Having a hard time waiting to fly

bmacadoozle

bmacadoozle

Pre-Flight
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bmacadoozle
i’m starting my ppl journey currently, already have my medical so I don’t have to deal with that. I’m just having a mental battle with myself about why i’m not flying yet. I know saving up money (which i’m doing now) then starting is the best way to do it but on the other hand all I can think about is why i’m not flying yet and the thought of waiting 3 more months is torture. i’m so torn on what to do
 
Salty said:
Go fly. Jmo
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I have 2,000 right now and am gonna take my written before I start so i’ll have a nice 2,500 at least, there’s just a lot of people saying to save 90% before you start and that flying once a week doesn’t cut it so it just has me kind of stressed out. Thanks
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
See post #2. So it takes more time and money, big whoop. Go.
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I have 2,000 right now and am gonna take my written before I start so i’ll have a nice 2,500 at least, there’s just a lot of people saying to save 90% before you start and that flying once a week doesn’t cut it so it just has me kind of stressed out. Thanks
 
Start flying occasionally now, as long as you're saving faster than you're spending you can up the pace later. Yes, it won't be as efficient, but you'll keep up your motivation up and you'll have some background by the time you start a more intensive schedule.
 
are u hanging out at your local airport trying to bum rides from folks like a good airport rat? (in hockey we call them 'rink rats', guys who hang around trying to play for teams that need players ;) )
 
bmacadoozle said:
i’m starting my ppl journey currently, already have my medical so I don’t have to deal with that. I’m just having a mental battle with myself about why i’m not flying yet. I know saving up money (which i’m doing now) then starting is the best way to do it but on the other hand all I can think about is why i’m not flying yet and the thought of waiting 3 more months is torture. i’m so torn on what to do
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Read the Airplane Flying Handbook
 
IIRC you're like 16 years old. Keep saving, studying, and chasing fellow youngsters.

The wings will come. You've got time.
 
Starting out, you’ll be fine. Get your itch scratched. I started lessons in my late 40s, took me 13 months, and 55 hours. Do the math. You’ll be fine. Try not to let too much time pass between lessons, but first few lessons to get your feet wet, no biggie. Just one guy from the internet’s opinion.
 
I took my first and only flight in a GA airplane 10 months before I started lessons. Waiting that long while I saved up was very hard! For me personally, I'm glad that I did, though, as worrying about money is not fun. I tried to use that forced wait time to learn as much as I could and it really paid off when I started lessons.

If the lack of money is going to stress you out, just sit tight and binge-watch aviation videos on Youtube, see if you can get a ride from someone, or go drool over some planes at the airport and save that money. Flight training will be stressful enough without the added stress of the money supply. If worrying about running out of money isn't such a factor for you, I say, go for it! With one caveat - $2.5k is not going to last long unless you're only planning to fly 1 hour a week.
 
I second the ground school part. It takes a lot longer than you might think to read the AIM and prep for the written exam. I'm currently at 30 hours and ready to solo, but I didn't do much with ground school work until now and I'm scrambling to catch up. I've been reading and studying hours a day. There's over 1,000 practice questions so it is A LOT. Get the AIM and download the sporty's pilot app to start practicing for the exam. Also, get some paper sectional charts to practice reading them and using flight computers ect. Download the live ATC app and start listening. Radio comms was one of the more confusing parts for me trying to remember what to say and when.

Flying once a week is fine. That's what I've been doing. Occasionally I'll do two lessons a week if the weather is good. You don't really want to spread it further apart than once a week because you'll start forgetting things in between. Get a flight sim (Xplane is what I have) if you don't have one and sit in the cockpit to virtual chair fly. I didn't do this at first and every time I got back in the plane I was like, "Where's the suction gauge again, where's the RPM". It helps a lot if you can chair fly on a sim (assuming your plane is on the sim). The sim isn't good for how its going to feel to land or takeoff ect, but for becoming familiar with the instruments it is great. My lessons have all been $280 - $310 each for plane and instructor, so you can probably use that as a judge for costs. Your plane rate and instructor cost may vary, so see how much each lesson will cost you.

Also, start to look at instructors. I just picked the first one I talked to and it was a bad decision. Talk to the school / instructor and get a feel of what kind of teacher they'll be. If they have a syllabus of everything you'll be learning, great plus. One school I looked at just put you with whatever 18 yo instructor they had available for each flight... that was a no go for me.
 
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Go find a local EAA Chapter and start participating and getting to know the members.

More often than not, offers to take you up for flights will happen. While it cannot count as instruction (unless the pilot offering the ride is a current CFI), it still works for exposure and experience. And at your current stage, all you can get of both is worthwhile.
 
Glider clubs? Weather, even in Michigan, will be favorable for soaring within a month or so.
 
Get a weekend line service gig at your nearest FBO. I worked my weekends through college.

Be cool and helpful. Most pilots are happy to talk about their planes, experiences, some will take you around the pattern or farther. You'll make contacts that'll help you even years later.

Hustle. There's plenty of plane wash and wax work. They seem to collect dust and bird droppings and belly oil. You can make way more $ on the side once you prove yourself.

Don't focus on money. The standard 60hrs to private ticket will cost from $3-$6 a minute. Put yourself in an aviation environment, cut costs as hard as you can and hustle. Good luck.
 
Another idea is to post an ad on your local FBO’s board or local on-line aviation forums. Describe yourself and willingness to lend a hand and learn. You would be surprised how many of us pilots fly solo to a number of places and at times, would simply appreciate someone to come along for company or if for nothing else help pushing to the gas pumps or back into the hangar when the day is done.
 
When I started, I bought a spiral bound notebook and a nice pen. Almost every flight has been journaled, and even if I don't go back and read what I wrote just the act of writing it keeps me in that "aviation headspace" longer. I'd fly for two hours, then sit at the FBO for another two making notes of what we did on that flight. A Go Pro or similar camera can be a useful tool, but writing it down forces your memory to work harder and thus remember more.
 
I'm going to play devil's advocate: Don't do this. Don't fly until you have enough to finish or pretty close to it. You have the potential to spend even more money in the end if you have to "sit out" between lessons saving for the next ride. It's a very bad idea in my opinion and will cost you even more money.

I would sim for a while and/or do the other suggestions (join a flight club even as a non-pilot, meet folks, go to your local FBO and check it out, etc.).

You can pick up a flight simulator and some used equipment for less than $200-300 total and at least "fly" that way as a stop-gap solution.
 
Rgbeard said:
@bmacadoozle
I wonder what ever happened to the OP?
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Haha I forgot I had posted this, things have turned out well for me. Since posting this I picked up a 2nd job bussing tables and have been working 7 days to get some money I now have 4k in the bank. I also applied and won the AOPA high school scholarship and should get those funds in the next few weeks. Got my medical, passed my written exam, and had my first proper lesson yesterday! Going to be flying 1x a week until my instructors schedule opens up some more. Hope everything been good for you.
 
Good news! Flying two or three times a week is really good, but once a week is okay too. I congratulate you on being so disciplined at your age.
 
somorris said:
Good news! Flying two or three times a week is really good, but once a week is okay too. I congratulate you on being so disciplined at your age.
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yeah i'd be flying 2x a week if I could but my instructor has absolutely no extra time. In a 5 week time frame I could only find 5 slots
 
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