Cheap American PPL's A Waste Of Money?
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Cheap American PPL's A Waste Of Money?
Any other Instructors coments on the following will be warmly appreciated:
Working as an instuctor at a busy flying school in central England I am becoming increasingly agitated by a growing number of FAA PPL holders who are endeavouring to get "checked out" to fly in the U.k.
This post I must emphasis is NOT to slag off these pilots but more to voice my frustration at the apparent low standards of training of SOME of our Americano colleagues.
I am currently in the process of completing two such "check outs". Both pilots who by the way were taught at seperate schools, and I am very concerned at the lack of basic skills they posses as qualifyed PPL's.
General weaknesses are as follows;
1 En-route cx and pre landing cx very sketchy,
2 Radio skills and general RT handling weak
3 Principles of dead-reckoning nav not covered properly
4 Stalling only covered to Incipient stage
5 No method for PFL's (just aiming at any field regardless of speed and height)
6 principles of stable approach speed and also x-wind landings poorly understood.
7intermitent use of carb heat
plus many other less important quibbles.
Having done hours building in the U.S. on my good old CAA PPL I am well aware of the differences in operating in the U.S. (especialy on the radio) but I feel that buying a cheap PPL can be a false economy as both of my chaps have completed several more hours of Dual training than even they anticipated, and in my opinion more is required.
My message to anybody thinking of heading off to Florida or anywhere similar is to look at the basic cost of the PPL, add your flights and living expences for 4-6 weeks than add 5-700£ to get checked out in the U.K. afterwards and see what the difference is.
By the way one of the FTO's is British owned and offers an APPROVED JAA PPL.
How does it go again? you get what you pay for!
Cheers me Dears
Working as an instuctor at a busy flying school in central England I am becoming increasingly agitated by a growing number of FAA PPL holders who are endeavouring to get "checked out" to fly in the U.k.
This post I must emphasis is NOT to slag off these pilots but more to voice my frustration at the apparent low standards of training of SOME of our Americano colleagues.
I am currently in the process of completing two such "check outs". Both pilots who by the way were taught at seperate schools, and I am very concerned at the lack of basic skills they posses as qualifyed PPL's.
General weaknesses are as follows;
1 En-route cx and pre landing cx very sketchy,
2 Radio skills and general RT handling weak
3 Principles of dead-reckoning nav not covered properly
4 Stalling only covered to Incipient stage
5 No method for PFL's (just aiming at any field regardless of speed and height)
6 principles of stable approach speed and also x-wind landings poorly understood.
7intermitent use of carb heat
plus many other less important quibbles.
Having done hours building in the U.S. on my good old CAA PPL I am well aware of the differences in operating in the U.S. (especialy on the radio) but I feel that buying a cheap PPL can be a false economy as both of my chaps have completed several more hours of Dual training than even they anticipated, and in my opinion more is required.
My message to anybody thinking of heading off to Florida or anywhere similar is to look at the basic cost of the PPL, add your flights and living expences for 4-6 weeks than add 5-700£ to get checked out in the U.K. afterwards and see what the difference is.
By the way one of the FTO's is British owned and offers an APPROVED JAA PPL.
How does it go again? you get what you pay for!
Cheers me Dears
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As a Brit who has instructed in the UK for two years I have experienced pilots from training backgrounds in both countries. On the whole the standard of pilots from both is very much the same.
Of course when you transfer students from one country to another it is going to take more than an hour to acclimatise to the differences. I have checked out many UK trained pilots in the US - most of which were fairly average pilots whose RT was not terribly good either.
Covering some other points brought up, dead reckoning is a big part of the PPL syllabus in the states and as I recollect there is a requirement for more cross country flying to gain an FAA PPL than a JAR PPL. Unfortunately it is just something people tend not to be good at whether trained by Americans or Brits.
Full stalls are always taught at PPL in the States, PFL's have huge emphasis, as have stable approaches and crosswind technique.
Maybe you have just been unfortunate with the students you have seen, I have seen the same thing in reverse I can assure you.
Of course when you transfer students from one country to another it is going to take more than an hour to acclimatise to the differences. I have checked out many UK trained pilots in the US - most of which were fairly average pilots whose RT was not terribly good either.
Covering some other points brought up, dead reckoning is a big part of the PPL syllabus in the states and as I recollect there is a requirement for more cross country flying to gain an FAA PPL than a JAR PPL. Unfortunately it is just something people tend not to be good at whether trained by Americans or Brits.
Full stalls are always taught at PPL in the States, PFL's have huge emphasis, as have stable approaches and crosswind technique.
Maybe you have just been unfortunate with the students you have seen, I have seen the same thing in reverse I can assure you.
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Good points raised, obviously only two pilots dosnt give me a good enough cross section to draw a conclusion on the whole U.S. PPL training set up, But I did find it worrying that they shared very similar weaknesses in key areas of their knowledge/skills,
Food for thought .
Food for thought .
The Oracle
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jarjam,
Quality of a low time pilot will vary from school to school. It is like any business, there are companies that offer a good product and companies that offer something less.
As a low time pilot it is important to keep flying. If they do not, their skills will deteriorate over time. Then you are also tossing into the mix a new environment. Something the pilot is not accustom to adds apprehension and lowers a pilots performance. This is something that will go away with a few hours of flight time. This is not just going from the U.S.A. to Europe, the same thing would happen to a low time pilot, for example, flying in L.A. for the first time after only flying in Florida.
There is another factor. The FAA and JAA teach the same procedures slightly differently. You have to be aware of the differences and understand that it is a slightly different approach which in the end obtains the same goal.
The important thing is to approach the pilot with a positive attitude and help them make their goal of getting checked out. Just think if you were in their position. They meet their instructor and the first comment is, "Oh, you did your training in XXXXX, well we will need to do this and this and this to fix that!" Then they go up for the flight. The instructor sees the pilot doing a maneuver slightly differently to the way he would teach it and the instructor immediately takes over and says, "Where did you learn to do that? That is all wrong and you need to do it this way!" By this time the poor guy is so nervous and his morale is so low that his performance suffers severely.
This is nothing that is unique to the U.K., the same thing happens in the U.S.A. too. Someone comes from Europe to get checked out in the U.S.A. to fly for a holiday can get the exact same reaction here too. It all hinges on the instructor and his attitude/knowledge when dealing with someone flying in their country for the first time.
Happy Flying,
Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.
Quality of a low time pilot will vary from school to school. It is like any business, there are companies that offer a good product and companies that offer something less.
As a low time pilot it is important to keep flying. If they do not, their skills will deteriorate over time. Then you are also tossing into the mix a new environment. Something the pilot is not accustom to adds apprehension and lowers a pilots performance. This is something that will go away with a few hours of flight time. This is not just going from the U.S.A. to Europe, the same thing would happen to a low time pilot, for example, flying in L.A. for the first time after only flying in Florida.
There is another factor. The FAA and JAA teach the same procedures slightly differently. You have to be aware of the differences and understand that it is a slightly different approach which in the end obtains the same goal.
The important thing is to approach the pilot with a positive attitude and help them make their goal of getting checked out. Just think if you were in their position. They meet their instructor and the first comment is, "Oh, you did your training in XXXXX, well we will need to do this and this and this to fix that!" Then they go up for the flight. The instructor sees the pilot doing a maneuver slightly differently to the way he would teach it and the instructor immediately takes over and says, "Where did you learn to do that? That is all wrong and you need to do it this way!" By this time the poor guy is so nervous and his morale is so low that his performance suffers severely.
This is nothing that is unique to the U.K., the same thing happens in the U.S.A. too. Someone comes from Europe to get checked out in the U.S.A. to fly for a holiday can get the exact same reaction here too. It all hinges on the instructor and his attitude/knowledge when dealing with someone flying in their country for the first time.
Happy Flying,
Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.
We have also encountered difficulties with SOME - not all - students trained in the US.
To add to your list:
1. No concept of attitude flying.
2. Inability to assess tracking whilst maintaining the correct height in the visual circuit.
3. One pilot who had never recovered from a 'spiral descent' during his US training.
4. One pilot who had to demand to be allowed to fly solo - his 'instructor' was determined to get the most 'dual instruction' time possible in order to buld his own hours.....
5. One pilot who hadn't covered flapless circuits and other manadatory items of the JAR/FCL PPL Skill Test because the tame examiner used by the US school claimed they'd 'run out of time' - what he meant was that the flight would have exceded the time 'allocated' by the school. After landing the Examiner then ostentatiously tapped his top pocket, expecting a tip........
6. One school which, astonishingly, actually charged more for flight instruction by experienced instructors and less for that provided by inexperienced ones! I can hardly believe that this was true, but that's what the pilot said!
Interestingly, the CAA SRG consider that there is no 'safety case' for such pilots returning to the UK from the US - as no-one will allow them to fly solo in the UK until they've received further training.....
Again, please note that this is NOT a general criticism, just our experience with SOME US-trained pilots.......
To add to your list:
1. No concept of attitude flying.
2. Inability to assess tracking whilst maintaining the correct height in the visual circuit.
3. One pilot who had never recovered from a 'spiral descent' during his US training.
4. One pilot who had to demand to be allowed to fly solo - his 'instructor' was determined to get the most 'dual instruction' time possible in order to buld his own hours.....
5. One pilot who hadn't covered flapless circuits and other manadatory items of the JAR/FCL PPL Skill Test because the tame examiner used by the US school claimed they'd 'run out of time' - what he meant was that the flight would have exceded the time 'allocated' by the school. After landing the Examiner then ostentatiously tapped his top pocket, expecting a tip........
6. One school which, astonishingly, actually charged more for flight instruction by experienced instructors and less for that provided by inexperienced ones! I can hardly believe that this was true, but that's what the pilot said!
Interestingly, the CAA SRG consider that there is no 'safety case' for such pilots returning to the UK from the US - as no-one will allow them to fly solo in the UK until they've received further training.....
Again, please note that this is NOT a general criticism, just our experience with SOME US-trained pilots.......
Last edited by BEagle; 26th Jun 2002 at 06:52.
Beagle, et al
I used to ALOT of checkouts for European pilots at the FBO I worked at here in San Diego. The quality of the pilots varied greatly, usually the determining factor was common sense and flight experience. The closest I ever came to lawn darting came from an arrogant Brit pilot with only a couple hundred hours. He had bought into someones line of BS that the Brit way was utterly superior to the FAA's. When we were done, I not only wouldn't sign him off, I went to the FSDO (FAA) to let them know to look out for him. Do I condemn all Brits by my experience with him and a few others? No I don't . I recognize that each system has its highlights, and its drawbacks.
It may hurt your feelings to know that instructors on this side of the pond have lists of peeves also.
I used to ALOT of checkouts for European pilots at the FBO I worked at here in San Diego. The quality of the pilots varied greatly, usually the determining factor was common sense and flight experience. The closest I ever came to lawn darting came from an arrogant Brit pilot with only a couple hundred hours. He had bought into someones line of BS that the Brit way was utterly superior to the FAA's. When we were done, I not only wouldn't sign him off, I went to the FSDO (FAA) to let them know to look out for him. Do I condemn all Brits by my experience with him and a few others? No I don't . I recognize that each system has its highlights, and its drawbacks.
It may hurt your feelings to know that instructors on this side of the pond have lists of peeves also.
Please would you let us know what the 'list of peeves' consists of so that we can do something about it?
I can well imagine that some low time pilots with JAR-FCL PPLs arriving in the US with the intention of wanting to drone up and down the coast 'hours building' would genuinely irritate their US instructors with a 'I've got my licence - I know it all' attitude. You have my sympathy!!
I too have met some low-hours folk who seem to think that there is nothing more for them to learn - all they have to do is to burn holes in the sky and the airlines will welcome them with open arms.....................
I can well imagine that some low time pilots with JAR-FCL PPLs arriving in the US with the intention of wanting to drone up and down the coast 'hours building' would genuinely irritate their US instructors with a 'I've got my licence - I know it all' attitude. You have my sympathy!!
I too have met some low-hours folk who seem to think that there is nothing more for them to learn - all they have to do is to burn holes in the sky and the airlines will welcome them with open arms.....................
I didn't write them down, so I am working from a distant memory.
1. R/T, to be expected though. Many came over prepared as best they could. Some had purchased tapes of US RT techniques, or somehow prepared themselves in this aspect. Alot hadn't. At first it was quaint to hear them ask for curcuits.
2. Problems in high density controlled airports. This encompasses a few things. Speed adjustments issued by controllers. At a number of San Diego airports the pace can be breathtaking. Instrument pilots especially had problems flying at the increased speeds ATC issued, an ILS at 120 kts instead of 90 or whatever they were comfortable with. VFR patterns adjusted by the tower offered the same.
3. A number had problems at a busy uncontrolled airport. A bit of a problem being their own controller.
4. The complex airspace of Southern California. Enough said on that.
5. Flight in reduced vsby, as is the norm here.
I recognize some of these are particular to the area, I based my judgements on the ability to adapt to these challenges after some exposure, not how they came through the front door initially.
1. R/T, to be expected though. Many came over prepared as best they could. Some had purchased tapes of US RT techniques, or somehow prepared themselves in this aspect. Alot hadn't. At first it was quaint to hear them ask for curcuits.
2. Problems in high density controlled airports. This encompasses a few things. Speed adjustments issued by controllers. At a number of San Diego airports the pace can be breathtaking. Instrument pilots especially had problems flying at the increased speeds ATC issued, an ILS at 120 kts instead of 90 or whatever they were comfortable with. VFR patterns adjusted by the tower offered the same.
3. A number had problems at a busy uncontrolled airport. A bit of a problem being their own controller.
4. The complex airspace of Southern California. Enough said on that.
5. Flight in reduced vsby, as is the norm here.
I recognize some of these are particular to the area, I based my judgements on the ability to adapt to these challenges after some exposure, not how they came through the front door initially.
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Something no one has addressed yet. There are students everywhere who want to cut corners. Sometimes I really wonder why they want to fly if they only want to do 1/2 of the 'fun bits'. Maybe it's the sales spiel they get, maybe it's just expecting less training for less money. I've had students where I thought "perhaps I should give him his licence first MAYBE THEN he will want to learn what it is all about. I'm also sure that if you wrote down what the student said, they never did, and then contacted the other instructor across the pond, you might get surprised. Remember, a student can not remember, what it is, that he forgot. We have Americans and Europeans coming to Australia to fly and you would not believe the stories I get. Neither do I. Sometimes I ask people "would you lend me your $150 000 Mercedes to drive to Darwin without any stipulations" Answer "No". "So why should I lent you my $ 150 000 Aeroplane without you jumping through some hoops of ours. I don't make the law, I just comply with it. It is my duty to get you to comply with it as well". There are students in Australia as well as America and Europe, who shop around for some sucker who will expect less and let them get away with more. In 35 years of flying I have never met a student who said to me "I wanted more training but they would not give it to me. Personally I think a 40 hour PPL is just not enough. I generally need 65 to 70 hours to get them competent. Perhaps that says something about my competency?????????
However, I'm still alive, have never bingled anything and never had the need to be disciplined by our Authority.
However, I'm still alive, have never bingled anything and never had the need to be disciplined by our Authority.
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Of course they are.
If you want to fly in U.K or European airspace, then learn in that environment. If you are going to fly in the states then learn there. The procedures we all fly are different, not better or worse, just different.
To be honest if you add it all up, learning to fly in the States is NOT cheaper than here in Blighty, if you include the cost of re-training, I've never had to do "just" a check out. The fact that in many places across the pond you have to pay for ground briefings. Then add in flight and accomodation costs. All of a sudden the U.K is not quite as expensive.
Most people only look at the per hour rate and while there is a massive difference that is only part of the story.
I'm not going to get involved in the "we're better instructors than them" argument because frankly it's bo**ocks.
However as I've already said if you are flying in the U.K it is alot more sensible to learn in the U.K. You won't have to relearn our procedures when you get back and relearning something is alot harder than learning it initially. No bad habits as such...
If you want to fly in U.K or European airspace, then learn in that environment. If you are going to fly in the states then learn there. The procedures we all fly are different, not better or worse, just different.
To be honest if you add it all up, learning to fly in the States is NOT cheaper than here in Blighty, if you include the cost of re-training, I've never had to do "just" a check out. The fact that in many places across the pond you have to pay for ground briefings. Then add in flight and accomodation costs. All of a sudden the U.K is not quite as expensive.
Most people only look at the per hour rate and while there is a massive difference that is only part of the story.
I'm not going to get involved in the "we're better instructors than them" argument because frankly it's bo**ocks.
However as I've already said if you are flying in the U.K it is alot more sensible to learn in the U.K. You won't have to relearn our procedures when you get back and relearning something is alot harder than learning it initially. No bad habits as such...
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I trained in California and have to agree that it takes slightly longer when getting checked out back in the UK. Some of this is down to differing instruction technique and some just down to familiarisation with the new environment.
The RT & Procedures are different but a PPL still has to pass RT & Air Law so it is only a matter of practice. The flying is the same wherever you train.
I believe that it is still cheaper to do it in America but only by a small amount. Some of the savings and for me the main benefit is the continuity of training due to the better weather and usually the same instructor.
I don't know what the average hours/elapsed time required to pass are in the UK but the FTO I trained at it was about 50-55hrs in 3-5 weeks. My personal experience of 5 weeks training back in England would be about 2-3 cancelations due to weather and maybe 3hrs flying. Availability of the same instructor was also a problem.
Remember that America is also quite a nice environment to fly in.
The RT & Procedures are different but a PPL still has to pass RT & Air Law so it is only a matter of practice. The flying is the same wherever you train.
I believe that it is still cheaper to do it in America but only by a small amount. Some of the savings and for me the main benefit is the continuity of training due to the better weather and usually the same instructor.
I don't know what the average hours/elapsed time required to pass are in the UK but the FTO I trained at it was about 50-55hrs in 3-5 weeks. My personal experience of 5 weeks training back in England would be about 2-3 cancelations due to weather and maybe 3hrs flying. Availability of the same instructor was also a problem.
Remember that America is also quite a nice environment to fly in.
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Hi BEagle:
What is wrong with a higher qualified instructor charging more?
If experienced instructors were paid more it may give some incentive for new instructors to stay in the industry.
By the way I charge a hell of a lot more for my time than most instructors.
Cat Driver:
.....................
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no.
What is wrong with a higher qualified instructor charging more?
If experienced instructors were paid more it may give some incentive for new instructors to stay in the industry.
By the way I charge a hell of a lot more for my time than most instructors.
Cat Driver:
.....................
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no.
Moderator
I've checked out pilots with FAA PPLs here, they range from very good to well below average.
But one pattern emerges and that is the ones who have gone for the "guaranteed PPL in x hours/weeks/dollars". These seem to suffer from a common problem which is lack of confidence and ability to deal with anything unexpected, IMHO due to the lack of time to consolidate, or just sit back and have a rest and let it all sink in. It's a shame, because some of them have been so nervous they have admitted to being scared stiff of flying solo; their confidence has had to be built up from scratch, along with many of their basic skills. One had been issued a JAR PPL but only had 1.2 hours of IF time!
In general it's true that you get what you pay for, and sadly these el-cheapo outfits give pilots unrealistic expectations, and many potentially good pilots are ruined on the way.
But one pattern emerges and that is the ones who have gone for the "guaranteed PPL in x hours/weeks/dollars". These seem to suffer from a common problem which is lack of confidence and ability to deal with anything unexpected, IMHO due to the lack of time to consolidate, or just sit back and have a rest and let it all sink in. It's a shame, because some of them have been so nervous they have admitted to being scared stiff of flying solo; their confidence has had to be built up from scratch, along with many of their basic skills. One had been issued a JAR PPL but only had 1.2 hours of IF time!
In general it's true that you get what you pay for, and sadly these el-cheapo outfits give pilots unrealistic expectations, and many potentially good pilots are ruined on the way.
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I chatting to a CFI at Hayward (class D under the San Francisco Class B) area a few years back, and he said that he would not cut some US trained pilots lose in that airspace. Guys from places like Idaho might be very capable on 30 ft wide backcountry dirt strips, but just didn't have the RT skills to cope with Bay Approach.
Who says a newly minted PPL is going to be a hot-shot pilot on either side of the Atlantic. It's a licence to learn. All a PPL proves is that you are barely safe to let lose with passengers, IMO.
Isn't recent currency what really matters? So who do you think will have the most hours logged in the past 90 days? Somebody who pays £50 per hour with no extras like landing fees and good availability of planes, or somebody who pays £100 per hour with all those little extras.
Experienced instructors charging more is fine by me.
Who says a newly minted PPL is going to be a hot-shot pilot on either side of the Atlantic. It's a licence to learn. All a PPL proves is that you are barely safe to let lose with passengers, IMO.
Isn't recent currency what really matters? So who do you think will have the most hours logged in the past 90 days? Somebody who pays £50 per hour with no extras like landing fees and good availability of planes, or somebody who pays £100 per hour with all those little extras.
Experienced instructors charging more is fine by me.
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Field in sight,
If you went FULL TIME learning in the UK you would probably just about finish your PPL in the same time as long as you pick a reasonable time of year, if you are only expecting 2-3 cancellations in that time you can't have been making enough bookings. In the days of Air Cadet flying scholarships (30 hrs flying in my day) 4 weeks were allowed to complete which was usually enough. Provided you don't turn up last minute expecting to start (how many people would head to the US without booking well ahead?) most of the schools I know could fit people in on an intensive course, AND with the same instructor for most of it.
If you went FULL TIME learning in the UK you would probably just about finish your PPL in the same time as long as you pick a reasonable time of year, if you are only expecting 2-3 cancellations in that time you can't have been making enough bookings. In the days of Air Cadet flying scholarships (30 hrs flying in my day) 4 weeks were allowed to complete which was usually enough. Provided you don't turn up last minute expecting to start (how many people would head to the US without booking well ahead?) most of the schools I know could fit people in on an intensive course, AND with the same instructor for most of it.
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Field in sight,
A good idea of how long a student will take I find is to get their age and add 25 to it. Amazingly this gives a pretty good guide!!
Personally I've had a number of students in the U.K who've finished in around a month, and this has been at all times of the year. I admit in winter it can be a bit hit and miss, but we fly alot more often than not even then.
As to having a different instructor every time, no flying school wants this, some places are more prone to it than others and sometimes it is unavoidable (even flying instructors have holidays sometimes! Cheap ones tho'!! ) But it is certainly not more likely in this country than anywhere else.
Slim you've certainly hit the nail on the head about currency. Not many people in the U.K can afford to do more than a couple of hours a month and lets face it that's not enough to keep current in most cars, let alone aircraft.
More experienced instructors getting more money? That'd be nice can't see it catching on here anytime soon unfortunately.
A good idea of how long a student will take I find is to get their age and add 25 to it. Amazingly this gives a pretty good guide!!
Personally I've had a number of students in the U.K who've finished in around a month, and this has been at all times of the year. I admit in winter it can be a bit hit and miss, but we fly alot more often than not even then.
As to having a different instructor every time, no flying school wants this, some places are more prone to it than others and sometimes it is unavoidable (even flying instructors have holidays sometimes! Cheap ones tho'!!
) But it is certainly not more likely in this country than anywhere else.Slim you've certainly hit the nail on the head about currency. Not many people in the U.K can afford to do more than a couple of hours a month and lets face it that's not enough to keep current in most cars, let alone aircraft.
More experienced instructors getting more money? That'd be nice can't see it catching on here anytime soon unfortunately.
The Oracle
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BEagle,
I believe you are remembering a discussion we had from the following thread:
80-100 hours a month in FL?
Take Care,
Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.
6. One school which, astonishingly, actually charged more for flight instruction by experienced instructors and less for that provided by inexperienced ones! I can hardly believe that this was true, but that's what the pilot said!
80-100 hours a month in FL?
Take Care,
Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.
Then I guess that it must have been your school to which he referred.
I mentioned this 'tiered' quality v. cost approach to flying training at a meeting recently and it was viewed with incredulity.
I mentioned this 'tiered' quality v. cost approach to flying training at a meeting recently and it was viewed with incredulity.
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As far as I can see the more experienced instructors do get paid more in this country. At the school I went to the inexperienced guys taught PPL's and got paid jack while the older, wiser ones taught IR's and got paid significantly better.
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You are right in saying you could do it full time back at home. This is something I will probably be doing for my CPL or FI ratings.
My personal experience of cancellation/flight hours per month is based on only flying at the weekends due to work pressures, the pressures of keeping a girlfriend happy and the attraction of then going to the pub with my mates
. I am sure you could get a lot more flying in than I managed if you really wanted to.
For me, California also provided lots of local attractions to visit when I wasn't flying.
Back to the original post "Cheap American PPL's A Waste Of Money?" I would say no, just different and overall not as cheap as you think they are.
My personal experience of cancellation/flight hours per month is based on only flying at the weekends due to work pressures, the pressures of keeping a girlfriend happy and the attraction of then going to the pub with my mates
. I am sure you could get a lot more flying in than I managed if you really wanted to.For me, California also provided lots of local attractions to visit when I wasn't flying.
Back to the original post "Cheap American PPL's A Waste Of Money?" I would say no, just different and overall not as cheap as you think they are.