Get my PPL now or later?

cmsuav8r

cmsuav8r

Well-Known Member
I have a question for you guys that have experience with my situation. My question is, should I get my PPL before I go down to CMSU and enter the professional pilot program, or should I just wait until I get there? By the way I have almost exactly a year until then.
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Oh yeah, don't turn this into a "you should get a different degree" thread because I will be dual majoring at CMSU.
 
I highly recommend getting your PPL first, especially if the CMSU program is an "accelerated" one. Having the PPL first will allow you to do several key things - 1) determine if you really do like to fly; 2) figure out if you have a reasonable amount of talent to fly and to do it professionally; and 3) enables you to develop a solid foundation of flying skills before entering a faster paced program -- it will feel less like drinking from a fire hose if you have some flying background before it all gets thrown at you at once! Plus it can save a lot of regret about plunking down a large sum of money with a school.
 
If you can afford it, get it now. I am trying to get mt PPL while in school. The biggest obstacle I face is weather and check rides. It's a bit frustrating to be in the Instrument class and not being in-line with the flight training.
 
If I were you, I'd call CMSU and make sure that, if you do enter with your PPL, they're not going to make you do 15 -20 odd hours of PPL training before they'll let you go on to there intsrument course. I believe some of the large universites make you fly 15 hours or so doing PPL stuff if you come in with your license. I may think twice if that was the case. If not, definitely start workin' at it... it'll be fun for you, you'll be a step ahead of most people, and also you'll know if you like it. Just my opinion though.
 
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I believe some of the large universites make you fly 15 hours or so doing PPL stuff if you come in with your license. I may think twice if that was the case.

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UND is the only school I know of that does that crap...
 
Riddle does it too...and I think last time I checked only about 40% of the people that come in with their PPL pass their prog check out of "FA109" on their first attempt. Going to Riddle with anything more than your Private (which I do highly recommend) would in fact be stupid.

Most aviation schools I know of either don't accept private certificate credit, or have a transition course. Call your school of choice and find out.

And don't #$%
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CMSU will give you the credit for your private pilot, I am working with someone who will be a freshman this year on his
PPL and have a brother who is a senior at CMSU in the pro pilot program, and many of the instructors I work with went there. PM me if you want info.
 
I got my PPL prior to college and have different feelings on the whole thing. First, like what was said before, you find out if you truely do want to do this for a living. Second, you can focus more on flying without having to worry about other classes or tests or anything.

But then there was things that made me wish I had waited to do my PPL while I was in college. These mainly deal with the quality of the education. I got my PPL with the local FBO using cessna's software and everything went smoothly, but then I went to college and started working on my AMEL and realized there were things that I missed/lacked in my primary training. Overall, I thought I would be ahead once I went to college, but I really wasnt as the instructors are making me review some PPL things.
 
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But then there was things that made me wish I had waited to do my PPL while I was in college. These mainly deal with the quality of the education. I got my PPL with the local FBO using cessna's software and everything went smoothly, but then I went to college and started working on my AMEL and realized there were things that I missed/lacked in my primary training. Overall, I thought I would be ahead once I went to college, but I really wasnt as the instructors are making me review some PPL things.

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It might have been the same even if you got your PPL from college. It's all about who is teaching. There are some Part 61 FBOs that teach you just enough to get your ticket, and there are some that put some of the 141 schools to shame. It also differs from instructor to instructor.
 
To paraphrase the immortal Warren Miller: if you don't get your pilot's license this year, you'll just be one year older when you do!
 
Think about this:

If you get your PPL now, a year before you start the rest of your training, please be prepared to keep your skills up to speed. Either fly once a week (if you can afford it) or don't fly at all. Once-a-month flying is dangerous as a brand new pilot. I got my private in high school and was told the same thing by a family friend who was a career corporate pilot. I quit flying and waited the two years before gearing up again in college.
 
Thanks for the advice! At this point, i have decided that i will wait until i begin school at CMSU to start my flight training.
 
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