Thomas

Ok, so i'm going to go and check out 3 or 4 places this weekend to get my PPL here in tampa and clearwater.

My physics teacher told me to try to get training at an airport with a tower, since that will help later on when cross-country flying needs to happen. And i agree with him. So one of the schools is doing their flight training at Clearwater International Airport (PIA). I'm not sure how you classify an airport from small to large, but i would say it is a medium size airport.

So i was checking their info page and they had two listings for everything. One for CFR 141 and one for CFR 61.

CFR 141 seems to require fewer minimum flying hours, but have a minimum hours of ground instructions.
CFR 61 on the other hand has 5 more minimum flying hours, but not really a set limit of ground instuctions.

I'm not really worried about the miniumum flying hours required since it will most likely go into the 50's anyway.
I'm not stranger to lectures, i'm currently a engineering student and a couple more hours in the classroom a month are not going to make a big difference.

From a future career point of view, is one certification CFR 141 or CFR 61 better then the other. I would like to get the PPL done on a fast track (something in the next 3 - 4 month) but i don't want to go for the easy way out just to get held back later on.

I don't know if i want to make my career being a pilot because it seems times are a little tough right now for pilots. But i would like to keep the option open, and make every hour count torwards becoming an ATP, career or not.

I currently go to school more then full time (18 CH) and work full time (50 - 55 wk). Should that affect my decicion?

I will have plenty of free time at the beginning of May. (read: no work, no school) Should i do my ground instructions now, and then just start the flight training after the semester is over?

Thanks,
Thomas S.
Tampa, FL

de727ups

"From a future career point of view, is one certification CFR 141 or CFR 61 better then the other"

No, nobody cares. I like 61 for it's flexibility. The only reason to go 141 is if you're VA, which you're not, or if you're favorite school happens to only use 141.

I'd max out on a home study course, now, if you can fit it in. No need for formal ground school class, unless your school requires it for some strange reason.

When I was in senior in high school, I got a teacher (PPL rated) to sign me off on independent study for one period a semester. I took that time to study for my PPL and the grade I got on the written was the grade I got on my report card. Got school credit for it.

Talk to your physics teacher....

Let us know how the flight school search goes this weekend. We could give you feedback.

ToiletDuck

Part 61 in the long run will get you just as far as part 141 with less regulation. Part 141 toutes it can get you your commercial faster however that doesn't really matter since you need 1000hrs to get in a regional anyway.

I've done both for a few years. Part 141 school you do what the school says, you be there when they tell you to, you do what they say you can do in the planes.

Part 61 you are the CLIENT. You are paying a locally ran company. You call and tell them when you want the plane out, fueled, and ready to go. You tell the cfi when you're available and he see's if he can fly. Not the other way around. Part 61 is more flexible. If you want to fly the plane to go take your family for a ride you can do that. 141 the schools won't let you. But once you have your PPL part 61 places will let you do everything your license will legally let you do.

Slice

In the long run, the advantage(if any)of getting your PPL at a tower controlled airport is minimal. In general, it will cost a bit more since tower controlled airports tend to be busier than an uncontrolled field. I did my PPL with a tower and spent many tenths on the hobbs meter waiting to depart or on an extended downwind. The quality of your instruction (that you can afford)should be the number one factor of where you choose to fly.

Standing by for LAFF's ATP plug.

rickair7777

Yes, many schools only offer part 141 programs because they are required for VA students to use their education benefits (and that is usually not a great use of those benefits). Many schools also charge more for VA training, basically because the VA students are partially subsidized.

I would only do 141 if the school is good and is geographically your best option (ie no 61 training available).

Uncle Bose

Good thing you asked this question here, instead of at a school. The recruiting agent at Phoenix East in Daytona (motto: Even Our Students Wear Epaulettes!) told me point blank "The airlines like to see 141 training in your records." Of course, their 141 packages cost twice as much as their 61s...

freezingflyboy

Don't know that you are being 100% accurate here boss. I taught at a busy flight school in that did part 61 and 141 flight training (as well as a large university 141 program). There was no priority one way or the other for scheduling and 61 students were treated just like 141 students and vice versa. Only difference is that the 141 students came in for a couple hours 2 nights a week and the 61s did not. I taught both the 141s and 61s and scheduling was dictated by the student's schedule. Yes, in 141 you have 12 months from the time you start a course to finish it but that is usually not a problem and definitely doesn't mean we told the students when they would fly. In fact, several of the 61s had day jobs and knew when they could fly and would schedule up to a month in advance.

Now, at the 141 university program I taught at (my screen name is a clue) students would select a "launch time" which was theirs for the entire semester until they finished their course. Basically each student "owned" an airplane and their instructor at the same time 3 days a week. If the student or the instructor or the schedule dictated something else, FINE. We would reschedule but the student had first right of refusal for an airplane at their "launch time". If a student wanted to fly more than their scheduled launches that was usually possible (unless we ran out of airplanes). This is a good system for a large flight program because you don't have students and instructors always juggling their schedules, its adds a rhythm to the training and it reduces scheduling conflicts.

So from someone who has trained and taught in both environments, each has its advantages and disadvantages. If you are the type of person who needs some structure and prefers more of a "school" setting, I would recommend 141. If you are a self-directed learner and don't require the structure then 61 should fit you well.

As far as your comment about taking more than a full-time course load and working 50-55 hours a week I think your real concern should be whether or not you have enough time to devote to flight training. If you can't fly at least 3 times a week and spend 2-3 hours a day studying then you are really wasting your time and money. You may want to think about waiting until the summer or another time where you aren't so busy and "blitzing" your PPL. Train 3-5 times a week, study your butt off and knock it out in a 8-10 weeks. It will save you a lot of time and money.

Pilotpip

I'll second freezingflyboy. The certificate is only as good as the flight school and instructor you're working with. There are lots of great FBOs out there that have both 141 and 61 programs. There are also lots of bad FBOs and flight schools out there with these programs. LAFF got burned by a bad FBO and he seems to think that ATP is the greatest place in the world based on his "research". I know people that went there and were both satisfied and those that felt like they were robbed. To each their own.

The best thing you can do is research, visit schools and make a choice based on your perceptions. Talk to customers and get their point of view. The school is trying to get your business and will tell you everything you want to hear.

LAfrequentflyer

I didn't get burned. I got raped and ended up paying 9.5K for a PPL in 2004. That's 4K more that it should have cost.

-LAFF

BoredwLife

I did 141 for almost all of my ratings except the CFI. I walked out the door with all my ratings including my CFI and CFII and only had 235 hours. Maybe a bonous, maybe not. Did my CFI, MEI, and some aerobatic stuff all 61. I think the training was about the same, but the 141 was ran more like a airline training program and the 61 program seemed more "old school".