Thanks for the congratulations and well-wishes, all.This afternoon I drove over to an FBO at Lansing Municipal (IGQ) in the southeast suburbs and got checked out to rent their C-152. It will be $55/hour and I won't have to worry about driving all the way to Palwaukee on the north side, or avoiding the Chicago Class B. They have 172s and Cherokees as well, but I will resist until I have paid off some of my accumulated bills!Feels great. My great objective for the Christmas break was to complete my private, which I managed to do with six days to spare. Guess it's time to come down to earth and get busy preparing my syllabi next week. Thanks again.

I will say this . . . .I am 27 years old. i have just been laid off from work. Bills are stretching. We are stretching.But you know what? My wife and I are BOTH still MAKING the time and effort for our PPL's. She wants to go as far as PPL and maybe commercial. I want to go all the way to ATP. I am looking into a family member or two co-signing for me to go to Pan Am flight academy in the next few months.The summery is here - Flying is a lifestyle - it is a dream - but it is a dream that can come TRUE! I do not care what strings I have to pull, but if I do not get something going for me I'll be in dead-end jobs for the rest of my life.Both my wife and i have an ultimate dream of becoming Bush Pilots, but that will be YEARS in the future (becoming a BP is harder than becoming a corporate pilot, and that's pretty hard).To the original poster:CONGRATS! keep the dream alive and you will always be free, my friend. We pilots are all a family, and that DOES include the simming community and enthusiests as well :-)To the responders who mentioned they want to be a pilot:GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!! Sheez, after reading what I just put above, you have to think - if I can do it, ANY of us can!!!!!!!!!So far I have 4 hours in the air. I plan on that being 40 before the end of next Summer!OH - and that C172 for 55 an hour - if that is "wet" that is a GREAT deal. Take advantage and enjoy those skies!!!! Here at my FBO a little rickity (though cute) Cessna 150F is as much as that!I am sure a lot of us here look forward to hearing "war stories" of your first few adventures out there. Do keep us posted!Chris

Been there done that!!I know how awsome the feeling is.. I got my ticket ar PWK the hotsummer of 1995 the checkride was done in the afternoon when the tempwas about 98f density alt. in a C152 with two "big" guys had the birdcrying for climb rate.... but I got the ticket and the joined the exclusive club...BTW I know who gave you the ride he flies 757sfor UnitedBlu skiesJoe Cooper

Thanks comrade!

Wow !That's even worse than our own system !Soon, becoming a private pilot will be as expensive and lengthy as getting a college degree...Like I said before, people in the USA do not realize how lucky they are.I guess that the AOPA is doing a great job at protecting the interests of general aviation's pilots...300,000 members are something you don't want to turn against you when the elections come...LOLTwister