Justifying spending $5,000

R

Ryan

New Member
I have wanted to fly ever since I can remember, and now I am in a position to pursue this goal, I have almost half of the money needed to obtain my PPL and will be turning 17 in november right in time for my check-ride(hopefully). My question is: should I go out and spend all my money now and get my PPL early or should I wait until I have more money and have re-affirmed my interest in aviation. I know this may seem to be a stupid question but I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing. And my other question is do any flight schools have some sort of deal where you can work for them (i.e. cleaning, answering phones, .etc) and receive free or reduced rate instruction fees. If anyone one knows of a good flight school in the KFRG area of NY I would be much obliged. Thanks for any helpful insight or personal experiences.

Ryan
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What precisely do you mean by "re-affirmed" your interest?

1. If you have been interested in aviation since you were a kid, I guarantee your perception of how fun it is won't go down when you take that first lesson or discovery ride (if you haven't already). It's like crack - one hit and you are hooked.

2. On the other hand, piloting skills & knowledge get rusty very quickly and you need to fly a lot, like maybe 30-50 hours a year, to stay competent and safe. If you can't afford to basically spend $5000 every year for flying, or if you think flying might be fun to try but you wouldn't really want to do it a lot, then you might be better off to wait a little while, until when the money is easier to come by.

3. I think almost every person on this board who waited until a later age (I got my PPL at 30) would tell you they wish they started earlier.

4. It's an excellent idea to save up the money for the whole PPL first. I think you can beat your estimate of $5000 if you stick to a cheap trainer like a 152 the whole way, but no matter what, you are much better off if you don't have to worry about running out of money before you finish. It is much better to barge through the training all at once rather than piddle around and take 50-80 hours to get the PPL.

Are you a good student? If you are always prepared for every lesson, get your knowledge test out of the way early, and stay on top of your instructor, there is no reason why you couldn't pass a checkride at or near the 40 hour minimum. It doesn't mean you're a genius if you only take 40, or dumb if you take more, but going substantially over the minimum is just burning money you may not have.
 
I was you 3 years ago...

-You're saving. That's fantastic. Keep it up!

-You don't need to reaffirm your interest. The fact that you're saving is enough.

-Get ROD MACHADO'S PRIVATE PILOT HANDBOOK and rip through that thing. It's a GREAT book, and it will really speed your training along when you do get to start.

-Write out a spending chart. How much will you earn in the next xxx months? How much do you need? How much will your training cost? Plan on 50 to 60 hours of training.

-If it helps to whet your appetite, take an intro flight or two.

-When you do start, get a good instructor, and let him or her know of your situation.

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out and what you decide.
 
Yea... CTL .. Caelum Tranquilitatis Ltd...
(631)-752-3363 ...

Last time i went to NY i stoped by there... It's a Pretty nice flight school... I wanted to take a flight or two with them.. But i didn't get the chance..

Talk to Allan. ( they are by hanger 3 south by Million Air ) call them and ask for price. don't espect $85/hr dual.. it's freakin New york City Bro !!!
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Thank you all for your input. And yes I am very interested in avation there is no questioning that, the thing is that I am just making sure that I am doing the right thing by getting my liscense so early which I am pretty sure that I am, it seems as the early you start something the more experience you get at it thus making the process of my future career easier. And I have taken an intro flight in I believe was either a C-172 or a C-182 not quite sure but it was one of the best experiences of my life it definitely inspired me to save up as much as I could and as I mentioned in my last post I am almost half way there. Thanks again for all of your input, I am much obliged.
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-Ryan
 
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