out of pocket? theres no financial aid you can get?
Rollo, just so you know, you don’t have to plunk down the money all in one lump sum. He was talking about how much it would cost total. Usually if you join a flying club there is a member fee, and some others, and you pay as you go, renting the airplane and instructor time. Costs differ with different clubs.
if you are really interested you could go to FAA.gov and start reading the student pilots guide for example to get an idea of the curriculum. I am an electronics technician and I know for sure I wouldn’t have been able to handle learning electronics AND ground school at the same time. There is a lot to learn aside from flying with an instructor. Aerodynamics, flight theory, weather (that is a tough one), formulas, a lot of memorization, mechanics and how all instruments work, rules and regulations (that also is a tough one), radio communications, medical related to flying, navigation, etc. you can see the categories in the free downloadable student pilot guide.
One thing you can do, and if I were you I would, read a little from the student pilot guide, and then just contact a local club or school and take a “discovery flight”. You can ask what they charge, and they will take you up, and you will get to fly a little there and then and see if it really is something you enjoy and want to pursue!
The people here at TGP are incredibly helpful, and it seems like you are getting off on the wrong foot here by seemingly assuming folk are putting you down or sniping at you. They really aren’t, they are trying to help. But it’s not a great idea to tell folks that are going out of their way to help to go “look it up”, etc. they don’t need to be assigned homework. Also, that situation you had years ago, I think they’ve answered that it isn’t disqualifying for getting your license (PPL) as a pilot.
I wish you luck!