Hours for PPL?
 

Is it common for most people to take the check ride and oral right at 40 hours or do most wait til abortion 50? Would it be that much harder to take the check ride at 40?

as an active CFI i can tell you it is unlikely to do it the bare minimum. average is in the 70 hour range for pt 61, and mid 50's for pt 141. there is simply a lot to do.... it all depends on your dedication, motivation and study habits, and how much you can fly per week. the more you can fly the faster it will go. good luck!!

You don't want to go the dance until you have all the steps down. And down is what I mean, a failed check will dog you till you're old and gray. Take your time.

It is very uncommon to get your PPL at the bare minimum hours. You always hear from some guy who says he heard from someone else that they heard from their CFI that some guy at a cross town school had a 3rd cousin twice removed who got their PPL in 40. But you'll never meet someone in person who has.

These numbers are backwards. Part 61 students regularly finish PPl in the 40s, there is no special syllabus wasting more time than needed. He's right though, it takes dedication to make it happen. That dedication needs to be from both student and instructor. You cant get your license in the 40s by casually studying and taking lessons 1-2 times a week, it takes more.

If you are working your butt off and are nearing 40 but being told you're not close the instructor is likely milking you. Either that or you are really not ready. Either way get a second opinion from another instructor/school.

And though it won't be believed I have in the last 8 months signed off 6 privates, four who took their checkrides in their 40s and did very well. The other two were in their 50s. Most training I do is not for private pilot. Again, it is doable but your training cant be whatever, it needs to have purpose. Work hard.

From AOPA's Site
 

........ many schools believe that a true average flight training time for a private pilot is between 50 and 60 hours, whether the school operates under Part 61 or Part 141. Others believe that 68 to 70 hours is the more likely average. These flight hours can be spread over a time span of several months to a year or more.

I took 53 hours (part 61) over 9 months at a mom+pop FBO. I wanted to fly with the same CFI, but he bolted for another job - ended up flying with 3 CFIs at 2 different airports.

60 hours over 5 months for IR with the same CFII. 133 hours over 1 year 8 months between PPL and starting IR training

YMMV

I did it in 40.7, although I don't know how common it is. I made it my goal to do it in 40 because at the time that's all the money I had, so for me it was 40 or bust. When my instructor and I were going over my IACRA, I discovered an error which put me at 39.0 hours, so we went up and burned gas for an hour to get me to 40. Then, after my checkride had been delayed several times, I went back up to do some solo crosswind landings for 0.7 just to make sure I was ready. So I missed my goal by a little bit, but close enough. I also had the benefit of training at a pilot controlled airport. If you're training at a tower controlled airport, 40 hours probably isn't going to happen.

We usually estimate 50 hours if you train full time and 65 hours if you train part time.

I took the practical with 44 hours. To be fair though I was in an accelerated program where I flew 2 to 3 sorties a day until I was proficient. However, the must be balance. I would not recommend an accelerated program unless you are going from 0 to hero in a relatively short time. Reason 1: I trained in the same central Florida weather conditions daily for three weeks which did nothing to prepare me for flying in other weather conditions like you find in the PacNW. Crosswind landings continue to be the bane of my existence and high density altitude in under-powered airplanes has to be experienced to fully appreciate. Reason 2: After I finished training I didn't fly for 4 months and it felt like I was starting all over again. Unless you are strapped for cash slow your training down.