Private Pilot License advice and info

[missjordan]

My dad was a pilot for 50+ years. It was his passion. I’m not very educated on aviation but i do know he had his instrument rating, commercial and i think twin rating too. It was something he worked on over a lifetime from a young age.

When he was younger he owned several airplanes in partnerships with a few other individuals. And every time he traded out of one he upgraded and then in his later years owned his own plane outright and treated it like a business. Starting with a Cessna of some sort and then ending with a Piper Malibu turbo prop. He found a love for Turbo Prop planes.

While he never was into the backcountry flying or anything like that. He loved the size of the plane because you could fly anywhere in the west within a day.

Then when he partially retired he made about a dozen launches over a 10 year period where he lived in Montana and flew into the Caribbean. That was about a day and a half worth of flying so usually he’d try to get to Miami and then the next day go from there to where ever he wanted to go.

It was a sad time for him when he got too old to be a safe pilot.


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[Crowmangler]

I had the same thoughts for a while when I was mid-late 20's. Had the benefit of working for 2 companies that had planes & used them a lot. Often was just me in the right seat so I go to see out the front window instead of just the side. Quickly ruled it out as a career for many reasons. Doing it as a hobby wasn't worth the time & money. In my mind I had grand thoughts of flying my friends & family but I knew I wouldn't trust myself with their lives so ruled it out altogether. I have several friends who are pilots, so I hitch a ride with them sometimes to scratch that itch. I'm still fascinated by aviation, so I just watch a lot of YouTube & tell myself I made the right decision.

 

[MikeDeltaFoxtrot]

I got my private pilot a couple of years ago for fun. It had always appealed to me, and I had the money, so I did it. I love flying. I have since purchased an airplane, a Cessna 206, and we've done some family trips in it with the kids. I made a resolution this year to get my instrument rating, and am taking regular lessons.

I enjoy VFR flying a lot, but if you want to use the airplane for practical transportation on any kind of tight schedule, you need to be instrument rated. From a safety standpoint, I just don't fly if there is any question about the conditions.

Flying is really fun, but it is not cheap. All my other hobbies pale by comparison.

 

[Burnsie]

It's expensive! If you want to make it to point where you can actually start making money at it, it is going to take a lot of money and time. Might look at going the military route.
If you want to just get a private license for recreational flying it still expensive. Joining club is the best way to defray the cost.
I got my private pilot license about 25 years ago when I was still single. Found an old timer that gave cheap lessons out of tiny municipal airstrip about 40 minutes from where I lived. He was a grumpy old fart, but he was one of those guys with thousands of hours and knew his stuff - he wanted it done right!
Once I had my license, I was fortunate enough to stumble into an informal flying club with an older farmer who had a grass strip and wanted a few guys to join him to help with the expenses. It was about the only way I could fly on my budget at the time. And fly I did, I was logging hours and having a great time. At some point, another gentleman approached us and asked if he could join our group. He was also fairly new to flying and needed an economical way to fly. Well, not long after he joined the group he crashed the plane - he survived, but it was a total loss. That started the slow end to my flying career. By then I had gotten married, had children, and it just wasn't feasible or fare to my family to throw that much money at a hobby. I still fly with friends whenever I get a chance, but it has been along time since I have been at the controls.
If you are financially well off and have the means to do it, go for it, you won't regret it.

 

[OXN939]

he had to pay out of pocket for his instructor rating, $25k.

If your CFI costs anywhere near 25Gs, something has gone badly off the rails. There is no time requirement for it; there are some guys who literally take the check ride the day after they get their commercial. Think mine was about 3 grand, all told.

As to the OP's question, smart advice above to do a discovery flight. I've had students take out a loan to pay for flight school and have a panic attack from claustrophobia as soon as the door of the plane closed. Definitely want to see if it suits you before making a serious investment.

The industry right now is still going bananas, and a lot of guys think it may continue to do so for years. When I say that, think guys buying a Raptor in cash the same day they put a down payment on a house after signing with a major. However, that's the clip of a lawyer winning his first big case. What you don't see is all the scut work required to get there. The U.S. and Canada are the only two countries in history that require 1500 hours to go to an airline, and the grind from earning your ratings to that point is a wild one for most to say the least. Almost everyone now spends several years in truly abject poverty on their way up.

Feel free to ping me if you have any other questions. Great career, but not an easy one.

 

[Geewhiz]

I just got my ppl in November. I’m far from a rich man but I wanted to fly so I figured I it a way to make it happen. I flew as much as I could almost every weekend for 3 months and had 52 hrs when I took my check ride. Then a few more hrs after that for my tailwheel endorsement.

Tell you what, it’s a rich man’s game and if you’re not a rich man be prepared to be dead broke.

 

[Redmammut]

I haven't read all the comments above, but my advice is if you can afford it, buy a plane to learn in then sell it after 500 hrs. more money upfront, but you'll have equity, and you'll reach your goal faster.

 

[Dogone]

I have had a commercial licence for 45 years. Paid for it all with one month crop dusting. I had my own plane and made a lot of money dusting. Moved on to a float plane and did ok. Never had any desire to fly big iron . I saw it as a useful skill and not a passion. I did many other jobs to make good money too. Still have a plane but just for fun and yes it is costly,

 

[Jbogg]

My son attended ATP flight school in 2019. It’s a nine month intensive program where you can go from zero hours to essentially all of your ratings in roughly 9 months. It’s definitely not cheap, but compared to a four-year undergrad degree it looks like a bargain. If you have the finances, it’s probably the best route to get to the major airlines the fastest. The airlines is one of the few industries that is seniority based, so the sooner you get that seniority number the better.

There is no easy path to get there however. My son spent two years as a flight instructor working long hours, many times seven days a week, for very little pay. He has been with a regional carrier now for the past two years, and while he does have some pretty grueling trips with long days, he has lots of time off, and is making great money. He has enough hours now that he can start applying with some of the majors, so we’ll see what the future holds.

 

[EchoLimaKilo]

I’ve been a cfi/cfii for the past year and a half both in Utah and now in Boise. Happy to answer any questions you might have about the process. There are many different ways to reach your goals in aviation (some more cost effective than others but not “cheap”) it’s just dependent on what you’re trying to do and what situation you’re in. Feel free to PM me if you’d like.

 

[fshaw]

As everyone else has said above, there is no way to make a PPL pay legally other than the experiences that you’ll have. My advice would be to spend some real soul searching and decide how deep you see yourself realistically getting into it. If you’re going to make it a career, suck it up, go into debt and bang it out until you get the ratings you’ll need to do the type of flying you want to do. Lots of options that most outside the industry wouldn’t think of. For example, I have a buddy who flies his Citabria as a spotter for the commercial fishing industry. Another friend has type certifications and flies for a NetJets type of outfit. With just a commercial license and no IFR you could fly parachute jumpers or scenic flights if there are any of those operations near you. If you’re just going to fly for fun occasionally, a flying club makes a lot of sense. If you want to fly a lot, consider buying your own plane. Before you do, think hard about what capabilities you really need. Increases in speed and gross weight are costly to purchase and increase operational, annual inspection and maintenance costs. I’d love a Cessna 180 or 182, but bought a straight tail 172 because of upfront and down the road costs, and it fit my needs. We flew it from the Adirondacks to Santa Monica, Portland, Or, Bar Harbor, Me and back home a few years ago. Great trip. I’d also talk to some local pilots to see what hangar and maintenance options you have in your area. Hangars can be hard to find and costly each month. I have the opportunity to do owner assisted annuals which keeps my costs down. Two years ago I traded labor helping to build a hangar for my annual inspection. That’s a rare thing these days. I live in a rural area with some local grass strips and access to “reasonable” maintenance rates. If you live in an urban area these costs will be much (much) higher for you. It’s a great hobby if you keep it in perspective. It can put you in a financial bind in a big hurry if you don’t. You’ll invest a lot of money going the commercial route before you net positive but if I were younger, I’d do it in a minute. PM me if you want.

 

[z987k]

Almost everyone now spends several years in truly abject poverty on their way up.

Feel free to ping me if you have any other questions. Great career, but not an easy one.

The bold part is incorrect. Everyone always spent years in poverty to get to where they wanted to be. There was an extremely brief period of time in 2007 where you could go to a regional with 250 hours. Those pilots largely hindered the safe outcome of the flight, and it ended after the crash where both pilots were a product of not being forced to ingrain the fundamentals. Every other time in history, you'd be lucky to look at the right seat of a turbo prop at a regional until you had about 3000 hours. If a person doesn't have the stamina to get through the first 1500, they do no have what it takes for the long haul in this industry. It's really best for everyone that they don't do it.

For a bit we were getting guys at my shop on the long haul fleet with around 1500 hours and I felt really bad for them, because you will never learn what you're supposed to learn in the 1500-3000 hour range with the type of flying we do. If they've stuck around, they'll forever be mediocre at best, having skipped a rather important development phase. We're seeing that bear fruit now in the upgrade failure rates.

 

[D S 319]

Commerical pilots are excessively spoiled. Do it if you can.

 

[OXN939]

The bold part is incorrect.

That doesn't make what I said incorrect at all; both could have been the case. Although, I'd argue they're not comparable. Above is a good example- "I paid for my commercial with one month crop dusting 45 years ago." That same commercial ASEL license won't even get you a call back to be a volunteer ferry pilot in 2024.

Certainly not dismissing that it's always taken hard work, but starting a career in aviation now versus 20 years ago is roughly analogous to buying a house along that same timeframe.

 

[z987k]

That doesn't make what I said incorrect at all; both could have been the case. Although, I'd argue they're not comparable. Above is a good example- "I paid for my commercial with one month crop dusting 45 years ago." That same commercial ASEL license won't even get you a call back to be a volunteer ferry pilot in 2024.

Certainly not dismissing that it's always taken hard work, but starting a career in aviation now versus 20 years ago is roughly analogous to buying a house along that same timeframe.

It's wildly easier now than 20 years ago. You can realistically go from nothing to 200k a year in a 4-5 year timeframe. 20 years ago it took almost your entire career to reach that amount of inflation adjusted money.
If you don't have the drive to slog out the first 1500, you just don't have the love of aviation that is required to be successful in this career. Quit now.

At no point in my lifetime has a wet ASEL ever gotten a call back to ferry airplanes for free. I wouldn't let a wet CPL touch anything I own unless I wanted an insurance payout for it.

 

[Crowmangler]

For the record, there's lots of other careers that you'll spend years in poverty too...

 

[Tahoe1305]

Military path is not one of poverty(if those interested are young enough)….comes with some other strings though. I’d argue produces more well rounded aviators due to variety of experience for most platforms. Possibly some draw backs for other platforms too.

 

[Grumman]

Lots of good advice here. One thing to add is if you’re willing to be away from home. I’ve had my PPL for 20 years and love flying general aviation. While flying as a career sounds great the reality is I hate being away from my kids too much to pursue it now. I should have jumped in and got all of my ratings and seniority before kids happened lol.


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[Gutshot007]

Family member is a pilot . Worked as a " lineguy" at our local airport and freight company . Because he worked there got a deal on ground school and cost per hour to fly . Finished his private pilot and instrument rating there and at a pretty reasonable price as an employee . Thats one angle . Later did float plane and went to/finished University of North Dakota ( thats when the expense was brutal for hours ). Was a multiengine cfi for awhile to build up hours and is now working for a major company . Likes the job , but a long haul to get there and expensive . Flight industry is booming. One thing i heard people in the business say over and over again is to get your instrument rating . Night and weather will kill you . Good luck

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I went to school for aviation. I got my commercial license, instrument rating etc. I work in the aerospace industry but have not flown a plane since 2010. To answer the original question, i think being an instructor is the best way to generate income off your certifications while building hours to become attractive to commercial operators. There are likely lots of other ways to skin the cat, but becoming a CFI achieves two things at once. This is what they pushed us to do at school, and I think it’s a pretty traditional route for commercial pilots.

You can’t do this with just a private, so I just realized I didn’t answer your original question. But it could be the next step.