I'm 17hr into my PPL training and have yet to go solo mostly because of lack of continuity between lessons. It's taking me a long time to put the cash together (€200) for each lesson. I'm now beginning to think that I might have to give up real world aviation which would be one of the great disappointments in my otherwise charmed life. Does anybody have any words of wisdom or consolation? Would you stick with the odd lesson when funds allow or invest the cash in quality hardware and addons for FS?

I recognise your problem. It is one that many face when learning all kinds of things; be it driving lessons once a week, flying lessons once a month; it could be karate whatever. The problem being that you get okay by the end of the lesson, then it all goes rusty in the gap between that and the next lesson, and so it is one step forward, two steps back, and you feel clumsy on the rudder on your next lesson.There is a solution, and that is to arrange your own programme. Now I'm sure you know that you can do a block course in two or three weeks (usually a few grand in cost, which may be tough to scrape together) or take lessons in dribs and drabs (looks easier to swallow financially, but can cause your issue). So you should consider that there is a third option; you can talk to many instructors and flying schools and go somewhere between the other two choices, effectively arranging your own curriculum. You already have a decent set of skills which just need polishing with a few continuous hours, hours without a massive gap between them which will be all that is holding you back from that solo flight, so what you should do, is arrange what amounts to being the last third of a block course (say, ten hours for example). Flying schools want your money, you are the customer, and you can ask for what you want and often save a few quid for having done that too. You will find that when you fly a couple of days in a continuous block, it all falls into place more easily, so you spend less and progress more. So why not stick that 200 in the bank for a few months, and then do that? You can get your fix of whizzing around the skies with FS in the meantime.Don't be disheartened, you are in good company amongst fliers: You are not the first, and will certainly not be the last person who has had to scrimp and save a bit to get those wings (I had to do that when I was a badly-paid journo). But if you want those wings, you CAN make it happen, and there is nothing more scary and brilliant than the moment your instructor gets out and feigns disinterest when they say: 'fancy trying that on your own?', so trust me, it is worth it. Oh, and there is nothing wierd about being into medieval history (as per your interests), I like that stuff too!You might also consider less expensive flying options too, such as joining a gliding club (probably about 150 quid to join a club and then 35 quid for a flight with an instructor when you use club aircraft, often a lot less than that with a winch launch). Be warned though, gliding is great fun and very addictive, and you may easily find that you prefer it to whizzing about in a Cessna, because you will get to do aerobatics amongst other things (gliding instructors love making you practice spinning, and most gliders are stressed for 4G or more). Gliding makes you a much better power pilot too by the way, ask Chesley Sullenberger, who is a keen glider pilot, and we all know how that came in handy. I'm willing to bet that you'd be off solo at a gliding club after four or five dual flights (so that puts you about 200 quid or so away from a first solo), and you can cadge hours in the aerotow plane as well by the way, which is another plus point of being in a gliding club.Al

Stay on the ground for a while and save the money.Then take several lessons closer together once you have saved enough.

It was far more cost effective when I went to Flight School back in 1994. I used to pay $40/hr for a Cessna 150 and the cost of an instructor was $35/hr.After 2001 the costs started to sky rocket due to insurance premiums going up, aviation fuel going up as well a drop in enrolement led to a further increase to continue to cover operating costs, kind of a snow ball effect. The school I went to is now out of business which is not a surprise.Yes, FSX is better now then it was when I went to flight school so that helps a lot to fill the void in being too poor to fly. I think my local airport charges around $225/hr for a Cessna 150 so I won't be flying anytime soon either.Cheers

Yes definitely do your best to take the lessons in blocks. Not sure how they arrange it over there but a lot of the US schools do it in 3 segments. Maybe you can try that way. Trying to do only 1 or 2 lessons a month is a sure fire way to double the cost of your ticket. I took out a student loan for it and did all the training over the course of a couple months....and the paying over the course of 15 years, lol.

It was far more cost effective when I went to Flight School back in 1994. I used to pay $40/hr for a Cessna 150 and the cost of an instructor was $35/hr.

Lol, when I started flying back in 1986 in the US, I was able to rent a C152 for $30hr and the instructor for $15hr. Of course at the time it seemed expensive, but if you compare it to now, a C152 alone costs me about $95hr. Its ashame that I cant fly for the same price or I would be racking up hours like crazy..

Lol, when I started flying back in 1986 in the US, I was able to rent a C152 for $30hr and the instructor for $15hr. Of course at the time it seemed expensive, but if you compare it to now, a C152 alone costs me about $95hr. Its ashame that I cant fly for the same price or I would be racking up hours like crazy..

Consider the cost of buying an airline ticket back in 1979 is about the same as it costs today.....However renting aircraft has gone through the roof.I know there is no comparison to the two as Airlines went through deregulation, however imagine if renting a C150 cost the same today as it did back in 1979???? If that was the case then we would all dump MSFS and fly very regularly.Cheers

Welcome to the club!!!! I manged to get my PPL and CPL, then just stopped flying and now would have to jump through hoops to get licenced again.Unfortunately I have come at peace with e knowing that unless I strike it rich, my flying days are over as I just cant justify the cost.Example:One hour of flying in a months time............Pays my cable, Phone, Internet and cell phone bill for the whole month!!!!! There you have it. And thats just for one flying hour, well maybe only 35 minutes cause you have to factor in checklist, taxi, holding short times etc. etc. P.S and yes, I DO need my cable, internet, cell phone and landline, so I cant substitute all that out for one hours flying.

Lol, when I started flying back in 1986 in the US, I was able to rent a C152 for $30hr and the instructor for $15hr. Of course at the time it seemed expensive, but if you compare it to now, a C152 alone costs me about $95hr. Its ashame that I cant fly for the same price or I would be racking up hours like crazy..

This probably is not going to give Anthony much comfort, but to put things in worse perspective than you have already done, when I started my SEL PPL training in 1971, a full 40 hours of flight time, plus an hour or two of ground school came in at roughly $500.00 - $600 if you were really slacking off. That included a Mooney 210 or Cessna 150, wet, and instructor.Solo's typically occured at 10 hours. I can't believe that schools, at least in the UK, are getting ~$400 per hour today.The last time I rented an a/c wet was in the summer of 2000. It was a 172 out of KCHO and it was ~ $95 / hour.It doesn't sound like you are going to beat the high costs any way you turn. The only strategy as someone else pointed out is to consolidate your time as much as you are able to. Alternatively, you could leave your time separation as it will be and schedule get-togethers with friends and fellow students to do duck walks and talk through lessons and previous flight time.

It is depressing. That's for sure. Most of my friends are in student loan dept up to their eye balls. 10 years from now, they'll still be paying off their ratings. I only got lucky in that my parents footed most of the bill up to my commercial.

Am I allowed to comment on energy prices in here? Don't want to get banned for blaming environmental groups for driving up the costs of energy...

Environmental groups are to be blamed for a lot of things, but they're not the cause of current oil prices.

Environmental groups are to be blamed for a lot of things, but they're not the cause of current oil prices.

Wrong. http://www.anwr.org/features/issues/wildlife-protect.htm Environmental Risks Of Drilling In Arctic National Wildlife RefugeEnvironmental opposition to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration ignores the history of ecologically safe oil drilling in Alaska and the considerable benefit that ANWR's vast oil reserves would provide, says the National Center For Public Policy Research.

• Environmentalists contend oil exploration would turn ANWR into a vast landscape of unsightly derricks, roads and pipelines that would irreparably harm the refuge's scenic attractions.
• They also claim that oil drilling poses unacceptable risks to the polar bears, caribou and other ANWR wildlife.

But experts say it is possible to drill for oil in ANWR without hurting the refuge's environment.

• At Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope, 60 miles west of ANWR, companies recover 1.4 million barrels of oil per day; yet drilling rigs, production facilities and gravel roads cover only two percent of the 250,000 acre Prudhoe Bay field.
• Due to advances in drilling technology, oil companies would only use as little as 2,000 acres of the 19 million acre ANWR to recover huge amounts of oil, estimated to be as much as 16 billion barrels.

Although there is not one species of animal from either the North Slope or the ANWR coastal plain that is listed as endangered, wildlife would be protected.

• For example, the Marine Mammals Protection Act protects the polar bears in the North Slope oil fields, and not a single polar bear has been killed or injured due to operations at Prudhoe Bay.
• Likewise, there is little reason to fear that caribou at ANWR would be harmed given that the Prudhoe Bay caribou herd has actually grown in size since the 1970s.

Source: John Carlisle, "Environmentalists' Opposition to Oil Exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Is Unfounded," National Policy Analysis No. 324, January 23, 2001, National Center for Public Policy Research,

Do you really think it's environmental groups fault if the oil prices are currently so high? Reasons are manily geopolitical/economic: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_to_2011_world_oil_market_chronology

That's cute you think environmentalists could do that.