part 61 or 141?
 

I am less than 2 weeks away from my first lesson. First off I made it clear to the CFI that I intend to do a home study program, instead of spending a lot on a study kit, and do computer based programs. For this reason he recommended the part 61 program... He told me to purchase some Jeppesen items. When I added everything, for an extra 30 bucks or so I could buy the entire 141 kit, so that's what I did. In other words, it was cheaper for me to buy the entire kit. Now my concern is, should I change my mind and go for 141 instead? I understand that it does not make a huge difference at this point, but am I better off in a 141 program in terms of saving money and since I have the 141 kit? Don't I have to do an extra 5 more XC trips in a 61 program? Also would I end up spending a lot more for ground school in a 141? As of now I am signed up for the 61...

Pearl -

I started off in the Part 61 world and ended my time in civilian aviation with the Part 141 world.

In my experience I much preferred the -141 world for my training. I thought the structure of the program made it much easier to progress and to know what was expected of me on each and every flight.

Once I was in the military I realized that the program that I had been a part of closely resembled military training to include progress/standardization checks which the military called "off-wing" flights and end of stage checkrides.

All in all - much depends on ones personality and how they like to learn - or learn best regardless of their personal preferences!

Good luck in your decision.

USMCFLYR

Generally, if you need a lot of structure in order to get the job done, go 141. If you can motivate yourself to do it, then 61 is the thing to do.

I'm not sure it makes a big difference at the PPL level though. It may be more relevant for the IFR and the CPL.

You want to be the best pilot you can be. In my mind, it doesn't matter if you go 61 or 141. All else being equal, get a good instructor and all will be well.

Or, tell your CFI you "want structure" and then do it part 61. 141 has less flexibility that 61. 141 has lower times but can end up costing more in the long run. For example, under 61, you can use a ground trainer for 50 of the 250 for a commercial.

Then again, under 141, I was able to get my CPL in just over 180 hours (including some non-training fun flying... so probably more like 150).

It's all personal preference. I prefer part 141 because it's what I know and what I teach, but there are advantages to part 61 as well. If you're interested in a career in aviation, I would suggest part 141 because it's more similar to airline style training.

Thanks. I also forgot to mention that I already had discussed that although I may be doing part 61 for my PPL, I am surely going to switch for 141 for the next ratings, because I want to do this as a career. I think I will just stick to 61 now, and then switch.

I have trainined and worked under both 61 and 141.

61 is far more flexible and usually cheaper.

The gotcha with 141 is that although they advertise fewer hours, they almost invariably charge more for those hours. So you end up spending as much or more on 141, and hit the streets with less flight time. Well, guess what...pilot hiring is based on your actual flight experience in a real airplane...nobody cares about 141 vs. 61, some airline folks don't even know what 141 is.

Another problem is that you cannot focus your training efforts on areas where you need emphasis...you will have to repeat tasks which you have already mastered because the syllabuis says that, and then pay for EXTRA training if you have weak areas which you cannot master within the syllabus. Of course you will get charged for extra training...most students do end up buying more training.

With 61 you have to either find the right small school or carefully manage your own training at an FBO/club, but you can save a large amount of money that way.

I would only recommend 141 if you have military VA benefits (that's what 141 was created for) or are enrolled in a university flight program where you have no choice. Most 141 schools will allow you to do a 61 program if that makes more sense.

Having trained and received training under 61. And having been through one 135 initial, and two 121 initials. Two 121 type ratings and an F/E rating. I don't believe in the slightest that training under 141 will make "airline training" any easier. But, to each his own....

You can make 61 mimick 141 to your hearts content. Syllabus, ground training, sims, ect. The only difference is 61 has higher times required.

Best advice is don't switch in the middle of your rating. At least don't go from 61 to 141 in the middle. That never works in your favor. As for which is better, that should primarily depend on how you like to work, and where the best instructors are. Finding a great instructor is probably the best thing you can do for your training.

Thanks everyone. I will stick to part 61 for now, and see if I want to change to 141 after my PPL. The rental costs is a little higher ($135 hourly plus instructor) so I have to find some ways to save some money too. And if 141 will let me do that, I probably will... But it is clear that, at this point it does not make much of a difference.