RA-Aus and CASA certs. I asked at my TIF, but the instructor just tried to fob it off as "we take care of all that in the classroom" lol. Sorry I've just been googling all week, but I'm not getting much closer to understnading what I actually need to be studying for RPL and PPL.
Thanks all in advance
pominaus,
A measure of a good instructor is one who cares about their students and their learning rather than just the flight hour they are getting paid for.
Your story sounds very similar to mine. I have had several different instructors over the years, but only one or two good ones. I learnt at a rate of 1 lesson per week around a full time job and handled all of the theory myself. I'm now an instructor so I have an appreciation for people going through what I did to get their license(s). As mentioned earlier I also used Bob Tait all the way from GFPT (now RPL) to CPL and would also recommend them. If you need any help with the theory you can shoot me a PM anytime - happy to help.
Cheers.