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Originally Posted by USMCFLYR
(Post 691904)
Agreed - but I am amazed at the prices I see on this forum. Someone in this thread listed ~$250/hr for a Seminole. I paid $110/hr for a Seneca II to train for my ME rating and that was the most expensive trainer on the airfield (there were only two ME trainers I think and the other one was a Duchess and less costly).
I think I paid $35/hr (wet) for the C-152 and $62/hr for the Arrow that I enjoyed flying. Of course the minimum wage I was making was $3.25/hr too :):( USMCFLYR |
Originally Posted by lifter123
(Post 691936)
Arrows are going for about 110-130/hr, depending on where you are and the avionics, of course. And as mentioned before, twins are well over 200/hr, which is just sickening. If you really want to kick yourself in the butt, talk to some of the older guys that hang out at the local fields, they'll tell you that they picked up their ppl back in the day for less than $1000. If you do that math on an avg. inflation rate of about 4% over the past 40-50 years, it turns out that flight training costs is WAAAY above that. Oh well, have to enjoy life.
Talking to the old guy is a good way to practice your networking skills you will surely need down the road young weedhopper.;) |
Originally Posted by bozobigtop
(Post 691965)
Talking to the old guy is a good way to practice your networking skills you will surely need down the road young weedhopper.;)
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The cheapest way to get your ratings nowadays is to buy the plane, fly the snott out of it getting your time and ratings as quickly as possible, and then sell the plane. In most cases you get back what you spent to buy it, sometimes even a bit more.... so it ends up costing you the gas, insurance, tie-down and instructor. If you do it fast enough you can skip the annual and hopefully avoid some mx costs... but even if it takes a few years, in the long run it's still the cheapest way to get your time and ratings, especially since you'll be trying to do 150+ hours a year at least...
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Originally Posted by Pantera
(Post 690801)
30k survivable? LOL what a joke. ANY pilot that spends 100k to get through training should start at a minimum 70K a year. If there is a shortage the airlines have nobody to blame but themselves.
It's not my fault the folks who went to DCA or ATP are terrible at economics and bought that SJS crap. The cheapest way to get your ratings nowadays is to buy the plane, fly the snot out of it getting your time and ratings as quickly as possible, and then sell the plane. In most cases you get back what you spent to buy it, sometimes even a bit more.... so it ends up costing you the gas, insurance, tie-down and instructor. If you do it fast enough you can skip the annual and hopefully avoid some mx costs... but even if it takes a few years, in the long run it's still the cheapest way to get your time and ratings, especially since you'll be trying to do 150+ hours a year at least... It can be done but isn't easy, nor should it be. I earned my ratings, I didn't buy them. |
Originally Posted by USMCFLYR
(Post 691904)
I think I paid $35/hr (wet) for the C-152 and $62/hr for the Arrow that I enjoyed flying. Of course the minimum wage I was making was $3.25/hr too :):(
USMCFLYR We were renting the BE-45 Mentor for $35 wet at the various Navy/USMC flying clubs on the west coast. Cessna 150 was about $25. |
For perspective, when I started at my small FBO in 2003, a cherokee was $65 an hour wet. I went to a 141 school in 2004, and the C172's were $115/hour. That school has now transitioned to Cirrus, and they are currently going for around $160/hour wet (And that's our primary trainer). Almost a $100 increase in my view.
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Ran it through an online inflation calculator:
$1000 in 1968 is the same as $6123 in 1968. That's about what it could cost you for a PPL now. |
And the cycle continues !
Welcome to the wonderful world of aviation,enjoy the ride.:) Fred |
Originally Posted by Dashdog
(Post 691836)
I didn't have the patience to read all previous 9 pages, so forgive me if this was covered, but how does one spend 100K-200K for flight training? When I trained in the early 90's, I spent well less than 30K to get all my ratings up through MEII, and that included buying almost all my hours to reach 250 TT- and a 60 hour chunk of multi time.
Does that 100K-200K figure include a four year degree (you know, the one that isn't worth more than one from the local community college)? I'm just curious where these figures come from. Estimated Cost of Attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University UND is 21k out of state for tuition, room and board (about 16k less than riddle). In state is about 12k. The website does not show flight costs (it is broken) Cost Estimator | University of North Dakota Enrollment Services |
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