Real World Pilots

[Golfer]

I've seen more than a few issues with various methods of fast-tracking ones self through flight training.  Choose the method that works best for you taking into consideration your schedule, your budget and your objective assessments of your progress.  I'd recommend not starting your flight training until you have double your budget in cash on hand.  Since I don't know many folks who can do that the recommendation isn't very practical.  What is practical is making sure that you can afford your training so you don't have to quit when you're 3/4ths through your training.

The reality in todays world is that your private pilot certificate might very well cost $10,000 and more to obtain.  That's 3+ times  to potentially 5 times more than I paid at that point in my life which was a multiple of what it cost people not that many years before me.

Your bills don't stop at the completion of your certificate.  If you can't afford to keep flying once you earn your certificate then don't even start.  Flying is a perishable skill and not staying proficient for those first few hundred hours after your private certification are statistically the most hazardous you'll face in your recreational flying career.

Wolfala's assessment of how things work in the northeast is accurate.  They are also for some of the newest and highest performance basic airplanes out there.  You can still find Cessna 150/152/172 airplanes to rent from 70-120 an hour wet.  You can find instructors for 30-50 an hour.  Will it be cheap?  Not a chance.  Will you have to spend $1000 on a headset?  No.  Can it be done for under $10,000?  Sure but don't bank on it.  Personally I feel $10,000 is a good starting budget to work with for a basic student.  If that causes sticker shock it's a good thing because the reality of this hobby being both serious investments in money and time is highlighted early on.

That said:

Is it worth it?  Absolutely!

[xNOVAx]

Actually what I charge is pretty competitive for White Plains who I compete with in training and the type aircraft. I come in at $145 and $40 for gas, still end up $90 less then the least expensive SR-20 out there. That, in addition to having to cover all the liability insurance, risk + maintenance.

http://www.performanceflight.com/rental_rates.html

# Instructor - $95/hr
# Simulator - $165/hr



Rental Rates

All planes are 2007 models and are fully loaded.
# SR20-GTS - $265/hr
# SR22-GTS - $300/hr
# SR22-GTS - Cirrus Perspective - $310/hr (arriving soon!)
# SR22-GTS Turbo - $325/hr
# Diamond DA-42 Twinstar - $350

Damn looking at those rates, i feel like im gettin a steal at $180/hr, with my instructor, wet, in a Cessna 172

[Wolfala]

Damn looking at those rates, i feel like im gettin a steal at $180/hr, with my instructor, wet, in a Cessna 172

Hope you are working out of California Airways at Hayward. They got great instructors and a fleet to go with it - and don't rip you a new amazinhunk on the rates either. If you get the chance, do your flight review with Mal Raff. He's a PHD in Astrophysics - and fun to work with.

If you fly with West Valley at HWD, PAO or SQL - then those rates shouldn't surprise you. But from your reaction i'm assuming you do not.

[CAP1]

Damn looking at those rates, i feel like im gettin a steal at $180/hr, with my instructor, wet, in a Cessna 172

i paid about $110/hour in c-172n wet with instructor.

[CAP1]

something else that may bear mention.

when i took my primary training, i had a very good instructor. he was always very professional, in all of our dealings.
 this is good. he taught me well. he seemed to want to avoid things though. like crosswind landings.

 i joine another club after gettin my ticket. started flying with a different instructor. this guy has an entirely different teaching style.

 he teaches in a more friendly style. to me at least, this is more comfortable. the poor guy worked his ARSE off helping me with my crosswind landings. i totally sucked at them before...even in only 4 or 5kts.

 now, 8kts is easy, at 10-11, i'm sweating, and wouldn't try more than 8 or 9 by myself to be honest.

but this guy acts more like my buddy, or my father teaching me. i think that the extra comfort level(i'm NEVER fully comfortable with people that act professional) allowed me to absorb more information.

 it's not that i feared my first cfi....or that i didn't like him, because i did........and i had full confidence in the guy.

 i guess what i'm trying to say, is try a couple of different places, and cfi's. each teaches differently.


 Golly-gee it!!! now i hafta get ahold of bob, and see if he's got time soon. 

[Gianlupo]

After 20 years of dreaming, reading magazines, books, Internet sites and flight simming, I finally had the money and time to make the dream come true in this just passed year.

I fly with what are legally defined ultralights here in Italy, but are LSA in US (tecnam's P92 http://www.tecnam.com/index_en.html), I have made only 10 hours after taking the licence in October, but I plan on increasing that figure in this year!

Cap, I agree with what you said, we have 3 instructors at the flying club, I flew with each of them and they all taught me something unique, a slightly different approach to flight from which I could get my own personal "style" of flying, from pre-flight to post-landing checks, I do recommend trying different instructors.

Regarding PPL costs, I must say that reading what you wrote comforted me a bit... I always thought that FTOs here in Italy were a bunch of legally authorized thieves, since I always heard that in US a licence could cost no more than 4/5k bucks, while in here prices starts from 8/10k euros (with Cessnas, not Cirrus!)... after reading the above posts, I see once more that voices are never as accurate as one would like to believe.

[gatt]

Hi Gianlupo howdy?  

About 50hrs with the school's Kitfox III and about 250hrs with my red painted Kitfox IV (Rotax 582 with variable pitch propeller):

[Cobra516]

About 50hrs with the school's Kitfox III and about 250hrs with my red painted Kitfox IV (Rotax 582 with variable pitch propeller):

(Image removed from quote.)

That looks pretty cool - I bet that's a lot of fun!

[Gianlupo]

Hi Gianlupo howdy?  

About 50hrs with the school's Kitfox III and about 250hrs with my red painted Kitfox IV (Rotax 582 with variable pitch propeller):

(Image removed from quote.)

Woot! Ehi Gatt, still lurking around in the forums? Nice Kitfox, I hope one day I'll be able to afford a little plane of my own...

[xNOVAx]

Hope you are working out of California Airways at Hayward. They got great instructors and a fleet to go with it - and don't rip you a new amazinhunk on the rates either. If you get the chance, do your flight review with Mal Raff. He's a PHD in Astrophysics - and fun to work with.

If you fly with West Valley at HWD, PAO or SQL - then those rates shouldn't surprise you. But from your reaction i'm assuming you do not.

I actually have a great instructor out of Sonoma Skypark.. I checked the rates for California Airways and its only about $20 cheaper per hour in their 172's.. If it were $40-50 cheaper I might consider a switch but for now I think I'm ok where im at..

[R 105]

Wow looking at the cost to learn to fly now is scary. My cousin Larry owned the Taylor Craft BC-12D and later the BL-65. I few with him in his planes for gas money for who knows how many hrs. At sixteen I used the BL-65 and paid $125.00 for ground school and the instructor $15.00 an hour until I soloed. Then started flying Larry's Taylor again for gas money. Gee some times it is good to be an old guy.

R-105

[CAP1]

Wow looking at the cost to learn to fly now is scary. My cousin Larry owned the Taylor Craft BC-12D and later the BL-65. I few with him in his planes for gas money for who knows how many hrs. At sixteen I used the BL-65 and paid $125.00 for ground school and the instructor $15.00 an hour until I soloed. Then started flying Larry's Taylor again for gas money. Gee some times it is good to be an old guy.

R-105

it's the best money you'll evert spend

[Casca]

Books - couple hundred. Examiner - 400. Headsets - 1000.

The rest of the stuff you minus'd - budget between $10 and $15,000.

A rough breakdown:  Airplane $145 per hour * 60 hours average:  $8700
Instructor:  $110 per hour * 40 to 50 hours:  $4400-5000
Fuel: Budget between $40-50 per hour: $2400-3000.

You forgot the "priceless" part.

[colmbo]

Wow looking at the cost to learn to fly now is scary. My cousin Larry owned the Taylor Craft BC-12D and later the BL-65. I few with him in his planes for gas money for who knows how many hrs. At sixteen I used the BL-65 and paid $125.00 for ground school and the instructor $15.00 an hour until I soloed. Then started flying Larry's Taylor again for gas money. Gee some times it is good to be an old guy.

Yep.  When I got my private I was paying $12/hour solo, $16/hour dual in a brand spanking new Cessna 150.  IIRC the 172 cost me $20/hour dual.  I had a great CFI, he owned the 150 and 172.  A lot of my flying time was basically free....I'd wash the airplanes, clean the belly...usually good for 1/2 hour solo. 

[Wolfala]

You forgot the "priceless" part.

True,

And it affords you the opportunities to have experiences like this throughout the year.

http://www.facebook.com/v/256808066213