Longest time to PPL

[Cirronimbus]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone out there knows of any pilot who took 100s of hours to reach PPL standard? How long did they take? Is there a point where either the student or instructor should say "enough is enough" and walk away? I know 40-50 hours is a minimum and there are a lot of reasons why a student might need more than that but surely there must be a 'cut-off' point? Gaining a PPL shouldn't be a case of 'throw-enough-money-at-it-to-buy-one'.

What do others think? What is the greatest number of hours you've heard of that a student needed to gain their PPL?

[76-need a fix]

I've heard there's a training school at Ardmore in NZ that won't let people sit PPLs until they've done 70-80 hours, but this might be just a rumour...
Something about the CFI not thinking 50 hours is enough to be a safe pilot.

[martinprice]

I had a very on-again, off-again experience due to personal circumstances changing several times. Elapsed time from first lesson to checkride was over 5 years so I think I had about 87 hours in my logbook when I finally did it. I'm not sure if there's a hard time limit where you should just give up but if you're flying regularly (i.e. once or twice a week) and you simply stop making progress then I'd think you at least need to step back and see if you can work out why.

[flyinkiwi]

I've heard of someone taking almost 150 hours to pass their PPL(A). Not sure how many attempts it took to pass the checkride. I don't see why throwing money at a PPL is wasting money if that is what you really want. Why let something like a lack of ability get in the way of you doing what you love? Such dedication is worthy of praise not derision as long as safety is not compromised.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

Something about the CFI not thinking 50 hours is enough to be a safe pilot.

Hmmm...interesting.

I wonder what that CFI would have to say about getting a PPL in thirty hours on tail wheel airplanes?

[MikeNYC]

I just took 106hrs over the course of 13 years for mine... did my checkride last Saturday, while my original discovery flight was in 1997. I'm sure I'm not the highest, but it definitely took awhile!

[norton2005]

A chap at my old PPL school was told to leave after 90 hours. They told him your not getting it so don't waste your money, and he was doing it full time. every situation to its own!

[AlphaMale]

The owner of the school I flew at, had a guy who took over 200hrs to pass his PPL the same week as I passed my flight test at 44hrs. So 2 extremes in one week.

He did say that it's very rare to have somebody take over 200hrs just as it is to pass the test within minimum time. 200hrs @ £145ph would have meant giving up after 50hrs for me :(

[IO540]

Just wondering if anyone out there knows of any pilot who took 100s of hours to reach PPL standard?I know of one ~ 120hr PPL, and some more who were way past 100hrs at the time I last saw them.

IMHO the only fairly sure way of making it in 45hrs is by having unlogged flying time, with another pilot. I helped out one chap a year or two ago and I recall he did it in 45hrs, so that was very worthwhile. A careful choice of a school and the instructor is also vital, to avoid waste of hours in changing schools / aircraft types.

[Paul H]

I was ready for my test at about 55 hrs, but personal delays have set me back another 10 months. I'm only able to fly every 3-4 weeks so I'm constantly having to fly to get back into things again as the examiner refuses to allow me to take my test if I havn't flown in the 7 days prior to the exam date. So I'm currently at around 67 and should get finished any week now. I'm hoping to do my CPL soon, so all the hours help. My instructor was done at 45, I know some people on 80-90ish. Once you get to about 60, I personally can't think of anything else you need to know or should not be able to do. If you can't pass at that point, maybe take some time off work and fast track the test.....that's why I've book off the whole of Oct.

[JEM60]

Got my PPL when I was 33. I got it in the minimum time after ATC gliding when I was 17. I thought that getting it at the minimum was the norm!
I felt that I was a normal pupil, but I always had the same [brilliant] instructor, and we clicked both on a learning and personal level. I guess that helped. Maybe it's rather harder these days, but I spent an awful lot of time sittng in armchairs at home flying circuits, going through checks, and studying. It helps to know what your upcoming excercises entail so that it's in your mind before you reach the field. I did eat, sleep and breath it whilst learning, and, I have to say in all honesty, that I had little difficulty with it. Like most casual PPL's, gave up with 200 hours in the book. It took too much time away from my family. Surprised by IO's post saying minimum was rare.

[Intercepted]

I did my PPL in 47 hours (including skills test) during a 3 month period last summer in south east England. The trial flight (and first lesson) at the club was the first time in a light aircraft for me.

The interesting thing is that I was NOT a "natural" and I did struggled a lot in the circuit before I got to do my first solo (22 hours). I believe I made up some time on navigation, something I never had a problem with on the ground, and as it turned out didn't have a problem with in the air either.

I was in full time work during this period, but I took a lot of afternoons and mornings off to accomodate the lessons.

Anyway, I believe the main reason for me doing it in nearly minimum time was:
I always had the same Instructor and he was a natural teacher.
I did eat, sleep and breath flying during this period.
I flew a lot of hours per week (47 in 3 months).
I choose an organisation with good availability of well maintained aircrafts and good instructors. Always accomodating my booking needs in the best way possible. I did choose an organisation more expensive than others, but in the end of the day I believe I did save money in doing so.

[kevmusic]

I believe confidence is a big factor in rates of uptake and progress.

I did mine in 125 hrs over 28 years. There were a lot of huge gaps of years at a time, so there were many occasions when I had to backtrack and revise, but during the final two years I lost a lot of condidence and this was by far the biggest drawback on my progress. I began to think I was really bad and it took me an age to get from QXC to Skills Test.

[Lister Noble]

Kev,if you divide the hours by the years,you did it in record time.;)
About a 1000% better than me:)

[flyinkiwi]

But at the very least, you stuck with it and have a license. I have met a lot of people who have started flying training that get almost to the checkride stage before throwing it all in. It's such a waste! :ugh:

[ChasG]

Kevmusic.......................medal on its way :) Well done for sticking at it. Chas

[kevmusic]

Steady on, chaps! :O

[tmmorris]

I'm not sure if anyone's actually worked it out but I'd be ready to bet that

1. those who did it in (near) minimum hours did it over a short period of time;
2. those who took lots of hours did it over many years

The anecdotes above seem to bear this out. In my case I was category 1 and did it in 48 hours - 1 hour of which was a trial flight in April, the rest done over 3 and a half weeks in August of the same year. I don't think it made me a particularly good pilot, but two or three flights a day definitely means you build up the skill set quickly. (I learned to drive in a week, too - it suits me...)

On the other hand I have a friend who is 67 and likely to take another couple of years - due to breaks for health reasons, &c.

Tim

[JEM60]

I have posted earlier. As I said, I was minimum time. but it was over 18 months. I went solo after 4hrs.30, which I took me completely by surprise, and I have to say I didn't enjoy it hugely, as I felt it was too early.. K.D. and I had knocked off the syllabus by about 32 hours, and spent the rest doing aeros in an Aerobat, PRAs into Benson, and advanced stuff like that!!. He was an exceptional instructor [ex Vulcan Captain, and was still serving RAF]. I never ever gloated over the quick time, because, in my opinion, doing it in minimum time stands for absolutely nothing. I am sure I would have been a much better pilot if I had taken twice the hours. It is experience that counts in the end, not the fact that you managed to pull it off in the minimum time. Who would you trust your daughter to fly with? A new PPL with 70 hours, or someone with the minimum of, I believe 40 in my day.
However, my main advice should still stand. Eat, sleep, and breathe it. Ask questions if you don't understand what's happening, and enjoy the journey.
Although I didn't stay in flying very long, I regard it, family considerations aside, as the biggest, most enjoyable thing that I have ever done, and wouldn't have missed it, or the flying people I met, for the world.