Sport vs. PPL

[Aviatrix]

I just started my flight training. I've been thinking about it for months but wanted to do research on schools and prices, find the time in my schedule and convince my regional airline pilot boyfriend it's not a complete waste of money. He convinced me that I should do my Sport instead of PPL because less time and that extra 10% of flying that I'd get with PPL I'd probably rarely use. I only really want to fly just for fun, not as a career option or anything of that sort. But I guess because for months I planned for a PPL it makes me uncertain of my choice.

Also, on my first lesson (it was rescheduled due to weather, so this may be where the error came up) they didn't put me with an instructor who was checked out in their sport plane so I went up in a Cessna 172. I ended up loving her and scheduled a second lesson with her and went home to think about it. Of course, boyfriend at home convinced me back to Sport, I called to change instructors and plane and they told me she was getting checked out in the plane so I get to keep her no matter what!

I have my second lesson tomorrow finally (so frustrated with the weather!) And I still have to change planes, they didn't know at the desk if she was done being checked out in the Tecnam yet. I just wanted to hear other people's opinions of Sport vs. PPL.

Another thing (sorry for the novel of a post) I don't want to really waste time and money, so I've already been on top of my reading the AFM and PHAK, doing my boyfriend's ground school lessons from when he was an instructor but I fear I may be getting too far ahead in them because my lessons always get rescheduled. Are there any suggestions as well what else to do? I downloaded some podcasts (UND Aerocast), I'll get the checklist and the POH to study as well. I'll also be buying the FAR/AIM shortly as well.

 

[Z06_Mir]

I'd only so sport if I wasn't medically ale to get a ppl. Remember you're very limited in aircraft with the sport.

 

[poadeleted21]

I'd only so sport if I wasn't medically ale to get a ppl. Remember you're very limited in aircraft with the sport.

+1 I fly for fun too. Folding myself into an LSA isn't fun. Unless you have a great reason not to, go for the PPL.

 

[ClimbnSink]

The only issue with sport is aircraft availability. If that isn't a concern given your goals I'd definitely go sport. Save money, learn what you need to do what you want. No medical trip up worries.

 

[bluee]

Are you paying for this, or your boyfriend? Because you should do what you want to do, not what he tells you to do.

 

[SportPilotCO]

I am a sport pilot with about 250 hours. I got my certificate about 18 months ago. I can tell you that I have flown several LSA models including Gobosh (which I learned in and I own), RANS S-19, Vans RV-12 (which I am building), Sting Sport and Remos. I have also flown dual in Cessna's on several occasions. I much prefer LSA's. As always it depends on your mission. If you want to fly for fun and the occasional cross country go LSA. There are many advantages to LSA. One is the fuel burn rate is generally lower than a typical non-LSA GA aircraft. The newer LSA's provide access the the latest in avionics.

I was lucky and learned in a school that was dedicated to LSA and sport training. They have subsequently merged with a traditional GA flight school. Its funny that if you look at the schedule you can see that although there are plenty of planes at the school/flying club, the LSA's are always getting rented. There are always those who say they are not "real" aircraft and you are not a "real" pilot if you fly LSA and are a sport pilot. I say that is ridiculous. I regularly fly in class B airspace, as well as C and D. I have flown into Oshkosh twice, flown from Colorado to Sebring, flown into and landed at Leadville CO, etc. Short of flying at night, carrying more than one passenger, flying over 1320 lbs gross weight or getting advanced ratings get your SP cert.

One thing I would say is that just because the minimum is 20, don't count on it taking only 20 hours. I know of one person in our school who did it in 20 hours. The fact that your CFI is a full CFI vice a CFI-S means that should you choose to do your PPL later you can just complete the remaining requirements but your previous hours will count. We have had several folks go from SP to PP.

If you have any specific questions about SP training or the experience of flying as a sport pilot feel free to PM me.

Carl

 

[RyanShort1]

Get five hours of pre-solo training in the plane, and then make up your mind. You should be studying the same things and working towards the same goal. Likely, you can even do the private pilot work in the same aircraft if you so decide. You'll need to make the decision once before solo in order to know if you need to get a medical.

Ryan

 

[Geico266]

Well said Carl. I cannot add anything else to your assessment and opinion.

You are gonna love the -12. I have 300 hours on mine.

 

[poadeleted21]

The only issue with sport is aircraft availability. If that isn't a concern given your goals I'd definitely go sport. Save money, learn what you need to do what you want. No medical trip up worries.

Only issue? Taking another human or gasp, 2 humans with you and enough fuel to get anywhere, plus people like to take stuff with them as well. slow cramped planes make for long rides, night restrictions and more training to get into busy airports, Inability to fly more capable planes etc..

 

[Aviatrix]

The only issue with sport is aircraft availability.

I believe it's available a good amount. I say that just because the school has 2 Tecnams and when I called asking about switching planes they said if I my instructor was good to go in it we'd have no problem switching the day of. They also very much push PPL over Sport so I don't think a lot of people get trained in them and a lot of their instructors aren't checked out in it.

Are you paying for this, or your boyfriend? Because you should do what you want to do, not what he tells you to do.

I am. But I respect his opinion because he's been flying since he was a teenager. If I really think I want to do PPL over Sport I'll do it, but right now I haven't completely made up my mind. I only hear his opinions since he's the only pilot I know so I wanted more before deciding.

One thing I would say is that just because the minimum is 20, don't count on it taking only 20 hours.

Thanks for the response, Carl! I know it'll probably be closer to 30-35 with around 10 hours of solo flight vs the 5. I also am learning in probably one of the busiest airspaces with a controlled airport so that'll add time as well to both a Sport or PPL.

 

[ClimbnSink]

She wants to fly for fun and her boyfriend is an airline pilot. So yeah the only issue is sport plane availability. The 'oh no there is one higher/more perfect option' does more harm to accomplishing goals then anything else.

Only issue? Taking another human or gasp, 2 humans with you and enough fuel to get anywhere, plus people like to take stuff with them as well. slow cramped planes make for long rides, night restrictions and more training to get into busy airports, Inability to fly more capable planes etc..

 

[SportPilotCO]

I think it is great that you are learning at a busy controlled field. I learned at Centennial in south Denver. It is a crazy busy class D. It will make you a much more confident pilot to learn in that environment.

 

[poadeleted21]

She wants to fly for fun and her boyfriend is an airline pilot. So yeah the only issue is sport plane availability. The 'oh no there is one higher/more perfect option' does more harm to accomplishing goals then anything else.

I fly for fun, if LSA was my only option, I'd not fly, they're just not that much fun.

 

[ClimbnSink]

I fly for fun, if LSA was my only option, I'd not fly, they're just not that much fun.

Gosh darn it we must kill sport pilot rules for the sport pilots own good, they aren't having fun. Quick tell them they aren't having fun and ground them and their unfun airplanes.

 

[poadeleted21]

Gosh darn it we must kill sport pilot rules for the sport pilots own good, they aren't having fun. Quick tell them they aren't having fun and ground them and their unfun airplanes.

That would be nice. Just dropping the sport pilot insanity altogether is what would happen if the 3rd class medical requirement for PPL went away. The only compelling reason I can see for going sport pilot is if you just want to hang around in the air and are having difficulty fogging a mirror. Plane availability is certainly one of the downsides to LSA, it's certainly not the only one.

Say her and a couple of buddies wan to fly a couple hundred miles away for supper. "Hey boyfriend, would you rent a 172 and fly us there" sure does take the "fun" right out of it.

 

[RyanShort1]

Eeyore much Rusty? I think light sport stuff is fun... It all depends on who is doing the flying and why.

Ryan

 

[poadeleted21]

Eeyore much Rusty? I think light sport stuff is fun... It all depends on who is doing the flying and why.

Ryan

For just a little more training, you can fly any LSA and something as ridiculously large as a Cessna 150.

 

[Old Geek]

I'm a private pilot that owns a light sport plane. I'm currently flying with light sport privileges because my medical has lapsed, but I'll be renewing it this spring.

That said, do the private pilot. First of all, you found a good instructor. That is the most important first step to getting your certificate. Secondly, a CFI or CFII will generally have a much broader range of experience and training and that will make you a better pilot. The bar to becoming a sport pilot instructor is *much* lower than that of becoming a CFI. And much much lower than becoming a CFII.

And night flying is a blast.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Only issue? Taking another human or gasp, 2 humans with you and enough fuel to get anywhere, plus people like to take stuff with them as well. slow cramped planes make for long rides, night restrictions and more training to get into busy airports, Inability to fly more capable planes etc..

God forbid one would ever end up in something like a Cessna 150. Suicide would be a much better option. That's why Cessna was only able to build and sell less than a dozen in the 30 years that they were in production.

Oh, wait. a 150 isn't an LSA.

oops.

Try again.

Anything smaller than a Baron is a complete disaster. No one in their right mind would fly something any smaller. Unsafe, slow, no room, etc. In fact, even a Baron is a total waste. You need a turbine to really be able to fly. At least a King Air. Anything else is not worth looking at.

Or, you could get a little LSA taildragger to putz around in - they can be at least as much fun as a barrel of monkeys. At least, so I'm told. I've never actually had a barrel of monkeys.

The 20 hour vs. 40 hour minimum is a nice saving on paper. In real life, well, don't take it to the bank. Look at the things you have to learn LSA vs PP and figure out how much difference there really is - you can skip the night and the cross countries are a bit shorter. But, you still need to learn to fly the airplane. You may be a super student that can get it all done in 20 hours and would end up flying a dead weight in the right seat for another 20 hours if you went the PP route - but perhaps not.

You can get a PP ticket in many LSA aircraft if you like the aircraft - people got their PP in Cubs, Champs, and T-craft long before "Light Sport" was invented.

In the end, it's up to you. If you want to have a back seat, or to slow down to 150/152 speeds, or do acro in a Citabria or Pitts you should get a private pilot rating. Or, you could add it on later. No big deal one way or the other as long as your instructor is a "real" instructor (which seems to be the case here) and not a sport pilot only instructor.

 

[SportPilotCO]

Rusty.. I respectfully disagree about the fogging the mirror comment and the fun comment. When I flew from CO to Oshkosh and Florida, and Tucson, and Santa Fe, etc, I was having a great time. I was also cruising in at between 110-118 KIAS, burning between 5-5.5 GPH of 100LL. My LSA is a low wing with a beautiful canopy. Flying it around CO is spectacular and flying it cross country is a joy. It is equipped with a Dynon D-180 EFIS and Garmin 796, XM Radio, XM Weather.. it is a lot of fun.

As to the age question. I am in my mid 40's, so I think I can still do a little more than fog the mirror. Of note as well, there have been several folks younger than I who got their SP vice PP at my school. Even where they are doing PP training at my school/flying club, they do a bunch of PP training in LSA's. They are cheaper, fly as fast as many traditional planes in the pattern and cost less to rent, have better and more modern avionics and are newer.

Again, to each person their mission their aircraft, but as far as I am concerned I sure have a lot of fun flying my plane around the country and I am still fairly young I think

Carl

 

[rbridges]

the OP opened a can of worms. It's like deciding which plane to buy. Look at your mission profile and decide what you want to do. LSA has several limitations, but if you don't think it's going to be a problem, it will save you time and money. Just make sure you look at the limitations and know that you're good with them.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I'm a private pilot that owns a light sport plane. I'm currently flying with light sport privileges because my medical has lapsed, but I'll be renewing it this spring.

Until your medical is renewed, you are not really a pilot and should have the the scarlet L (for loser) sewn on your shirt in place of the epaulets.

 

[Old Geek]

Until your medical is renewed, you are not really a pilot and should have the the scarlet L (for loser) sewn on your shirt in place of the epaulets.

I'll get right on that...

 

[CT4ME]

Out of touch Rusty...
I'm guessing you haven't sat in, or flown in, many LSAs. As modern aircraft, most LSAs are built for the ever-expanding American pilot. Most popular LSA cabins are as wide as a 182, and many are 5 inches wider! Many easily accommodate 6'4" 250 pounders. No folding necessary.
The fun factor is subjective... but I'd call flying a modern, sleek, 120kts, 4-5 gph (MOGas) aircraft FUN. My CT is often referred to as a "sportscar", but I'm sure that goes for many other of the top LSA models. BTW, sportscar=fun.
I happen to get my PPL, mostly because it's needed to fly in mexico. Otherwise, all the flying I've done, and am likely to do, could be done with the Sport Pilot ticket.
I'm not a fan of flying at night, but with the 'chute and ultra-modern avionics, night flying in many LSAs would be about as safe as you could get.
I've only found one place that having a Sport Pilot License may be a problem... the Grand Canyon. The minimum altitude in the corridors is 10.5K. But there are nearby peaks over 8.5K, so, with the new 2k AGL exception, that probably gets in under the wire...

 

[X3 Skier]

As a colorblind (according to the FAA) geezer with a PPL who is restricted from flying at night, the difference between LSA and PPL is pretty small to me. If I bite the LSA bullet and build my own CH 650, a serious consideration right now, I will be happy and might even manage to have fun flying modern avionics instead of steam gauges.

I hope the OP has the Class 3 medical results since if the night restriction pops up, it might make the choice less complicated.

BTW, last week I was skiing at The Canyons and my Skitracks App clocked me at 70 MPH. Not that I really believe it but it was pretty good for just barely fogging the mirror.

Cheers

 

[Aviatrix]

S The 'oh no there is one higher/more perfect option' does more harm to accomplishing goals then anything else.

With that line of thinking I should just be prepared to get my ATP, right?

Say her and a couple of buddies wan to fly a couple hundred miles away for supper. "Hey boyfriend, would you rent a 172 and fly us there" sure does take the "fun" right out of it.

I think you're overestimating the amount of friends I have.

Get five hours of pre-solo training in the plane, and then make up your mind.

I think that's the route I'm going to go. I think it was a downside I didn't get to go up in the plane for my first flight so I don't have that experience in thinking about it now. I hear that LSA can be a bit more difficult to fly than Cessnas. I'll try it out, if I don't understand it or like it I can switch. I just need something to base it off of as wells since I've only ever been in a 172 for 1 hour.

 

[OrangeOkie]

I fly for fun, if LSA was my only option, I'd not fly, they're just not that much fun.

I recommend giving this young man a break. I used to be somewhat brash and opinionated in my day. Besides, he fly a V-tail Bonanza.

 

[LandSickness]

It really depends on what's available in your area. I live in Northern Virginia and the closest LSAs to me are 60 miles to the south or 60 miles to the northeast. I started as a Sport pilot student because of a medical issue until I realized that 99% of the planes that are in proximity to me I couldn't fly. After the medical from hell, I got a special issuance and as much as I hope the medical issues are behind me, it's going to be a pain renewing in September. I opted for the PPL because I won't be owning a plane for a while and maybe, just maybe some version of the medical exemption will happen and give me access to non LSA aircraft under 180HP. Even if it was only restricted to day VFR, it would meet 99% of my mission.

 

[Concorde]

I am a sport pilot with about 250 hours. I got my certificate about 18 months ago. I can tell you that I have flown several LSA models including Gobosh (which I learned in and I own), RANS S-19, Vans RV-12 (which I am building), Sting Sport and Remos. I have also flown dual in Cessna's on several occasions. I much prefer LSA's. As always it depends on your mission. If you want to fly for fun and the occasional cross country go LSA. There are many advantages to LSA. One is the fuel burn rate is generally lower than a typical non-LSA GA aircraft. The newer LSA's provide access the the latest in avionics.

I was lucky and learned in a school that was dedicated to LSA and sport training. They have subsequently merged with a traditional GA flight school. Its funny that if you look at the schedule you can see that although there are plenty of planes at the school/flying club, the LSA's are always getting rented. There are always those who say they are not "real" aircraft and you are not a "real" pilot if you fly LSA and are a sport pilot. I say that is ridiculous. I regularly fly in class B airspace, as well as C and D. I have flown into Oshkosh twice, flown from Colorado to Sebring, flown into and landed at Leadville CO, etc. Short of flying at night, carrying more than one passenger, flying over 1320 lbs gross weight or getting advanced ratings get your SP cert.

One thing I would say is that just because the minimum is 20, don't count on it taking only 20 hours. I know of one person in our school who did it in 20 hours. The fact that your CFI is a full CFI vice a CFI-S means that should you choose to do your PPL later you can just complete the remaining requirements but your previous hours will count. We have had several folks go from SP to PP.

If you have any specific questions about SP training or the experience of flying as a sport pilot feel free to PM me.

Carl

I couldn't have said it better !

 

[poadeleted21]

Rusty.. I respectfully disagree about the fogging the mirror comment and the fun comment. When I flew from CO to Oshkosh and Florida, and Tucson, and Santa Fe, etc, I was having a great time. I was also cruising in at between 110-118 KIAS, burning between 5-5.5 GPH of 100LL. My LSA is a low wing with a beautiful canopy. Flying it around CO is spectacular and flying it cross country is a joy. It is equipped with a Dynon D-180 EFIS and Garmin 796, XM Radio, XM Weather.. it is a lot of fun.

As to the age question. I am in my mid 40's, so I think I can still do a little more than fog the mirror. Of note as well, there have been several folks younger than I who got their SP vice PP at my school. Even where they are doing PP training at my school/flying club, they do a bunch of PP training in LSA's. They are cheaper, fly as fast as many traditional planes in the pattern and cost less to rent, have better and more modern avionics and are newer.

Again, to each person their mission their aircraft, but as far as I am concerned I sure have a lot of fun flying my plane around the country and I am still fairly young I think

Carl

Let me put it this way. If it weren't for the no-medical clause of the SPL, nobody would have one. You won't find a PPL who wishes they only had an SPL. If a person actually intends to fly an aircraft enough to stay proficient in it, the minuscule amount of training required for a PPL over an SPL is less than insignificant. Take the recreational pilot cert, it requires a medical, has almost no takers.

 

[poadeleted21]

God forbid one would ever end up in something like a Cessna 150. Suicide would be a much better option. That's why Cessna was only able to build and sell less than a dozen in the 30 years that they were in production.

Oh, wait. a 150 isn't an LSA.

oops.

Try again.

Anything smaller than a Baron is a complete disaster. No one in their right mind would fly something any smaller. Unsafe, slow, no room, etc. In fact, even a Baron is a total waste. You need a turbine to really be able to fly. At least a King Air. Anything else is not worth looking at.

Or, you could get a little LSA taildragger to putz around in - they can be at least as much fun as a barrel of monkeys. At least, so I'm told. I've never actually had a barrel of monkeys.

The 20 hour vs. 40 hour minimum is a nice saving on paper. In real life, well, don't take it to the bank. Look at the things you have to learn LSA vs PP and figure out how much difference there really is - you can skip the night and the cross countries are a bit shorter. But, you still need to learn to fly the airplane. You may be a super student that can get it all done in 20 hours and would end up flying a dead weight in the right seat for another 20 hours if you went the PP route - but perhaps not.

You can get a PP ticket in many LSA aircraft if you like the aircraft - people got their PP in Cubs, Champs, and T-craft long before "Light Sport" was invented.

In the end, it's up to you. If you want to have a back seat, or to slow down to 150/152 speeds, or do acro in a Citabria or Pitts you should get a private pilot rating. Or, you could add it on later. No big deal one way or the other as long as your instructor is a "real" instructor (which seems to be the case here) and not a sport pilot only instructor.

Correct, you need a PPL to be able to handle a C150 and also correct that if someone actually intends to fly after receiving their ticket, the training requirements for SPL vs PPL are extremely insignificant.

 

[Concorde]

I fly for fun, if LSA was my only option, I'd not fly, they're just not that much fun.

Sorry to hear that.

 

[murphey]

One thing I would say is that just because the minimum is 20, don't count on it taking only 20 hours. I know of one person in our school who did it in 20 hours. The fact that your CFI is a full CFI vice a CFI-S means that should you choose to do your PPL later you can just complete the remaining requirements but your previous hours will count. We have had several folks go from SP to PP.

Carl

+1 There's a definite advantage to a CFI even in the Sport category. As Carl pointed out, if you decide to upgrade to PPL, all your hours count, reducing the overall cost down the road.

And, it's very likely you'll want to upgrade at some point. I'm checked out in the Gobosh, the Remos and the aircraft formerly known as Piper Sport. LSA are incredibly fun to fly, I love the Remos and the fuel price is just so cheap! On the other hand, going to OSH or any long distance travel I usually have someone with me.

The #1 disadvantage (to me) of the LSA is available baggage space/weight. In the Remos, with another person, we have to ship our luggage (20# max or close to it). By myself it's fine, but long XC alone is incredibly boring. In my cherokee, with full tanks and one other person, I can carry over 300 pounds of gear. Plus it's legal for night fight & IFR legal (some LSAs are but not all) so there's less to worry about if we don't get to where we planned by sun down. Some in my EAA chapter assume, when we're planning that July trip to OSH, that I'm the "freight dog".

Rule of thumb learning? Go with the instructor you like best - you'll learn more, you'll learn it faster (and cheaper) and you'll enjoy it more. Don't let the choice of airplane make the decision for you.

 

[DavidWhite]

For just a little more training, you can fly any LSA and something as ridiculously large as a Cessna 150.

Cessna 150? Not sure I could handle a plane that big and capable.

 

[SportPilotCO]

Let me put it this way. If it weren't for the no-medical clause of the SPL, nobody would have one. You won't find a PPL who wishes they only had an SPL. If a person actually intends to fly an aircraft enough to stay proficient in it, the minuscule amount of training required for a PPL over an SPL is less than insignificant. Take the recreational pilot cert, it requires a medical, has almost no takers.

I think that is the whole point.. they created the SP cert because the Rec cert required the medical. One of the ideas of the SP cert and LSA was to make flying safely more accesible to more pilots. There have been arguments but I haven't seen SP certificated pilots falling out of the sky for medical reasons and even though people say they can buy used GA planes cheaply, you can't buy a new part 23 plane for anywhere near the price of a new LSA. This is why they are now looking at re-working the certification process for non-LSA's. I am not saying that the ASTM process doesn't have issues as well but I feel safe in my S-LSA.

 

[poadeleted21]

I think that is the whole point.. they created the SP cert because the Rec cert required the medical. One of the ideas of the SP cert and LSA was to make flying safely more accesible to more pilots. There have been arguments but I haven't seen SP certificated pilots falling out of the sky for medical reasons and even though people say they can buy used GA planes cheaply, you can't buy a new part 23 plane for anywhere near the price of a new LSA. This is why they are now looking at re-working the certification process for non-LSA's. I am not saying that the ASTM process doesn't have issues as well but I feel safe in my S-LSA.

I do TOO. so if medical is no issue for the student, why recommend going SPL? Why say the only issue is aircraft availability?

I'm glad people have found a way to stay in the air with LSA, one success story that comes to mind is the FexEx hijacking victim pilot who's now flying LSA. I'm not knocking LSA pilots or their craft, it's just not for me. Given a perfectly healthy fresh student pilot , I can't find a good reason to suggest going LSA over PPL. The training difference is "not much in reality" and the operating limitations of an SPL are "very much in reality".

I wish the FAA would just drop the 3rd class medical requirement for PPL privileges while operating in the US but that doesn't even seem to be an issue for the OP, so I'm not sure why anyone would suggest aiming for SPL, why not suggest recreational pilot? With PPL, you get an SPL built in for not much more effort.

 

[maddog52]

....PL. The training difference is "not much in reality" and the operating limitations of an SPL are "very much in reality".

The training might not be very much in reality, but the cost is significant. The $2000-3000 more for the PPL might be better spent renting the LSA as PIC if she has no desire to do any night or larger aircraft flying. And since her instructor is CFI/II, all her time counts toward PPL if she decides to pursue it later.

From an instructors point of view, the Sport pilots that I've seen that go on to get their PPL and fly larger aircraft are very good stick and rudder pilots. The transition seems to be easy to them. I can't say the same for people used to nothing but spam cans transitioning to LSA.

As others have said before, determine which certificate best meets your needs and go for it.

 

[MSPAviator]

I would get the Private unless you are medically unable to do so. Fly the light sports if you like them and have access to them. Having the flexibility to fly at night and in certificated airplanes is nice too. I personally love constant speed props and retractable landing gear, as well as going faster than 100 or so knots.

Someday, I would like to fly a Remos GX.

 

[poadeleted21]

The training might not be very much in reality, but the cost is significant. The $2000-3000 more for the PPL might be better spent renting the LSA as PIC if she has no desire to do any night or larger aircraft flying. And since her instructor is CFI/II, all her time counts toward PPL if she decides to pursue it later.

From an instructors point of view, the Sport pilots that I've seen that go on to get their PPL and fly larger aircraft are very good stick and rudder pilots. The transition seems to be easy to them. I can't say the same for people used to nothing but spam cans transitioning to LSA.

As others have said before, determine which certificate best meets your needs and go for it.

My entire PPL was ~3000.00 same place today would run you about $3500, that was in rural Montana, so YMMV in NYC. But what are we talking here 10-20 hours? That's just a few months worth of flying if you're just flying enough to stay proficient. I've logged 4 hrs per weekend the past 3 weekends alone and I'm just a weekend warrior for fun pilot.

 

[Aviatrix]

It really depends on what's available in your area.

Well, living without a car nothing it really easily accessible. I take a subway to a regional rail and then walk 1 mile to get to the airport. But that airport has a lot of schools and the school/club I've picked has two LSA and then a variety of others.

As for the medical, I believe I could pass it. I'm perfectly healthy with no glasses or any other issues.

A lot of it is the cost factor. I wish I lived in rural Montana with that cost! I figured at the school I'm with and joining the club for their lower rate a PPL with just 40 hours would be higher end of $8,000. That also doesn't count the $24.50 I spend getting to and from the airport. Figuring that I'd not pass at 40 exactly it'd probably be closer to $10,000 to finish a PPL.