Thread: Tell me about flying lessons

Originally Posted by Replicon

I'm interested in taking some flying lessons. I probably won't go so far as to own my own little plane, but it would be cool to just know how to fly one of those small planes. Is anyone a pilot of any sort? What's it like? How long does it take? Is there enough standardization that you can quickly go from one model of plane to another, or do you need very specific and long training for each new type of plane you learn to fly? How much do lessons cost?

Well I guess I should answer this ... I'm training to be a flight instructor right now so I have a commercial license and all that good stuff. I fly in Canada so the regulations are a bit different than in the US, but still pretty similar.

What's it like, well, you kind of have a unique vantage point on the world. You'll be flying way lower than the airliners, mostly around 0-10,000 feet. Everything kind of looks like a miniature landscape model and you can see for dozens of miles in each direction on a clear day. You won't be going terribly fast, maybe around 100-150 mph, so you're not rocketing your way around the skies but you can still get anywhere relatively fast (by not having to follow roads). I've gone across North America in those little planes and it's been a blast. Really the best way to see how it looks and feels is by going to a local flying club and going on an intro flight. Should be plenty of clubs to choose from if you're around Seattle, not to mention beautiful flying scenery.

To get a private license (which is the basic license that lets you fly and take up passengers for personal purposes) here in Canada, you need a minimum of 45 hours of flying (solo and with an instructor mixed together), although it takes most people 60-70 hours to get up to flight test standards. You also need about 40 hours of what they call "ground school", basically just a class on the ground where you learn all the theory like the physics of flight, air law, meteorology, airplane components, etc. There's also a written test for this. I blasted through my private license and got it done in about 3 months flying almost every day. 6 to 12 months would be more realistic. It's better to save up the cash and get it all done in one shot as fast as possible, or else you'll just end up wasting money because you're losing your proficiency from not flying often enough.

There's also a bunch of ratings for different kinds of flying on top of the private license (night rating, float rating, multi-engine rating, instrument rating, aerobatic rating, etc.)

About the different models of aircraft, airplanes don't really change much within the same manufacturer. For instance, going from a 2 seat Cessna 152 to a 4 seat Cessna 172 to a 6 seat Cessna 206 isn't all that huge of a difference. The basic plane design is similar as is the interior cockpit layout. However, if you switch manufacturers, say from a 4 seat 172 to a 4 seat Diamond DA-40, then there are huge differences. The wings can go from being mounted high to low, the whole cockpit changes, maybe you'll go from flying with a yoke to flying with a stick... Most clubs require a checkout with an instructor in order to fly a new type of aircraft, usually takes 2-5 hours plus some ground instruction depending on prior flying experience.

Depending on the aircraft, hourly rates usually range around $120-$150/h. That's for a wet rate, meaning the cost of fuel is already taken into account. A wet rate is the preferred method around here, but some places use dry rates, where the hourly cost will be significantly less but you have to pay for any fuel you burn. In the long run, the two end up costing about the same. I'd budget around $10,000 for obtaining a private license (that's flight training, ground school, all the necessary pilot supplies, a good headset, examination and administration fees...)

Oh yeah, one more thing. Make sure you get an aviation medical examination (only special physicians can do this but they're quite abundant) before starting your training, because nothing sucks more than finding out you're unfit to hold a medical after you've blown a couple hundred dollars on your training.

Hope that helps, ask away if you have more questions.

Whoa! Thanks for all the awesome detail Spartiate, I much appreciate it! I guess all that's left is finding a school! I think I'll start looking into it shortly, and then plan to start learning right at the tail end of winter, so I don't have to take a weather break

Originally Posted by Replicon

Whoa! Thanks for all the awesome detail Spartiate, I much appreciate it! I guess all that's left is finding a school! I think I'll start looking into it shortly, and then plan to start learning right at the tail end of winter, so I don't have to take a weather break

Sounds great! If you want, you could try and finish the groundschool in the winter and get that out of the way before you start flying. It'll make things easier for both you and your instructors when you get in the air. Let us know how it works out!

Originally Posted by Replicon

I'm interested in taking some flying lessons. I probably won't go so far as to own my own little plane, but it would be cool to just know how to fly one of those small planes. Is anyone a pilot of any sort? What's it like? How long does it take? Is there enough standardization that you can quickly go from one model of plane to another, or do you need very specific and long training for each new type of plane you learn to fly? How much do lessons cost?

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but...

If you ever change your mind about owning your own plane, might I suggest the RV series from Van's. No, this is not spam...I have no affiliation with these guys at all. My hard-core, live-to-fly friend actually suggested these. They go fast, seem to be easy to fly, and are aerobatically certified. Another good plane is the Extra 300S, but the RV is much cheaper...so, should you ever find yourself with a nice chunk of money to throw about, I suggest either of these planes. General price range for a new everything RV is about $100,000, and that includes the works.

Ok, so you're about to embark on one of the most stressful, time consuming and wonderful experiences of your life, no I'm not talking about having a sexual relationship, I am of course talking about flying a plane.

First thing you will want to do is find a flight school, find one close to your house, and try to find one that has consistent VFR weather conditions. If you don't know what VFR is, it's basically somewhere that's sunny for a large part of the year. Cloudy is bad, and low lying clouds are very bad for student pilots.

Tip 1: have an excess of cash going in. The last thing you want to worry about while in the air is "omg how much is this gonna cost, am I gonna run out of money for lessons, is ground school too expensive... etc." If you want to get a private pilot's licence you have to expect right off the bat to be paying $12,000+ for the licence and at least $300/mo for currency (you have to make 3 takeoffs and landings a month to keep your licence current for carrying passengers)

Tip 2: Buy a gleim book detailing what you need to pass the written PPL test. Start studying now. Ask your flight instructor for every book you need to get your private pilot licence. DO NOT GET CD's, get the books, and you don't need a comprehensive "textbook", it's just a waste of money.

Tip 3: Fly one plane consistently. The less you switch planes the better.

Tip 4: Fly consistently, but not for too long. In the beginning of your flight training you don't want to burn yourself out. This is not like a ride on a 747, two hours in the air and you will be sweating like a treadmill workout, it will exhaust you. Try to only do 1-2 flight hours per day 4-5 days a week until you solo.

Tip 5: More flight hours, less groundschool. If you study on your own there is no need for ground school.

Originally Posted by trigotron

If you study on your own there is no need for ground school.

Is it not mandatory for licenses in the US? We need like 40 hours for a PPL :/

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Is it not mandatory for licenses in the US? We need like 40 hours for a PPL :/

No, groundschool is not mandatory for a PPL in the US. You need a minimum of 40 flight hours (although it usually takes more than this). There's also a metric shitton of other requirements that you must accomplish within the 40 flight hours, but it's a lot of details that can be easily clarified once you talk with your instructor and set up a plan.

Originally Posted by trigotron

No, groundschool is not mandatory for a PPL in the US. You need a minimum of 40 flight hours (although it usually takes more than this). There's also a metric shitton of other requirements that you must accomplish within the 40 flight hours, but it's a lot of details that can be easily clarified once you talk with your instructor and set up a plan.

Do you plan to fly commercially? Or is it a hobby thing.

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Do you plan to fly commercially? Or is it a hobby thing.

Nah I'm hoping for AF. Going up for the selection board in 2011. Fingers crossed haha! Until then it's just a hobby.