Going into Riddle w/o my PPL??? BAD?? or not that Bad???

**DONOTDELETE**

New Member
I have about 3 weeks until I go to Embry-Riddle for my freshman fall semester. I am very close to soloing. But I know this will not allow me enough time to complete my training and tests. So my instructor is going to set me up with his friend who is an instructor down at the Daytona Beach Airport. I can finish down there with him.

My question is....Is that a smart idea...finishing with him even though it is not through Embry-Riddle?...

Would it hinder my alot to arrive there w/o my Private Liscense....am i going to be far behind????

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated
 
Finish your PPL. How could it hurt you to be ahead of most of the other incoming Freshman? The only thing that might be difficult is getting your ATC skills sharp for DAB.

Good luck!
 
I realize that....i realize that if i had my PPL....i would be ahead...but the problem is...is that i have 3 weeks until i leave and i havent soloed yet...i havent been able to land well enough to solo....i have 40 hrs already and i havent soloed....im just wondering...since there is no way i am going to finish....is that good...bad...or really bad that im going into riddle with about half of my private training done????
 
40 hours is 40 hours. It's good that you have some time and experience under your belt. Even if you don't have your PPL, you can pick up where you left off. My only advice would be to start flying ASAP when you arrive at ERAU. That way your skills will still be sharp and after one review flight your instructor will know just where to pick up. Don't wait more than 1-2 weeks to start flying. You might have to do lots of review and cover some things you've already mastered.

Good Luck!
 
Thats exactly what my instructor here told me...he told me to fly right away when i get down there....he is going to set me up with one of his friends who is an instructor at the airport...not at Riddle...but at Daytona Beach airport....so ill be flying real soon
 
Went to ERAU-PRC

Personally if I had it over again, I would at least solo before going to ERAU, maybe not the full PPL, though. You're going to have to put in a bunch of time in FA109 as opposed to FA110. Soloing will give you a big advantage.

Cheers,
D
 
oh man....that gives me a lot of hope and a lot of inspiration...i know i'll be soloed by the time i go to Riddle....thanks a lot for that tip
 
You probably won't like what I have to say about your situation, but it is advice based on long experience on my part.

First of all, you already have 40 hours which is terrific. You have a good idea of what is going on and have mastered the basic tenants of flight safety. Very important stuff.

Before moving on to the airlines I was a Flight Instructor and later a manager in the flight department at ERAU's DB campus. I saw a lot of students having a lot of different difficulties (all of which CAN be solved!) and I gained some interesting insights into the underlaying causes of many problems. One of the most common causes of poor performance in Freshmen was trying too too much too early. It was always the same song: 15 or more credit hours, a demanding flight course, first time away from Mom and Dad and no sleep in noisy dorms and too much socializing. It is no wonder that allot of Freshmen were having trouble in their flight courses... they were worn out!

Of course, I am not an expert and I realize that I do not know you or your abilities. My advice and experiences are to you, anecdotal at best. I would never encourage anyone to take the advice of some yo-yo like me on an internet discussion board as the hard and fast truth. With that said, I would encourage you to chat very frankly with your academic advisor when you get to ERAU. Detail to him or her your problems and explore the possibility of delaying your flying until second semester.

At this point you are saying to yourself, "WHAT? NO WAY!" Delaying your flying just a few months would enable you to get your feet under you at college and allows you time to settle into a new way of life. It is a stressful time, and that stress almost always shows up in a person's flying. Once you have one semester under your belt and you have some of the boring core requirement academics out of the way, you will be able to concentrate more fully on your flying and you will progress faster... and spend less money!

If you are worried about losing your hard won flying skills, don't. It's like riding a bike. It will come back to you in a very short time and you will be on your way. If you are who I imagine, a young incoming freshmen, than just try not to be in a hurry wiht your flight training. Do it slow, do it right, and above all else HAVE FUN!

Regards,
DashTrash
 
Hey...thanks for that advice....see i would like to do that...but that makes me think that it puts me in a situation where i am then behind the rest of the class in their flying...what my instructor now recomended was that i should start flying as soon and as much as possible when i get down there with an instructor at an FBO at the airport...so with that and then starting flying at Embry-Riddle....that will be alot....tell me if u disagree with that...ud know...u have seen many freshmen come and go....and about how long until ur first flight with Embry-Riddle after u get down there????
 
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