Half Way There...

I hit the half way mark today.  Or, at least the theoretical half way mark.  I've logged 20 hours so far.  The minimum required for a Private Pilot Certificate is 40 hours though most students require more than this to be ready for their FAA check ride.  The national average according to the FAA is from 60 to 75 hours.

To date I've spent $4,645 including all of the aircraft rental charges, instructor fees, books, pilot supplies and ground school.  The second half of my training may be a bit less expensive as I'll be spending less on instructor fees (flying solo more) and I won't be buying the one-time items I needed getting started.  So, I'll wind up in the $6,000 - $8,000 range that is common for private pilots around the US.

There are a few ways I could have reduced the cost-to-date somewhat.  I could have flown an older, smaller or cheaper airplane.  But, I wanted to train in the airplane I would likely wind up flying with friends and family and I enjoy flying in a nicer, newer plane.  The hourly rate difference between a Cessna 172 from this decade as opposed to one built during the Nixon administration is about $30 an hour -- a potential savings of about $600 to this point.

I could have also chosen to learn with a flying club instead of a flight school.  Flying clubs are essentially not-for-profit so their aircraft rental rates are usually lower.  I flew with an instructor from the local club and attended one of their meetings.  It's a good option for some students but it has some drawbacks.  The biggest drawback is availability of the plane and instructors.  It will just wind up taking longer to get through training with a flying club because the instructor and aircraft availability is spotty.  The club is really setup to provide cheap, economical flying for its members -- not for training new pilots.  But it can work for some students and the rental rates are about 30% less than an equivalent plane at a flight school.

I feel very good about where I stand at this point.  Yesterday's flight was solid.  I had a good lesson plan made up and we executed as planned.  Though I need more practice on this, I had my best simulated engine failure landing yet.  And, all my landings ranged from acceptable to good (but nothing remotely close to great or perfect).

Despite the progress thus far, it's clear flying is something you never fully master and thus I will always be learning.  But, man am I having fun!