Any pilots here? Can anyone give me an estimate on how much it would cost to get a privates pilot's license these days? I've always wanted to fly it might be a good time in my life to go ahead and get a license. I'm looking for total cost, training, airplane rental, whatever else is involved. I know there are other factors such as fuel prices and location but I just need an estimate of what I might need to come up with.

Its expensive. I haven't finished mine, but had about 30 hrs when I last flew.

My advice is to make sure you have all the money upfront. Plan on flying minimum of 2-3 times a week until you get your license. Plan on it taking 60 hrs, even though the minimum is 40.

Also, make sure you can stand being with the instructor for extended periods of time.

Im guessing it would cost 8-10 with oil at what it is. Someone else may have a more accurate guess.

Good luck!

I'm almost done with ground school!!! sorry to hijack!

I don't mean to hijack, either, but can you be partially colorblind and get a private license?

This can turn into the "Private Pilot's License" discussion thread, I don't mind. I'd like to hear about everyone's experiences, comments, and advice. I'm trying to gather all the knowledge I can get on the subject.

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I don't mean to hijack, either, but can you be partially colorblind and get a private license?

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Used to be you could. I knew an old timer who could not fly in the Air Force with that disability, but had no troubles with his private license as a civilian. Of course, that was back in the day and things may have changed.

One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was not getting my pilot's license at Easterwood during my last semester at A&M. Me and one of my roomates were bored so we booked a "discovery flight" at Easterwood just to go up and fly around one afternoon. Before we went up a couple of instructors talked to us and they had a packet on what would be involved in getting a pilot's license. The instructors insured us we could do it in the upcoming semester, and it was our last semester at A&M, I think we were both taking min hours or less. It would of cost us $3500 per to get a license. $3500!!! I think about that now. $3500!!! But neither one of us had that kind of money back then. Hell, we were just finishing up school. I had a little nest egg saved up to put down on a new pickup. I wasn't gonna sacrifice that at the time. But I look back on that figure now, what a dumbass. Now its gonna be way north of double that to get a license.

But you live and learn. And its something I still want to do. And now or in the near future may be my window.

Definitely agree with a couple of points made earlier:

1) Have ALL the money set aside before you start.

2) Get to the airport a minimum of twice a week, 3-4 times a week is better.

I'm one of those rare cases who soloed in just under 7 hours and took my checkride at 41 hours. Part of the reason is that I had obsessively read everything about flying I could for years (flying was a long time dream) So I knew the terms, the techniques, etc. as much as you could from reading.

The other part is that I was working at the time at the Texas A&M research station in Lubbock. It is located right off the north end of runway 35/17 at LBB. Soon as I got off work I would go to the FBO and take a lesson. And I would come back on weekends when could.

So I was able to go from first flight to checkride in 104 days.

Bottom line, if you only go once a week, you waste half your time re-learning last week's lesson. If you go often, most of every lesson is new stuff rather than polishing skills that you've lost.

I'm getting mine at 21 years old, I do NOT want to look back on my life when I'm too old to move and say "I wish I would have done that".

Also my grandad built an RV-6 that he was considering selling because no one in the family other than him flew. I wont let the plane that he built with his bare hands be out of my family for a second! So that was my real motivation in getting my license!

I got mine in '04 and it cost $4500 up to the point of my license (Austin/Georgetown).

I would imagine fuel has gone up.

I agree with being able to go 2-3 times a week.

It's a lifelong learning process.

It is entirely dependent on how often you are willing to study and practice (fly) during the week. These guys are right that you need to fly often, at least once a week, but twice is much better. As you pay per hour (flight time, ground school, instructor, etc) the more time you are willing to devote to flying saves money at the end. I think I soloed at 20 hrs and got my license at 51 hrs. It isn't rocket science - I was 16 when I soloed and 17 when I earned my license. Just requires experience. I had flown in the backseat during 100's of hours of instruction as a 14 and 15 year old.

I would definitely get the "discovery" flight out of the way to make sure you like it a lot and then the medical to make sure you aren't wasting money. One thing my Dad would talk about hurting his students is they were great with him in the plane but scared to s**t when they rode with the FAA examiner. He actually had one student throw up in the plane during her check ride. Some examiners can be *****s - this one was - so be sure to be confident in your abilities before you proceed at any milestone (solo, x-country, etc).

I'd take you up on that WinaGs but I'm still 5 hours from Falcon.

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I'm one of those rare cases who soloed in just under 7 hours and took my checkride at 41 hours.

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The best I've heard of was soloing after something like 2 hours, if I remember correctly.

Everyone here has covered the most important stuff. If I had anything to add it would be to not trust any school or program guaranteeing anything will be completed by X amount of time. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do private through CFI at a small mom-and-pop FBO. I've trained at big pilot mills little schools and everything in between. The training at the little places is just as good, or better, than the ones promising to make you an instant airline pilot. Oh, and don't let anyone fool you into thinking you need to do your private in a glass cockpit. That's a scam to charge you more $$$. The benefits of glass at a private pilot level are negligible. Now I do recommend doing your instrument rating in glass. And I do recommend every pilot at least get their instrument. No offense to PPL only here, but an instrument rating is the "other half" of a pilots license IMHO.

[This message has been edited by LSRR (edited 4/28/2011 7:39a).]

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The best I've heard of was soloing after something like 2 hours, if I remember correctly.

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That's impressive. I think dad soloed in about 4 hours, but those old taildraggers were a lot simpler, as well as no radio to learn, etc.

Most of those 4 hours were probably spent learning the instrument panel.



[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 4/28/2011 8:51a).]

I would never solo a student at two hours, I don't care how good they are! If anything happened, the FAA would eat your lunch.

I'd imagine that is one of those silly records like the 8 year old that could fly across the Atlantic or something. I know they stopped those records, but if you're an adult it is fair game. I don't think I would be comfortable getting into a plane to taxi by myself after 2 hours.

I gave it some real thought after I took a discovery flight and loved it. The instructor (a small outfit at Redbird in Dallas) was very honest. They said not many people earn their license in 40 hours, unless you have nothing else to do but learn and fly. They said to expect more like 60-70 hours and to be wary of any instructor that says you'll earn your license in 40 hours. Their cost (last fall) was about $10K for 60 hours, wet plane.

The thing that disuaded me at this time was the time commitment. They wanted me to fly at least twice a week, which meant 2-3 each session with ground school and flight time. Being a lawyer, with a wife, kiddo, and a house, I just couldn't find the time for that. One day, though...one day I will.

Another option I considered is the sport pilot license. It takes 20 hours to get your SPL. You have more restrictions that a PPL (only one passenger, VFR only, airspace restrictions, gross takeoff weight, etc). But check it out, it may work for you.

[This message has been edited by Bottlerocket (edited 4/28/2011 9:39a).]

I seriously doubt a legitimate instructor would let a student solo after 2 hours.

I was one of the lucky ones who got my PPL earlier in life. My high school (Georgetown, TX) had a program where you took a semester of ground school in class, then the next year you were able to go to the airport for a few hours a day. This made getting my PPL much easier since I had a time set aside that I needed to be at the airport. Also, the program worked out a 15% discount on your flying costs so the whole thing ended up costing around $4500.

As another poster said, it's not rocket science. Just get out and there and enjoy it.

Sad part of my license is that once I got to A&M, I flew very little. Mainly due to time, but mostly due to costs. I actually got my BFR (Biennial flight review) done, but I haven't flown since that.It's an expensive hobby.


So what did all of you pilots train in? I flew in an old Traumahawk.

Lol @ traumahawks. There is an outfit in Laporte still using those things. :0 I did mine in a beater 1966 cessna 150 that I **** you not, had duct tape holding the dash in place. It felt about this big

We need a thread with aircraft pron.

Piper Meridian. Do want. Please send $$$

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Piper Meridian. Do want. Please send $$$

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I fly a Matrix. Same plane, but unpressurized and piston engine.

Here I am on day after my solo. My dad was a little bigger than me, so it was nice to finally solo and be able to breathe while I flew!

It is great that you want to get your PPL. I just got mine this April. The cost depend on what type of aircraft you fly for example I flew a 2007 Cessna 172 with a G1000 on it. The plane is beautiful and that screen is the future in aviation. I trained out of Easterwood in College Station. I flew with Tom an instructor out of BVFS. To be honest all the instructors there are awesome but I stuck with Tom because he was my type. I ended up spending around 5800 dollars but that's because I flew the nice plane. I finished in 50 hrs and soloed at 10. It took me three months to do it.

I been flying in the flight simulator since I was nine so I was very familiar with all the controls and procedures. I would recommend you purchase it because it is a great tool. You can also fly your lesson there before you go out an do it. I have the book and some other resources if you want them. I can answer any questions you have just email me at jack.fernandez1 @ gmail dot com. Where are you thinking about doing your training.

Also, Cessna is shipping the new sky catchers which will provide a modern cockpit at an affordable rate and from what i hear its an awesome plane to fly. I would suggest looking into that.

[This message has been edited by flyingaggie12 (edited 4/28/2011 1:20p).]

[This message has been edited by flyingaggie12 (edited 4/28/2011 1:22p).]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivh02SFW3Oc&sns=em

This is what I first soloed in.


I actually don't have a private license but that will be high on my to-do list once I get a break in the near future, and I expect it will be a bit of a transition from what I fly now.

FlyingAggie,
Nice video and HOLY CRAP has flying changed a lot in 15 years! I had wet dreams about those kind of cockpits growing up, and you've got one in a cessna. Amazing. I need to get back into flying.

Here's a flight training place in Houston:

http://www.houstonflighttraining.com/index.php/rates.html

Looks like $6,350 if you can get it at 40 hours.

With the added hourly rate for the plane another 20 hours, that's about another $2000.

So roughly $8,000-8,500 if you get it at 60 hours...



[This message has been edited by SuperAg05 (edited 4/28/2011 2:30p).]

Yeah that thing is neat to look at it. Not to mention you get traffic and weather too. The video strts out looking at lake Bryan. Easterwood is cheaper than most places to get your liscense because it is not in class b airports like Houston. It takes 3 minutes to get to the practice are. In Houston it cntke up to 30min depending wherenyou are.

The school I was looking at was out of a small airport in Eagle Lake. I live about 40 minutes from there. I know another Ag who got his training and license there. I need to talk to him about it too.

Would recommend any aspiring private pilots to get their instrument tickets. You'll be a better pilot for it.

"Gentlemen, we have boat drinks."

RhinoVic
CO'89

Man that all seems so cheap compared to my brothers. Granted he isnt a fix wing pilot.

He just got his CFII and all his endorsments from Robinson. I think my parents said it was as expensive as my 4.5 years at TAMU. he did it in under a year and a half. But that was his full time job.

Solo'ed in this


fly this now