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I find it amazing to read these replies. With all the efforts of AOPA and the EAA to encourage new pilots.
Being paranoid should disqualify anyone from being a pilot according to the FAA. Over 70% of private pilot do not have instrument ratings. There is no need to get one if you only intend to fly for fun, locally, in good weather, and always plan flights within 30 minutes of the nearest airport. If you can spend 3 hours on a Sunday morning, and 3 hours reading per week, you should be able to earn a private licence within a year. However if your spouse is not supportive you probably will then give up flying. Learning to fly is challenging and fun. Expect to spend about $4-5K and take approximately 77hours (AOPAs average pilot time for PPL), an FBO will tell you 50-60hrs which is optimistic unless you do a quicky course at a school.
From a safety point of view student pilot's are amongst the safest pilots according to 1997 statistics, and flying is twice as safe as driving (according to AOPA president Phil Boyer's address to congress following the JFK tradgedy) per mile travelled.
There is a better reason to leave your young family at home. Realistically babies and affordable aircraft do not mix. A Cessna 172 or Piper Archer is very noisy and requires a good headset or damage will result. Exposing unprotected infant ears to this would be irresponsible.
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