Ok, so i'm going to go and check out 3 or 4 places this weekend to get my PPL here in tampa and clearwater.

My physics teacher told me to try to get training at an airport with a tower, since that will help later on when cross-country flying needs to happen. And i agree with him. So one of the schools is doing their flight training at Clearwater International Airport (PIA). I'm not sure how you classify an airport from small to large, but i would say it is a medium size airport.

So i was checking their info page and they had two listings for everything. One for CFR 141 and one for CFR 61.

CFR 141 seems to require fewer minimum flying hours, but have a minimum hours of ground instructions.
CFR 61 on the other hand has 5 more minimum flying hours, but not really a set limit of ground instuctions.

I'm not really worried about the miniumum flying hours required since it will most likely go into the 50's anyway.
I'm not stranger to lectures, i'm currently a engineering student and a couple more hours in the classroom a month are not going to make a big difference.

From a future career point of view, is one certification CFR 141 or CFR 61 better then the other. I would like to get the PPL done on a fast track (something in the next 3 - 4 month) but i don't want to go for the easy way out just to get held back later on.

I don't know if i want to make my career being a pilot because it seems times are a little tough right now for pilots. But i would like to keep the option open, and make every hour count torwards becoming an ATP, career or not.

I currently go to school more then full time (18 CH) and work full time (50 - 55 wk). Should that affect my decicion?

I will have plenty of free time at the beginning of May. (read: no work, no school) Should i do my ground instructions now, and then just start the flight training after the semester is over?

Thanks,
Thomas S.
Tampa, FL