Learning to fly, by the numbers

When I began my quest to become a pilot — and yes, it is most definitely a quest — I knew little more than a child does about how one moves from being restricted to the land side of the airport to belonging on the air side.

I knew a fair number of pilots. But my contacts in aviation all came from a military background. They knew almost nothing about civilian flight training. They hadn’t struggled with the financial challenges, or the search for a good quality flight school, or an instructor who would stay with their students until they completed their training. 

They had challenges of their own, surely. But theirs were as mysterious and foreign to me as mine were to them. The air is the same for all of us, but the pathways to get there don’t have nearly as much commonality as one might think.

All this runs through my head as a young man poses the question so many of us have struggled with at some point. “I want to learn to fly. How do I get started?”

He isn’t all that different than I was 30 years ago. He’s a musician. A fairly successful musician, at that. He plays often and is generally paid well for his efforts. He’s talented. His original music is good, with catchy hooks and creative turns of phrase. He plays covers well, in a unique and appealing style. Which may be why he earns more money than many of his more traditionally employed peers.

For all his musical attributes and successes, however, he’s insightful enough to see the writing on the wall. Madison Square Garden is not calling. His recordings don’t sell millions of copies. It’s time to find something a bit more dependable to rely on for his living. Like me, aviation caught his attention at a young age. It appeals to him more and more with each passing year.

He’s saved money. More than most of his peers by a long shot. Not enough to get him all the way through his commercial ticket and a CFI, but a sufficient amount to get him a private pilot certificate and a bunch of PIC time before his account runs dry. 

We talked for a long time. His question doesn’t come with an easy answer. There is no flight school at our local airport. The newly launched flying club is designed for high school students who have years to learn the basics before they’re old enough to work in the field. He’s an adult in a transitional phase of life. What to do? What to do?

We ran through the options. There are many. All have pluses and minuses. The key is to pick the route that works best for him, in his current situation. So we discussed it at length.

He could find an airport within a reasonable commute that has a flight school. Rent their airplanes and hire their flight instructors. That’s a common choice. It’s expensive but convenient. A good balancing act, frankly. It’s how I started.

He could accelerate his training by enrolling in one of the big flight schools. Florida has a number of them. That option comes with a hefty price tag, but it also boasts a high rate of success and a total training time that is often less than one year in duration. That’s where I finally found success. 

He could join a flying club or start one that will do exactly what he wants it to do. There is a state college in town and an engineering school not far away. Finding others in his age bracket that harbor similar interests shouldn’t be too hard. But there is work involved.

A flying club is a business, after all. A non-profit business, but a business nonetheless. On the up side the flying club will lower the cost of accessing and operating an airplane by a significant factor. But it would also require him to devote a certain amount of his time to management of the club and its finances.

He could buy an airplane outright. He has enough cash on hand to do that. A good, safe, airworthy airplane can be had on the used market for less than $20k. It won’t be pretty or sleek, but it could be the perfect airplane to use for training and time-building. 

Or, he could buy an airplane with a partner or two. That would put him in the pilot’s seat for a fraction of the cost, leaving him several thousand dollars in the bank to spend on headsets, fuel, and new tires.

There are so many options. None is right for all of us. One is right for most of us. The student’s challenge is to make an intelligent choice — a very personal decision that includes the consideration of cost, time, various responsibilities, and even a willingness to place our trust and personal safety in the hands of others.

After two hours or more of discussing the options he asks the very logical question, “What should I do first?”

My answer may not match yours. That’s okay. The persistent among us find our way through the twists and turns of flight training, somehow. In many cases the desired end result can be a major influence on which route we choose.

I suggested he do the following, 

1. Enroll in a good quality ground school. In today’s environment an online version would be ideal. Complete the ground school and be ready to take the FAA knowledge test (written) at your first opportunity.
2. See an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) to get your medical. For those who want to fly professionally, consider getting a Class 1, just to be sure you can pass it.
3. Make an appointment with a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) to get your Student Pilot Certificate. It’s an online process. You can start at any time.
4. Pick the method of gaining access to an airplane and instructor that appeals to you and do it.

We can quibble about the order of those steps, or even disagree about the best means of accessing an aircraft. But when you get right down to it, the last two words of my recommendation are what any of us needs to consider if we want to fly, or do anything else that’s perceived as challenging or risky. Do it. 

That’s the long and the short of it, really. Do it. If you are committed, your odds of ultimate success increase dramatically.