So, whats it cost to learn how to be a pilot?

[Hangtime]

Straffo.. you are correct, being a freaking servant to a couple of cats is not in any way, shape or form a freaking hobby.

It's slavery.

[nuchpatrick]

Originally posted by mars01
WOW 4k maybe 5 years ago.  What is the price per hour wet where you guys are for a 152?  With gas prices increasing, airport taxes and insurance we are up to $92 and hour wet for a 152 and tack on 45 for the instructor.  

FAA regs need mandatory minimum of 40 hours total, figure 25 hours duel at $137 = $3425 + 15 hours solo at $92 = $1380 total at 40 hours = $4805.

 

The place I haved checked out is $114 for Dual and solo at $80 dollars. Perhaps its where you learn, this is with a Cessna 152.  I don't need anything fancy, I can always get a check out later on down the road for something bigger.

[mars01]

Perhaps its where you learn

Of course it is.  Those are good prices I would say do it ASAP.  

When I took my lessons in 2000 our 152s were only $65 an hour and the instructors were around $35 an hour.  Gas was less than $2 bucks a gallon, we are now 4.36 a gal.  The longer you put it off the more expensive it is going to be.  DO IT NOW.

[jigsaw]

Call up some local flight schools and ask their rental and instruction rates. Multiply that by 60 and that will give you a rough idea for costs, not including things like headsets, books, medical, tests, etc.

[Maverick]

One of the nicest things about getting a ppl is that it doesn't expire. You may no longer be current or have a valid physical but you still have the license. All it would take to go back in the air is a current physical and a refresher from a CFI that would count towards your biannual. Then you're back.

[bozon]

Originally posted by Hawklore
What about all that radio chatter, that tends to get me confused.

I was an ATC for several years. Couldn't understand half the things said either and had to ... hmm... interpulate between the words I did get.

But hey, don't worry. Skies are big and planes are small.

Bozon

[indy007]

What about sport pilots licenses? Shouldn't that theoretically cut your costs almost in half?

[mars01]

It will take about 25 to 30 hours to do a sport pilot license.

If you plan on primarily renting aircraft, then Sport Pilot is not a great option, because currently you can't readily rent sport pilot planes.  This may change tho.

IMH, if you’re going to spend the money you might as well go the full distance.

[Debonair]

dont forget to add in the cost of
the checkride $300
groundschool (mine was $300 & worth twice that, but there are some terrible instructors out there)
books $100
charts $46 anually (JAX is good, you're right in the middle of a sectional)
medical $80
a new shirt
a pair of sunglasses
foggles $16 (get them, "hoods" suck)
hamburgers & pancakes
if there is a good flying club available, i'd look into it.  
it will save you $ in the long run & the members will be full of all the local info you can't find on the 'net.
i found i spent about $1500 more than just the cost of rental & instruction.


also, if you have been mentally unstable in the legal sense (visited a doctor for it) you can expect a bit of a wait to get your medical cert.  they seem to be serious about reviewing that stuff in OK city.  a guy that was in groundschool with me waited more than 6 months for his medical to be OK'd becuse of a couple psychatrist visits a decade previously

 

[Chairboy]

The best part: You pay as you go.  Don't look at the full cost, just go and take lessons when you can.  The faster you can do it, the cheaper it is, but waiting until you have all the cash is a mistake, it'll just push this off further and further.

Radio chatter was the scariest thing about the whole training for me, turned out to be a total non-issue.  Once you have the format down (Basically Who, Me, Where, then What) it's cake.  An example of that format is "Eugene tower, Cessna 1437F 10 miles east, landing".  You'll learn to fancy stuff up eventually (giving ATIS info, alt, etc), but that's the basic format and it applies to everything.  You don't get rapped on the knuckles for making a mistake, and in a pinch you can use normal english if it's the difference between being understood or not.  

In regards to understanding what they say to you, just listen.  If you don't understand something, just ask and they'll slow it down.

Sport pilot is cool if you can find it there, it cuts your cost in half.  Then you can (at your leisure) work your way towards the full PPL.  And you can fly with your friends while doing it!

[jigsaw]

Sport pilot license = joke.  Recreational license = bigger joke.

[mars01]

I agree the biggest benefit of the sport pilot cert is for guys that know they are going to fail a PPL medical.  But then again there isn't much to fly in Sport Pilot cat for PP honestly.  But I guess a Cub/Champ is better than no flying at all.

It is exploding tho, the number of sport pilots at our school is almost = to PP students.

Don't look at the full cost, just go and take lessons when you can.

I have seen more people NOT get their license doing just that.  They start and stop and never make much progress when they have long breaks inbetween lessons, they seem to take way longer than 60 hours if they get it at all.  You should have at least enough money to pay 20 hours duel up front so you get your solo done.  At that point you can have longer breaks inbetween lessons because you have the base that solo gives you.  Any gap 2 weeks or more for a pre solo pilot is just a waste of money.

[Nilsen]

Like hang said.. 5 grand aint much for a hobby

Thats about the ammount i spend every year on gas, replacement propellers and bandages for my boating "adventures".

When we one day will "invest" in a sailboat, that ammount will seem like pocket change.

But ofcourse... when you get your pilot license you also have to have something to fly with.

[cpxxx]

Go for it, if nothing else fly until you solo. That can never be taken away from you.

In truth, whatever the advice you get, remember this:

It will cost you more than you think.
It will take longer than you anticipate.
You will struggle sometimes and wonder if it's worth the effort.
You will scare yourself once in a while, but not half as much as you scare your instructor.

But if you persevere, you will become skilled at something few people will ever do. When solo you will be completely alone in a way you have never experienced. Your perception of the Earth and the sky will change forever and when you land after a good flight, you'll feel sorry for all those sad people around you who haven't flown today.

Best of all you live in America. America is beyond argument, the best and cheapest place to learn to fly, bar none.  

Whenever someone asks me about flying I tell them aim to go solo. It isn't that difficult. Then you can think about what to do next. You'll know 100% at that stage. But aim to go solo first.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Hawklore
Ugh,

Everyone wants me to skydive.

No way in hell am I jumping out of a gliding aircraft that has a 90% chance of landing.

Ahem. ALL airborne aircraft have a 100% chance of landing.

The question is. From what angle how hard  and  in what condition