My instructor and I ran into some scheduling snags over the last month. With him going away for a large portion of the summer, we both decided it was in my best interest to pair up with another instructor. In addition, there were some personality issues that was inhibiting me from making some bigger steps towards being a certificated pilot. From what I hear, it is not uncommon. The aircraft is a terrible classroom. The instructor and student must 'gel' to get the most effective instruction. In the last couple of months, we were not communicating well. Add to that the stress of finances, lost opportunities and the general stress of flying, the efficiency of instruction was going south quickly. Time to move on.
The money issue is really starting to take its toll on me. My music earnings are half of what they should be. I can thank the economy for some of it. Some of it is due to my lack marketing efforts. Marketing takes time. For every five hours of marketing, I may get one gig, paying around $100. Consider each gig is minimum of four hours of work (regardless of how long I play) and there is always travel involved. It just does not seem worth it. I could justify the time in the past because I love to play. That being said, if I spend time marketing, then I do not spend time flying.
After dumping three grand into car repairs and tree removal, and forking out money for summer camp for my son, I am starting get anxious about flying. I cannot quit now, but the costs are prohibitive. I do not mind the instructor costs. I would pay instructor costs for any new endeavor, whether it be for golf lessons, drum lessons, whatever. The rental fee for a Cessna 172 runs around $115 to $135 per hour wet. Even at four dollars per gallon of gas, burning close to ten gallons an hour in training, that is still a jaw-dropping large fee. By the time I get my certificate, I will have flown close 65 hours. The notion that a private pilot license costs under $7000 is ludicrous. It is not possible unless a student enrolls in a three week 'all or nothing' immersion program.
I keep looking for a way to cut the costs of flying. In the end, if GA is to be 'saved', then the industry, as a whole, should change it's attitude towards student pilots, not trying to use them as a money bag to prop up the industry. In addition, I think, with all the controlled air space out there, the LSA market is never going to be very big. The money being dumped into does not seem justifiable. It may show some spots of success in states like Florida or in the western states with wide open spaces.
At this point, I would be better taking the family on a vacation in the west for two weeks and finishing up my flying out there where rental and instructor fees are lower in cost. Get'er done!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi Eric,
Flying training is expensive whichever way you look at it unfortunately. It actually gets a bit better later when you do a night or instrument rating since a significant portion of the training can be done in the sim, but for the PPL you pretty much have to grin and bear it.
One way to save cost is to make each lesson a success. Easier said than done, I know. Give yourself time to reflect on past lessons (what worked/didn't work, what could have been done better) and prepare for the next one (textbooks and also flight sim at home may help, or just sit in a chair, close your eyes and fly circuits). This way you will avoid repeat lessons.
Blocking time with nothing else to do than learning to fly is very effective, especially if you do that far from home in a place with flying weather more or less guaranteed. This assumes you have the cash upfront though.
I find it very motivational to see that you've chosen to follow your two passions, flying and music, but boy is that a challenging setup money-wise :-)
Thanks for the encouragement. I am wondering if other pilots have success in using a flight sim for emergency procedures run throughs and maneuvers like slow flight, ground reference manuevers and stalls. I find the sim being good for instrument flying only. I have had some success using it proper control inputs for crosswind landings. I also like to put the plane into a spin and pratice recoveries.
Hi Eric,
Same as you, I find the flight simulator at home to be only useful for instrument flying. It can be useful for cross-country VFR navigation if you have a scenery pack that matches the sectional, otherwise there's no point.
I find the simulator rather useless for performing airwork, because airwork is all about developing a feel for the aircraft and looking outside the window. For emergency drills, I just sit on a chair with my eyes closed and go through the drill.
Hope that helps a bit.
Julien.
Post a Comment