Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

new to flying

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

surefly

Not just a fly on a wall
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Posts
20
Hey everybody. I'm 25, based around KVNY/KLAX, and ready to turn my desk into a cockpit within the next year. I've been a passive viewer for the last week and I've read a lot of stories on here from people that have said the first few years of persuing an ATP career are the most difficult/financial burdening of them all, yet the most rewarding because you get to do what you love (not to mention seeing the world from a new perspective/beauty). I've heard it's never to late to learn how to fly and persue a career in it, whether it's regional or with a major commercial airliner.

I just picked up the Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual - so I'm tearing through that - then to the Gliem Private Pilot Written Test Book. I don't think I'll be financially ready to start training until January '06 at this point. But I think that should give me enough time to learn as much as I can on my own.

There's a couple FBO's in the area worth checking out, and I've heard to go with the school that has the best/good quality flight instructors and the most well-maintained planes.

Anyways, that's my brief story for now. I look forward to sharing my adventures in flight training with all of you. :)
 
Last edited:
Welcome! You won't regret learning to fly. It may be financially burdoning, but it's worth every penny.
 
Good luck and welcome

I learned to fly at Fullerton, CA. Soloed at Compton. First job at Van Nuys Flite Center.

Have fun. Good luck. And for God's sake, if you're in the practice area west of VNY please watch out for the jet traffic going into Burbank!
 
mar said:
I learned to fly at Fullerton, CA. Soloed at Compton. First job at Van Nuys Flite Center.

Have fun. Good luck. And for God's sake, if you're in the practice area west of VNY please watch out for the jet traffic going into Burbank!


lol i'll keep that in mind Mar. :)
do you still work at VNY? VNFC is one of the schools i think i'll be favoring based on what i've been hearing/reading about the CFI's and the aircraft - even if the PPL training is slightly more $$ than other schools.
 
First thing is first, go get yourself a 1st class medical/student pilot certificate...just to be on the safe side before you spend thousands upon thousands of dollars. Second off, go find a local FBO that offers a PPL-CFI course...package deals like that usually save you a thousand or two. I'm not sure of your situation in specific but if you can devote the time to be a full time student do it, if you fly 1-2 times a day you should be able to get your CFI within a year easily. Flight instruct for a year or two, but be prepared to earn $6-7k a year. I would flight instruct until you have atleast 1000 hours before you go job hunting especially if this happens by year 2 of your aviation career. Just make sure you can financially support yourself on $6-7k for a year or two and $20k a year once you have your first "real" flying job. Goodluck and keep us posted, flying is a truely unique and rewarding lifestyle.
 
Almerick07 said:
First thing is first, go get yourself a 1st class medical/student pilot certificate...just to be on the safe side before you spend thousands upon thousands of dollars. Second off, go find a local FBO that offers a PPL-CFI course...package deals like that usually save you a thousand or two. I'm not sure of your situation in specific but if you can devote the time to be a full time student do it, if you fly 1-2 times a day you should be able to get your CFI within a year easily. Flight instruct for a year or two, but be prepared to earn $6-7k a year. I would flight instruct until you have atleast 1000 hours before you go job hunting especially if this happens by year 2 of your aviation career. Just make sure you can financially support yourself on $6-7k for a year or two and $20k a year once you have your first "real" flying job. Goodluck and keep us posted, flying is a truely unique and rewarding lifestyle.

thanks for the insight! yah, I heard it can be quite rough during the first couple of years - most people seem to pull out of it and get by it seems, which is somewhat hopeful lol.

I'm planning on getting a reference to a AME at the FBO which seems to be the most reputable, even before I take a discovery flight. I guess the main thing for me is getting up on the basic knowledge and 'shopping' around for a decent school. :)
 
If you work at a good FBO as an instructor, if that's what you want to do, you'll make more than 6-7k. In fact you should make more instructing full-time than your first 'proper' job.
Don't instruct if your heart's not in it. The last thing aviation needs are more SJS inflicted instructors, doing a half-a$$ed job.
There are plenty of other opportunities - Traffic Watch (out of Whitman and Fullerton) and sight seeing, tuna spotting, and banner towing
If you need any info on flight schools in the area let me know, I once worked in the area too
 
I'm no longer in the Basin

surefly said:
VNFC is one of the schools i think i'll be favoring based on what i've been hearing/reading about the CFI's and the aircraft - even if the PPL training is slightly more $$ than other schools.

The VNFC was more spendy than the rest but the owner had a reason for it.

Flash back to the recession of the early '90s. Nobody was learning to fly because it had finally become too expensive. But this place was doing ok because it really catered to the higher end of the market.

We had the occasional "professional student" in there but mostly it was a bunch of doctors and lawyers with loads to blow on nice airplanes. They didn't want to rent some beat up Cessna. They had the money to rent turbocharged Saratogas, Trinidads and Senecas.

The check outs were very thorough. The CFIs wore a uniform shirt and slacks. And the saleman would try to pitch a shiney new Trinidad to these guys.

Anyway, things change, and I don't know what it's like now but there could be better options for you out there.

At the top of my list I would put Sunrise Aviation in Orange County (John Wayne).

Reasonable prices, a very strict and dedicated owner who is fixated (?) on quality control and a nice diverse fleet.

I realize that's a bit of a drive for you from west LA.

Santa Monica and Long Beach also have some good schools. If you have some friends that are learning to fly you should get some recommendations from them. In lieu of that, you may need to shop around a little and go through a few instructors until you really find one that you enjoy working with.

I might recommend just going for a few "introductory flights" to see who you like rather than walking in a putting down a huge deposit somewhere.

Good luck, if you can filter out the bickering this website is a good resource.
 
Last edited:

Latest resources

Back
Top