Questions About Learning To Fly

[BillyJ]

Hi,
I'm considering the idea of taking flying lessons at the local airport. How long does the average student take to get their license? I plan to take about 3 lessons per week until I finish. Is it realistic to think that I will be ready for the checkride after the 40 hours the FAA requires? Do any of you have some advice before I get started?

Thanks for your advice in advance - BillyJ

[MarkManB]

It is probably not practical for you to think that you can finish everything in 40 hours. Be sure to check with a few flight schools beforehand. Also- it's a good idea to read as much as you can and practice "chair flying" on the ground. Flying the airplane in your mind's eye is a lot cheaper than the one at the FBO!

-Mark

[Jeff]

You may want to look into the Recreational Pilot certificate as well. It requires fewer hours but comes with more restrictions. Mark gave good advise - very few people earn any FAA certificate in the minimum hours, and be leery of anyone who promises to do it!

[Gary]

Billy,

Don't just consider it, DO IT, you'll be glad you did. Like the others, I don't believe you'll do it in the 40 hrs, but only because most instructors will go that extra 5 - 10 hrs just to be sure. You've got the right thinking though in going 3 times a week, everything will stay fresher and in doing so may knock a few of those extra hours off. That "chair flying" idea of Mark's is good, but I took it one step farther when I was learning. When I wasn't flying, and the plane was not being used, I would sit in it and read the plane's handbook trying to make all the gadgets and their locations become second nature to me. Good Luck, and let us know how it goes.

Gary

[BillyJ]

Thanks for the advice, I've been taking lessons for a few months now and I am up to 20 hours. I'm going for the private pilot license, and I hope to be done in another two months.

Billy

[JTaylor]

When I started out I was somewhat fixated on that 40 hour mark, but after a while I realized it was almost irrelevant. With my student pilot certificate I noticed that I could go on cross countries by myself and that I could enjoy local flying whenever the conditions were favorable. The only thing I might have wanted to do but couldn't, was to take a passenger along. If you're expecting flying to be a lot different after you get a PP-ASEL ticket, something's amiss. Sure, with just a student ticket, you can't really take 1000 mile trips by yourself, but you probably shouldn't do that until you get 100-300 hours anyway. A private pilot has the same four worries that a student pilot does: weather, traffic, plane availability and costs. So remember, once you get about 25-35 hours under your belt and some reasonable sign-offs, you really are a pilot.