Creative ways to finance Flight Training

RothLife

RothLife

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
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23
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South Dakota
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Brian
I've had a desire to fly since I was a young child. Now I'm happily married with several children. A couple of years ago, my wife got a coupon for an introductory flight and she allowed me to fly for Father's day. I got to do it again last Father's day and will be doing it again this Father's day. The Father's day flights are just to keep feeding the desire until I can afford to commit to training.

I understand the best way to get my license is to knock it out within 3-4 months and am attempting to save up the finances to do so. My wife has agreed to let me start my flight training just as soon as I figure out how to pay for it without going into debt...

So my question is:

Can anyone please describe any creative ways that you used to finance Flight Training?
 
1. Knock off a bank.

2. Become a male prostitute. It will probably hurt a little in the backside at first, but probably less risk than 1).

3. Cougar bars. Yes those old biddies may look like granny but they have the means to support your habit and boy do they make a good peach cobbler. You have to rise to the occasion now and then, but they don't expect much.
 
Do you still have two kidneys?
 
You've already got kids, you could sell your "boys"
 
Find a CFI who owns his own plane and maybe offer to do something in trade.
 
I don't know what your skill set is or anything, but a sideline business can work. Of course if you do that it may be difficult to justify spending it on flight training instead of your family.

If you can find a way, great. Go for it. I did. I just had to wait until I could do it without screwing up more important things.
 
Make sure you think about the costs to sustain your addiction post flight training too. Don't spend your life savings on a PPL and then only be able to fly an hour every couple months.
 
Sac Arrow said:
1. Knock off a bank.

2. Become a male prostitute. It will probably hurt a little in the backside at first, but probably less risk than 1).

3. Cougar bars. Yes those old biddies may look like granny but they have the means to support your habit and boy do they make a good peach cobbler. You have to rise to the occasion now and then, but they don't expect much.
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If you try #1 you will become #2 after the feds catch you. Just sayn:D
 
I know a guy who digs worms and trades them at a bait shop for avgas. True story! He owns a ratty cub. You do what you gotta do to get what you gotta git.
 
While Peach cobbler may be tasty, I'm fairly confident my wife would have a major issue with that solution...

I may be back to my original idea of trying to trade services in exchange for money for flight school... My attempts to do that locally with the FBO and FlightClub failed miserably. I even offered my services for free to the FlightClub in exchange for word of mouth advertising but they said I had to be a member in order to provide my skill set. Perhaps, I can find FBO's/FlightClubs/Individuals that will utilize my skill set for their benefit.
 
Great Idea on the car... If I hadn't already beat you to the punch. I drive a beautiful 85 Buick LeSabre... This thing is one of the last of the huge cars and "floats" over bumps. It isn't a beater though. It's in great shape and has less than 45k original miles. Always kept in the garage. This was the little old lady who only drove it 6 blocks up town 1 day a week for 25 years car...
 
I got out 100% out of debt first (Thanks Dave!). From there, saving for flight training was just another 6 months.

The former was done by selling just about everything on eBay that I wasn't making use of (and was sitting unused in storage), dumping the "new" truck and it's $475/mo payment, and taking on additional hours at work.
 
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RothLife said:
I've had a desire to fly since I was a young child. Now I'm happily married with several children. A couple of years ago, my wife got a coupon for an introductory flight and she allowed me to fly for Father's day. I got to do it again last Father's day and will be doing it again this Father's day. The Father's day flights are just to keep feeding the desire until I can afford to commit to training.

I understand the best way to get my license is to knock it out within 3-4 months and am attempting to save up the finances to do so. My wife has agreed to let me start my flight training just as soon as I figure out how to pay for it without going into debt...

So my question is:

Can anyone please describe any creative ways that you used to finance Flight Training?
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I had a Sea Lion show that financed my first year of aviation; all my training including helping purchase my first plane. :popcorn:

See if you can get a job waiting at a top end restaurant. Even a couple slow shifts a week will get you a couple of hours flying's worth minimum in tips. Doorman at a titty bar, high turnover, if you prequalify as bartender, the tip outs are awesome.

Jobs that pay tips and be the most charming MFer on the planet. Entertainment jobs have a bonus. The Glass Bottom Boat with my spiel and Sea Lion show would get me $400 in tips, and I also got $125 a shift for driving the boat. Not bad for 26 in 1991.
 
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AggieMike88 said:
I got out 100% out of debt first (Thanks Dave!). From there, saving for flight training was just another 6 months.
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:yeahthat::yeahthat:

I cannot stress enough how badly carrying debt, especially credit card debt and revolving charge accounts, can cripple you. Credit cards are good; I use them all the time, for everything I can... but never pay a penny in interest. Everything gets paid off before the payment date, except those that are interest-free for some period of time. And once or twice a year I get to use the freebie hotel rooms or get a nice check from them.

I know a lot of people (including family members) who will complain about their financial situation... with a new car sitting in the driveway, pay-per-view movies on the flat screen, takeout food on the table and they've got $20K or more on the credit cards. It's insane. And I know how insane it is; excluding the luxury items, we've been there. It takes WORK to get out of debt, and more time than many people are comfortable with, but once you've done it life is so much better.

Good luck trying to trade services for flying time. I suspect the FBO & school owners are besieged with similar offers, most from people with far fewer demands on their time and energy than you. What do you do for a living, and can you do it -- or something similar that uses your skills -- for others to make a little extra money?
 
Get a night or weekend job and put that money just to flight school. After you finish the flight school stop the extra job and spend time with your kids and wife.
 
I don't have good ideas for helping with financing. But maybe you know someone who is at least an instructor and can give you a discount on the training. (The plane/insurance or club dues is alot - $10-12k probably)

The big thing about the training is the time commitment. Your wife, kids, job have to be on board for you to be able to really devote the time to it. I was lucky my husband has been through it already (when he was single and lived with his 'rents) But I can see how me being at the airport ALL the time could put a dampering on a marriage.
 
I know the boat you are in. I can only echo the advice some others had. Me personally, I have waited around 15 years to able to do lessons. It has been a long wait and honestly if it were not for the GI Bill I still wouldn't be able to do it. Have patience and a solution will present itself. The waiting only makes it better when you finally get that ability to follow through.
 
Thank you for the advice everyone. I agree that I do not want to go into this carrying the extra weight of debt. I've gone through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and that was a huge Blessing.

I absolutely love being in the sky and can't get enough of it. While I really enjoy being in control, I suspect I would enjoy it nearly as much just being a passenger...

My solution for now may be just to hang around the airport and make friends. And hopefully they will be kind enough to let me ride shotgun until such time as I can afford to actually train. I'm seriously considering joining CAP as well, which to some extent would at least get me up in the air as a spotter or camera operator...

Some day it will happen... I was just hoping for sooner rather than later.

Thank You God for using this opportunity to teach me patience...
 
What are your skills? You need to find someone who has more money than time and do whatever grunt work they need done. Lawn, errands, shopping, etc... These types of people are out there and looking for help.
 
jmp470 said:
What are your skills? You need to find someone who has more money than time and do whatever grunt work they need done. Lawn, errands, shopping, etc... These types of people are out there and looking for help.
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He's not looking to work for it, he was looking for freebies.
 
Have you considered flying gliders? If you can find a glider Fbo you can often trade line boy time for training. Line boys help connect the gliders to the tow rope and coordinates the takeoff. Might be an option.

I'm training now and saved up for quite a while what I thought I would need to train. Unfortunately I needed more and ran out of money for a few months. Thanks to a tax return I am training again and have enough to finish without having to save between. if I were to give any advice is you dont want to have to save and fly then save and fly again. Training that way is counter productive.

Find a way to save money first and postpone your training a bit while you save. I took an inexpensive groundschool class for 16 weeks while I saved. I was not flying but I was learning so I still felt like I was working toward my goal. Also look up your local EAA chapter and get involved and maybe you will make a connection with a member who is a CFI who can help you fly cheaper.

Hope all works out for you
 
Henning said:
He's not looking to work for it, he was looking for freebies.
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Clarification: I'm more than willing to do the extra work to save for and pay for my training. I was just hoping that I could get some (freebie) time as a passenger to keep feeding the desire to pursue my license. Although, I think that my desire is strong enough now that I may not need to keep feeding it. :)

I'm very tempted to post in the classified section that I'm willing to help fbo's and flightclubs for a small fee for my skill set (which I think would work...). I'm a web developer by profession and I've seen some sites out there that could use some help...
<rant>
I've become somewhat discouraged after contacting the local fbo and flightclub (the flightclub in particular). The flightclub's site needed some major help and actually had some serious security issues. So much so, that I even offered to fix it for free (because I couldn't stand the site being that insecure). All I asked for in exchange was word of mouth advertising and any donations the members would be willing to make to my flight fund. They turned down my offer :confused:. They said that I had to be a member of the flight club to work on their site. While I understand that to some extent, I would have thought the gentleman I was talking to (the president of the club) would have taken it to the members as a fast way to fix the security problems. Consequently, nothing has happened yet (that I know of) and their members are still waiting to have their data compromised.</rant>

I'll consider putting a post on the classifieds. I realize that not everyone is like the individuals I've dealt with in these 2 situations...
 
RothLife said:
I've become somewhat discouraged after contacting the local fbo and flightclub (the flightclub in particular). The flightclub's site needed some major help and actually had some serious security issues. So much so, that I even offered to fix it for free (because I couldn't stand the site being that insecure). All I asked for in exchange was word of mouth advertising and any donations the members would be willing to make to my flight fund. They turned down my offer :confused:. They said that I had to be a member of the flight club to work on their site. While I understand that to some extent, I would have thought the gentleman I was talking to (the president of the club) would have taken it to the members
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This is not the slightest bit unusual, whether it's a flying club, FBO or anyone else. People either just don't care, don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about, or are unwilling to let someone they know nothing about and have no reason to trust touch their web site. It may be that the person you were talking to, or one of his buddies, was the one who built the site. Many organizations just have one of their members who claims to be an "expert" handle anything computer related. It's very often someone with just enough out of date knowledge to be dangerous.

But, if you've actually got skills, a sideline business can help pay for your hobbies. I'm living proof of this; my sideline business started out slow but now pays for our vacations and my flying. Certainly don't limit yourself to dealing with flying related businesses... they don't have any money!
 
Join the flying club and get to know those guys. Find out if they have meetings and show up!!
What about building a demo site for the club and FBO's sit down and show them what you can do for them. Show them how you can make online AC scheduling easy, more efficient or better than what they have. If they don't think they need you they aren't going to help you. When I was a student my instructor would often show up with another club member student to ride in the back seat. The rules was sit in the back keep your mouth shut and don't interrupt because you were flying on someone else's dime. Watch learn and ask questions later.

Find the locals and make some friends!!!
Get a bucket, A bottle of dawn and a scrub brush and hang a few flyers around. You might make a few bucks. Try to hook up with a local A&P and wash his plane for free. He might be able to send you a few leads on other planes to douche. The idea is to network with the real flyers not the over worked under paid FBO mgr that is just trying to survive this economy. Join the EAA and find there local chapter and start going to the meetings. The local good old boy is not going to teach you or finance your flying but you will be around others who share your passion.

:idea: Join the airforce they will pay you to fly.
 
Probably not for you, but I had my rich uncle pay for it, Sam said I had to work for him for a minimum of six years after training, but I liked the job and hung around for twenty. The pay wasn't great, at times the working conditions sucked, and all the A/C were painted the same. :wink2:
 
Hey Brian,

Wow I just saw your avitar...trying to finance flying with 5 kids...I see why you want creative ways... I have attached a link that has some resources that may help you. http://www.sdpilots.com/AOPA_CAP_EAA.htm

Really I cant stress this enough, if you want to make good aviation connections joining the EAA (40/yr) is hard to beat. As I mentioned in my last post, I am still training and I wish I found the EAA sooner. Also they are just now starting a program where you can show up at a local chapter and take a flight for free on certain days of the month. Its called the Eagles Program. You will meet some really good people, most in the club own planes or are building. If you help someone build, then you can have flight privilages. Im helping on 2 planes at the moment and while doing so have been offered more free rides in some amazing planes. So many I have had to turn people down for later.. There is bound to be a chapter near you and maybe you will find a flight instructor in the group who teaches for free... My friend learned thta wya and all she payed for was gas and insurance for herself on his plane..

Good luck
 
Yes, God has truly Blessed my family in the area of children... 5 so far and however many more we are Blessed with... (That is a story in and of itself... http://rothlife.com/node/7)

I have not been to an EAA meeting, but I believe they meet about 3 miles away from my house right next to the airport that I've done my Father's Day flights... I may have to look into that further.

I've really appreciated some of the suggestions... Thanks Everyone for responding...
 
Still, couple shifts waiting at a good resturant pays for a bunch of flying. Don't ever even dream of getting anything aviation traded for non aviation. People think that time is gold. Spend your effort trading your efforts for cash, don't waste it on a bunch of pilots, they are the cheapest most unappreciative lot around.
 
Henning said:
don't waste it on a bunch of pilots, they are the cheapest most unappreciative lot around.
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Wow, I guess I am lucky as I have not experienced that at all. Maybe my local EAA chapter is different. We have CFI's who train for next to nothing just to keep aviation alive. Also they fly 80 or so kids on one sunday a month through Young eagles and they started taking parent and adults up as well before the eagles program even started. I can even rent a cherokee form a memebr for $20 and hour but Ipay for gas... I guess results may vary... I have heard some bad things about the egos of people at the CAP but not so much from the EAA...

But your advice of a second job is definalte ly a good one. However unsure for a guy with 5 kids since time away for a job woudl be hard on the wife...

maybe develope your website business.. Heck I need one bad, but it would be tough since your so far away...

Marc
 
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Just today, I got to wondering why I want to pursue my dreams to fly at this point in life. It really doesn't make sense with everything I have going on. But as I was wrestling in the living room with 3 of my kids it came to me...

I've had a passion to fly since I was a young child and having had the opportunity to go up a couple of times, I want to be able to take my children up with me and allow them to experience the joy of flying... I don't want my kids to be in their 30's before they experience this joy and I'd much rather be the one giving them their first experience...

So... Somehow, and I'm not completely sure how yet... I am going to accomplish this for them.
 
Then you'll find out they couldn't care less... :)
 
Addicted2climbing said:
Have you considered flying gliders? If you can find a glider Fbo you can often trade line boy time for training. Line boys help connect the gliders to the tow rope and coordinates the takeoff. Might be an option.
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I would second this idea as it would be much less expensive than a powered airplane and it would satisfy your dreams of flight. You could take your kids up one at a time in a 2-seat glider. With 5 and potentially more kids plus a wife, finding an airplane to take everyone together would be an expensive proposition.
 
I'm working 88+ hours a week in a chem plant 2k miles from home to pay for mine. Of course in 19, single, and wanna eventually fly for a living. But the plan is to bust my hump and rake in the dough for a year or two, pay off my debt, which is only like 7k, which I make in just over a month, then go fly till ppl start paying me to do it. :)
 
Well, have you considered sport pilot, versus PPL? That is what I am doing. The wife and I budget X amount of lessons each month and go from there. You could just go for your lessons at a slower pace.

Best,
Matt
 
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