Advice: Flight Training Beginning from day 1

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thhynes

Filing Flight Plan
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thhynes
I have had to wait a while, 2 years before beginning...and there are things I still need to do to really get started. However I wanted to know if this deal is a good deal or NOT...

Learn To Fly Course (Online) - Private Pilot test prep $199

I thought by completing an ""Online Environment" might be a
good option, however with so many choices with varying costs
I don't want to do something dumb...and I don't want to go to
a actual airport for training with an instructor and be demoralized
for my decision.

Any constructive guidance in trying to sort through the tons of
info I have with either purchasing physical books, online courses
would be greatly appreciated.
 
My advice would be to not buy any books until you've selected an instructor. He'll have a syllabus and he may have a suggestion on which book(s) to buy. You can download the AIM for free if you feel like you can't wait.
 
All depends on your instructor and you. He may want to teach you all the stuff anyway to make sure you know it beforehand. I highly doubt he would say, "Oh..you studied all of these maneuvers with the Sporty's course last night? Great! We aren't gonna spend an hour beforehand talking about them, lets just go do it!" That's an hour less of pay for him.

If you are trying to do it the cheap route, the free FAA books on their website are really good. The $8 Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide by Mike Hayes is great, and the Private Pilot Written Test Guide by Gleim is good and only $20.

If you are more of a visual learner, the Sporty's program you mentioned seems like the way to go. I have not used their stuff personally but I have used the King stuff which is along the same lines.

Maybe go to the airport and ask the instructor what he recommends beforehand. Ask if buying the Sporty's program is a waste if you are gonna be sitting there learning stuff you learned last night. Written prep may have to be factored into that as well. How he signs you off to take the written may be different for each instructor. Some may want to teach you some of the topics. Mine just had me bring him 3 practice tests that were above an 85% and he would sign me off.
 
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I agree with the advice above -- don't buy anything without talking to your instructor first.
 
I am a very visual, try by doing learner...reading books is not something I do well...and I don't test well with written exams....which is evident by my Highs School and College years. Its not that I am dumb or stupid its just that I get extremely ansi...remember the yearly testing in high school for achievement scores....I would sit there and just make patterns on the bubble sheets one year the bubble sheet read STAR TREK if you held it at 90 degrees left LMAO.... ...I hated it...Learning material such as written stuff On my own at my own pace is what I do best....

I want to be able to move forward and hopefully take to the air this spring..but would like to get the ""books and ground work done"" but I am not sure if that makes sense in doing it that way either.

PS: I did not mention the name of the company for a reason, but since someone did yes that is what I was looking at.
 
I have always done okay in school, so when I first started learning about flying I took a college course first. After finishing that course with excellent grades, I took the FAA written and failed it. WTF?! So I bought a course with a book and cassette tapes (remember those?) and then took the FAA test again...98%: score! Of course my sister still said she wouldn't fly with me because she was worried about the remaining 2%, sheesh.
 
Instructor is the number one factor, find a good one, find one you mesh with, find one with real world experience, and follow his advice on these things.
 
There's plenty of free stuff if you are willing to filter through them. The FAA handbooks are excellent, including the Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Here is a list: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/

Youtube has a number of good videos of student pilot's recordings of their own lessons.



thhynes said:
I have had to wait a while, 2 years before beginning...and there are things I still need to do to really get started. However I wanted to know if this deal is a good deal or NOT...

Learn To Fly Course (Online) - Private Pilot test prep $199

I thought by completing an ""Online Environment" might be a
good option, however with so many choices with varying costs
I don't want to do something dumb...and I don't want to go to
a actual airport for training with an instructor and be demoralized
for my decision.

Any constructive guidance in trying to sort through the tons of
info I have with either purchasing physical books, online courses
would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
I went through 5 different instructors in the year it took for the PPL (first school closed, one was fired, one went to the airlines..). None of them were particularly well-organized. That said, there are 2 parts to the PPL - the written and practical. The written you should take upon yourself to get done. I bought the King DVD course for PPL and Instrument. On completion of the DVD course King (the company) will sign you off to take the written test. I liked that approach b/c I knew exactly how much work I had to do, how to schedule it, and I wasn't dependent on a flight instructor. As for the practical, you can download practical test standards for free from the FAA website. On some magical day your instructor will deem you fit for the checkride and assuming you have the written test done it will be a non-event. I would also recommend MS Flight Sim X. If you can fly the instrument checkout on FS it will go a long way toward getting you ready for the check ride. If you can fly all the training missions you'll learn a ton of stuff. All for about 49$.

- ICUDoc
 
MadseasoN said:
My advice would be to not buy any books until you've selected an instructor. He'll have a syllabus and he may have a suggestion on which book(s) to buy. You can download the AIM for free if you feel like you can't wait.
Click to expand...

Gucci Pilot said:
All depends on your instructor and you. He may want to teach you all the stuff anyway to make sure you know it beforehand. I highly doubt he would say, "Oh..you studied all of these maneuvers with the Sporty's course last night? Great! We aren't gonna spend an hour beforehand talking about them, lets just go do it!" That's an hour less of pay for him.

If you are trying to do it the cheap route, the free FAA books on their website are really good. The $8 Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide by Mike Hayes is great, and the Private Pilot Written Test Guide by Gleim is good and only $20.

If you are more of a visual learner, the Sporty's program you mentioned seems like the way to go. I have not used their stuff personally but I have used the King stuff which is along the same lines.

Maybe go to the airport and ask the instructor what he recommends beforehand. Ask if buying the Sporty's program is a waste if you are gonna be sitting there learning stuff you learned last night. Written prep may have to be factored into that as well. How he signs you off to take the written may be different for each instructor. Some may want to teach you some of the topics. Mine just had me bring him 3 practice tests that were above an 85% and he would sign me off.
Click to expand...

Ron Levy said:
I agree with the advice above -- don't buy anything without talking to your instructor first.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 
OP have you flown in a light aircraft ever? You know you like it?

An intro flight and talk to an instructor like others have said would be my first move.
 
I used the sportys course on my Ipad, received the written endorsement from sportys then went and got my written done before I even started my flight training or even knew what a CFI was. I think having that 2 year window put some pressure on me to get my private done as soon as possible. I also felt like I knew more about everything when I first flew an airplane. If you have to wait a few months before you start your flight training, I would say get it and get your written done while you wait.
 
I walked into the flight school and took a first lesson. I decided it was for me and purchased the Jeppesen course and put $1000.00 on account. I flew 3-4 times a week and did a chapter and workbook every couple of days. Since I was flying the study course made sense to me. If you start studying before flying you will probably not understand much of it. I did everything in 6 weeks start to PPL. If you can have all the money saved ahead of time and try and fly at least two times a week. Also all of my flight lessons were about 11/2 hours. If you fly that much you have great retention and the instructor doesn't have to waste time teaching you what you forgot if you go a week or two between lessons. That was in 1976 and we didn't have videos. As anoying as the Kings are their courses are excellent. I just did their course for the A&P written and got 87-95% on the three tests. Don
 
txflyer said:
OP have you flown in a light aircraft ever? You know you like it?

An intro flight and talk to an instructor like others have said would be my first move.
Click to expand...


I checked out two schools in my area...they offered a pre introductory flight at about $50 I thought what a great chance to fly a plane....the first school and the pilot let me take off, fly and was going to allow me to land...however because of the HIGH winds that day I decided to play smart and allow him to land the craft...there was no shame in allowing someone with more experience than I to do that...

The Second school just allowed me to fly and bank and line up with the runway.....he did the take off and landing...

School one I liked a lot...the instructor that I was introduced to was friendly, and eager...the second one was a person I had a HARD time understanding his English was with a heavy Slavic accent.

The experience of actually flying the plane is something I can't get out of my head...someone asked me What are you going to do with your license...

I said, I would just like to on a bright sunny day go down, rent a plane for an hour or two and fly around and land ....

There is one more school in my area I can check out and when the temps get better I might just go down there and check them out....to cold for me its like bitter 10 degrees and snow...
 
txflyer said:
OP have you flown in a light aircraft ever? You know you like it?

An intro flight and talk to an instructor like others have said would be my first move.
Click to expand...

I have twice...two different schools...one more to check in the spring
 
thhynes said:
School one I liked a lot...the instructor that I was introduced to was friendly, and eager...the second one was a person I had a HARD time understanding his English was with a heavy Slavic accent.

The experience of actually flying the plane is something I can't get out of my head...someone asked me What are you going to do with your license...

I said, I would just like to on a bright sunny day go down, rent a plane for an hour or two and fly around and land ....
Click to expand...

Same here. I've been flying for almost 5 years. ;)

Selecting the right instructor is paramount. You're going to spend a lot of time with this person, most of it shoulder to shoulder. If it's not someone that you'd hang out with then I would keep looking.
 
Great advice from the above post, a lot of different experience's well noted from pilots who have been there . I would only offer this perspective, after you get your license, then what, some Insurances company's will not insure you if you fly less that 25 hours per year. Having said that, do you plan on buying an aircraft, I purchased a Cessna 172 to take my lessons in, when I could solo, I flew many hours practicing some things I could safely do, and enjoyed flying without my instructor constantly giving me problems to solve. I sold my Cessna when I got my ticket and got all my purchase money back, so my only cost were instructor hours and fuel. By solo hours you can get a lot of flying hours that you can enjoy relaxing and enjoying the experience, it builds time and self confidence. If you are not going to fly after you get your ticket,,, why bother,, also just rental aircraft are expensive. See if you budget will include a inexpensive aircraft, it will greatly increase you flight and aircraft knowledge..
 
Henning said:
Download the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronatical Knowledge from the FAA.

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/

Don't buy anything until you start flying.
Click to expand...

This is the best way to start. It's free. And it contains all the same information that any of the "pay for" items have.

Once you are training, a good instructor should have a written syllabus that may follow one of the popular learning systems (Gleim, ASA, Sporty's, Jeppeson, King, etc).

Once you settle in with a good instructor, then purchase the appropriate system/kit. Using the same system as the instructor will shorten learning curves, make you better prepared for the lessons, and save a good amount of money over the training period.

Not so good instructors aren't using a written syllabus or supporting home study systems. Avoid those if possible as you will take longer to finish, and spend more money on the "in person training" (aka instructor fees) that you could have saved for other purposes.


I will add that if you were going to spend some money for your library, the following books are worth the investment:
 
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I used the sportys programs and it was great. Just put in the extra effort to come prepare for each lesson. I also took the time to study the sectional chart early on in my training even before I started. I didn't have to pay for any ground because of that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
thhynes said:
Learn To Fly Course (Online) - Private Pilot test prep $199
Click to expand...

Not sure of the going rate for all physical ground schools, but mine is only $275. If you have the time to do it, I would suggest going that route for another $75. You get a lot more visual learning, can ask questions as you go, and have someone's real world experience to go a long with it. I am doing the Gleim online ground school as well (came with the kit so I figured why not double up and get a better grasp on the info). Gleim is what my instructor (he is also the one that teaches my ground school) uses so it goes hand in hand. I think what I get from the in person instruction is more likely to stick with you and the online stuff is more like cramming for a test and knowing just enough to answer the questions, not really understand the material if that makes sense. Like others have said, the best thing to do is get an instructor first and then see what they advise.

Note: I am still in ground school and and haven't taken the test yet so take this with a grain of salt.
 
yakdriver said:
I walked into the flight school and took a first lesson. I decided it was for me and purchased the Jeppesen course and put $1000.00 on account. I flew 3-4 times a week and did a chapter and workbook every couple of days. Since I was flying the study course made sense to me. If you start studying before flying you will probably not understand much of it. I did everything in 6 weeks start to PPL. If you can have all the money saved ahead of time and try and fly at least two times a week. Also all of my flight lessons were about 11/2 hours. If you fly that much you have great retention and the instructor doesn't have to waste time teaching you what you forgot if you go a week or two between lessons. That was in 1976 and we didn't have videos. As anoying as the Kings are their courses are excellent. I just did their course for the A&P written and got 87-95% on the three tests. Don
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I'm trying to sit for the A&P written as well. Did King sign you off for the written test ? And if you don't mind, how are you going to prep for the practical ? I've been told that Baker School in Nashville is a good option.

Thanks.

-=ICUDoc
 
I had practical experience and submitted FAA form 8610-2 to my local FSDO and got permission to take the tests. Have them help you fill it out as like any Government form it has to be filled out precisely. The oral was just a repeat of the written tests just worded differently. I didn't really study for the practical and it turned out I had done just about everything on it. I took the oral and practical at ISU in Pocatello, Idaho at their aviation program facility. I did the King course, written tests and oral and practical in about 6 weeks. There is a test facility here so I just took each written test right after I finished that section. It is broken down in General, Airframe and Powerplant one test for each. Don
 
Great advice Don, thanks.

Do you expect to get an IA ?

I've not kept up with it recently but read something a while back about the FAA supposedly making the IA more difficult to attain / hold.

-=ICUDoc
 
Whatever you decide on, be advised that the more study you do at home, the faster you'll make it through your flight training. It's the number #1 way to minimize your training expenses. Best of luck.
 
thhynes said:
I have twice...two different schools...one more to check in the spring
Click to expand...


That's great! The reason I asked is people tend to either love it and are crazy about it, or they absolutely hate it. There isn't much in between.

I took a young man for his first GA flight the other day and he was crazy about it. He said "I ride motorcycles, but this is a whole other level!"

Now I hear he's breaking his neck to find out all about a certificate. Score 1 for GA! :)
 
ICUDoc said:
Great advice Don, thanks.

Do you expect to get an IA ?

I've not kept up with it recently but read something a while back about the FAA supposedly making the IA more difficult to attain / hold.

-=ICUDoc
Click to expand...

No, I work on experimentals and light sport mostly so I can do anything on those and sign off an annual condition inspection. For annuals on certified my friend will sign off the annual. My goal is to get experimental and light sport DAR. Don
 
I did it a little differently. I "interviewed" instructors until I found one who would let me self study and complete my own ground school. I didn't want the instructor to worry about me passing the written at all. Secondly it had to be someone experienced enough to "let me do the flying". It seemed the young guys I interviewed wanted to show off their skills and also tell me how to become a pilot rather than just teaching me to fly the airplane.
Still to this day, 8 years and 600 hours later, I fly my own Mooney but love to go up with that same CFI.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Another question for the OP that needs to be asked...

Are there any medical issues (past or present) that would prevent or make it difficult for you from obtaining your medical certificate? Examples can include (but not limited to) cardiac conditions, diabetes not in control, high blood pressure not in control, obstructive sleep apnea, mental disorders (depression, autism, ADD diagnosis when kid), major organ issues...

Were you ever issued medications that are on the "we're going to need lots of information" list? Examples can include SSRI's, certain diabetes medications, and others.

The need to be very honest in this area is extremely high. It's better to know and admit this early, so you can learn how to overcome the obstacles (if any) required to obtain the medical certificate BEFORE you go spend $1000's in flight training to find out you cannot get the medical. With the FAA, there is very little grey zone, and if you are denied the medical, your flying dream for equipment larger than a low powered single person ultralight is pretty much dead.

If you are uncertain, share with us what you need to know. We might be able to provide information, guidance, and a point out "go see this guy in Peoria" that can get your questions answered.
 
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