วันจันทร์ที่ 18 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2552

I'm interested in flying lessons?

วันจันทร์ที่ 18 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2552
This question is meant to be answered by someone who has taken flying lessons or knows information about it.

I have been interested in starting flying lessons for a while and I have a few questions..

First of all, do you only take a certain amount of lessons that you want or how many must you take to earn a permit or license?

How much did each lesson or lessons cost?

Is there a certain time of year that is best to start taking lessons?

Lastly, how did your experience go?


I've been a flight instructor for 23 years and have been flying for nearly 30. In a nutshell, you must take 20 hours of dual flight instruction (with an instructor) and complete 20 hours of solo flight to earn a private pilot certificate. These are minimums and the average student typically needs 30 hours dual and 25 hours solo to finish. Some more, some less. The more often you can take lessons, the less hours you usually need to be competent enough to pass the flight test.

There are no minimum hours required to solo, but in my experience, the average is around 10-15 hours after starting. Soloing for the first time is an experience that one never forgets, If you never finish your license, at least take enough training so you can experience solo flight. It's a thrill rivaled by few other things in life.

The cost of lessons vary geographically and with the type of aircraft. In the USA, airplane rental for a 2-place trainer is roughly $85 per flight hour, and the instructor costs another $30, give or take. The entire training for a private license, including books, testing fees, and groundschool can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 depending on the flight school and the aircraft they have for rent. Smaller rural schools are usually cheaper and often more fun than those at big city airports.

I can't really recommend a best time of year to start taking lessons, although certain places have better flying weather than others at various times of year. Some places are really windy in the spring and fall. Some are foggy and rainy / snowy in the winter, and others are that way in the summer. It all depends on where you are going to take flying lessons. To be a competent private pilot, you'll need to experience most weather conditions that aren't so bad that you'd be grounded anyway.

An average student who can fly twice a week can finish the training in 6-8 months. I've taught some people who had lots of free time and money up front to fly in as little as 21 days. That's from scratch with no previous experience, including ground school. Others, who could only fly every other weekend, took 2 years to get a license.

Your flight training experience often has a lot to do with the instructor and the airport where you learn to fly. Visit several schools if you can, and meet several instructors. Choose one you are comfortable with. Don't always believe their advertising though. A lot of it can be exaggerated and self-serving. Some schools will tell you anything to get you to start flying with them.

To start your research, GO HERE FIRST, the FAA website titled "Become a Pilot", and bookmark it: http://www.faa.gov/pilots/become/

Download this next: Student Pilot Guide:

http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviat...

Have fun and good luck.Ask lots of questions. You'll never regret learning to fly, no matter how much it costs.

EDIT: P.S. I try to give back some of what I've learned over the years, which is why I answer questions here. After 23 years of professional flying, I still instruct part-time too even tho I'm a full-time corporate pilot. I agree with the answer below, there are too many "time builders" who are not interested in instructing except as a way to the next job. Look for a dedicated and experienced instructor. "Gold Seal" instructors are always a good bet.

Ben dere dun dat gave a very well thought out and comprehensive answer. I would only add that you should search until you find an instructor who has at least 1000 (one thousand) hours of primary instruction experience. It is unfortunate, but very true, that a lot of pilots get an instructors rating in order to 'build time' at their students' expense so they can get a corporate flying job. By the time they are getting proficient as instructors they leave for greener pastures and their place is taken by a greener instructor with the same goal. I also have been there and done that as a 3500 hour primary flight instructor. CFIAI

try googling it on www.google.com

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