Private Pilot Training Timeline Question

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Alexander1997

Filing Flight Plan
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Alex
Greetings! I just joined this forum and I know my question might be a bit hard to answer, so I apologize for that. I started private pilot training in May, 2023 and I book two lessons per week. Of course, with weather, mechanical setbacks, schedule, etc., it often becomes less than this, but I currently have logged 24-25 hours in my logbook, spread over the last four months, in a Cessna 172.

My question is, if I can hold this training pace, am I being over-ambitious of setting a goal of having my PPL by the holidays (November or December)? Would I be wise to switch to three times per week? I am considering going up on my training tempo from two times per week, but it would stretch me financially. I don't really hear any major negative feedback from my CFI at this point, just little things like getting a little rusty after missing 2-3 lessons due to rain or clouds. I have my third class medical complete, student license and I am actively preparing for the written exam and the post-solo stages of training, like the night flights and cross-country flights.

I appreciate any insight, I just had a really big goal of being able to wrap up training by the end of 2023 and move on to instrument training in 2024, but with some recent weather cancellations I lost a week of training and certainly felt rusty when I went last night and started feeling like my goal might be over the top. Thanks and happy flying everyone.
 
When I was doing PPL, I found that one flight per week and I could not make forward progress. I also would typically have one scheduled flight per week that was cancelled for something or other. My suggestion would be to schedule three flights per week. If you get all three than call it a great week.

Finish your written exam !!! Knock that out. Make it a priority.

Stretching yourself financial is often times a bad idea and can lead to significant stress. Consider if something that works easier for you financially might be a better approach?
 
Mongoose Aviator said:
When I was doing PPL, I found that one flight per week and I could not make forward progress. I also would typically have one scheduled flight per week that was cancelled for something or other. My suggestion would be to schedule three flights per week. If you get all three than call it a great week.

Finish your written exam !!! Knock that out. Make it a priority.

Stretching yourself financial is often times a bad idea and can lead to significant stress. Consider if something that works easier for you financially might be a better approach?
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Good suggestion, because I was thinking of that myself- book three and expect one will likely be a wash.. I'd still get two/three lessons instead of one/two. I can financially swing three a week, considering that with weather it likely won't be every single week.. Thank you!
 
you have X amount of work to do. when you successfully complete X work, you'll get your PPL. pretty much up to you when that gets done, not us.
 
I'd prioritize written then prioritize flying. They complement each other SOME but are really two different beasts.
 
Here in the north, flying slows down a lot when Daylight Time ends, and it gets dark in late afternoon. If I had a student in your stage, I would be hard pressed to finish by the holidays, but maybe with a three time a week schedule it would happen. We also offer a discount if someone schedules a four-hour block of training. At our place, you could schedule two four-hour blocks and be reasonably certain to get two lessons a week at a minimum.
 
Alexander1997 said:
but I currently have logged 24-25 hours in my logbook, spread over the last four months, in a Cessna 172.
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That’s an average of 1.5 hours per week. The average time to complete a PP ticket is about 60 hours, so you have 35 to go if you’re average. Could be more, could be less. At your present pace, that’s 23 weeks.


Alexander1997 said:
if I can hold this training pace, am I being over-ambitious of setting a goal of having my PPL by the holidays (November or December)?
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Yes, you’re being over-ambitious if you hold your present training pace and you make average progress.

At only 1.5 hours per week, it’s likely your rate of progress will be less than average, though. Unless you dramatically step things up, you won’t finish by the holidays.
 
It depends on your progress more than your logged hours; I'm not sure how fast you're going.

For one data point, by the time I had your hours (24-25) I had soloed, done one dual XC (no solo XC yet) and just started night flying. If you're on a similar pace you're probably fine to be done by the holidays.

But then I did my initial training in the desert southwest, and probably only had about 6 lessons cancelled for weather for my whole PPL. Your weather may slow things down, not sure.
 
Alexander,

All summer you have been a casual private student and you have made the classic casual student errors of pilot training.

You don’t have 100% of the funds for the training and you have dinked around scheduling 2 days a week and haven’t finished the written exam (which CFIs want done before releasing you to solo XC).

Now that the days are becoming shorter and the weather is closing in you want to finish your training as soon as possible.

The bottom line, IF you have the funds, IF you get off your butt and get the written knocked out in the next 21 days and IF your training aircraft / CFI are available for you to actually train 3 days a week for the next 4 weeks, you have the time to finish by Christmas. Your CFI needs about 10 flights to get you to solo XC (2-3 for XC training, 2 for night training, 2-3 misc training + a stage check.)

You need 10-12 hours total solo depending if you are part 61 or 141 including 5 - 8 hours XC depending if you are part 61 or part 141. You can then spread the XC 1-2 days a week out over November to monetarily recoup.

Then your CFI needs practical test 3-6 hours to get you ready to stage check and on to the practical in December.

This post is a little tough love, but it is really up to you.

Budget - 18 hours dual + pre/post + written test by November 1. 8 hours solo in November. 10 hours dual + pre/post test prep + 2 hours solo + the cost of the practical test December.
 
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I was in a very similar place as you when I was training three years ago, although I had already taken my written. From personal experience, I don't think you'll be able to get it done before the holidays if you are training in a place with winter weather. I was flying at least once a week, usually twice, up until the end of October. And then winter hit.

If you are in the Northern US, you're in for a lot of trouble getting flights scheduled weather-wise. There will be weeks straight where the weather is unflyable. I have an almost month-long gap in my logbook from the end of November until just before Christmas, got two flights in, then another gap from just before Christmas until January 13th, one flight in, and then the next flight after that was February 27th. Got two flights in that week, and then there's another three week gap before I was able to start flying once or twice a week again. The weather sucks that time of the year.

That said, if you're lucky enough to be training in a place where the weather isn't an issue so much, you could probably do it if you actually put your back into it.
 
I live in the north and did my training over a full year. It was just the way it worked out. I didn't feel the need to fly twice a week although I know some people do. I don't think overall it impacted me that much in total hours to complete. Sometimes due to weather and scheduling there were some pretty big gaps.

Below are my hours from start through my check ride. I believe I had all the requirements in by 40 hours. I "felt" ready around 50 and burned another 9 hours doing mock tests and prepping with the CFI while waiting to take the check ride. I didn't want to fail. I was at 59 hours when I took my check ride.

Could I have done it faster? Yes but I also got to fly in all seasons and learned a lot more about weather. Could I have finished in 40 hours? Probably close but the extra confidence I gained for the check ride was worth it. While I was of course nervous about the outcome I wasn't super concerned about my ability to do the required tasks.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.7​
2.1​
2.1​
3.8​
3.6​
0.6​
4.4​
3.8​
6.3​
8​
8.2​
12​
4.4​
 
I don’t know why everyone is in such a hurry with flight training. There’s so much that you don’t know that you don’t know right now it’s not even funny.
 
pick up the pace if possible,it takes what it takes all pilots accomplish the result at different ties
 
mryan75 said:
I don’t know why everyone is in such a hurry with flight training. There’s so much that you don’t know that you don’t know right now it’s not even funny.
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They all want to be rich airline captains.
 
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