PPL?

[LCCajun]

I have always wanted to get my PPL. Well the other day I heard this commercial in my truck and thought I would look it up online. Apparently this is something new in our area or I just never heard of them, anyways if I can get ya'lls opinion on this company ( http://www.flychoppers.com/home) it would be helpful. Also I am not a rich man so I am wondering what kind of programs are out there to help me pay to get my license? I see that they have a link to a pilot finance site is there any other companies ya'll would recommend for me to finance through? Any help is appreciated thanks.

[Cougar68]

Are you only interested in helicopters or were you thinking of fixed wing as an alternative?  Either way you're looking at around 50-75 hours to achieve your PPL.  Fixed wing can be down for 10k, rotor will cost double or better.  Here's something to think about though.  If you can't afford to pay for your flight training as you go right now, how are you going to be able to afford to pay for training loans and still have cash left over to fly after you have your PPL?  My advice is to save as much as you possibly can and then do the training in one big lump.  The only time I've seen loans work out is if the student is on a career path and even then it is very risky.

[68Wooley]

Cougar68's got it about right from my experience. Is this something you're looking to do with a view to a career change or just for pleasure?

[saggs]

Rotary wing will cost you about 3x as much as fixed wing.  Plus once you have your PPL it will cost you 3x as much and hour to fly.  At my local airport (last time I checked) you can rent a Cessna 152 for $110 and hour, or a 172 for $150.  While the helo school there will rent a Robinson 22 for $220 or a R44 for $300.  They also have a Hughs MD500, but rental for that beast would be astronomical I presume.

A couple years ago I looked seriously into getting my commercial helo license for a career.  Sadly I just could not see how I could have ever afforded it.  Talking $75-$85K.  If I could turn back time I have gotten it through the Army, but I'm too old to make that happen now.

[eagl]

I remember back in 1993 it was still only about $50/hr for a really nice C-152 in San Diego...

[saggs]

I remember back in 1993 it was still only about $50/hr for a really nice C-152 in San Diego...

I didn't think there was such a thing as a "really nice C-152" 

My brother is a commercial pilot, I used to fly with him when he was building hours.  I recall taking off in a 152, on a hot day at 5,500' ASL and wondering if the climb indicator was broke or what... ...    it wasn't.    Not to mention cramming 2 grown men into a 152 should be against the laws of physics.

[eagl]

Yea, we maxed out a 152 at around 6,500 ft over the LA basin on a high DA day...  Embarassing to have to admit to ATC that we were barely able to get even that high.

[MachFly]

If you go to AOPA.org, mouse over "Training and safety", then click "find a flight school" it should give you all the schools in the area.
Also to help you pay for it there are a lot of companies that give out scholarships to learn how to fly, you should be able to find a good number that fit you (even if you are over 21). PM me your email address if your interested, I'll forward you a few links.

[SKJohn]

I got my PPL thru a local flight club.  $499 for a package deal: 20 hrs. dual instruction, 20 hrs. solo, and ground school.  This included fuel, instructor, etc.  Of course this was back in 1975 or 76 . . .

[68Wooley]

The school I'm at has a couple of Teknam Sportstar LSA's that are proving very popular as primary trainers. $95 an hour wet. For fatties, 172's range from about $135 all the way up to $180 depending on age, engine and equipment. I'm training on Diamond DA-40's having transitioned from DA-20's after the two Katana's both cooked their engines in short order. The school is replacing them with more Sportstars so the boss offered me a discount on the DA40's to compensate for the extra hours transitioning. TBH, its worked out well - G1000 and variable pitch prop experience is no bad thing.

Anyway, to get to my point, assume you'll need the average of 60 hours of flight time, at least half of which will be dual (so add $100 per hour for the instructor). Add ground school, books, headsets, and check ride and I'm thinking $12k minimum, possibly rising to $15k depending on what aircraft you fly.

[Wolfala]

The school I'm at has a couple of Teknam Sportstar LSA's that are proving very popular as primary trainers. $95 an hour wet. For fatties, 172's range from about $135 all the way up to $180 depending on age, engine and equipment. I'm training on Diamond DA-40's having transitioned from DA-20's after the two Katana's both cooked their engines in short order. The school is replacing them with more Sportstars so the boss offered me a discount on the DA40's to compensate for the extra hours transitioning. TBH, its worked out well - G1000 and variable pitch prop experience is no bad thing.

Anyway, to get to my point, assume you'll need the average of 60 hours of flight time, at least half of which will be dual (so add $100 per hour for the instructor). Add ground school, books, headsets, and check ride and I'm thinking $12k minimum, possibly rising to $15k depending on what aircraft you fly.

68 is pretty on it based on his locale. NY as a comparison is about the same, with botique high end training running around 100 per hour instructor, then whatever for the aircraft. as an example, I teach in a Cirrus, which runs $145 dry, plus $110 instructor, and $40-50 hr gas. With the LSA training is a bit less expensive, but the overall trend is much higher learning costs, ESP for newer equipment.  


A very good thread to review is:  http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,280879.0.html