It's all about the balance. (aviation vs school)

[anonymous1]

Hi,

I'm a sophomore in college with the goal of becoming a corporate pilot, and I'm finally getting ready to dive into flight training. Besides one hour of flight that I logged in 2007, I have no actual flight time (albeit plenty of Flight Simulator "experience" ). I'm from the Pacific Northwest which has terribly short days and volatile weather during winter, so despite my compulsion to fly NOW:rawk:, I've chosen to wait until March (after DST begins) to start my PPC training.

Here's my main question, which I would imagine has been asked countless times here on Jetcareers (though I couldn't find any related threads myself): Roughly how many flight lessons, and of what length, should I cram in per week during the school year? Obviously this will depend largely on my study habits and level of commitment, but is there any consensus on what is generally too much or too little? I really want to push myself to do the most that I'm capable of. I've heard that flying too infrequently tends to be ineffective, but by spending too much of my time airborne I might not get the most out of each hour either. I'm studying computer science full time, but I'm fortunate to be in a position where I have short classes and I only need to put in about 15 hours of homework per week to perform well, as I already know most of what I'm learning. But I am no slacker, and I'm prepared to put everything I've got into learning to fly.

Also, what should I be doing to get prepared in the months leading up to spring? Right now I'm reading North Star Over My Shoulder (a GREAT book, btw) and practicing maneuvers and procedures in FSX, but these novel things won't exactly prep me for actual training. I will soon be contacting my FBO of choice with this and other questions, but for financial reasons I'm not sure that their recommendations will be the most realistic ones. I would really appreciate your unbiased input here! Thanks everyone for your time.

-anonymous1

 

[JeffMSU]

I started flight training a couple of weeks before my last semester at Michigan State. I had a light last sem so for the first month of flying when all you are doing is maneuvers and preparing for your solo I flew about two times a week which worked out for me. I think flying 2-3 times a week was the best way to keep your skills up while not going "overboard" with balancing school and flight training.

Flying 2-3 times a week will allow for those weeks where you can only fly once or none at all because of weather or maintenance issues. I was able to make set schedule so I always had the instructor and a plane on two days of the week and then maybe tried to add a third day on the weekend depending on how school or the weather was going.

Start talking to FBOs now! Try to get as much information from them as you can so you can figure out what schools you might want to give your money to or ones that you cannot see yourself at. Look at their planes and talk to the instructors. Find a school that has an CFI that you like with planes that fit what you are trying to do. Try to keep costs as low as you can without sacrificing time (mechinical issues) or your safety. Also look at how many CFIs and students there at the school. I left one school because they had way to many students and not enough CFIs.

Good luck in your search and remember that you are the one that will be paying money to find a place that you want to spend time at. Look all over this site because the information passed on between posts is amazing and ask as many questions as you can.

 

[anonymous1]

Great, thanks a lot for responding Jeff. This seems like really practical advice. I'll try to scope out the FBOs and their instructors. I'll also ask the CFIs how many students they are currently teaching. How many is typically too many? It sounds kind of awkward to interview all the CFIs and then choose one, but I'm sure it will pay off in the end. Are there any good threads on the topic of qualities to look for in an instructor?

And back to the subject of preparing for lessons, does anyone have recommendations on books, DVDs or ground school products that would be useful? Would you say that these types of products, such as the 'courses' offered by King Schools or Sporty's, are worth the money?

 

[JeffMSU]

Being too busy depends on the school, how many full time cfis are employed compared to part time. The school i left had an online schedule and you could only find an opening for an instructor if you booked 1.5-2 weeks in advance. I think think some things to look for in a CFI is experience, a good personality, flexable, and just someone that you would want to spend time shoulder to shoulder for 30 plus hours.

The book i used to prepare for my private written was the Gleim book. Read through it tryed to understand the questions and their answers as best i could and then took countless practice tests on sportys.com. I got a 98% so that worked for me. I recieved the Airplane Flying Handbook for free and that was alright, i didnt look at it too much. For the checkride, im studying the oral test guide from asa. lots of info and it explains everything you need to know for the oral portion of the checkride.

Another book i suggest is Stick and Rudder. Its a classic and is a must read for any pilot. Its more of an experience and theory book rather then just straight facts but its great.

 

[anonymous1]

Thanks for the recommendations! I actually have Stick and Rudder in my collection already, half-read. But I have to admit, I'm finding it really hard to finish, as it all seems like pretty basic stuff that a person can deduce just by playing Flight Simulator. Maybe I should crack it open and take another look.

I'm definitely considering getting the Gleim book, as well. I looked it over on the site, and it looks incredibly comprehensive and well designed. 98% is pretty damn good, I must say. It should be interesting to see what the CFIs think of Gleim's offerings. By studying all the ground school material before even starting lessons, I should really be able to make good use of my hours spent aloft. You've been awesome, Jeff. Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction!

-Jeff

 

[moxiepilot]

Great, thanks a lot for responding Jeff. This seems like really practical advice. I'll try to scope out the FBOs and their instructors. I'll also ask the CFIs how many students they are currently teaching. How many is typically too many? It sounds kind of awkward to interview all the CFIs and then choose one, but I'm sure it will pay off in the end. Are there any good threads on the topic of qualities to look for in an instructor?

And back to the subject of preparing for lessons, does anyone have recommendations on books, DVDs or ground school products that would be useful? Would you say that these types of products, such as the 'courses' offered by King Schools or Sporty's, are worth the money?

Here's my worthless opinion....

When you're scoping out the FBO's ask the CFI what books you can expect to need. If you interview multiple FBOs look for the common theme. One school may recommend Gliem, the other Jeppesen, the third might go with all FAA produced documents.

They all cover the same material. Buy the one you are comfortable with and start reading! I encouraged my students with Jep Private Pilot manual, and supplimented it with most FAA books (Airplane flying handbook, Aeronautical Flying knowledge, PTS, etc.) For the written I recommended ASA Test guide. Some use Gliem. The test preps are all the same.

To student load - I could say I handled 40 students at a time or I could say I was booked 8-14 hours a day. Both are true. Some students don't fly often, but I was training them. Some fly more regularly. The better question is how far in advance do I need to schedule you in order to be on your schedule.

Anthing that comes out of King or Sportys is expensive. Spend your money on flying by reading instead of watching. Have your instructor explain the concepts that are difficult. Keep them fed.

 

[killbilly]

To student load - I could say I handled 40 students at a time or I could say I was booked 8-14 hours a day. Both are true. Some students don't fly often, but I was training them. Some fly more regularly. The better question is how far in advance do I need to schedule you in order to be on your schedule.

Anthing that comes out of King or Sportys is expensive. Spend your money on flying by reading instead of watching. Have your instructor explain the concepts that are difficult. Keep them fed.

I'm a recent PPL - maybe some of the stuff I learned will help you here...

Try to fly as often as you can afford - 3 times a week, I think, is good. The more frequently you fly and assimilate the lessons, the less it will cost you over time because you don't spend time re-learning maneuvers.

The Sportys/King stuff is expensive (and frankly, pretty boring) but there is a lot of good information there. What I found myself doing - to keep from falling asleep - is to take notes as if I was sitting in a lecture, and then asking my CFI questions about what I was watching before each lesson. This was doubly effective because I would get difficult concepts explained from two angles, plus, it helped related concepts reinforce in my mind. During my flight training, I'd have lots of these "aha" moments where something I'd watched/discussed suddenly clicked into place while I was performing a task.

Ask as many questions as you can think of. Your CFI has a vested interest in you doing well, and if you're a good student, he'll do everything in his power to teach you as thoroughly as he or she can. Also learn where to look up answers - you'll start figuring things out on your own and only need to ask for clarification or reinforcement.

Your CFI will appreciate you being a self-starter with a good attitude. That makes the teaching easier, according to my CFI.

Finally, I would actually stop using FlightSims for a while. I had a really tough time peeling my eyes away from the instruments and looking outside, which is what you need to be doing during the PPL. Some of my best flying as a student was done when my CFI covered up instruments and forced me to use the horizon instead of the gauges. I had gotten so used to looking at the ASI and the rest of the gyros that I wasn't feeling and looking, y'know? Probably cost me an additional 4-5 hours in flight time learning to do that.

This might not be a problem for you, but it was for me.