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JohnClarkWithoutRemorse

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John Clark
I am a junior in college and I am trying to get a pilot slot with the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve or perhaps even active duty. I have flown a handful of discover flights in the Cessna 172 and took one lesson almost a year ago before I lost my old jobs. I was unemployed for months until a few months ago.

I currently have just under $5,000 saved up and I was looking to get started taking flying lessons. How should I begin? Is $5,000 a decent enough amount? How often should I fly? I've seen threads on several forums saying to get your license quickly and to spend less money you should be flying several days a week.

The local airfield that has the cheapest Aircraft rentals has the Piper Cherokee for rent for $50 cheaper an hour. Is the Cherokee easy to learn on? Since it's a low wing how different will it be from a Cessna? Also if I get my license on the Cherokee how different will flying high wing aircraft be afterwards? Will it be easy like driving a different car or will their be a learning curve?

Are there any other hidden costs I should know about? Last year a neighbor who was moving gave me a bunch of the Jeppesen FAA study guides from 2007 along with a never opened flight computer still in the plastic wrapping. One of the other airfields I did a discovery flight with told me they were out dated and tried to sell me $2000 worth of FAA study books they said I needed to buy before I started taking lessons. Are books from 2007 still relevant or are they really outdated?

The other airfield I ended up taking the one lesson out of, didn't bring them up. Also the same airfield did mention they sell used headsets. I also own a log book I got off of Amazon with my one hour lesson logged in it.

I see a lot of articles online about a sport pilots license. I'm not sure if any of the airfields around here offer it and I don't recall seeing any of them mentioning it. If do get the sport pilot's licenses is it easy to get a regular pilots license after flying solo for a while? Does it save money in the long run?
 
The Cherokee is a good airplane to learn and a fun one too. Your skills on a low wing airplane can be easily transferred to a high-wind airplane: you may have to fly for an hour with an instructor and that's it.

Having said that, I should mention that once you start training with a low-wing, you should complete your training in that configuration. Changing wing types in the middle of your training will add extra hours to your work.

Sports pilot, in my opinion, does not save money towards a PPL in the long run. Go for your PPL. Just make sure you find a school and an instructor that understand your financial constraints and respect them.

And in my opinion, you don't need expensive books to study. The two basic FAA textbooks are just fine, and you can read them online (PHAK and AFH). If you like a printed copy, you may get a new one from ASA for ~$20-$30 new; less used. Same for the FAR/AIM.
 
GreatLakesFlying said:
The Cherokee is a good airplane to learn and a fun one too. Your skills on a low wing airplane can be easily transferred to a high-wind airplane: you may have to fly for an hour with an instructor and that's it.

Having said that, I should mention that once you start training with a low-wing, you should complete your training in that configuration. Changing wing types in the middle of your training will add extra hours to your work.

Sports pilot, in my opinion, does not save money towards a PPL in the long run. Go for your PPL. Just make sure you find a school and an instructor that understand your financial constraints and respect them.

And in my opinion, you don't need expensive books to study. The two basic FAA textbooks are just fine, and you can read them online (PHAK and AFH). If you like a printed copy, you may get a new one from ASA for ~$20-$30 new; less used. Same for the FAR/AIM.
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I have the FAR/AIM book from Jeppesen and I found the PHAK and AFH used for dirt cheap. (I'm young but I still prefer printed copies of books, I feel I retain information better).
 
I learned on a Cherokee 140 and then transitioned to a high wing without a problem afterwards so that shouldn't be a big deal.

You should look to fly 2 to 3 times per week if possible while training. That will help you retain info while giving you time for book learning in between flights.

It sounds like you already have a the study materials you need and you can always download up to date copies off of the FAA's website for free. I found the PHAK and AFH to be just fine for my purposes. You can always print them off and put them in a binder since you prefer paper copies.

One thing you didn't mention was a medical certificate. If you don't have one already make sure to read the med express form carefully and get a consultation instead of a live exam if you answer 'yes' to some of the questions.
 
Four digits for study books?? --No way! There's no need to crack three digits, if you're on a budget, since the FAA books are free.
There are some hidden costs, though, and some of them you've already identified. Headset (a few hundred?). Medical (100-150ish if you're an "easy one"?). Knowledge test fees (100-150ish?). Examiner's Fee (some hundreds, depending?).
But the main cost is for the airplane and instructor's time, and there's no way to know in advance how long (in hours) the whole process will take. It'll take however long it takes.

Lots of people learn in the Cherokee, and yes, it's easy to transition between models, once the hard work of Private Pilot training is done.

If your goal is Private, go straight for Private. The whole Sport license thing actually requires a particular kind of airplane (a "Light Sport Aircraft"), that is not so common to find as, say, Cherokees.

Have fun and report back!
 
Cheaper the better, especially in the beginning.
 
$5000 is a great number to get started with but it will fall short of completing your PPL at current prices. Instructor around $40 + airplane $100 minimum in my neck. Normal is what, about 25 dual and 30 hrs solo. Add 10 hours of ground. $150 for a cheap headset, $50 for study materials, and $400 for a checkride. $5500 + $1400 + $600 = $7500. Sounds about right to me.
 
kath said:
Four digits for study books?? --No way!
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If a university professor balks at textbook prices then you know something is definitely up. :)

Whether or not 2007 test prep material is out of date depends on whether or not you are ok with getting a 70 on the written. For the checkride, I think you only need the FAR/AIM and the ACS.
 
I used a few of the FAA books for free then paid $50 for the Gleim test bank. I went through every question on the test bank, reviewed my wrong answers then did 5 practice tests. Got a 92% on the written. I would pay the $50-$80 for the CX3 to make the test less stressful, especially if you plan to continue on.

As everyone else said, don't get caught up in GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). You'll be surrounded by people with $1100 headsets. Are they nice? Yes. Do you need them? Absolutely not. Find a used pair of DCs and you'll be good to go.

$5k will be enough to get you solo'd and through most of the requirements. At that point flying will be cheaper without an instructor and you can pay as you go.
 
JohnClarkWithoutRemorse said:
One of the other airfields I did a discovery flight with told me they were out dated and tried to sell me $2000 worth of FAA study books they said I needed to buy before I started taking lessons
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Run, Forrest, run. Those guys are crooks.
 
kath said:
...
If your goal is Private, go straight for Private. The whole Sport license thing actually requires a particular kind of airplane (a "Light Sport Aircraft"), that is not so common to find as, say, Cherokees.
...
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Yea, that.
Not to mention you'd have to take two practical tests, two written tests. I don't like taking tests that much.
 
JohnClarkWithoutRemorse said:
If do get the sport pilot's licenses is it easy to get a regular pilots license after flying solo for a while? Does it save money in the long run?
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Question 1 - Not any easier than getting the Private in the first place.
Question 2 - No.
 
Have to agree with the posters here, I did the reverse and got my PPL in a C172 then started renting and flying Cherokees. All I needed was 1.5 hours logged with an instructor with pattern work and it was fine. The Cherokees are actually very easy to fly and learn in.

Also in addition to all that was mentioned above there are plenty of free online resources for practicing for the test. I'm pretty sure if you read the 2007 books, get an updated FAA book and AIM, then do the practice tests you should have no issues.

Some links to the free stuff (I used these plus the ASA Private Study book and found it more than adequate)

King:
https://www.kingschools.com/free-faa-exam/private-pilot

Sporty's:
https://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/learn-to-fly/faa-private-pilot-test-prep.html

This is the ASA Book I used (Not Free but will give you the written test endorsement on completion)
https://www.asa2fly.com/Test-Prep-2019-Private-Pilot-P3930C22.aspx

One last tip I would have is get your written done 1st with your medical, then you can focus on flying during your training. It just removes some stress and makes you better prepared to learn as well.
 
Timbeck2 said:
I learned in a Cessna 152 and then bought a Cherokee. Cherokee mo bettah.

I'd rather sit on the wing than hang from it.
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I like being able to look down from the cabin and have an uninterrupted view. No need to roast in an airborne fishbowl. High wing pilots have it made in the shade.

Learning in either type of airplane usually comes down to what you what to fly. Flying is flying.
 
What everyone else said. Also, you can get your PPL in a LSA airplane, as long as you do the PPL required training. LSAs are usually a lot less expensive to operate (thus lower rental cost) than regular certified planes. Steam gauge airplanes aren't sexy, but they are usually a lot less expensive than glass cockpit airplanes (steam - round gauges) and it's easier to go from steam to glass than the reverse. Try to find the least expensive plane you and an instructor can fit in comfortably.
 
Lachlan said:
I like being able to look down from the cabin and have an uninterrupted view. No need to roast in an airborne fishbowl. High wing pilots have it made in the shade.

Learning in either type of airplane usually comes down to what you what to fly. Flying is flying.
Click to expand...

Cherokees are pretty shady and I don't have to raise a wing to look to see if I can make a turn.

Cherokee pilots are even shadier.
 
Seems like the two of us are in pretty similar situations, with pretty similar goals. What makes you more interested in National Guard or Reserves over Active Duty?
 
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