PPL Through FBO?

[JeffH-MI-608]

I will be graduating in December of this year and my lease on my apartment goes till May of '09. I am looking to start at ATP in April or May next year. Would it be wise to get my PPL at a FBO since I cannot start at ATP for a while. If so, what questions/information should i make sure get answered when looking for a FBO for my PPL? Another thing to add is that I live in Michigan so this training would be from late summer through winter so that will probably have an effect on when i am able to fly. Thanks for your help.

Jeff

[Continental Chris]

Jeff,

I got my private through a local FBO while I was in college. While I was able to get my ratings there I would not recommend that particual school (or any other small FBO). There were just too many problems. It always seemd like there was an excuse as to why I was not flying; instructor availability, aircraft maintenance, etc. It ended up taking me over a year and a good chunk of change to get my private pilot's license. Looking back on it I should have just waited and gone to an accelerated program for all of my ratings.

Flying in Michigan during the winter is going to be a challenge. Basically any time there are low clouds you are not going to be able to fly due to icing conditions. I would think that you would encounter numerous delays to your training during a Michigan winter.

If you do decide to look into getting your license through an FBO ask them how many airplanes they have (of the same type), how many instructors, are you tied to a particular instructor, and of course their hourly rates. I would fly the cheapest airplane they have, no matter what bells and whistles the other ones might have. When they quote you an estimated price look at how many hours that is based on. You should figure about 65 hours for a private license, if theirs is lower than adjust it accordingly. Also remember that ATP's price for a private includes 85 hours of flying, all of which you will eventually need for your commercial license requirements.

Chris

[JeffH-MI-608]

I know an FBO route will probably lead to some problems in Michigan. I am going to visit some in the area to see what their opinions are. No matter what i will be taking a few lessons this fall to see how this career might look.

If i decide to wait till April/May and start from zero (or close to it) with ATP, do you have any suggestions on how i can use the next 10 months or so to my advantage. If a pilot career is what i want to do, i feel like i would be waisting a lot of time that could be used for something.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Continental Chris]

Jeff,

I think that it is definetly wise to take a few introductory lessons, that will really help you decide if that is what you want to do as a career. If you do decide to wait I would highly recommend using that time to get ALL of your written exams out of the way. There are several (around 6) that need to be completed, having these all done before you begin your training would be a huge stress reducer to you. I actually did this myself and found it to be very beneficial. When the other students were studying foir written exams I was able to work on other things or even take some time to relax.

Chris

[JeffH-MI-608]

What are the best materials to get to study for the written exams. I know that you get a huge box from ATP when you put in your deposit but i may not be doing that till probably January at the earliest. If I decide to wait and get my PPL through ATP, I would probably like to get at least my PPL and Instrument writtens out of the way before i sign up at ATP and then get the rest of the writtens done with the materials that ATP sends out. I don't want to buy a lot of things now and then get a bunch of duplicate materials later from ATP.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Continental Chris]

I always liked to study for the written tests with the Gleim books (red covers). They are easily found online at pilot stores like Sporty's. I felt that of all the manulas they were the best. I actually ended up buying all of mine in advance and then had duplicates when ATP sent me the infamous box. If you find that just the books are not enough then I recommend the videos by King Schools. The Kings (www.kingschools.com)teach the information in a way that keeps it informative, yet interesting. I sold the extras on eBay and made a portion of the money back.

Chris