Acquiring PPL

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BrownieFlys

Filing Flight Plan
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Feb 25, 2025
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BrownieFlys
So, I am have been having this huge dilemma now for the past 2-3 years. I really want to get my PPL. Have about 8 hours over this time frame.

The one thing that keeps holding me back is what am i going to do after i receive the certificate.

I live in a pretty small town in Alabama with no flight club. There are no family airplanes to rent. The only planes to rent are 172's and the overnight minimums (4 hour) for long weekends to the gulf make it very expensive.

I have dreams of taking my family on long weekend trips and my daughters to cheer/ dance competitions.

My CFI has the "build it they will come" motto. Basically get my private and go from there.

I have a pretty healthy budget of roughly $15,000/year not including a couple more $1000s for family trips, but I don't have the funds to buy a plane.

Should I go for it and just hope for the best, wait 10 plus years to save up, or just put this to rest. Any thoughts and suggestic recommended.


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I am aware of some pilots in my area by name only. Unfortunately I don’t know them to reach out and ask.
How would a non-equity partnership work? Is it bad form to just cold text/call these people?
 
I'm with your instructor, get your license now. You will find something to fly when the time comes.
I started out renting the flight school planes at first. That was fine and rewarding. I didn't do any overnights trips, but I was still learning at that point.
I found a local 172 to rent and then bought it.
I still have it 6 years later and 1600 hours. I am still learning in it and love flying it.

Get your PPL and go from there. It's a big commitment to earn it. Good luck. Also life is short, your daughters won't be young for very long.
 
BrownieFlys said:
I have a pretty healthy budget of roughly $15,000/year not including a couple more $1000s for family trips, but I don't have the funds to buy a plane.
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There are experimental aircraft that can be bought very reasonable and had for inexpensive prices but may require a bit of sweat equity in repairs and updates. Most that are affordable will be two seat planes and may be slower than the trainers that you use to get your PPL. The caveat is that you have to know what you are looking at as you can easily get a pig in a poke as they say.

Recently a friend sold a very well built Zenith 701 for 25K. I knew the plane well and believed that it would have sold above that but the owner had a buyer and wanted to get rid of it as the family had too many planes and was cleaning out the hangar ...
 
BrownieFlys said:
…
How would a non-equity partnership work? Is it bad form to just cold text/call these people?
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Once you’re hanging out at the airport, you’ll meet owners. Usually, that’s an opening to the conversation. The non-equity partner will pay some share of the fixed expenses (hangar) and insurance in exchange for a negotiated hourly use rate.
 
If you want to get your license, look for a less popular aircraft. I bought a Cardinal instead of the 172. It was a less expensive capital outlay. You could find a plan and make a partnership. That would be a way to get 3-5 like minded people to buy into the LLC you would create to hold the plane. Each person could put up $10,000 and with 5 people that would be $50,000 and then look at a loan. I was looking at Beech Serria's but cannot climb up on the wings very well. There are some less popular planes that might fit the bill for training and personal use.
 
“Fortune favors the prepared…” — Louis Pasteur.

The worst that can happen is that you end up renting while building hours, gaining experience, & honing judgment flying locally. In the meantime, if you’re at the airport, you’re “plugged in.”

My first plane was off a recent “widder.” I’d befriended the husband. Just chatted, drank a coke with him when I saw him. He hangered at the airport where I trained, but other than firing the up Luscombe 108 up and taxiing around to keep the Franklin strong, he was too sick to fly. After he passed, I got the plane and the hanger. Didn’t even have to kiss the widder.

You’re rural, but that’s can be kinda good. Until you start flying regularly, you don’t realize how many planes are flying off of tractor turn rows or out of pastures and using the barn as a hanger. Turns out: a lot. And they all come to your airport to get 100LL. “Barn finds” are a real thing in flying.

In any event, if you are prepared, you’ll be ready. If nothing comes along, the worst thing that can happen is that you gain a valuable skill. You’ll also be modeling life-long learning for the kids.

Besides, the more hours you build, the more comfortable your spouse is likely to be entrusting her genetic experiment in your skill & in your plane. There are a lot of guys who, like you who, start off imagining family vacations flying. They bought a 6-seater only to find out his wife won’t go, the kids get air sick, or that watching dad heroically maneuver an airplane is terminally boring and that they’d rather be with their friends.
 
TCABM said:
Once you’re hanging out at the airport, you’ll meet owners.
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rhkennerly said:
In the meantime, if you’re at the airport, you’re “plugged in.”
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^^^^^ This right here ^^^^^

Go where the action is and mingle with the pilots and plane owners.

My grandson loves to fly with me and was, once again, asking the when we are going flying again. I told him that folks getting free airplane rides generally know how to wash and wax airplanes ... ;)
 
BrownieFlys said:
I have a pretty healthy budget of roughly $15,000/year not including a couple more $1000s for family trips, but I don't have the funds to buy a plane.
Click to expand...
I owned a plane for 6 years and my expenses were way, way lower than that. I let it go for a song and still sold it for more than I paid. Buy smart.
 
Daleandee said:
There are experimental aircraft that can be bought very reasonable and had for inexpensive prices but may require a bit of sweat equity...

Recently a friend sold a very well built Zenith 701 for 25K.
Click to expand...
This. I've owned seven airplanes over the years. None cost over $25K, and only two were over $10K. Some needed work and some didn't.
 
If nothing else, consider the PPL an accomplishment. Not many people are pilots. Join EAA, you'll probably find other members in the area. Here are a few 'bama resources:


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Alabama District, Pilot International, website
www.alabamadistrictpilot.com www.alabamadistrictpilot.com

Alabama - Seaplane Pilots Association

Alabama waters offer an abundance of diversity and natural beauty. The state is relatively seaplane friendly, with significant water flying opportunities in both fresh and salt water. Guntersville, Alabama has been very seaplane friendly and hosted seaplane events in the past.
seaplanepilotsassociation.org seaplanepilotsassociation.org
 
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BrownieFlys said:
I live in a pretty small town in Alabama with no flight club. There are no family airplanes to rent. The only planes to rent are 172's and the overnight minimums (4 hour) for long weekends to the gulf.
Click to expand...
AOPA has some great resources about clubs. You’re an ideal candidate to take the leap and start one.
 
You are not acquiring your PPL, you are earning your ticket. Big difference. It involves usually hard work. The training intensity in the past with 8 h within 2 or 3 years is not adequate to achieve good progress.

With your financial resources at hand, I suggest at least one training session per week.

Do no even thing about to take your family into the air until you have reached a certain level of proficiency. The real learning starts right after the passed check ride. Low time pilots, family on board, pressure to arrive on time for a contest - all the finest ingredients for a disaster.
 
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