Dbelden,

Remember to pick a flight instructor that not only likes to fly, but will stick with the ground school and really REALLY go over the ground schooling stuff with you.

When I was a CFI, I really had my students hit the books while working on their ppl.

If you find a instructor who wants to fly fly fly, well guess what? He/She is trying to build their flight time so he/she can leave.

I know the bookwork is the boring part but its also very important. Whats the point of going up for your FAA checkride if you can't properly explain what makes an airplane turn and the 4 forces of flight acting on the plane during a turn.... blah blah blah

Anyone can point a nose at somewhere and fly to it.

1 of my FAs just got her PPl not too long ago and when she went up on here SOLO couple months ago, she got lost. (I teased her for a while on this) but I asked her what do you do when you get lost? What are the 4 Cs? She had no clue.

I'm like HELLOOOO every instructor knows the 4 Cs and you do this if you get lost.

Cram (full throttle)
Climb (higher altitude, better reception with ATC)
Confess to ATC you are lost
Comply with their instructions

This is just 1 example but when she told me this, I asked her questions that every student pilot should know before they solo. Another example about her being lost was I asked her if she took 2 different VORs, centered both CDI needles with a FROM indication and where the 2 lines interesect on her sectional map, that is where she is. She never heard of that too. Her instructor never taught her that before she solo'd.

So again, get a CFI that will go over the bookwork.

If you need any help, please PM me. Best of luck to you