PearlPilot

I am very excited to begin training for my PPL very soon. What kind of tips would you offer me to save as much as possible? My situation is as follows. I recently got a job that would enable me to pay out of my pocket for lessons. My job will be rather demanding and stressful. I do not have a fixed schedule, so I might work any day of the week at any time (not overnight) But the good thing is I get my schedule ahead of time so there won't be a problem scheduling flight lessons. I said this because, I don't think I can take more than 3 lessons per week, so I will probably start off by going 2 times a week. I was not happy to learn that the rental for dual costs close to $200, but I was not surprised. There are cheaper places around, but it is far (nearest 141 is 50 miles) and clearly inconvenient. It takes me less than 20 minutes to get there, I have several friends who have trained there, the school has been around for a while, has a great reputation, great equipment, etc. etc. So the price is high, but in my situation I don't have much of a choice. Besides riding my bike for lessons, what tips can you give me to save as much, (because it's expensive to begin with) startng from how to buy a decent headset, to how to plan my studying (should I stick to books or should I go with a Jepp program). Thanks so much in advance!!

ryan1234

$200/hr is just crazy/stupid
books needed:
Gleim Private Written Exam Prep
"Stick and Rudder" - Wolfgang Langewiesche
Airplane Flying handbook - FAA
Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge - FAA
Aviation Weather - FAA
Your Aircraft POH - you seriously need this one

Don't waste your money on the Jepp stuff... it's good, but the above books are better and cost significantly less... study the books... if you study the Gleim you can't possibly fail the written test. The FAA books have exactly what you need to know in them. I would say use the King videos..but I couldn't manage to stay awake during them, save money on ground school,

Move to a cheaper place if you are going through all your ratings (the local flight school will do multi+instruction for $200/hr)

NDCFI

I do like the jeppeson private pilot book, I still use it occasionally instructing. As far as training advice try not to have any long gaps in training (1 to 2 weeks at the most), study hard and come prepared for lessons in order to save time.

TBucket

You might even want to look into doing some of your training in a light sport plane. From what I remember from teaching in them, many are usable for PPL stuff as well as LSA... And they're a TON cheaper than 4-place trainers...

ryan1234

there is a good number of threads on this topic or related to it... use the search tool on the top left.

rickair7777

$200 per hour???? Who is that, american flyers? I hope that's a twin-engine airplane...

In order to maximize your training time, make sure you study ahead so you are familiar with new topics/manuvers you will be doing. You will also need to review stuff which has already been covered on a continuous basis...the PPL checkride is a comprehensive exam, it will cover almost everything in your training.

Make sure you know the PROCEDURES cold before you fly...you can "chair fly" to practice procedures. The ideal place to do this is in an unused airplane on the ramp. You can also do it anywhere you can sit down. Once you have something down cold (so you think), add some distractions...play loud music, juggle tennis balls, etc.

Use your flight time to practice and refine techniques, NOT to learn rote-memory procedures which you can memorize on the ground.

If your flight time is billed when the master switch is on, buy a handheld radio and use that to copy ATIS. It may also be usefull for learning radio comms.

BrandedPilot

If you want to save money - hire a CFI at your local backwoods FBO outside of town.

That CFI gets you the exact same FAA certificate from the same FAA that all the "factories" push out for $100K +/1 yr to CFII. Take your time and fly twice a week or so, there is zero need to hurry in the current aviation climate.

Cubdriver

Pearl you've got to make an attempt to find another school than this one that charges two hundred an hour! Poster above hit the nail on the head- go to the local airport and ask who has their CFI in town, call that person and ask them to try and find an airplane to teach you in. I paid $48 an hour for the plane plus $20 an hour for the instructor when I got my ticket 5 years ago, just for reference. Going rate right now for an old C152 is $75 an hr in most areas. Instruction itself varies, but should be no more than $45 an hr. You can do even better than that if you work at it. Small towns always have old trainers around and people in small towns often are willing to time share an airpane they own since they tend to know one another. There is always a CFI somewhere and you should be able to put something together. I have been in your exact situation before. You can also try and find a block deal on time. You know you are going to need at least 40 hours so why not negotiate the block now and try and get a loan to pay for it.

*headset- try not to buy one at all. If you must, get the cheapest thing you can find off eBay for your private.
*books- above poster gave some great FAA books to have, but I will have to chime in on the value of a good textbook like Jeppeson Private Pilot Manual. It's always a good idea to spend heavy on educational materials rather than flight time.
*videos- I recommend using a a private pilot video training course. Sportys, King, ASA, and Jeppeson are the most common video courses.
*sims- it is amazing how useful desktop sims can be to help solidify concepts. Get a copy of X-Plane and a joystick (software $60, joystick $75). Use it as a supplement for flight training, not so much as a game or as a substitute for flight training.
*radios- Radio Shack has cheap scanners that allow you to hear air-band talk and get the weather, as Rick says.

Led Zep

Pearl,
Are there any flying clubs around that also offer instruction? Sometimes they have CFI's and it might be a less expensive route. Also, are you interested in 141 training specifically? I wouldn't rule out a part 61 program. I taught at a school that offered programs under both, and the only realistic difference was the paperwork. Almost everyone trained above and beyond the minimums and the instructors were the same.

Given that it's been many years since my ppl training, $200/hr for dual sounds way too high.

PearlPilot

Thank you all for your responses. I was not happy about the price as well. For the last 4 years (during college), I tried very hard to begin my training. But things didn't work out mainly due to the cost and the job I had and the lack of time etc etc. I had already known about the aforementioned school and its high cost. So last year, I went to this very small FBO, they have a 172 ($112/ hour) and a 150 ($83/ hour) and instructor $29/hour. It's part 61. I think there were only 2 instructors there, and I talked to one person, who seemed very helpful, but he was about to go to another place.
I am a permanent resident of the U.S. and we are required to go through the TSA clearance prior to commencing training. I applied to TSA, and after close to a month, I still didn't hear from the flight school. I had explained the procedure before since they had no clue of it. Still due to the lack of instructors and technology it did not work out.
To come to my point, I decided to go to this place at the sacrifice of paying a higher price because they have had many students in the past who has gone through this process. Unlike U.S. citizens, I lack some privileges such as joining a flying club or looking for a CFI. Because the flight school has to follow specific procedures, keep records, etc etc. This is why, I really have no choice at this point. Right now I just want to get started, because this is something that I've been wanting to do for a very long time. It's alright guys, I know $200 is crazy, but for me flying is more than just about money, and from 36K a year I can hopefully squeeze in 2 or 3 lessons per week. Besides I still live with my folks so I don't pay a mortgage or car payments. I should certainly look for other options after my PPL, but right now, I just want to get started. I hope you all understand my situation, and thank you for the tips, I will have to work very hard. I was sad to get out of college since I am one of those rare people who actually miss school, so I hope that flight school would keep me busy for some time to come...
I will admit, the excitement of starting to fly supersedes the cost. Once I get into the aviation world, hopefully I can look for a better deal to do my other ratings.