The Cost of a PPL
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The Cost of a PPL
I'm 15 right now and I'm planning to start flying lessons this summer around August or July. I turn 16 in March. So it will be about 9 months or so till I can get my private pilots license. I have saved up 8,000 and my parents say they will pay 2,000. I am worried that since it is over such a long period of time that I might run out of money near the end of training. I know it might be best to wait a little but I did one lesson a few weeks ago and decided that because of the money I was going to wait to start till this summer and like everyone else I would go crazy if I had to wait to fly for even longer. So I guess my real question is wether $10,000 is enough for 9 months of training and what your guys cost and length of training it took to get you ppl?
Thanks
Thanks
You probably have enough money there. But...
... the cheapest way to learn is in a condensed block of time. Strung out, the learning curve is shallowed, your mind is not always as "in the groove" of the flying you're there to do, and thus you'll take more hours.
At 16, presumably you get periodic long school holidays - I'd recommend that you wait until then, and basically arrange for a dedicated instructor at the flying school you're going to use. Then do it all in hopefully about 4 weeks.
You'll save a lot of money that way, and it's a heck of a thing to look forward to at the end of your exams!
If you really can't wait - just do a lesson every couple of months until then to stop you going mad, and also get your head in the books at weekends so that you can sail through all the written exams before you start flying.
Also however, remember that you want to keep flying afterwards, you'll need money for that as well, so work out how much you'll want and where it'll be coming from.
Good on you - $8k is a lot of money to save up.
Incidentally, because you are quite young (and the money you've saves suggests you are also pretty dedicated) you are likely to learn faster / in less flying hours than most of the rest of us did. THis is one area where being young is a definite advantage. There are no guarantees of course, but it's pretty likely that you'll get your licence close to the minimum training time.
G
... the cheapest way to learn is in a condensed block of time. Strung out, the learning curve is shallowed, your mind is not always as "in the groove" of the flying you're there to do, and thus you'll take more hours.
At 16, presumably you get periodic long school holidays - I'd recommend that you wait until then, and basically arrange for a dedicated instructor at the flying school you're going to use. Then do it all in hopefully about 4 weeks.
You'll save a lot of money that way, and it's a heck of a thing to look forward to at the end of your exams!
If you really can't wait - just do a lesson every couple of months until then to stop you going mad, and also get your head in the books at weekends so that you can sail through all the written exams before you start flying.
Also however, remember that you want to keep flying afterwards, you'll need money for that as well, so work out how much you'll want and where it'll be coming from.
Good on you - $8k is a lot of money to save up.
Incidentally, because you are quite young (and the money you've saves suggests you are also pretty dedicated) you are likely to learn faster / in less flying hours than most of the rest of us did. THis is one area where being young is a definite advantage. There are no guarantees of course, but it's pretty likely that you'll get your licence close to the minimum training time.
G
I would agree with Gengis, but would reiterate his point about what is going to happen after you have the licence? Its very expensive to keep flying, so have a plan about what you want to do with your flying once qualified, and how you're going to payt for it.
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At the risk of stating the obvious.......
NEVER, NEVER EVER PAY UP FRONT!!!!
If you can get a SMALL block at a discount, it may be worth considering, but always work on the premise that the school is going to fold and take your money with it....so only prepay what you're prepared to lose!...It's a huge gamble, as many really well-established training organisations have gone down the tubes , over the years.
If, at 16, you have managed to save that much, you are either very industrious, or have extremely genorous relatives/friends....either way, it would suggest that , over the next six months ,you can save some more.
It's an excellent idea to do your ground-studies first....costs verylittle and gives you a much better idea as to what any air-work is about,so you'll get much better value from that.
a bit of lateral thinking....have you considered Glider-training?...It's generally considered to be highly beneficial (look up Gimli Glider and Chesley Sullenberger as prime examples.
Good luck to you!
NEVER, NEVER EVER PAY UP FRONT!!!!
If you can get a SMALL block at a discount, it may be worth considering, but always work on the premise that the school is going to fold and take your money with it....so only prepay what you're prepared to lose!...It's a huge gamble, as many really well-established training organisations have gone down the tubes , over the years.
If, at 16, you have managed to save that much, you are either very industrious, or have extremely genorous relatives/friends....either way, it would suggest that , over the next six months ,you can save some more.
It's an excellent idea to do your ground-studies first....costs verylittle and gives you a much better idea as to what any air-work is about,so you'll get much better value from that.
a bit of lateral thinking....have you considered Glider-training?...It's generally considered to be highly beneficial (look up Gimli Glider and Chesley Sullenberger as prime examples.
Good luck to you!
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Dillon,
The question has already been raised about funding the flying after you get your licence, and that is a critical one. If (or, when, by the sound of it) you complete your training within budget, you can use what's left to ensure you keep flying very regularly immediately after getting your licence. Those first few months after getting your licence will be very important in establishing a good post-test pattern of flying. By the end of your training you'll be able to fly with the instructor's voice in your head. (I can still hear mine nearly a year on, like an invisible Obi Wan!)
I'm based in the UK and can only fly weekends and evenings. Weekends get taken up with my young family, so one of the first things I did was get a night rating to keep my hours up in the evening. If it's true that training in the US costs in dollars what is does in pounds in the UK, you should be fine. I'm in my mid-30s and spend around your budget on around 60 hours of PPL training, my night qualification, a nice David Clark headset, books, exam fees, and all the rest of the stuff, while holding down a full time job.
Happy landings ;-)
The question has already been raised about funding the flying after you get your licence, and that is a critical one. If (or, when, by the sound of it) you complete your training within budget, you can use what's left to ensure you keep flying very regularly immediately after getting your licence. Those first few months after getting your licence will be very important in establishing a good post-test pattern of flying. By the end of your training you'll be able to fly with the instructor's voice in your head. (I can still hear mine nearly a year on, like an invisible Obi Wan!)
I'm based in the UK and can only fly weekends and evenings. Weekends get taken up with my young family, so one of the first things I did was get a night rating to keep my hours up in the evening. If it's true that training in the US costs in dollars what is does in pounds in the UK, you should be fine. I'm in my mid-30s and spend around your budget on around 60 hours of PPL training, my night qualification, a nice David Clark headset, books, exam fees, and all the rest of the stuff, while holding down a full time job.
Happy landings ;-)
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Have a good look around at available school and go with a recommendation or your gut. As was mentioned...never pay for more than 5hrs upfront to get a discount. Pay as you fly is safer.
I instructed for 3years and the only way really is a 3-4 lessons per week. Anymore and you risk being overloaded and the fun goes, any less than 3, you are playing catch up on things you have forgotten.
Read the manual that your school use before each lesson, and get the plan in your head before you walk to the aircraft. Any foggy bits are best sorted in the briefing room or hitting the books before hand.
Try and get your air law and nav exams done ASAP, as you could be going solo in 8-12 hrs if the conditions are right (about 2-3 weeks). The exams will hold you back and cost you more $$$
PPL Training
I used to teach from this book as it's very well explained and kept simple.
There are lots of mock question books for the exam papers, so read the book, then hit the past papers - I only know where to find the UK JAR ones.
http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/...SampleExam.pdf
Pilot Practice Page
Spend time learning your emergency drills:
Smoke - oil and elec
Fire - on the ground, on take off, in the air.
Failure
Blocked runway
X-wind out of limits
Again, this sharpens you up for quick progression. You need to be safe. I would always ask...would I put my kids in the aircraft with you?
Flying is half of it; the other is attitude and as has been said, a great deal of learning is done after your licence. Get instructors to set you tasks, or places to find with a diversion - really give your brain a workout.
Good luck!
I instructed for 3years and the only way really is a 3-4 lessons per week. Anymore and you risk being overloaded and the fun goes, any less than 3, you are playing catch up on things you have forgotten.
Read the manual that your school use before each lesson, and get the plan in your head before you walk to the aircraft. Any foggy bits are best sorted in the briefing room or hitting the books before hand.
Try and get your air law and nav exams done ASAP, as you could be going solo in 8-12 hrs if the conditions are right (about 2-3 weeks). The exams will hold you back and cost you more $$$
PPL Training
I used to teach from this book as it's very well explained and kept simple.
There are lots of mock question books for the exam papers, so read the book, then hit the past papers - I only know where to find the UK JAR ones.
http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/...SampleExam.pdf
Pilot Practice Page
Spend time learning your emergency drills:
Smoke - oil and elec
Fire - on the ground, on take off, in the air.
Failure
Blocked runway
X-wind out of limits
Again, this sharpens you up for quick progression. You need to be safe. I would always ask...would I put my kids in the aircraft with you?
Flying is half of it; the other is attitude and as has been said, a great deal of learning is done after your licence. Get instructors to set you tasks, or places to find with a diversion - really give your brain a workout.
Good luck!
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I am planing to try glider training so that will probably decrease the amount of lesson time even more. I guess from what everyone is saying i am going to wait it out a little longer. Thanks for all the advice you probably saved me from losing some money.
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I instructed for 3years and the only way really is a 3-4 lessons per week. Anymore and you risk being overloaded and the fun goes, any less than 3, you are playing catch up on things you have forgotten.
. No overload, no fun gone - just a sense of achievment.
(I had to give up flying for 20+ years, but then got licence back)
Edit to add. From your video link I take it you're aiming for an ATPL, so it'll be your career, and paying for the immediate post PPL flying will be for your pre-work education.
Last edited by Maoraigh1; 10th Jan 2014 at 20:22. Reason: Addition
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Maoraigh1
That sort of intensive programme only suits a small amount of people and generally most students really aren't ready for a licence in 3-4 weeks.
Sometimes, this can work against them and damage confidence. I have seen students just freeze when you ask them for a basic plan if XXX happened. They were so fixated on getting solo in XXhrs, the numbers on the PLOG flown, or the PPL finished in time, that being safe and the bigger picture were binned in their mind, just to get the next exercise ticked off.
Over confidence was another issue, causing infringements or busting into an away airfield circuit the wrong way, because they didn't take the time to review their plan - or didn't think they needed to.
I guess my point is that rushing through doesn't always allow the brain to process what is has actually seen. A days rest to replay the flight and read the debrief comments and prepare for the next lesson pays off with the end product. There are no medals for a 3 week PPL.
That sort of intensive programme only suits a small amount of people and generally most students really aren't ready for a licence in 3-4 weeks.
Sometimes, this can work against them and damage confidence. I have seen students just freeze when you ask them for a basic plan if XXX happened. They were so fixated on getting solo in XXhrs, the numbers on the PLOG flown, or the PPL finished in time, that being safe and the bigger picture were binned in their mind, just to get the next exercise ticked off.
Over confidence was another issue, causing infringements or busting into an away airfield circuit the wrong way, because they didn't take the time to review their plan - or didn't think they needed to.
I guess my point is that rushing through doesn't always allow the brain to process what is has actually seen. A days rest to replay the flight and read the debrief comments and prepare for the next lesson pays off with the end product. There are no medals for a 3 week PPL.
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What your saying suggests poor instruction as apposed to anything on the students end. why would an instructor allow something to be "ticked off" if they were in any doubt the student had grasped the concept, skill or appropriate attitude to proceed to the next exorcise? intensive courses are no guarantee of completion if the work load proves too much or the conditions are not accommodating or they simply don't apply themselves... also the post was added as a reply to the thread title and meant to give a great breakdown of possible costs. 
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Hey, I am just saying that in my experience, students are better off having a day off between demanding stages of training.
Getting ready for solo, maybe every day is better to nail the landing picture. Demanding sections of nav planning can require a half day of absorbing the debrief and half a day of prep for the next flight. I know when I was doing my CPL years ago, a day of bad weather was sometimes welcome.
I have seen instructors (hour builders really) overlook vital areas in a students skill base, thinking that they will pick it up. The roots are very important and if trimming for example is never explained, when it comes to nav, they will never be able to hold an altitude. I know this because I used to take on problem students and sort them out.
You can all twist that if it makes you feel better; it's no shakes to me. Just telling it to you from the sharp end.
Getting ready for solo, maybe every day is better to nail the landing picture. Demanding sections of nav planning can require a half day of absorbing the debrief and half a day of prep for the next flight. I know when I was doing my CPL years ago, a day of bad weather was sometimes welcome.
I have seen instructors (hour builders really) overlook vital areas in a students skill base, thinking that they will pick it up. The roots are very important and if trimming for example is never explained, when it comes to nav, they will never be able to hold an altitude. I know this because I used to take on problem students and sort them out.
You can all twist that if it makes you feel better; it's no shakes to me. Just telling it to you from the sharp end.
