Type of Training (PPL)

[MiragePilot]

What type training do you guys recommend for obtaining a PPL and why? I really could do either Accelerated or like a two month thing. I was just wondering which you thought were better method because i have heard very mixed opinions.
Thanks

 

[Kream926]

here goes. im goin to get some popcorn ready

 

[aucfi]

To me, accelerated training is just like buying your licenses/ratings.

I did the 4 day Multi add on with allATPs in Raleigh a few months back and got what I went there to get. YES I did get the add on and knowledge, but as far as experience to safely operate a multi, NO WAY. That will come with time and a few more hours with an MEI.

My advice is take your time with your license. Common sense and GOOD aeronautical decision making cannot be learned in a short/accelerated period of time.

AU

 

[nosehair]

Yep, you're an accident waitin' to happen when you get a "quickie" PPL. It's more than how to "wiggle the sticks". It's also about learning (experiencing) weather, winds, day, night, heat, cold, etc. There really needs to be a "Change of Season" during the PPL process.

It would be OK to get the PPL in a month or two, IF (big IF) you limit yourself to local only until you gain some seasonal experience.

 

[NTXPilot]

I took my time gettin my license, partly due to funds and I had to wait until I turned 17 before I could get my license, so stretched it out over bout 10 months. That was a little long. Give your self time to learn the material and understand the airplane; I would be hesistant to really cram through everything to get the license in a hurry--and for what? Is there a pressing schedule you must meet? If not, why rush? Go at a pace that is comfortable for you and your learning style. When I got my license the examiner handed me my temporary certificate and said ''This is a license to learn," which is absolutely true. Guess what I'm tryin to say is, no rushin' just to get the license, which once you get it is just another license to keep learning.

 

[say again]

I remember one of my students who wanted to get his ppl in 2 WEEKS. This guy couldn't even ride a bike. Well, low and behold, it took him 7 months just to solo. He became extremely frustrated after the third week, and it showed. A total of 450 hrs. (money, obviously wasn't a factor.) and 2.5 years later he got his ticket. AND he's still clueless.
THIS IS AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE!!!!


Take your time when getting your ppl. You will enjoy it more, plus gain the knowledge to be a descent pilot. If you set unrealistic goals, [and do not meet them] your training will suffer and flying becomes very unenjoyable for all involved.

 

[Xavier]

Like everyone else says, take your time.

Getting the private pilot's license and the information you learn during the course is the base of your flight career.

Im still in my PPL course and have 3 more lessons before I am able to take my checkride, which I am scared about because I don't want to pay $300 and fail, so I am going to study a lot even after I finish all my lessons before attempting it.

 

[flyer84]

If you are willing to work HARD, you can do a fast track. I had an foreign European student pass in about 44-50 hours (a month and one week) and spent aroud $4,500 total. His day consisted of: wakeup, fly, lunch, fly, go home, study, sleep. He was the best student I've ever had and he is a great (read: safe) pilot.
To do a fast track course, go to a local flight school and talk to the instructors. Tell them what you want to do and ask about THEIR pass rate, not the school's pass rate. When you find an instructor you like with a high pass rate, plan your training sched. out. I like to work backwards with my students. I set the checkride date first (accounting for weather and sick days) and use it as a target date. We plan each flight to meet the deadline. As we near the checkride date, I would call the examiner and sched. with him too. This takes time but is worth it in the end.
NOTE:
This student had a strict deadline to meet. He was driven, intelligent, and had friends to study with. I would not reccommend this method to just anyone, you must be willing to work very very hard.

Good luck.

 

[bobbysamd]

Accelerated Private training

What type training do you guys recommend for obtaining a PPL and why? I really could do either Accelerated or like a two month thing. I was just wondering which you thought were better method because i have heard very mixed opinions.

I read years ago about a student who wanted to earn his Private in two weeks! He had already taken his written. His instructor designed a course in which the student flew two-three times a day. He earned his ticket in the two weeks.

I have instructed in a program where students who had never flown before flew every day for a week and soloed at the end of the week in about twelve hours. These were very bright young people.

The primary pitfalls with so-called "accelerated" training are threefold: 1) One has to be a quick study because a lot of new and unfamiliar concepts and learning must be absorbed in a short time. 2) Not everyone is a quick study; most people hit plateaus of learning during training and mentally "gag" if too much comes at them too fast. 3) Unless you use that information and learning immediately, you'll lose it as fast as you learned it. Moreover, because the information has not really sunk in, it's easy to confuse what you've just learned unless it is reinforced correctly. Therefore, from a safety and competence standpoint, a Private "cram" course may not be the best idea.

On the other hand, many of the large 141 schools, such as FlightSafety, earn their students Private certificates in the relatively short time of about six weeks. That would be "accelerated" training, but the difference is these students do not stop training. They keep flying, continue training for their advanced ratings, and gain reinforcement through experience. During this time, they are monitored to ensure they don't develop any bad habits. They can complete all of their ratings through Commercial-Instrument in six months, but the same problems can still happen, i.e., use it or lose it and confusion over what was just learned.

I like FlightSafety's program, having instructed there, but, if Private is your only goal, you might be better off learning at a slower pace. Give yourself a chance to learn, but don't approach it leisurely. You still want to fly no fewer than three times a week. In between flights, you should go to ground school.