Flying is often seen as a hobby of the rich and famous. You've probably heard that it costs thousands to take flying lessons, and even more thousands to get your license. The thing is, this isn't always true. There are ways to learn to fly more affordably. You just have to know how!
Opt for a private teacher over flight school.
Did you know that attending flight school is not a requirement for getting a recreational pilot's license? You have to have a certain number of hours flying the plane, and initially you cannot do so without an instructor. However, this does not have to be in a formal school setting. There are private trainers and instructors who offer flight lessons, and since they have less overhead than a big flight school, they typically charge a more affordable rate. The schedule will probably be more flexible with a private teacher too. For instance, you won't have to pay for a week's worth of lessons even though you can never come on Tuesdays. Reasonable instructors will work out a schedule that works for both of you at the start.
Teach yourself the "ground" part.
In addition to flying time, you will also need to take a written test on the rules of the sky in order to get your pilot's license. Many people take a class to learn these rules, but another option is to teach them to yourself. There are books designed for self-study. If you have any huge questions, you can ask your flying instructor.
Start with your sport pilot's license.
There are two types of recreational pilot's licenses: sport and private. The private pilot's license is what most people think of first; these people can fly almost any small aircraft. The lower-level license, known as a sport pilot's license, only permits you to drive two-seater sport planes. Since this is what most people start off flying anyways, it makes sense that you would get your sport license first since it is cheaper. Doing so is cheaper and requires a lot less flight time. Once you have your sport pilot's license, you can slowly work towards your private license over time, so you don't have to shell out all of the money at once. Flight hours you have as a sport pilot can count towards your private license.
To learn more about learning to fly and about flying lessons, reach out to an instructor or a flight school near you, such as CalAir Aviation.
Share5 October 2018
For years, I really struggled with the concept of getting out of my comfort zone. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew that I had to do something to get out and see the world. I began talking with a friend of mine about traveling, and she was on board. We began working in fields where a lot of travel was required, and it was truly exciting to us. I wanted to begin a little blog that helped other people to make travel simpler, since it can be easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to travel.
