Is Meeting this Deadline Possible?

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Randall45

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Randall
Hi guys! I need some of you super experienced guys to give me your opinion on completing my PPL within a certain deadline. I realize that this is probably a ridiculous question because there are so many variables in play, but I'll take my chances.

So I've soloed and am ready for my first solo cross country once the weather and schedule are aligned. If you need more details on my progress, go ahead and ask. I have around 30 hours (10hrs first solo -> hiatus -> 20hrs second solo).

Can I get my PPL before November? If this is feasible, how many times a week should I fly? Any insights are time would seriously be greatly appreciated. But this timeframe is crucial.
 
Definitely doable. I went from 0 hours to PPL in 3 months, with 3 lessons per week scheduled. From time to time there was a weather scrub, but not many.
 
I don't see why not. Two months. You'd need to fly a LOT though. Playing with averages, many folk finish between 50-75 hours let's say. A typical flight is an hour or so. You're at 30 and working on XC. Worst case you need to fly every day for 45 days. You have 77. Not going to be cheap.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Definitely doable. I went from 0 hours to PPL in 3 months, with 3 lessons per week scheduled. From time to time there was a weather scrub, but not many.
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Sounds like good news to me. 3 lessons seems like a good start.

denverpilot said:
I don't see why not. Two months. You'd need to fly a LOT though. Playing with averages, many folk finish between 50-75 hours let's say. A typical flight is an hour or so. You're at 30 and working on XC. Worst case you need to fly every day for 45 days. You have 77. Not going to be cheap.
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Although the saying goes, 'time is money' in this case money is subordinate to time. Deadline is that important.
 
Doable. But don't let the pressure of needing to acquire the PPL work against you.

Have a sit down with your CFI and map out a game plan. Compare calendars and schedules and set the syllabus dates accordingly.

Is the written exam done? If not, get busy with that. If it is, start working on any of your weak knowledge areas in preparation for the oral exam. Find another CFI who is familiar with the DPE and try out a mock exam at this point. See what areas your good on and what areas need study.

Can we ask what is making the time frame crucial?
 
Ken Ibold said:
This is an important question. If the answer is "so I can fly to the Caymans for my honeymoon," then my recommendation would be: WHOA NELLY!!!
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:chuckle: now that would be some flight for the newly certified.

Barely just mastered basic chart folding and now you're overflying Cuba?
 
I think it's doable. I'd schedule three lessons a week, maybe three dual and one solo some weeks.
 
Mike, that is golden advice! To sit down and layout a schedule.

Sorry for being vague. Yes, I'm off to Georgetown. I live very close to the campus to begin with, so the commute to the airport is really nothing. I've been taking way too long to get this done, and I want to complete it so that when school gets into its busier weeks I'm not worrying about going down to the airport for a lesson. You follow?
 
Yup... That would be a challenge to be studying for both a set of college final exams AND your FAA oral exam.
 
Plus it would be a nice stress reliever after a grueling study session to go out and get a change of altitude.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Yup... That would be a challenge to be studying for both a set of college final exams AND your FAA oral exam.
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Eh. I did it... three times actually. Private, instrument & commercial were all done during school, the private & commercial I took the same week as finals.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Yup... That would be a challenge to be studying for both a set of college final exams AND your FAA oral exam.
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Bingo! During finals week in high school I rarely found enough time to do rudimentary tasks that sustain my ability to live, let alone fly.
 
Z06_Mir said:
Eh. I did it... three times actually. Private, instrument & commercial were all done during school, the private & commercial I took the same week as finals.
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Then you must have gone to Harvard with skills like that. I don't know how in the world you were able to do that. :eek:
 
AggieMike88 said:
Have a sit down with your CFI and map out a game plan. Compare calendars and schedules and set the syllabus dates accordingly.
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That's going to be a hard one. Most full-time CFIs need to keep some time open for other students and most part-time CFIs have a job.

I'm still impressed at the schedule Jesse kept up for a week in Lincoln when I visited for the IR. Youth helps. But ouch. He was in the middle of moving the company offices, too, at his day job.

Anyway, it was appreciated but I couldn't keep up even... And I was getting more sleep! ;)

You'll need a CFI who just happens to have their schedule seriously clear or can do so.
 
Randall45 said:
Hi guys! I need some of you super experienced guys to give me your opinion on completing my PPL within a certain deadline. I realize that this is probably a ridiculous question because there are so many variables in play, but I'll take my chances.

So I've soloed and am ready for my first solo cross country once the weather and schedule are aligned. If you need more details on my progress, go ahead and ask. I have around 30 hours (10hrs first solo -> hiatus -> 20hrs second solo).

Can I get my PPL before November? If this is feasible, how many times a week should I fly? Any insights are time would seriously be greatly appreciated. But this timeframe is crucial.
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If you can land the plane, you can do the rest in a week, I did my entire instrument rating, 40 hrs flying and a check ride in a week.
 
Hahaha. I guess so.

Thanks for all the input, guys. I realize this is a personal question that really only helps me out.
 
I was able to get my ppl in 50 days. The way we did it was to schedule a flight every day and then of course we still canceled about 1/4 or 1/3 of the days due to a/c maintenance, weather, his schedule or mine. But we tried very hard to fly each day.

This helps in several ways: First it puts you and he in the frame of mind that flying is #1 for at least the close future. You both tend not to let superfluous things come up and move your schedule although important things still pop up. It allows you not to spend too much time relearning what you forgot from your last flight as in fling once a week or once a month. If you only fly once a week and it gets rescheduled then you are actually flyng once in 2 weeks or even 3 and then there is a great deal of loss memory and loss muscle memory.

Even if you feel you lost nothing the instructor still needs to evaluate your current state so some time is wasted. No one wants to get into the landing pattern with a guy who cannot handle slow maneuvers.

So clear your schedule and his and try and fly every day. Or at least try and fly 3 days a week so if 1 gets canceled you are flying 2 times a week. Now that you have soloed you can plan to fly 3 times a week with the instructor and when he cancels on you, you can still go do touch and gos or xcountry solos once signed off.

I had my CFI sign me off for a few airports with different runway directions so if I was flying and the winds got beyond my comfort level I could divert to a more direct runway and get someone to pick me up and drive me home. I never had to do that but it gives you a bit of mental comfort knowing you can do it in an emergency.

If you cannot schedule every day or at least four days a week, then I do not think you are being realistic to get your PPL by November.



Randall45 said:
Hi guys! I need some of you super experienced guys to give me your opinion on completing my PPL within a certain deadline. I realize that this is probably a ridiculous question because there are so many variables in play, but I'll take my chances.

So I've soloed and am ready for my first solo cross country once the weather and schedule are aligned. If you need more details on my progress, go ahead and ask. I have around 30 hours (10hrs first solo -> hiatus -> 20hrs second solo).

Can I get my PPL before November? If this is feasible, how many times a week should I fly? Any insights are time would seriously be greatly appreciated. But this timeframe is crucial.
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I am taking my time and doing a lesson once to twice a week...not sure how long it will take me but I am doing 141 and I am only on stage 2. I am enjoying the experience and having fun, not in any rush.

It is inspiring to hear the stories of those who got theirs done in a compressed timeframe.
 
Tony, is there such thing as a CFI who will fly with a person 4 days a week???

Also, my problem is that for the past year I've only flown once every 3-4 weeks because of weather and CFI schedule. Usually when I could get in we would fly on like a Thursday or towards the end of the week. My CFI has retired and is moving to Australia so would it be prudent of me to ask my new CFI if he can accommodate the schedule? And if he says no, would it be impolite to say deal breaker?
 
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More than 4 times a week? Yes. But this moves from the realm of part time CFI's to the full time pros who know how to organize a compressed schedule and properly teach the student so that they pick up and retain the skills and not short change the learning and retention requirement.

Professional Instrument Courses (PIC, www.iflyifr.com) offers both the 10-day instrument course and the private pilot finish up. Ron Levy is one of their better known instructors and a member of our communnity here.

The thing to know at this point is that using PIC and Ron will require a significant dedication of both time, attention, and cash. Cash from the viewpoint that you'll be putting in 3-4 hours a day in the airplane, so that might be nearly $500/day there if you have a wet rate. And the CFI won't be cheap either since you've hired a top specialist.

Time and attention comes from the need to dedicate your self solely to flying while this is going on. And the mental workout your going to get to train your brain and muscle memory to get your knowledge and skills up to and higher than PTS standards.

It's doable, but you gotta be ready for it.

-----------------------

Now I want to ask, what is so bad about waiting untl after finals to do a big finish up push? Are you trying to plan that trip to the Caymans during the winter break?
 
Hm...okay. So I'm mentally prepared, it seems like my entire success is now predicated on my flight instructor being able to comply with my rigorous schedule. I've taken the written (100%), so I feel like I can fully devote myself to the oral and getting the CXs done...

It has to be done by November. During finals I will not be flying and after that is 3 weeks of vacation with the fam away from flying. When I return, the winter weather is not going to be conducive to my schedule...and I've been dragging it on long enough. I want to start seeing major checkpoints behind me. I feel like I've been idling for a long time now.
 
Three lessons a week seems to be a sweet spot, it gives you enough time to "decompress" between lessons as well as keep up with ground study.

Some can do more, some can't. I took nearly a year to get my private, but I was in high school at the time.
 
Yeah, it might be possible. I had 30 hours at the end of December and got my license at the beginning of March with about 80 hours. I flew 3 or 4 days a week and only had a few flights cancelled by weather. My average flight was about 1.6 on the hobbs.
 
Okay, I'll ask the CFI for three a week. Keep in mind I still have school during the day (just as a lot of you have work).

I just hope when I meet the CFI he doesn't freak out when I suggest that amount of time.
 
Randall45 said:
Okay, I'll ask the CFI for three a week. Keep in mind I still have school during the day (just as a lot of you have work).

I just hope when I meet the CFI he doesn't freak out when I suggest that amount of time.
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Seems reasonable. Remember also that you'll lose days to weather and things that come up in both of your schedules. Don't dawdle now or it'll get right come October.

And don't just ask for the three a week, make sure the instructor knows the desired deadline and the reasoning why.
 
Have you done a semester/year of college yet? You will have even less time than you think. It is doable, especially if you have a car and you're motivated, but don't think it will be anything like you're used to... I was able to fly a grand total of 7hrs per semester last year while finishing up.
 
I started after Labor Day and finished before Christmas. 2-4 lessons per week.
That was 39 yrs ago, non towered airport and completed in 42 hrs.

Yes, it is doable, may the weather gods be with you.
 
Randall45 said:
Mike, that is golden advice! To sit down and layout a schedule.

Sorry for being vague. Yes, I'm off to Georgetown. I live very close to the campus to begin with, so the commute to the airport is really nothing. I've been taking way too long to get this done, and I want to complete it so that when school gets into its busier weeks I'm not worrying about going down to the airport for a lesson. You follow?
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Hey Randall, in some ways I think my reasons for rushing my flight training is similar to yours.

I do flight training only when I have off from college summer and winter breaks. I switched schools and CFIs several times and the latest flight school and CFI I am with as of last June, I tried flying regularly during this summer, which allows me to progress little by little. Originally I wanted to complete sport pilot training before going back to college. Now it is more like trying to hopefully get to that first solo before college begins again, because even though I am flying twice a week and I made some progress, other times I needed to be reminded on how to do a certain maneuver or task, so I think I am borderline between ready to solo and not ready yet. Now that my summer job ended, I am going to try to fly for the entire last week before college and see how much progress I can make and if I can solo or not.

My ultimate goal now is to become a sport pilot before I graduate college because after that I most likely need to devote my time and money to looking for a job and might need to be starting to live independently. Going to try to fly as often as possible during winter break hopefully I can finish sport pilot training before starting my senior year of spring semester.
 
ebykowsky said:
Have you done a semester/year of college yet? You will have even less time than you think. It is doable, especially if you have a car and you're motivated, but don't think it will be anything like you're used to... I was able to fly a grand total of 7hrs per semester last year while finishing up.
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Less time than you think? You're joking right? If you're in 18 credits (12 is full time, 15 is average) you're in class about 16 hours a week. I've never had a Friday class, so about 4 hours a day which meant 5-6 hours on campus 4 days a week. So 24 hours on campus a week and there's no time to fly? If you have a full time job too I can see it but otherwise its not hard to prioritize things. I also have had a great social life through college, and I still flew 3 days a week. I've always maintained a 3.2 or higher, even a semester on the deans list, since I started flying.
 
N918KT said:
Hey Randall, in some ways I think my reasons for rushing my flight training is similar to yours.

I do flight training only when I have off from college summer and winter breaks. I switched schools and CFIs several times and the latest flight school and CFI I am with as of last June, I tried flying regularly during this summer, which allows me to progress little by little. Originally I wanted to complete sport pilot training before going back to college. Now it is more like trying to hopefully get to that first solo before college begins again, because even though I am flying twice a week and I made some progress, other times I needed to be reminded on how to do a certain maneuver or task, so I think I am borderline between ready to solo and not ready yet. Now that my summer job ended, I am going to try to fly for the entire last week before college and see how much progress I can make and if I can solo or not.

My ultimate goal now is to become a sport pilot before I graduate college because after that I most likely need to devote my time and money to looking for a job and might need to be starting to live independently. Going to try to fly as often as possible during winter break hopefully I can finish sport pilot training before starting my senior year of spring semester.
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Exactly!! You get me, man. I really wanted to fly all the time during the summer but my overzealous schedule was bottlenecked by the unavoidable.

Z06_Mir said:
Less time than you think? You're joking right? If you're in 18 credits (12 is full time, 15 is average) you're in class about 16 hours a week. I've never had a Friday class, so about 4 hours a day which meant 5-6 hours on campus 4 days a week. So 24 hours on campus a week and there's no time to fly? If you have a full time job too I can see it but otherwise its not hard to prioritize things. I also have had a great social life through college, and I still flew 3 days a week. I've always maintained a 3.2 or higher, even a semester on the deans list, since I started flying.
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I have to agree with you here. College is less work than high school at this point. In high school I wakeup at 6am and get home at 6pm with my only break during the day being lunch. The schedule I have is super conducive to flying.
 
Randall45 said:
Tony, is there such thing as a CFI who will fly with a person 4 days a week???

Also, my problem is that for the past year I've only flown once every 3-4 weeks because of weather and CFI schedule. Usually when I could get in we would fly on like a Thursday or towards the end of the week. My CFI has retired and is moving to Australia so would it be prudent of me to ask my new CFI if he can accommodate the schedule? And if he says no, would it be impolite to say deal breaker?
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oh my goosh.....is he says no...that would be an absolute deal breaker for me.
you are paying him, he should be able to accommodate you more than 1 time every 3 or 4 weeks....you would be wasting your time, it will take you most of your next lesson to get back what you forgot from your previous lesson.

time to move on.

I go 4-5 times a week, some times twice in the same day!
 
Soloed on 6/29/03 and got my private on 8/4/03 with 42ish in the log book. Completely possible. Schedule and fly every chance you can.
 
Z06_Mir said:
Less time than you think? You're joking right? If you're in 18 credits (12 is full time, 15 is average) you're in class about 16 hours a week. I've never had a Friday class, so about 4 hours a day which meant 5-6 hours on campus 4 days a week. So 24 hours on campus a week and there's no time to fly? If you have a full time job too I can see it but otherwise its not hard to prioritize things. I also have had a great social life through college, and I still flew 3 days a week. I've always maintained a 3.2 or higher, even a semester on the deans list, since I started flying.
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Uh huh. Not kidding... you also probably didn't go to a school near the caliber of a Georgetown. The amount of time you're expected to put in between studying and class is around 50hrs/wk. and I often come close to that at my college. Now, with social life and any other extracurriculars, that's a significant portion of time out of the schedule... I'm not saying 3 lessons a week can't be done, but by the time you study for a lesson (30min?) drive to the airport and back (30+min) spend 30 min reviewing and preflighting and an hour in the air, you're looking at around 2.5-3 hours out of the schedule times three each week. If the logistics are worked out perfectly, that's doable, but things don't always work out perfectly. Plus, as someone paying 65k/yr in tuition at a school similar to the OP's, I personally would be wasting my time and money with anything below a 3.5---like I said, it can be done, but it takes lots of diligence, and it might not be easy, especially if you throw in a sport or other extracurricular. Georgetown is different from a state U. Also, I'm not trying to discourage the OP from his goal, but I'm noting that college can be a bit of a change and you need to be ready for it. There's also nothing wrong with slowing down and enjoying the training a bit more... no worries if you get the ticket in April instead of November.
 
Randall45 said:
I have to agree with you here. College is less work than high school at this point. In high school I wakeup at 6am and get home at 6pm with my only break during the day being lunch. The schedule I have is super conducive to flying.
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But heck, if you can manage it and the time is right, then go for it! You had a hell of a long high school day.
Edit: the initial advice was also intended for you mainly if you were an incoming Freshman... by second semester most people have it figured out as far as what they can/can't handle.
 
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ebykowsky said:
But heck, if you can manage it and the time is right, then go for it! You had a hell of a long high school day.
Edit: the initial advice was also intended for you mainly if you were an incoming Freshman... by second semester most people have it figured out as far as what they can/can't handle.
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ebykowsky said:
Uh huh. Not kidding... you also probably didn't go to a school near the caliber of a Georgetown. The amount of time you're expected to put in between studying and class is around 50hrs/wk. and I often come close to that at my college. Now, with social life and any other extracurriculars, that's a significant portion of time out of the schedule... I'm not saying 3 lessons a week can't be done, but by the time you study for a lesson (30min?) drive to the airport and back (30+min) spend 30 min reviewing and preflighting and an hour in the air, you're looking at around 2.5-3 hours out of the schedule times three each week. If the logistics are worked out perfectly, that's doable, but things don't always work out perfectly. Plus, as someone paying 65k/yr in tuition at a school similar to the OP's, I personally would be wasting my time and money with anything below a 3.5---like I said, it can be done, but it takes lots of diligence, and it might not be easy, especially if you throw in a sport or other extracurricular. Georgetown is different from a state U. Also, I'm not trying to discourage the OP from his goal, but I'm noting that college can be a bit of a change and you need to be ready for it. There's also nothing wrong with slowing down and enjoying the training a bit more... no worries if you get the ticket in April instead of November.
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You're exactly right...I was being a little optimistic there. Although usually the schedule relaxes out a little freshman year of college, but we shall see! Great advice, really. Thanks for writing.
 
Randall45 said:
You're exactly right...I was being a little optimistic there. Although usually the schedule relaxes out a little freshman year of college, but we shall see! Great advice, really. Thanks for writing.
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IMO, your "fish" year is when you should really be setting a tone for the remaining years, especially for the grade point average. Setting an early 3.8 and better for the first three semesters when the classes are basic and "easy" compared to what comes later can really help when an upper level class takes you for a bad ride and you post a less than desirable grade.
 
ebykowsky said:
Uh huh. Not kidding... you also probably didn't go to a school near the caliber of a Georgetown. The amount of time you're expected to put in between studying and class is around 50hrs/wk. and I often come close to that at my college. Now, with social life and any other extracurriculars, that's a significant portion of time out of the schedule... I'm not saying 3 lessons a week can't be done, but by the time you study for a lesson (30min?) drive to the airport and back (30+min) spend 30 min reviewing and preflighting and an hour in the air, you're looking at around 2.5-3 hours out of the schedule times three each week. If the logistics are worked out perfectly, that's doable, but things don't always work out perfectly. Plus, as someone paying 65k/yr in tuition at a school similar to the OP's, I personally would be wasting my time and money with anything below a 3.5---like I said, it can be done, but it takes lots of diligence, and it might not be easy, especially if you throw in a sport or other extracurricular. Georgetown is different from a state U. Also, I'm not trying to discourage the OP from his goal, but I'm noting that college can be a bit of a change and you need to be ready for it. There's also nothing wrong with slowing down and enjoying the training a bit more... no worries if you get the ticket in April instead of November.
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You're right, I didn't go to an Ivy League school. I didn't spend 50 hours a week studying for my five classes. But I did go to the largest public university in the country, and my college is well known too, certainly not an unearned degree. I've also had a great time in college - meeting lots of friends and making good future career connections. I am just saying that if the OP wants to do it, it won't be an issue. I'd say for an hour lesson (which was scheduled in a 1.5 hour block) it took me 20 minutes to get to the airport (leave at let's say 12:40) then preflight (10 minutes, 1:10) flight (1-1.1 so, 2:20) and post flight (10 minutes 2:30) then a 20 minute drive either home or back to class (2:50). So a little over two hours was pretty normal. Considering at least two days a week (likely 3) you don't have classes I don't consider this anywhere near impossible, Georgetown or Arizona State.
 
Z06_Mir said:
You're right, I didn't go to an Ivy League school. I didn't spend 50 hours a week studying for my five classes. But I did go to the largest public university in the country, and my college is well known too, certainly not an unearned degree. I've also had a great time in college - meeting lots of friends and making good future career connections. I am just saying that if the OP wants to do it, it won't be an issue. I'd say for an hour lesson (which was scheduled in a 1.5 hour block) it took me 20 minutes to get to the airport (leave at let's say 12:40) then preflight (10 minutes, 1:10) flight (1-1.1 so, 2:20) and post flight (10 minutes 2:30) then a 20 minute drive either home or back to class (2:50). So a little over two hours was pretty normal. Considering at least two days a week (likely 3) you don't have classes I don't consider this anywhere near impossible, Georgetown or Arizona State.
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I can agree with that, and I'm certainly not knocking your degree--after all, the only important thing about a college education is what opportunity comes out of it and what knowledge you retain from it. From what I hear, nobody gives a rat's behind about your GPA or how difficult it was after your first job.
Best of luck Randall, and hope to see you sticking around the forums!
 
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