Originally Posted by Motosaki

The discovery flight went well. For the $99 I got about two and a half hours total instruction time, with thirty minutes of that being in the air.
.6 hours to be more specific. The more I pursue this field the more I start to foam at the mouth for it despite all the bad things I have been hearing. I am at the point now where I would assume live in a van for the rest of my life, as long as I get to wake up and go fly a plane every day.

To recap what he told me and make sure it is accurate, I will need forty hours minimum to get a private. 20 solo, 20 instructed. I need to meet the FAA requirements and get a third class physical. Once I feel competent enough to take the FAA checkride and tests, I can do it whenever I want. From there, I either decide I want this as my career and move on to the next step of getting my instrument ratings/commercial etc etc, or decide I am better off keeping it a hobby (which won't happen)

He said loans for flight school are hard to get, and if I do get one it will likely be very high interest. He suggested I pay as I go out of pocket, but being a 22 year old that installs car stereos I would be 50 by the time I came up with the money myself. I know there are plenty of pilots that went through all the training and did not have the money to pay for it out of pocket, so loans have to be considered as an option. Debt sucks and I know the pitfalls that it can turn into, but I am thinking I will have to have one. Right now my mentality is to take out loans as needed as I progress through all the different stages, all while pinching every penny possible and selling everything I don't need. Which I am more than willing to do.

I am 6'6" 180 and fitting into the planes was a concern I had originally. I have flown the C-172S, and been in a 152 (which was on the ground, stationary). The 172 I have no problem fitting in. The 152 feels a little tight, but still do-able. The only problem was when I pulled back on the yoke my knees got in the way. I can get into the habit of moving my knees if it means I am going to save several hundred dollars (or any other habit for that matter) but from a safety standpoint, do you think the 172 is the best option? He suggested once I pick a plane, to ONLY fly that plane until I get my private. So I want to make the right choice from the get go.

I still will do a few more discovery flights before I make any decisions, but I really did like Aero Atlanta. The flight school at Gwinnett is my next stop so I can get an idea of what is good by knowing what is bad. Gwinnett and McCollum both do everything by the hour, whereas Falcon Aviation and Aviation Atlanta at KPDK were all fixed prices and you were told what they include. I like the option of going by hour and having a choice in the matter to save some money. Would you say it is better to go to a flight school that does it this way, or am I better off with a fixed rate so I know what I am getting myself into.

The rates for Aero Atlanta were:

Rental
C-172SP Club: $125 or Non Club: $132
152: Club: $75 or Non Club: $82
With a fuel surcharge of 6% of the posted rate

Pre Paid amounts of $2000+ gets a 4% discount, $4000 gets a 5% etc

Instruction rate:
Basic/Ground: $42
Senior: $49

Club Membership
$55 initiation with a $20 monthly fee


As usual any advice or feedback is appreciated
-Dustin L