kaplanmaxe

Hi everyone,

I'm 18 and looking to get my private pilot's license. I currently live in NJ and there is a local flight school around here I am thinking of going to. The problem is, however that I leave for college in a little over a month.

My main question is are flight hours transferable from flight school to flight school? Should I start at the local school and finish up at college, or should I just wait until I get to college and do all my flight hours there?

Thanks!

Emb170man

Flight hours go with you wherever you go. The new flight instructor will probably want to take a flight or two to just see where you are at, so there might be a little extra flying involved but not more than an hour or two... The place where your experience won't necessarily transfer over is at a part 141 school... You may be able to apply some time towards the course, but given your situation I would go to a part 61 school, at least at college... To start it doesn't matter.

ddd333

What college are you going to attend? It's been my experience as a flight instructor at a 141 university that students who arrive with prior part 61 flight training were probably better off without it. This is not always the case though. Some, but few were better for it.
In primary flight training consistency is valuable. Same flight instructor, same aircraft, same airport, etc. Later on, after you have built a solid foundation (around the Private Pilot level) it's good to fly with other instructors and other aircraft in changing environments in order learn different perspectives and techniques. It helps you grow as an experienced pilot.
It is only my opinion, but as a Flight Instructor and graduate of a University with an accredited and well-established part 141 flight school, I would recommend that you wait until you get to college if it's within a month or so. Good luck!

kaplanmaxe

Thanks for your reply, guys.

The reason I want to get my private pilot license is because I will be doing Air Force ROTC at Syracuse University, and if you have your private pilot license, it increases your chances of getting one of the few pilot slots. It's also been a goal since I was younger to get it.

I live in NJ now and Century Air in Fairfield, NJ is the closest flight school to me. They are a Part 141 school with a good reputation. When I get to Syracuse, I would be going to Syracuse Flight School which is a Part 61. Does that change your opinion as to whether I should start now? I feel like if I get to school with at least some flying experience, it would be better for the Air Force ROTC program.

jcaplins

In my opinion, it would only be beneficial if it were significantly cheaper in NJ. Otherwise wait a month. A month will go by in a blink of an eye, just enjoy your summer.

Best of luck.

IdahoFlyer

Just so you know your hours always go where you go, but they can't necessarily be used towards ratings. If you start at a part 61 school and then transfer to a part 141 school all of your hours get transferred but only 25% of those transferred hours are applicable towards your ratings at that school. If you start at a 141 school and transfer to a part 61 school all of your hours can be applied to a rating at that school. If you transfer from one part 141 school to another 50% of your hours can be applied to a rating at the new school. Just keep that in mind if you bounce around flight schools. Transferring from one part 61 school to another there is no loss of time. As stated before, your new instructor will likely want to review what's already been covered by your past instructor(s) before moving forward. I don't know if I'd bother getting started with only one month before going to school. My recommendation would be to take a demo flight to make suremyou don't hate flying and then buy your books and get studying. Instructors love students who study and want to learn.

kaplanmaxe

Thanks for your replies, everyone. It really helped.

Duksrule

One more thing to think about is the medical. While you are 18 and probably don't give it much thought because you are likely healthy. My first instructor gave me this advice and I pass it on to everyone I meet that is looking to start flying.

If you are planning to someday fly for a living, go get a First Class medical FIRST. Even though you don't need a first class to train or even be a commercial pilot, many places require you to have one to get a job. So make sure you can get that first class medical before you spend a dime on training. That way if you can't get it and that changes your entire plan, you are only out the money you paid the Doc.