Newbie with questions...

Hi there,

After seeing a commercial on TV for pilot's lessons, my childhood interest
in flying was renewed and I want to make the jump into flying. How much are
lessons typically and the license fees? Once your done with the
certification, how do you access a plane? Do you rent, lease, buy? What's
the price range for all of these things. Would it ever be feasable to fly
yourself somewhere else for a vacation for a week, or would it be too
expensive? How noisy are planes? Will I need earplugs?

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just excited! If these questions are
highlighted in a FAQ, please point the way.

Oh, and I wear glasses, monofocal about -2.5 diopter plus astigmatism
correction of about 2.5 as well. Will this be a problem?

Thanks,

Mike

--
To reply via email remove the X's from my email address:

How much are
lessons typically and the license fees?

I think a private license can be done for around $5000-$7000 depending on
what toys you buy and how long it takes you

Once your done with the
certification, how do you access a plane? Do you rent, lease, buy?
What's
the price range for all of these things.

i rent myself runs between $75-$100 an hour for cessna 172 depending on how
new the plane is current fuel prices and which model 172. you can buy cessna
150s start around 20K or so

Would it ever be feasable to fly
yourself somewhere else for a vacation for a week, or would it be too
expensive? How noisy are planes? Will I need earplugs?

if you own it no problem w/ renting talk to the renter and see what it'd
cost some require perday minimum hours. yes they are noisy thats what
headsets are for.

Oh, and I wear glasses, monofocal about -2.5 diopter plus astigmatism
correction of about 2.5 as well. Will this be a problem?

go get your medical and find out. I dont think it should be.

CONGRATS!!! You've just taken the first step to being a pilot!!! Here are
some answers to your questions. I'm sure others in the group will chime in.

How much are
lessons typically and the license fees?

Plan on roughly $5000 for airplane rental, instructor fees, books and
supplys depending on the type of aircraft and area of the country you are
in. Best advice would be to have the money in advance so you don't have to
stop your training for financial reasons. You will be required to obtain at
least 40 hours of flight experience before taking your private pilot
checkride. Most students take more time than that, say 50-60 hours.

Once your done with the
certification, how do you access a plane?
Most likely the flight school or fixed base operator at the airport where
you do your training will rent aircraft.

Do you rent, lease, buy?
This all depends on your financial situation, your goals, and your ambition.
Most students rent.

What's
the price range for all of these things.
Cessna 150 or Cherokee 140 trainer will run from about $45 to $60 per hour
wet, this price includes fuel
Instructors fees generally run from $25 to $35 per hour for primary
instruction
Expect to pay for ground instruction also

Would it ever be feasable to fly
yourself somewhere else for a vacation for a week, or would it be too
expensive?
Most airplane rental companies have a minumum number of hours per day that
you must fly or you will get billed for that minimum. Example: take the
plane for 7 days and only fly 10 hours, if the minimum is 2 hours per day,
you pay for 14 hours.

How noisy are planes? Will I need earplugs?
Not earplugs, but an aviation headset. If your flight school doesn't
provide them or rent them to the students, you'll need to buy one. Try
several types and brands before buying.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just excited! If these questions are
highlighted in a FAQ, please point the way.

Oh, and I wear glasses, monofocal about -2.5 diopter plus astigmatism
correction of about 2.5 as well. Will this be a problem?
No. You will be required to get at least a 3rd class medical that is issued
by an authorized Airman's Medical Examiner. This special MD will test your
vision and may require you to wear glasses while flying.

I'm sure I haven't answered your questions in the depth and detail that you
require. The best thing that you can do is visit several local airports and
flight schools and check them out for yourself. Then ask for references!!
Past students and other local pilots. They will tell you who to stay away
from. Find an instructor that has a personality that you can work with and
one that uses methods that help you learn.
--
Jim Burns III

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.....and for more questions, answers and student experiences see
rec.aviation.student

--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply

In article ,

Howdy, first let me say you might want to look at rec.aviation/student
for more info on these questions or do a deja/goolge search for that
newsgroup as a lot of this ahas been covered before. I'm going to assume
you are in the USA too

How much are lessons typically and the license fees?

It really varies from place to place. Check http://www.airnav.com and
http://aviationtoolbox.org/old/nearby_airports for airports in your area.
Airnav use to have a complete list of local FBOs (fixed based operators)
and flight schools, but now is more hit and miss. Once you find the
airports in your area visit and ask about costs.
Most of the training flight is made of Cessna 152s (2 seat) and Cessna
172s (4 seat) airplanes. Cost vary but figure about $50-70/hr for a C152
and $70-100/hr for a C172. Insturction runs about $20-30/hr.
The minimal training requirments can be found online at
http://www.studentpilot.com or in the databases at http://www.landings.com
Basicaly it's 40hrs of training including at least:
20hrs dual (with a instructor)
10hrs solo
Cross country trips (trips 50nm)
Pass a written exam (it's a joke)
A practical flight test w/ an examiner
40hrs is the min, but the national average is closer to 50hrs. Often
clubs will have packages where it's cheaper to buy bulk time in advance.
But I would factor in ~$4500 for everything. I trained as cheaply as
possible and spent $3700 over 4mos.

Once your done with the certification, how do you access a plane? Do
you rent, lease, buy?

Most rent. If you fly less than 1000hrs a year renting is cheaper, if
you fly 100-200hrs a year renting/owning is about even, 200hrs a year
and owning is normally a better option. But that's a general rule of
thumb, owning gives you a fredom that you can't have with renting and as I
said the training/rental fleet is mostly C152/C172 so if you want to
flying something 'nicer' you have to either buy or join a
club/partnership.

What's the price range for all of these things.

See above

Would it ever be feasable to fly yourself somewhere else for a vacation
for a week, or would it be too expensive?

It really depends. Normally you are only billed from engine start to
engine stop. So If I take a 1.5hr trip east, stay there for 4days, then
fly 1.5hrs back west, I'm only billed for 3hrs.
But a lot of places see that as lost revuence and charge a 2hr minimum
on days you keep the plane overnight. Where I rent they DO NOT charge
this (club).
As a general rule of thumb any trip you can make without having to
refuel is cheaper to fly yourself, if you ave to land fly on the airlines.
But it also depnds on how 'cheap' you are. I book 6-8wks in advance using
internet specials, that's a LOT cheaper than just showing up at the
airport to buy a ticket the day off.
Plus how much to to much? I live in Seattle and often fly to portland.
That's ~$150 by air, or ~$20 by car, or $80-140 on the majors. BUT I can
leave when I want, there's no traffic (I5 sucks), don't have to check in
45-60min early at the airport, etc. etc. Plus it's just more fun to fly
myself.
And in the end that's what it's all about, it's just fun to fly! Money
wise it almost never works out.
I've also flown family from Maryland to Mass to visit Nana (aka
grandma). That's a $300 trip, but spilt 4 ways it's not tha tbad and
again we get to skip all the hassle of going ot the airport, and we can
land at a small GA field that's 10min from her house. If you fly the
majors we have to rent a car and drive 30min.

How noisy are planes? Will I need earplugs?

Loud, you will need a heaset. Get one with ANR (active noise
reduction) you can find more info/reviews at http://www.avweb.com

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just excited! If these questions are
highlighted in a FAQ, please point the way.

again, try to track down the rec.aviation.student faq or do a few
searchs on the group

Oh, and I wear glasses, monofocal about -2.5 diopter plus astigmatism
correction of about 2.5 as well. Will this be a problem?

You need to pass a class 3 medical (check landings.com database to find
an aviation medical examiner in your area). To pass a class 3 you need: 2
arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, to speak english, and able to hear out of one ear
If you corrected vision is at least 20/40 you'll be fine. The FAA
cares more about history of : kidney/gall stones, heart attackes, etc.
However, you can still get a class 3 with these conditions it just takes
more work. They are letting type I diabetics fly so you should be ok.

"Mike (Remove X's to reply)" wrote in message


Once
your done with the certification, how do you access a plane? Do you
rent, lease, buy? What's the price range for all of these things.
Would it ever be feasable to fly yourself somewhere else for a
vacation for a week, or would it be too expensive?

Another option that hasn't been mentioned is a flight club. Depending on
the club's organization, you may find that the buy-in is affordable, the
planes are available and the cost is more reasonable than FBOs. The club
I'm in, for example, does not charge a minimum daily fee which makes flying
to vacation destinations much more affordable (since I'm only charged actual
flight time). Look around for options.

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/TknoFlyer
http://www.pocketgear.com/products_s...veloperid=4415
____________________

"Mike (Remove X's to reply)" wrote in message
...
[...]
Sorry for so many questions. I'm just excited! If these questions are
highlighted in a FAQ, please point the way.

There probably are some good FAQ type stuff at www.beapilot.com and
www.aopa.org . I suppose a Google search on "student pilot FAQ" or
something like that would be helpful too.

In addition to the other replies, I'd like to point out that when they
mention "per hour" charges, those are calculated only on the time the
airplane is actually *running*. That's why Jim and John mentioned minimum
daily fees. You can go somewhere, park the plane, have a good time, and
then fly back and you are only charged for the time you spent operating the
airplane.

The "minimum daily fee" business is that many places will charge you some
minimum number of hours (I've seen as few as one and as many as four) if you
have the plane overnight. Usually, the fee would be charged for every full
24 hour day you had the airplane out, though different places have different
policies.

So, for example, say you want to take a ski trip. You schedule the airplane
for pick up at noon Friday, drop off at eight pm Sunday. The airplane would
be out for two full 24 hour periods, so a place that had a two hour daily
minimum would charge you no less than four hours of rental.

In a situation like that, if you spend more than the minimum amount of time
flying the airplane while you have it out, then you're fine. You'd pay the
same as if you'd flown all those hours in the same day. So the only tricky
thing is to make sure that the longer you schedule the plane for, the
farther you fly.

All of this "minimum daily rate" stuff isn't going to be relevant until
after your training's over (most likely), but the difference between being
charged for the time you have the plane versus the time you fly the plane is
something that a lot of people new to flying don't realize exists. Just
thought I'd try to clear that up.

Pete

"Mike (Remove X's to reply)" wrote:

After seeing a commercial on TV for pilot's lessons, my childhood interest
in flying was renewed and I want to make the jump into flying. How much are
lessons typically and the license fees?

Lessons vary depending on aircraft type and location, but plan on about $60 an
hour for the plane and about $20 an hour for an instructor. Plane on at least
50 hours training, about 60% of which will be with an instructor. It's legally
possible (but unlikely) to do it in less time and will probably take longer.
Tests and books add about $250. If you elect to attend ground school for the
written exam, that will add a few hundred, but you can study on your own if
money's tight.

Once your done with the
certification, how do you access a plane? Do you rent, lease, buy?

Typically, you rent or buy. It's usually a good idea to rent until you get to
the point that you frequently want to do things they don't rent aircraft for.

Would it ever be feasable to fly
yourself somewhere else for a vacation for a week, or would it be too
expensive?

If you own the plane, it's not a problem to fly on vacation. It's usually hard to
rent one for a week; most places charge some minimum amount per day, whether you
fly that day or not. Many places won't let you take one of their planes for a week
at all.

How noisy are planes? Will I need earplugs?

Takeoff volume in mine is over 90db. You need earplugs or headphones and an intercom.

Oh, and I wear glasses, monofocal about -2.5 diopter plus astigmatism
correction of about 2.5 as well. Will this be a problem?

If your vision is correctable to 20/30 it's no problem.

George Patterson
A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that
you look forward to the trip.

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...


"Mike (Remove X's to reply)" wrote:

Oh, and I wear glasses, monofocal about -2.5 diopter plus astigmatism
correction of about 2.5 as well. Will this be a problem?

If your vision is correctable to 20/30 it's no problem.


For many years, I thought I could never be a pilot because
some idiot told me I needed to have two good eyes. I missed
out on 20 years of fun thanks to that fool.

I only have one 'normal' eye. The vision in the other is poor,
except in low-light levels, when it matches the other and I can
see in stereo.

The solution was to have a competency checkride with an FAA
examiner, and the issuance of a "Statement of Demonstrated
Ability" or SODA.

Funnily enough, my first SODA came back with the wrong eye
mentioned. No problem. The FAA just issued another. So I
have actually 2 SODA certificates, claiming no useful vision in
either eye. Two weeks later, a rather stern letter arrived telling
me that I must tell them immediately if the condition got worse.

Looks like you can fly even if you are totally blind. At least,
officially.

"Mike (Remove X's to reply)" wrote in message
...
| Hi there,
|
| After seeing a commercial on TV for pilot's lessons, my childhood interest
| in flying was renewed and I want to make the jump into flying. How much
are
| lessons typically and the license fees? Once your done with the
| certification, how do you access a plane? Do you rent, lease, buy?
What's
| the price range for all of these things. Would it ever be feasable to fly
| yourself somewhere else for a vacation for a week, or would it be too
| expensive? How noisy are planes? Will I need earplugs?
|

Glad to see that those TV commercials are working.

It typically costs between $5,000 and $7,000 to get a private pilot
certificate in the United States. It can cost more if you decide to learn in
newer airplanes. You pay as you go.

Most pilots rent airplanes. You can buy reasonable used airplanes for well
under $50,000, train in them, and sell them after you are through with
them -- possibly making a profit on the whole deal. Some aircraft
manufacturers are offering discounts on their new planes. A new Cessna 172
costs about $180,000, but Cessna will give you a $4,000 discount if you buy
a new plane within a year of purchasing their Cessna Pilot Center ground
school kit, for example. There are some important income tax incentives to
buying an airplane, too.

It is entirely feasible to use an airplane for a week. It is more difficult
if you are renting the plane, easier if you belong to a club, and easiest of
all if you own the plane either by yourself or as part of a partnership. It
costs more per seat than an airline ticket, but for trips under 1000 miles
it is generally faster and much more convenient.

Most small airplanes are noisy, so the pilots wear headsets, and some pilots
wear earplugs with their headsets. You can also buy noise canceling headsets
which actively cancel out sound waves reaching your ears. Most people who
try these think they are wonderful.

Your eyesight does not sound like much of a problem. If you wear glasses,
try on your next prescription to get your vision corrected to 20/15 instead
of just 20/20. I have found that my students who do this actually learn to
fly more quickly and have a much easier time spotting other airplanes. It
certainly produced an immediate improvement in my landings, most of which
are now survivable. :-)

Once you learn to fly you will find that flying as a hobby is about as
expensive as golf.