Private pilot check ride!

[Guest Moghdad]

It wasn't pretty, but I passed today. The wind was brutal over the Chicago area, 240@14G22 when we took off in the early afternoon--quite a lot for a novice pilot in a Cessna. I thought beforehand that I must be crazy to go through with it. But go through with it I did. I definitely broke a sweat on the soft and short-field landings. If anyone is familiar with Palwaukee (PWK), you probably know there always turbulence as you cross over the trees on short-final to runway 24, even with moderate wind. Fortunately the inspector was very fair and took conditions into account.Actually, although the experience was nerve-racking, it was also kind of fun. The inspector is a captain for a major airline, and I think I learned a lot just from talking with him and noticing what he noticed. We had a great conversation afterwards. I told my wife beforehand that pass or fail, I would almost be willing to pay the fee just for the experience of sharing the cabin of a small plane with an airline pilot.Anyway, I'm elated. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find a second job to pay for all this!

[Sonar5 3]

Congratulations, And welcome to the club. :-)Regards,Joe(JOT)Here is my new sig...You Like it? :-lol :-lol.http://home.attbi.com/~sonar5/sig1.jpg.Here are Picture Galleries of My Trip out west in 2002..Gallery #1 Pima Air & Space Museum + AMARC (Boneyard) at Davis Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona. (over 240 Pictures)http://www.pbase.com/sonar5/pimaamarc

[Guest]

Congratulations...sure is a great feeling!!Tony in Miami

[Guest SoarPics]

<240@14G22>You done good... real good.Congrats :-beerchug

[Guest]

Way to go! Now you have a license to learn. A good DE can, and should, make a checkride a learning experience. The one I flew with a couple of times was a WW II B-17 pilot, a former airline pilot, etc., etc. During my PPL ride, he showed me a better way to do steep turns and asked me to let him make a landing since he hadn't landed a C152 in a while. I found out later that he prided himself on being able to tell if a candidate was going to pass by the time they had climbed out of the pattern. Then the rest of the ride was used to impart his wisdom.

[Guest]

Congratulations!Welcome to the club, fellow birdman. Give yourself a pat on the back you have accomplished something few others even dare to try.Enjoy your new found freedom and continue to climb the ratings ladder when able, you

[bojote 20]

I'm 31 years old, I work as Engineering manager for a fortune 500 company but I always dreamed been a pilot. I have simmed for almost 17 years (My first Flight Simulator was on a IBM PC Jr machine) I don't remember the version (I think it was version 2.0) but i'm considering on getting my PPL. I just don't know aproximately how much it will cost me. I consider myself a hard core simmer.. ya know, the 747-200, Iron Knuckles, 727 no FMC type of guy. But I learned PSS Airbus and PIC767 systems almost completely just for the satisfaction on knowning how to fly them. I don't think learning would be a problem. But cost is my main concern. Can somedoby give me rought estimates on how much will it cost me to get a PPL? including ground school, flying time, books and whatever is required? thanks,

[Guest Moghdad]

To tell you the truth, I'm curious about that myself. It's been a few thousand dollars since I last dared to tally it up. As soon as the success buzz starts to wear off, I am going to sit down and figure out just how much it has cost when you figure everything in--books, equipment, instructor's fees and plane rental, gas and mileage on the car. Pointless even to estimate the time invested.One thing I have been curious to know is whether it would eventually cost more to take the incremental approach as I did, building up hour by hour over seven months as time permitted, or enroll in some set program like American Flyers advertises. Any thoughts?

[Guest groundpounder75]

bojote,If you have always wanted to be a pilot you should pursue it. I have wanted to be an airline pilot for a few years and I have always obsessed over the 747-400. I too am an engineer (electrical) and started taking PPL lessons last August. I lost my job in September and started to realize how miserable I was working as an engineer (only 3 years though at this profession) so I made the decision to make a career change. I am starting at Comair Aviation Academy in February. Some people say I am nuts and others think it great. Personally, I don't care because I have never been so excited to do something in my life and I 2 years from now I will be an FO for a regional flying either an ERJ or CRJ. I am keeping my fingers crossed!!!

[Guest aca_dia]

The final cost will depend on a few variables.1. The type of aircraft you choose to fly. Depending on how big you are you may not have a choice, but as an example learning in a 150 Vs A 172 or a PA-161 is about $30 cheaper per hour.2. How much effort you can put into it and how often you can fly. On average people who attack the training as full time as possible will get their PPL with much less time. If you can only fly every week or two you will spend much of each flight reviewing rather than getting on to new material.3. Individual aptitude for flying. Go take an intro flight or two and see how you take to it. (Maybe you have already).Also every school or FBO has slightly different rates, but in general it will cost you between say $4500 & $6500 if you keep at it flying a few times a week or more. These are rough estimates but most folks will fall into this range. I know folks who have done it for less as well as a whole lot more! Basic Break Down:Aircraft Rental- Low $40's to $70's on average per hour for a typical trainer wet (no other costs like fuel) If you train part 61 the bare minimum is 40hrs before you can even take the test, but the national average is 50-70 hrs last time I checked.CFI- As low as $20 and can be above $40 per hour for all of the duel training. You will probably have 30+/- hours duel. $15-$20hr for any ground trainingHead Set- Buy something good that will last and protect your ears as much as possible like some David Clark 13.4's or the like. $250-$350. Books- I would recommend the Jeppesen private pilot kit, which has just about all of the texts and study materials you will need. There are a few versions, but a fairly complete one is about $150 Throw in another $100 or $200 for a few other books, odds and ends, and a flight computer.Medical- You need a Third Class Medical from an FAA Authorized physician which also doubles as your student pilot certificate once endorsed by your instructor. Should be around $75 but it varies.Written Exam- About $75 for a LazerGrade or similar testCheckride- Up to $300 for the big day.Thats a quick and dirty break down. Again much depends on you and what pace you train at. If you have the option consider training full time and getting it done in 4-6 weeks. Plus you can easily home study for the private pilot written exam.aca_dia (Comercial single/multi, Instrument, & CFI)feel free to email me if I can give you more specificsaca_dia@yahoo.com

[Guest Moghdad]

I don't see how it would be possible to stay in the $4500-$6500 range, at least here in the Chicago area. Maybe other places are cheaper. I spent considerably more than that.

[Guest Tim13]

"I am starting at Comair Aviation Academy in February. Some people say I am nuts and others think it great."This is the perfect time to begin training for an airline career. The airline biz is cyclical and parallels the economy. You need to train when the cycle is low so that you will be ready for the inevitable upswing that follows. Do not let people discourage you.Good luck to you.Tim13

[Guest Twister]

Hello Bojote,Flight training is quite expensive but you are lucky to be able to do it in the USA.A PPL license in Israel is 3 times more expensive (on average), the curriculum is based on the British program (a legacy from the past ?) - You need to pass 7 theory exams (each involving around 60 questions) and 2 practical tests.The ground school takes around a year to complete ( Radio-Telephone license included ).The examiners are generally former fighter pilots who work as airline captains - needless to say that their standards are extremely high...On average, a student needs around 80 hours of instruction (in the air) due in part to the complexity of the local airspace (extremely congested).So, as you can easily understand, expensive is a relative term...Many people go to the US for flight training because it is comparatively cheap and fast...Good luck with your training !Twister

[Guest Shayt]

Twister Shalom,That

[David Vega 348]

Arthur,Godspeed. Maybe I'll hear your voice from the cabin as one of your passengers. Press.Dave Vega